#jumin preferences

[pirunika]

pls this came for me hard 💀

[kirexa]

Toxic Yaoi

Versus

Healthy Yuri

[diz-eaze]

MYSTIC MESSENGER MENTIONED 🔥🔥🔥

HELL YEAHHH 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[gifti3]

[nicotachi]

my clumsy review aka my unorganized thoughts on Hit New Yuri Game "Love Curse: Find Your Soulmate"! you can buy it on steam here

cyn and i spent the past week or so playing through all 10 endings and i just wanted a place to write down all my thoughts. i feel like i have a Lot to say and barely anyone else to tell so i'm going to attempt to rein it in

under the cut is nothing but spoilers so tread at your own risk! also: i do not hate any ship, but if you are averse to ship hate you may not want to read any of my criticisms!

PLOT SUMMARY

you play as a 20 year-old lesbian (named selene yan by default) navigating her transition from college into the workforce. however, you are suddenly informed of a curse that will kill you in one year's time—the only way to lift this curse is to find your true soulmate (yay a girl) before then.

there are currently 4 romanceable options: your cute childhood-friend-turned-girl-next-door, your classmate's mysterious twin sister, your reliable upperclassman, and your intimidating boss at your internship. who will you choose??? 😳

OVERALL

wow. what a game!!! i have limited experience with visual novels as most of them have been linear. all the otome games i've played were written for straight female audiences (with the exception of kang jaehee of mystic messenger) and designed for mobile. this was my first foray into an honest to goodness Sit In Front Of Computer And Pick Your Girlfriend game, and this time for actual lesbians! and i liked it a lot! what stuck out to me with this game—and keep in mind my limited experience here—is that ALL the endings felt like legitimate endings, even the bad ones. for some characters, the bad endings even felt preferable! this made me feel respected as a reader/player, and gave me a sense of agency in that i was able to choose whatever ending i liked without feeling like other endings were more 'correct'. and boy, did i enjoy some endings much more than others.

there are two curious things about the game.

the first one is a unique mechanic. each character has two meters: an affection meter, and a ??? meter. i thought the affection meter seemed pretty straightforward: get the affection up and get the happy ending. however, this was not so simple for 3 out of the 4 romanceable characters with the second meter in question. if the ??? value reaches a certain number, this may trigger the bad ending for that character. while the ??? value is never outright explained, it seems to represent something different for each character.

the second thing that stuck out to me was that half of the characters' routes directly relate to the lore behind the curse. honestly, it took me a while to even remember the title of the game because the 'curse' part seemed irrelevant to me with my preferred route. while two of the romanceable characters' routes explain the origins of the curse and why you have it, the other two are completely independent stories that could live in a vacuum.

this is likely not the first time this has happened as this was a feature in mystic messenger as well; zen/jaehee/yoosung were labeled 'casual story' while jumin and 707 were labeled 'deep story'. however, it's still an interesting choice as i believe overarching plot relevance influenced the characters which influenced how much i liked each character and/or their route.

which brings me to the main reason i even started this review: RANKINGS. yes, i wanted to rank each ending, explain why i liked them, why i disliked them, and what i think they could have done differently. this is where my opinions will become Opinions so dread carefully (not a typo).

very conveniently, i saw this post which brought me this chart, which i will use to grade each ending:

and now...the rankings!!!

first, i will start with ranking much i liked each character. this is based on writing/design/overall vibes and enjoyment:

iris (by a fuckin MILE omg)

nyx

victoria

eleanor

next, here is the order in which i played so you can have some more context with each route's review:

Iris BE

Iris HE

Victoria HE

Victoria BE

Nyx BE

Nyx HE

Eleanor BE

Eleanor HE

True End

now, here is how i rank each route. this is mainly based on writing and enjoyment:

9. Eleanor HE

Score: ⭐

i'm so sorry eleanor fans. personally i think eleanor was done dirty. tragically, her pre-awakening chemistry with selene is very cute. she's the closest to a classmate that selene has out of all of her love interests, and therefore the closest in maturity level. their banter reminds me of like idk. rory and jess from gilmore girls. basically two people who feel comfortable riffing off of the other. and this is no coincidence; they mention several times how they feel they have known each other for years.

which is a shame, because the route starts going downhill after eleanor's memories are reawakened, which is pretty early on. her personality shifts and it no longer becomes selene x eleanor, but selene x someone who thinks she's jianghe. everything we know about eleanor is thrown out the window in favor of her becoming 'jianghe', whom we barely know anything about.

and i think that's one of the major issues: we never do learn much about jianghe. not in her HE, BE, or even the true end. we don't even get a sprite! how are we supposed to care about jianghe if we barely know her relationship with fuguang? was jianghe also a confident perfectionist like eleanor? was she just as playful? why do we so easily accept that jianghe = eleanor, when in other routes we make it a point that chimei =/= nyx and fuguang =/= selene?

sure, there are hints that eleanor has been controlling since before her memories awakened, but that's still related to jianghe as it's a result of the spirits she pissed off. maybe it would have felt better if being controlling were a core part of her personality, the way iris and nyx's flaws feel more baked into their characters (which is why i thought iris' house arrest was way more interesting but anyways).

what would i do differently? i honestly would have emphasized an internal struggle in which eleanor doesn't know if she wants to continue being jianghe—someone paralyzed by paranoia, fear, and regret—and instead live as eleanor, who respects selene as a fellow intellectual. the house arrest arc dragged on for wayyyy too long. it honestly made me root for nyx to come break us free. instead, what happens is we get a rather bland fairytale ending of us overcoming nyx and living happily ever after.

also, i find it a little unsettling that we never find out eleanor has been tracking us, especially since i read someone on twitter suggest she has been tracking us THROUGH THE SMART WATCH SHE GAVE US IN THE COMMON ROUTE!!! which honestly is a crazy cool detail

8. Victoria HE

Score: ⭐

(WARNING: i do not hate this ship but i can see how you might interpret this as ship hate, so beware)

i like selene and i think i like victoria (even though i wasn't a fan of her routes), but i think selene and victoria have negative chemistry. not a single unit of rizz together. 1+1=0. watching their mutual attraction unfold felt like watching one of those slow trash compactor videos. two cars backing into each other in a parking lot. just something very unpleasant that i didn't want to keep seeing, yet kept reading in hopes of being swayed—and it never happened.

TO BE CLEAR!!! this is NOT because i hate either character and not because of their age gap or boss/employee dynamic. my number one ship rn is gan/qing for god's sake which is both of those. and i think it's BECAUSE i love gan/qing and office romance that i was so put off by their development.

victoria is presented as this cold and intimidating boss who scares selene during her internship interview. and she just...becomes very soft and caring after that? she just starts hanging out with selene like she's on her level and texting her like a friend? to me, it felt like the writers wanted to ignore their power imbalance until they couldn't ignore it anymore, which felt worse imho. what's the point in even making them boss and employee if you can't lean into the forbidden love territory!!!

not to mention, the conflict in both routes is just...i feel like it doesn't do her character justice? victoria is this cold woman who has her own young subsidiary under the qi group, treats rosalie like an annoying cousin, but is powerless to go against them at the same time?

and when she does finally go against them, it feels...idk, too easy. selene barely even does anything honestly, victoria solves it herself. and she just sells all her shares for a cute intern she just met??? even her affection for us feels too 'easy'. i wanted it to come with more strings i think...the writing and reasoning just felt way too disjointed for me.

what would i do differently? for one, i think i would lean into the 'problematic' aspect more. this is the toxic yuri game for a reason!!

i would have preferred if victoria were engaged from DAY ONE. chapter 0 baby. it would have made her 'innocent' flirting with us all the more scandalous in hindsight and made us rethink her green flag status.

i also would have amped up their boss/employee dynamic with them both knowing it's a line they shouldn't cross (and do). for example, more subtle gestures from victoria under the guise of Work. hands brushing over paperwork, a hesitant pat on the shoulder, idk ANYTHING!!! GIVE ME SOME PRIDE & PREJUDICE!!! IN FACT JUST REBRAND GAN/QING AND HAND IT TO ME ON A SILVER PLATTER. it was a mistake to have so much of their flirting over text because it feels both out of character and kinda just? ick? idek. it would have been funnier if victoria were a super dry texter but gave mixed signals in person.

7. Eleanor BE

Score: ⭐

i gave this one more points because eleanor actually dies. NOT because i hate eleanor, but because actions have consequences and her death is the consequence of her and phoenix keeping selene in the dark and not respecting her agency.

however, it still has the flaw of the incredibly long house arrest arc, as well as something that bothered me: this eleanor feels incredibly vindicated by her actions, even in death. first it was the flower pot incident, then it was tracking selene and being able to die for her in the forest.

what would i do differently? well for one, i think eleanor should have had regrets in her dying moments. it would have been better if she had that final realization that hey, maybe controlling every aspect of selene's life, memorizing her schedule, and viewing her movements 24/7 IS bad and the reason she's dead. unfortunately, she's still too stuck on fulfilling jianghe's wishes and basically dies as jianghe.

6. Victoria BE

Score: ⭐⭐

i share the same gripes with her HE. however, i rate her BE higher because the ending is actually very interesting to me. i liked the line about selene realizing victoria and rosalie are still cut from the same cloth, that at the end of the day victoria will lean on materialism and privilege to keep selene at her side. the symbolism of selene kissing the ring instead of victoria herself is RAW AF. especially when contrasted with her HE cg (kissing the ring that belongs to another woman vs holding the hand wearing selene's ring, the drawn curtains vs open window, etc). really cool of the writers and artists to do that.

what would i do differently? same as her HE criticisms, but especially the bit where i think victoria should have been cheating from the start. i don't think it's unfair as there is evidence to support eleanor has been tracking us since the common route. i do appreciate that all the characters' flaws do show up in the common route/happy endings

5. Nyx BE

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

before this route: oh nyx is just that childhood friend who is a littleeee bit clingy and unsettling but i'm sure she means no harm. i saw her kissing cg in the trailer it's very romantic she's just doing her best

during this route: holy shit she's an evil demon from our past and the reason why we're even cursed to die to begin with?

no real notes. banger story that gave me my first peek into the lore, more music tracks that were great and stellar voice acting from nyx. the backstory reveal and how they met bell was sooo cute. the final scene was raw af with selene being like "no. i'm not going to die with you because i don't want to 💃💃💃" and wanting to bid her ACTUAL LOVED ONES a proper goodbye. metal affff

also, the common cg with chimei lying with fuguang is gorgeous af chimei is literally channeling hu tao there

what would i do differently? well this one's a bit shallow but.....can they redraw fuguang and chimei's sprites please. the cg is so good just make it match

4. Iris HE

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

i LOVE iris but i felt like the outcome of this route felt less deserved when compared to her BE. iris is such a compelling character whose cruel breakup with us was the result of her strong feelings of resentment (and let's be real depression). i NEEDED her to GET INTO her resentment!!! but what happens is that she is literally about to tell us wtf is her problem with her family when she gets interrupted by a phone call. and disappears from work. and we don't see her until a few days later by coincidence. and she begs for us to take her back and we do.

to be honest, i had played her HE second and initially rated it way lower than it is here, but i recently replayed it after the true end and enjoyed it a lot more than i did the first time. while their reconciliation was a little ? to me (see: next entry), their redo date was super cute. i love a good breakup and grovel and reconciliation, and iris giving the date her best was really nice to watch. she had spent all that time in the common route/beginning of her route flirting with us meaninglessly, so it was nice to see her doing it with the actual intent to charm us.

while i had initially disliked the scene in which she spills her feelings and asks us to to take her back when compared with the cafe scene in the BE (peak), i do like it for what it is, and i especially like the part where she politely asks us to not reject her as she doesn't think she can take it at the moment. 😭

the final section with the business trip was kinda meh (victoria, why are you asking iris who is supposedly on a different team and also a newbie to substitute for selene's senior coworker lmao), i do love the implied sex the night before. WE LOVE YOU FADE TO BLACK WE LOVE YOU DISCRETIONARY SHOTS!!! iris said it may take her a while to become intimate with someone (maybe someone who knows chinese can tell me what exactly she meant by 'intimate') but girl it only took you several months to eat her cookie huh?

what would i do differently? see the next entry mostly. but honestly, i would have revealed more about her family and resentment and hate here rather than leaving it up to the BE.

3. Iris BE

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Spicy🌶️🌶️🌶️🥵)

if you haven't guessed by now, iris is my favorite character in the whole damn game. her bad ending was actually my first route as i totally fell into the xuejie trap and did everything i could to please her. consequently and to my surprise, i overindulged her and activated her dormant yandere state.

i had some suspicions about her as selene continued to rebuff her attempts to get back together, but i too was caught off-guard when iris decides to ROOFIE AND CHLOROFORM US. OMG. they even get into the weeds with the details of the kidnapping to show how scary the situation is e.g. iris feeding us literal crumbs and water in the dark. girl when can we pee?

but oh my god. that cg. that iconic cg that apparently made the rounds on twitter that i had thankfully avoided getting spoiled by but you know what? if i saw that cg first i'd have bought the game too. the game seems to sell at least part of itself on the idea that everyone has a dark side, but iris' ending takes it up a notch with "everyone has a dark side, and sometimes their dark sides are also sexy." because goddamn iris!!! her whole schtick is being miss perfect who is tired of being perceived as perfect and wants to bare her ugly side too, but sorry xuejie your ugly side is kind of sexy too soooo idk...

this is becoming a hornypost for iris i'm sorry. anyways um what would i do differently? my main gripe is while i commend selene for being much stronger than me, her reasons for continuing to deny iris in the BE vs her reasons for accepting iris in her HE make no sense to me.

the divergence in iris' route happens after the bathroom scene, in which you can either choose to walk in on her phone conversation/cry session (increasing her ??? meter) or try to give her some privacy (increasing her affection meter). interestingly, if you walk in, she will lie and claim she was trying to create a situation in which you two would bump into each other.

in the bad ending, you take her to the cafe where you had your first date and where she also dumped you and she pours her heart out about her family, her insecurities, why she broke up with you.

and you still decide to treat her coldly after that.

i can see how this would make sense, sure. selene is incredibly hurt. iris doesn't get to just hit the undo button because she's feeling regretful one month later. but this also doesn't make sense, because in the happy ending where you DO take her back such a conversation doesn't happen!

what happens in the HE after the divergence is: she stalks you at your social gathering (ironically she doesn't kidnap you in this one), is interrupted by a phone call before she can tell you more about her family, you find out about her family by very nicely asking victoria (simp) to disclose confidential info from iris' personal file, and you randomly bump into iris at school (iris has long since graduated), where she cries and asks you to take her back.

what??

not to mention iris' sudden slip into crazy. hotness aside, when and why does she decide to kidnap us? does she go out and buy some chloroform after eavesdropping on our resignation convo? i'm not opposed to the yandere thing at all, i just needed a little more believable buildup. she goes from completely cold and resentful of being needed to "i want to make you need only me" in the blink of an eye. maybe the writers could have connected it a bit more—maybe her doubling down into the dependable breadwinner role is her rejecting her most honest and imperfect self, realizing her true feelings were what pushed selene, her only love, away.

but anyways. still good tho.

2. Nyx HE

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

being a 'deep route', nyx's route does a good job of being a satisfyingly complete story that fleshes out her character while delving into the lore. the payoff feels good, and i like that the writers don't try to downplay nyx's red flags even after they officially get together. nyx being jealous of their cat that SHE originally took in herself is just as amusing as it is a concern.

what would i do differently? well, my main thing with selene/nyx is that while i do find them cute (as well as fuguang/chimei), i sort of get the sense that selene is partly with nyx because she sees her as her responsibility, much like the way fuguang saw chimei. while i was very impressed by selene's development from being the least interested in nyx (IMHO) in the common route to seeing her as a lover, i think part of me isn't fully convinced that she fully reciprocates nyx's intense feelings. their final cg is soooo romantic though it invokes the shoujo doki doki fr

1. True End

Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

holy shit. no notes. the true end appropriately ties everything together. i loved the extra insight into fuguang's personality, the extent of nyx's crimes, as well as more tragic bell moments.

there is NO WAY the writers weren't teasing a lil selene selfcest, because holy shit that cg? with the cheek touch? and selene admiring fuguang's calloused hands which were so unlike her own? and becoming hyperaware of the fact that they are different people who happen to share a soul? there is nooooo fuckin way that she didn't feel a lil something for fuguang. my god.

the idea that selene travels into the past to save her own soul and ends up staying behind to save FUGUANG'S soul is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. and she becomes this wandering traveler who makes sure to protect herself/fuguang's reincarnation for eternity WHILE legitimizing every single route is just. wow!!!

if her curse weren't already broken by the paradox, it would have been broken by her true soulmate literally being the one person who shares her soul. time travel ALWAYS equals yuri. so so good. perhaps an unintentional aesop about loving yourself lmao

what would i do differently? i know the moments after fuguang passes away are supposed to blur, but some actual onscreen interaction with jianghe would have been nice. we literally know the bare minimum about her!!

ok let's wrap it up

you know what it's way past my bedtime so i should just end it here. in closing love curse was such a fun read/play and i enjoyed all the ways in which it wrinkled my brain and made me think about what i liked and what i wanted. i highly recommend you go buy it and support the devs so we can show how much the world wants yuri!!!!!

EDIT: cyn had to remind me of the actual order in which i played the routes so i edited it accordingly LOL. i think it’s actually because i disliked victoria’s happy ending so much that i started playing the bad endings first again

also, i mention 10 endings but only rank 9. this is because the 10th ending is the one in which you die due to not establishing a meaningful soulmate connection in time. currently, we’ve only read through iris and victoria’s versions of it. i do like iris’ a lot (shocker) because she sees you as a blip in her radar, something that could have been. i’m ngl i laughed out loud at victoria’s because why is my boss situationship organizing my funeral and not my own PARENTS LMAO

[lovedivers]

Can I go where you go?

—> Domestic Jumin Han Headcanons with you!

↪ SFW, slightly suggestive at times, fluff, reader is not specified to be male nor female

🦋 ⤻ archives.

— Jumin always makes an effort to cook breakfast for you, even if he has a chef. His mornings are one of the only times he gets to fully spend time with you, so he makes sure he cherishes and takes full advantage of that time.

— Doesn't mind getting called Cat Mom/Dad after getting together with you because technically, you are also Elizabeth's Cat Mom/Dad which means both of you are married and have a child. (I feel like he would think like that, idk why.)

— Loves doing chores with you.

— If you are doing dishes on their own, he will make sure to wrap his arms around your waist and sway a bit and kiss your neck sweetly.

— Jumin makes a big effort to know about your interests. If you like anime, they will make sure to watch the summaries on YouTube of their favourite anime everytime a new episode comes out. If you like painting, they will learn about the best museums to bring you to.

— Loves when you dress traditionally.

— Will buy a vinyl and various disks with elegant music and play it every night. When both of you are in the mood, Jumin will invite you to dance and twirl you about softly while kissing you.

— His kisses normally follow the pattern of Hands —> Arms —> Shoulders —> Neck —> Jaw —> Cheeks —> Nose —> Forehead —> Lips. He makes sure to take a lot of time so you feel good.

— Although he loves the passionate kisses you give, he finds himself falling in love with you even more everytime you kiss and squeeze his hands at the same time. (BONUS POINTS FOR KISSES ON KNUCKLES)

— Dislikes it when you turn away from him in bed. He prefers sleeping while facing each other, cuddling too.

— A lot of different sleeping positions (not like that, get your mind out of the gutter): his head on your shoulders/heads/chest or your head on his chest. He especially likes when you cuddle closer if it's too cold and Bury yourself into his chest.

— Loves when you wash his hair in the bath or vice versa. (Inspired by that one wholesome reddit post. Does anyone know whether that couple is still together?)

— Likes to put his hand under your shirt to trace your spine, collarbone or any bones, really.

— His Favourite Nicknames for you are 'My Queen, Lover, Darling, Sweetheart.'

— You're the only one he allows to call Elizabeth, 'Elly'. He doesn't like to admit it but he also catches him calling Elizabeth 'Elly' at times.

— Loves to see you playing with Elizabeth.

— After a stressful day of work, he will silently drop everything at the door and bury his head into your chest.

— If he ever finds you crying, he will kiss and lick the tears from your eyes.

— Whenever he sees a photo of you on an online article or anywhere in the Media, he will complain that they cannot capture the 'True essence of your beauty.'

[haine-kleine]

ngl replaying Another Story after 283639 years is making me regret they focused on romance so hard? V feels ooc in both routes but RAE's cartoonishly evil V originating from the same common route that hasubando VAE V did makes it borderline comical.

and as a Saeran stan since the beginning this is almost a surreal experience because?? they clearly realized just how unhealthy his fixation on mc was and??? went with it anyway???

any attempt to make him take care of himself instead of obsessing over mc is met with rebuttal and trying to establish even reasonably healthy (compared to other routes' rejection options) boundaries sends this bpd bitch into a textbook rejection dysphoria.

what's really buggering me is that his route proceeds to successfully establish both Rika = Saeran/Saeyoung = V and the twins' mother = Saeran/Prime Minister = Saeyoung parallels. this makes it very easy to draw comparison between Rika's early relationship with V and Ray's budding romance with mc where both kept lovebombing their romantic interest before switching to their 'dark' personality that will manipulate and harass said partner. V going bonkers in RAE makes this equation positively insane which perhaps is evenly reflected in Ray's route requiring insane mental gymnastics of the player to get to the good ending (at least compared to mysmes' usual 'say i love you/spit on him and call him a little bitch' options).

like... realistically? at least speaking on mysme's otome game world's scope of realism, Saeran and mc's relationship would inevitably turn toxic. bc of his mom and Rika's brainwashing the concept of self worth is entirely foreign which pretty much makes therapy mandatory before it's possible for him to enter a healthy relationship. because mc is the first foreign person to get to know him and express interest in staying by his side he starts basing his entire sense of worth off the status of their relationship but his history with Saeyoung and V and Rika's influence turn this into a tightrope walking experience for mc. on the one hand, preferring Ray's gentle behaviour to Saeran's literal abuse inevitably leads to a bad ending but on the other hand the concept of accepting his 'inner darkness' or however else they decided to put untreated mental illness and years of CPTSD is on the same plane of existence that V/Rika's 'going blind and becoming suicidal as expression of eternal devotion and 'love'' toxic relationship is.

I'm aware what an otome game is and what soap opera/wife=therapist mysme specific brand of otome is, but my point is about Saeran's route being different from all the other ones.

the main routes were an introductory experience to the game and the characters, so the point of each route was exploring each of the characters fully and in practice allowed the player to help the characters resolve their specific issue by supporting and loving them. you won't really get Zen, Yoosung or Jaehee's flashbacks outside of their routes.

Jumin and Saeyoung are very different, and Jumin's route formula leans closer to the main ones with the bonus of giving V a happier ending which is exclusive among the initial 5 routes.

Saeyoung is like a neon sign, drawing your attention with his enigmatic presence the entire time, and his own route truly feels like the fullest experience of the story. he is designed to be intriguing, with the red herrings thrown around in every other route and 707 himself spending a good chunk of his own route fighting off mc's involvement in his life. what I'm saying is his route is designed less like a romance novel boyfriend and more like a mystery detective. the 707 romance experience is very close to being better outside of his own route, theorizing about the error 707 reset and him holding romantic feelings for mc in every single route. while the skeleton of the route structure remains the same, the experience itself falls short. you don't really get to steadily develop your relationship with him, have him express his doubts and insecurities as you reassure him and help him become a better person thanks to finally having unconditional support on his side. Saeyoung himself literally gets in the way of this formula and fights you with every step you have to forcibly take to get to know him better. and why is that?

because of Saeran, of course. literally everything he does is motivated by his belief in Saeran's safety being the exchange for his sacrifices. Jaehee, Zen and Yoosung don't really have a person whose presence in their lives motivates them so strongly, and mc walking into their lives gives them this exact motivation that drives them to finally unfuck their lives and learn to love themselves. Jumin is different from them because of V, who is his healthiest relationship as his childhood friend, and Elizabeth the third whom he wildly overcompensates V's withdrawal from his life with. as a result he has a much healthier recognition of his needs than everyone in RFA and because of this his route orchestrates very specific circumstances that put Jumin on the brink of psychotic breakdown, which might make the beginning of his relationship with mc appear as something unhealthy but once the time specific stress factors are gone he is able to enter a healthy purely romantic relationship with her without the need for mc to play his life coach and personal therapist.

what Jumin and the common route trio have in common is mc filling in the void in their lives. for Saeyoung this void has already been filled by Saeran. even after breaking through his aggressive tsundere period Saeyoung's personal brand of boyfriend is very strongly influenced by the dynamic he had with Saeran in childhood: he is a control freak, decisive, protective, the responsible one. the other half of this is clearly depicted in Ray's route: he is submissive, meek, fragile, the one who demands attention and care. okay maybe i find twisted humour in the fact that romancing either twin requires copying the attitude of his brother, did cheritz think about the flavour of brocon they were cooking with this.

this brings me to Another story and on this scope of comparison V has the benefit of his past being largely unknown outside of his relationship with Rika. even if you don't personally enjoy V, there's something you can get exclusively from his route: more details on his toxic past relationship, his backstory, a happier narrative conclusion to his friendship with Jumin.

this unfortunately puts Saeran into a losing position because he had already gotten a dlc dedicated fully to his backstory and recovery in secret endings. the route formula established above that consists of character backstory+romance+overcoming personal issues via unconditional support can't work for Saeran because it wasn't meant to work for Saeyoung. Saeyoung's route was intended as the 'true' route that uncovers all the mystery plots presented in main story. Saeran's primary role throughout the process of main route's conception was to serve as a mystery, unknown, the intriguing character baiting the players to buy deep route and be inevitably led to 707's one.

considering the many times Saeran killed himself, his brother or someone else throughout all the original release's endings they took the reasonable step to give him his own hopeful ending in the dlc containing all the details of the twins' childhood. mc is barely present throughout the secret endings because neither of the twins can dedicate himself to a healthy relationship without healing their own relationship first. it's extremely conditional and more defining for their perception of self than anything else. Saeyoung is a giver and a protector, this makes him into a control freak that later views personal distance as a safety measure without realizing how imbalanced this makes his friendship with RFA.

putting this exchange as the best example of this because it's preceded by 707 giving Yoosung an extremely long lecture on 'life is pain and suffering, pursuing your dreams is a hopeless waste of time, the point of existence is making money in the least miserable way you can negotiate with yourself' and pointing out the discrepancies in his preaching and procrastination habits makes him literally run away. he is absolutely not used to having his point of view challenged, this guy is allergic to it. because he had to cobble his belief system in the middle of the hellscape their childhood was and because the healthiest authority/father figure in his life was Jihyun 'i know better than everyone else and i am taking these secrets to my grave in the most dramatic and least productive way possible' Kim, it's easy to see how his self image grew attached to his percieved sense of responsibility (authority) over his close ones. but the fact he wasn't able to save Saeran and their separation puts an error into his belief system that spirals into this guy changing his name to 'Satan'.

Saeran on the other hand has a chronic attention whore syndrome. in Another Story this causes a lot of martyr behaviour from him: when Rika makes him work like a dog after V's detection he keeps coming to mc for validation. this point isn't meant to disregard the objectively horrific circumstances he is forced into, but the only other mysme chara who keeps complaining about their circumstances is Jaehee, who starts doing it more once she notices mc acknowledges her abusive work conditions. both Saeran and Jaehee are orphans with no support system and both of them throw themselves on the first person who shows them positive attention. but while Jaehee is notoriously cautious in her interpersonal relationships, Saeran depends with a reckless abandon. mc's rejection leads to him blowing himself up in V's route, this isn't meant to be healthy!

what is very important to understand about Saeran is the fact that he isn't actually Ray. despite all the traits that can be attributed to his Ray persona fitting every Saeyoung's description of little Saeran, the game itself makes a point about Ray being a false image, or rather a construct.

what little kid Saeran and Ray have in common is that both were identity constructs created by Saeran for the purpose of getting positive attention from his favourite person: Saeyoung and Rika. the concept of Ray really stresses just how conditional love is in Saeran's understanding. misery is a required step for acceptance. his mother's abuse was always followed by Saeyoung taking care of him, nursing his wounds and promising a better future. when Rika did what Saeyoung couldn't (or wouldn't, in Saeran's POV) do and freed him she had also implanted her very flawed conceptions about love which several years later turned Saeran into pretty much her personal slave. Rika was vulnerable the way Saeyoung wouldn't be with Saeran. Rika would have her highs and lows: going from mania to depression, demanding obedience and respect and then support and acceptance. being in relationship with Rika broke V, who was at least nearly an adult. of course, taking Saeran from inhumanely abusive environment straight under her wings was a disaster waiting to happen. Ray is pretty much a custom made identity designed by her to satisfy her needs: he is extremely submissive and can't function without validation.

the facet of Saeran that exists beyond both Saeyoung and Rika's scopes of acceptance or understanding is the Saeran that was left alone with his mother.

in this flashback we learn that the woman made a habit of projecting on him and comparing the older twin to their father. Saeyoung and Mr Choi were stronger, more capable and resourceful than herself and Saeran. the younger twin became an outlet for her frustration and true to the narrative thread of this game, internalized the unhealthy beliefs of his caretaker.

lo and behold, Unknown/Suit Saeran/Dark Saeran/Yandere Ultimate

I won't go into details how this guy uses mc (Ray route), mc and RFA (main+deep story) or Saeyoung (secret endings) as his emotional outlets, what i want to focus on is his importance in his own route.

scrapping him would have been easy: Ray for all intents and purposes shares all the requirement characteristics for the role of Saeran-as-love-interest, down to persisting hatred of Saeyoung. Ray is much easier to write in this role than the edgy counterpart: one provides textbook romance and the other literally tortures you, physically and psychologically. evil!Saeran's entire persona begs to invite himself to all the bad endings, so what is he even doing in the middle of unskippable part of the route?

i think this can be interpreted as Cheritz pretty much acknowledging the impossibility of the task they've set themselves with. you can't really heal Saeran by romancing him and healing him is not as easy as bringing him back the brother he was separated against his will from many years ago. the analogy with Rika and V is inevitable, so there's no avoiding the label of toxic relationship even if you change his name and give him a whole new identity.

Saeran's road of healing always without failure leads to Saeyoung. and in my opinion the absence of the brothers' actual relationship really takes away from Saeran's route. Saeyoung's route only dangles the possibility of reunion because at that point we barely knew who the fuck Saeran actually was, and RGE actually downgrades this by fully taking Saeyoung out of the picture.

which leads to RAE being a highly questionable experience, even as a big Choi twins enjoyer. Saeyoung's role in it is exclusively angst porn. we already knew how desperate he can get when it comes to protecting his twin, the grand sacrifices and the pain of their consequences is already perfectly conveyed by his guilt trips that prevent him from genuinity with RFA, all for the sake of Saeran-ah. like, it doesn't get any bigger than actively and without stop sacrificing your authentic identity???

and the twins' mutually sacrificing themselves for each other's sake rather than turning up the drama to it's peak feels like this meme

is it nice to have Saeran actively protect Saeyoung? sure is. but his overall extreme passivity and victimhood in this route are too over the top. the end checkpoint of each individual route including Saeyoung's was teaching the character their self worth and watching Saesae throw himself at every inconvenience feels like we did a fairly bad job at this. (this is not realistically healthy but) using the trend that Ray's route established of his feelings for mc overpowering his harmful beliefs and self harming habits and making him actually take care of himself, this downright reads like a failure on our part? i dunno, watching an actively suicidal character who had tried to kill himself in front of us in two of the good endings already, after the point of his own good ending leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

all for the sake of what? Rika abandoning her cult and seeking validation in express makeshift family? Prime Minister's character arc?????

after analyzing this critically, i really feel like Saeran's route would have benefited a lot from putting the focus of his character on RFA rather than focusing RFA on the outer drama. the message of found family being as important as blood family and in some cases even more has already been conveyed so beautifully in Jaehee, Zen and Jumin's routes, it would have put this message full circle if they used it on the one romanceable character outside of RFA. what makes this especially upsetting to me is that Zen and Saeran's platonic relationship is almost designed to be perfect:

- Zen is estranged from his blood family by choice from a very young age, making it easier for him to validate Saeran's feelings on topic of family

- throughout the routes Zen is pretty much the only character who is consistently willing to discuss the emotional problem the others are going through. pretty much every other character is too busy drowning themselves in escapism while Zen gently nudges them towards bringing up the issue they are running from (with the exception of Jumin because he triggers traumatic memories about his brother's abandonment and you know who else was abandoned by their elder brother?!). what is Zen's own issue? he constantly requires attention and validation. you know who else does?..

- despite Zen sharing Saeran's attention whore medal, he is outwardly unambiguously supportive of the other RFA members. 707 even dubs him a nag because of how aggressive he can come off in his desire to emotionally support RFA.

- Saeran is a very impressionable person. both of the twins consider their only worthy attribute their hacking skills, and because of how sheltered Saeran's whole life he has very little personal life experience. as an example, in that short window of time after being rescued from his mother and before Rika snatched him to her cult he was taking care of the church's garden and that was enough for him to develop a lifelong obsession with flowers. considering how genuinely talented Zen is, i think it would take Saeran no time to be deeply impressed by his passion and his performances. i can see Zen becoming a similar symbol of freedom and tenacity to Saeran that he did to Jaehee.

[xelasrecords]

The Oasis Is Beautiful From Up Close

Han Jumin x Reader x Kim Jihyun (NSFW)

Jumin, you, and Jihyun are having an intimate photography session and fooling around because you and your lovers are no longer at death's door.

A vee polyamory in which you're romantic with Jumin and Jihyun while their relationship is platonic.

Words: 2.9k

Masterlist | Read on AO3

"Hold it—yes, right there. You're lovely, my dearest," Jihyun said in a half crouch.

Your sharp gaze held the camera steady as shutter sounds filled his cluttered bedroom. He didn't set up any professional lighting and relied on the late afternoon sun to accentuate your profile. After doing a lot of shoots together, you both preferred this session to be more personal and intimate without the high-end magazine polish.

This started because you had been teasing him more than usual, after all. From not wearing a bra to flouncing about his home in a scanty dress the whole day, Jihyun's hands had been all over you until he collected himself enough to commence this photoshoot.

Jumin had also been the one to suggest you not to wear anything underneath.

They both liked what they saw and you liked being watched with unrestrained desire.

Jumin was now looming behind his best friend, clinging so close that Jihyun had to shift him bodily away. It didn't matter though. He would just glue himself back to Jihyun's side. He needed to learn everything there was to know about modelling photography or he would be cursed in not being able to capture his beloved's beauty.

He had repeated this more times than you could be bothered to count.

When Jihyun accidentally knocked his elbow into Jumin for the third time, you decided to put an end to Jihyun's suffering. Jumin's ribs would live to see another day, but you weren't sure if you would at the rate this photoshoot was going. "Jumin, do you want to take a picture of my corpse?"

Jumin gave you an incredulous look. "Why would I ever dream of doing that?"

"That would happen if you don't let Jihyun take good pictures of me. I'm rotting here. Rotting."

His brows furrowed and he lifted your arms and twisted your head side to side. "No, you're not. You're perfectly alive. And beautiful."

"Jumin, could you please move aside? You're covering her whole body." Jihyun's voice wafted from behind.

Jumin uttered an apology and swiftly assumed his original position beside Jihyun. He studied Jihyun's laid-back stance, the camera's distance from his body, and the firmness of his grip, and mimicked him with stiff precision. "So that is how you take a good shot," he murmured.

You rolled your eyes and laughed. It was impossible to be annoyed at him when his curiosity about mundane things kicked in. You struck another pose, looking over your shoulder with your back turned to them. You tried to compose yourself, but the sight of Jumin suspended in a robotic half-crouch was so absurd that you had to cover your smile with your arm.

"Jihyun isn't crouching anymore, you know."

Jumin's hands didn't fall away from his phantom camera, fingers crooked to form a perfect rectangle. "But he was when he took the previous shot."

In a minuscule gesture at Jihyun, you motioned your head towards Jumin.

A childlike grin bloomed across Jihyun's face. He directed his camera on Jumin's trembling body and clicked the shutter button.

Jumin blinked at him. "Isn't she the muse of the day?" he asked, still retaining the same posture.

"You're much more entertaining to shoot than me," you chirped.

Jihyun let out an airy chuckle. "I'm giving her a break. Perhaps you want to take the spotlight while she's resting?"

"She's supposed to be the model of the day."

You looked pointedly at his bent legs then glanced at Jihyun, who only shook his head in resignation. You pressed your mouth before laughter escaped you and posed again. Jumin's eyes flitted back and forth, trying to comprehend what had passed between you and Jihyun.

You shrugged and blew a kiss at him, mouthing I love you, and Jihyun captured your gesture. When he approached you to take a close-up shot of your face, Jumin inched closer as well. He was so desperate to take a peek at the viewfinder that he butted heads with Jihyun.

Jihyun yelped and rubbed at his temple. "Sometimes it feels as if I have adopted a koala who can't let go of me," he said, albeit with a smile.

"You feed him with too much patience."

"Would you two stop bad-mouthing my effort in taking focused shots of you? This is unacceptable. What have I done to withstand this slander? You should be more understanding of my love." Jumin huffed out his suit jacket and crossed his arms with a dramatic flair. "And I would make an adorable koala."

You placed Jumin's hand on your waist and he drew you in by habit. "Our next photoshoot can be of you in a koala costume." You tickled his chin.

"We have been very understanding of you, my friend." Jihyun clapped a hand on his shoulder. "No professional photographer or model would want their session to be obstructed."

"And yet here you are, still alive and breathing in this room." You winked. "Aren't we generous?"

Jumin scoffed. "Do you suppose I should be alive and breathing somewhere else?"

You planted a kiss on his lips. "We want you here."

Not a moment later, you felt his fingers weaving into your hair, tugging at it with pleasurable force. You pushed your body up against him when you heard zooming and clicking sounds from Jihyun. Jumin ran his thumb across your shoulder and slowly dragged the strap of your silk dress down, humming in affirmation. You gasped as he trailed kisses down your neck and sucked at the skin on your collarbone.

In the haze of it, you blindly grabbed at Jihyun's shirt. He complied without resistance and positioned himself behind you. You slumped against him, indulging in the warmth of their bodies enveloping you. You could feel them everywhere; Jihyun was tucking your hair aside to kiss a sensitive spot behind your ear, while Jumin's hand had crawled up your inner thigh and was sliding his fingers into you.

You reached up for Jihyun, and his lips were on yours in an instant. It was a soft nip in the beginning, searching for your permission, and you gladly let him in. He deepened the kiss and your hips bucked against Jumin's fingers, earning a chuckle from him.

With his other hand, Jumin took the camera from Jihyun, freeing him to use both hands to roam across your breasts. Then slowly, Jumin pulled out his fingers and brushed them against your swollen lips. You sucked on them without a word, keeping your gaze on him the whole time while you swirled your tongue around his fingers. You knew he liked seeing you like this, knew what he was imagining you doing instead.

You wanted to turn around to face Jihyun, but Jumin stopped you. "Don't move. I want to immortalise you in this state. The lust in your expression is terribly tempting." He smiled at you and stepped back. "Jihyun, wrap one arm around her and cradle her face with your free hand. Show her off to me."

"He is strangely good at directing," you murmured into Jihyun's ear.

"It's hardly strange when a huge part of his job is telling people what to do." Jihyun obeyed Jumin's directions and pulled you closer. His touch was exhilarating, and the thrill rose exponentially when you noticed Jumin's satisfaction.

"Fortunately for the two of you, you get off on being told what to do," said Jumin who had an acute sense of hearing when it concerned Jihyun's and your opinions.

You smirked. He did always know you well.

Jihyun kissed your temple. You leaned your head against his chest and his hand snaked up your neck and rested on your jaw. You parted your lips, sucking in a breath, and pushed out your chest until your rumpled dress almost exposed your body.

"You can take a photo now," said Jihyun.

Jumin bent forward at a lower angle than was probably necessary, and clicked the shutter button with a palpable jolt that reverberated throughout his limbs. You raised your eyebrows and Jihyun tilted his head in question.

Then, Jumin had the audacity to look shocked at the brief preview on the camera screen.

Disbelief passed across his features as he fell back onto the bed.

You suppressed your smile and sat beside him with Jihyun in tow. The said bed was really a mattress strewn across the hardwood floor with swathes of blankets thrown atop it. Jumin had not given up on coaxing Jihyun to buy a proper bedframe, but you had.

Whatever floated his boat into dreamland.

"Let me see," you said.

Jumin scrunched his nose and zoomed into the picture. "Your nose and lips are clear. Not so much of your eyes, or even your hair. But Jihyun is a blur."

"Fitting." You looked deep in thought. "You know how hard it is to comprehend his essence as a whole."

"My essence?" Jihyun's response came out bewildered.

Jumin folded the heap of blankets so Jihyun wasn't constantly shifting in place, but Jihyun just draped it back around Jumin. Knowing that his body ran colder than the rest of you, you were touched that Jihyun was thoughtful to this degree. He had always been. It was one of the many qualities you liked from him.

"Please don't theorise. This isn't an art piece up for discussion," said Jumin.

"I'm simply giving you a leeway to rationalise your mistake," you said, sitting sideways in Jihyun's lap. He was still looking at you quizzically, but he placed his hand on the top of your thigh and squeezed it.

It sent a buzz of current throughout your skin and you shivered.

"I will do better." Jumin sighed. "Someday I will master Jihyun's photography skills and finally deserve your compliments."

You ran your hand through his tousled black hair. "You take good enough pictures."

"I'm aware that I have not been able to capture all your facial features in one shot."

"My nose was quite pretty in the one you took yesterday."

"That was the only visible thing in the photo."

"You have humbled him." Jihyun chuckled. "He was never this receptive of his photography flaws. I had given up and chosen to keep the blurred Elizabeth the Third pictures to myself. It's the intention that matters, after all."

"Intention must translate into execution," Jumin insisted. "It's imperative that I practice as much as I can."

"Today's picture is already an improvement." You climbed out of Jihyun's lap and lay on the bed. "Come, I've missed you two." You patted the space on your sides.

Jihyun flung himself on the mattress with a soft thud, arms out wide, and your body bounced on impact. You laughed and wormed into his embrace. The golden rays from outside the window fell on just the right places: his lush turquoise hair, the delicate arch of his nose, and his pale, pale skin so thin that you could easily discern the blue veins running below.

You had to convince yourself that he was healthy. He was all right. All of you were finally happy.

His blood was no longer shed on skirmish grounds. He could finally exist without having to fight for his right to be. Jumin did not have to uphold Jihyun's reason to live anymore, because he had found many reasons to.

Or maybe there were only two. But that was enough.

He gleamed now, instead of being swallowed by the light. He was wholly, completely Jihyun.

Jumin knelt on the mattress and looked down at you with tenderness so sincere that your heart clenched. "How long I have waited for this moment," he said, his slender fingers lightly dancing along your cheek.

"It has been months, but I still can't believe our dream could be a reality." You kissed the inside of his wrist, letting your lips linger on the small of his skin where his pulse beat. "It had seemed like a foolish delusion then, but now I get to relax with you without anything weighing my mind. Sometimes I'm afraid I'm missing something crucial and hell will be unleashed upon us again before we're ready."

"You can believe it now. Both of you have fought so hard," said Jihyun. "We're safe, and no one is in danger. Especially not me," he added, and winced. "I know I have been the source of all your headaches."

"No use dwelling on something we have forgiven you for." Jumin seized Jihyun's wrist. "But I would prefer it if you don't attempt another martyrdom. No more in-fighting. No more battling against rogue ministers and cult leaders. Not if I can help it." Seeing Jihyun about to protest, he cut in. "You have used up your apologies for this month. Don't you dare try."

Jihyun obediently shut his mouth.

All of you had lost too much to go through another wave of apocalypse. RFA almost disbanded and you carried the guilt everywhere for not being able to keep them together. C&R nearly went down, crushed under the weight of false accusations, dragging Jumin with it. Jihyun would never redeem himself back in Rika's eyes, but she came out alive and was in a hospital far away. Lost affection was better than a life lost.

Every day, the three of you help each other to live. One day, then another, then another. Nightmares still came, but at least they didn't come true anymore.

You hoped they wouldn't.

The security that came with freedom was hard-won. You didn't intend to lose it again.

On that note, having security also meant you were free to throw bizarre questions out there.

"I have a riddle," you blurted.

Synchronised groans came from both of them.

"It seems we're about to be tortured," Jumin said.

"Perhaps she will have mercy on us this time," suggested Jihyun.

Putting on the most earnest expression you could muster, you turned to Jihyun. "Who would you choose if you could only save one of us?"

Jihyun's eyes grew wide and Jumin exclaimed, "Why would you do that to him?"

You shrugged. "Too simple? I'll add more details to the scene."

"You possess a hidden sadistic desire," said Jumin.

Jihyun laughed. "All right, let's hear it out."

"Jumin drives us into a lake and the car is rapidly sinking, but you only have the strength to save one of us. Who would you choose?"

Jumin sat up straight and pointed at her accusingly. "That is a mockery of my driving skill," he said. "Though I admit I'm also curious to hear Jihyun's answer."

Both of you faced Jihyun with glimmering, hopeful eyes.

"I'd rather go with you both," he finally said. "I don't want to live a life without you."

That was a sly tactic to divert the talk to a solemn reflection. You wouldn't have it. He had to give a satisfying response or you would grill him until night arrived.

"But by doing so, you would lose our single chance to live."

"Save her." Jumin—that bastard—took pity on him instead of taking your side. "That would be the right course to take if I was the cause of our fictional death. One must keep a clear head when danger is imminent. Be logical."

You glared at him and whispered to Jihyun on a decibel where it shouldn't be called a whisper, "He's calling you stupid. Just sacrifice him."

"But he's right," Jihyun said. "I tend to use my heart over my head when someone needs me."

"This is why you're easy to tease." You sighed. "So, who's your heart calling for?"

"We all know he loves you, as do I. We would work together to save you," Jumin said, and Jihyun nodded with much eagerness.

You sputtered and scrambled out of Jihyun's arm. Curse their unwavering connection from being intricately intertwined since they were young. Served you right for loving two best friends who had been more than willing to present themselves as the sacrificial lamb to save your life.

"I get no say about my life or death?"

"You already handed over your choice to Jihyun. Now we will do as we see fit." Jumin was suspiciously smug when he declared it.

You swatted his shoulder without exerting any real strength. "You always find a way to cheat the system."

"It's not cheating if you never explicitly stated the rules and presented them with numerous loopholes."

You threw your hand against your forehead in the style of a faint-hearted Victorian lady receiving the most grievous news and tossed yourself back on the bed. "I have lost interest in this game."

"Some ideas are most poisonous to their creators." Jihyun chuckled, and put your hand away.

Unlike with Jumin, you found it harder to shoot antagonistic glares at Jihyun. Unlike Jumin, it was not in his nature to prod at you and challenge you into debates for mental stimulation. Unlike Jumin, he relented without much fight so it would only make you feel worse for teasing him too much.

Bickering with Jumin was a recreational activity, but it would be akin to kicking a wounded puppy if you did it to Jihyun.

"I hate it when you two join forces. I can never win against you," you grumbled.

Laughing, Jihyun kissed you and laced his fingers with yours. You held it against your stomach, deep gratitude washing over your heart. Jumin tipped up your chin, brushing flyaway strands from your face and smiled down at you.

Their touches, their gazes, they all confessed the same thing—something that existed between the three of you like it was the fundamental truth of the universe. A baby fresh out of the womb didn't need to be taught to breathe and cry. You didn't need to ask what it was. You didn't even hesitate.

Finally, you thought. No more wondering if tomorrow would come. You were loved and were fortunate enough to live out this life with them.

There would always be more days.

Footnotes:

The second half of this fic is inspired by the exchange between grieving Jihyun and MC from All That Is Lost that didn't make the cut:

"I doubt he could do it if he were told to choose to save only one of us." "Dear Lord, Jihyun." She laughed with tears in her eyes. "Let's not put him through more suffering." I took out the grief and repurposed it into something lighter. You're welcome.

This is my first romcom of the year and my first romantic smut ever!! I thought depression had stolen my motivation to write happy things, but turns out, I can still claw my way back here. It had been a healing process to write this. For the first time since I started here 2 years ago, I didn't worry about whether it's good enough. I just put myself in their headspace and found my joy in writing again.

Every time I write a bubbly romance I imagine snatching these characters away from the torment of their routes and plopping them into a utopia where nothing bad can touch them.

Header Corner:

Since this fic has both mature themes and playful conversations, I thought a mixed media style would be perfect to convey these elements. Then, I used velvet purple tones with a pop of yellow and comic speech bubbles to further strengthen the concept.

A quick process overlook!

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[married-to-google-translater]

Yandere Jumin Han headcanon

Jumin would be a possessive and controlling yandere.

He would have a trust issue with people who say they "love" him.

Jumin believes that they all just want money or power.

But Jumin is not blind.

He immediately sees that you are different.

And because of this, he really falls for you

Your courtship would start normally.

Lots of dates and time spent together.

Jumi just can't seem to get enough of you.

He wants more.

And at the same time he becomes worried.

What if something happens to you and he can't protect you?

What if you just disappear from his life?

Jumin wouldn't let that happen.

He would have no desire to share the person he loves with the world.

Instead, he would lock you out.

and preferably throw away the key.

Jumin gets what he wants.

Of course he would like you to love him yourself.

But he is NOT above blackmail.

When you "live" with him, Jumin would still be protective and possessive.

You get very little freedom at first.

but not so much that you slip through his fingers.

If you behaved, you would also get lots of gifts and love.

[natasha-in-space]

Engagement rings headcanons

Was scrolling through the engagement rings with my friendo the other day, and they dared me to choose individual rings for everyone in mm, so here's the result of that silly dare. I know we technically already know about this from the 'mysterious confesson' merch we got, but this was still a very fun exercise to do. These are just my headcanons, and were made solely for fun, don't take my thoughts on this too seriously! :D

Yoosung

Would go with something classy and romantic, probably a bit of vintage, too. He wants your engagement ring to reflect his love for you, which may lead him to become antsy and indecisive when picking one. He doesn't want it to be too expensive, or too cheap. It has to be just right. Poor guy even sketches out a clumsy 'prototype' he shows to the employees, as it's hard to relay his vision across with just words. In the end, he ends up either getting either a classic diamond ring with an infinity band (he thinks it's sweet to include a small detail of your appreciation to each other lasting forever, however cheesy that may sound) or something a bit more vintage and intricate in style. I don't think he would have any preferences concerning the color of metal, so he might go with a mix of white and yellow metal.

Zen

Would definitely go over the top - the man's a true romantic, you can't tell me he hasn't dreamed of his wedding at least a couple of times! He appreciates everything you've done for him, and he wants this ring to show it. He wants this ring to be everything you've ever dreamed of and so much more. Might struggle with high expectations he sets up for himself, which results in him just stressing himself out instead of enjoying the process like he's supposed to. You might have to have a talk with him about that. As for the ring itself, I think he'll go with something pink and soft in color! There's just something that's is so sweet and light whenever he looks at rose gold engagement rings, it makes him instantly think about you. That's when he knows it's the one. After all, pink is the color of romance!

Jaehee

Would get something custom-made, but still pretty traditional. She wants something that would catch your attention, but won't be an inconvenience to wear. She wouldn't stress out too much, and you two would probably agree on a design together, instead of her surprising you with something. You are her partner, and she wants your rings to reflect that. A delicate and easy design is her go-to. But, if you want something eye-catching, that's okay too, as long as it's not a bother to wear. I think she would go with platinum options when it comes to color. It's simple but very pretty to look at. Kind of like you :) She would also like to add custom engravings to your rings. Something to look at and smile as she twirls the ring around her finger. Either a cheesy coordinated phrase (probably out of your favorite musical that you two always quote to each other), or a date of your cafe's opening, as it's the start of her new life that she has managed to achieve thanks to your support.

Jumin

Would get something fancy, but not over the top. He desires fir your ring to not be too simple, as you are worth more than that. Still, he focuses more on the spiritual meaning of the ring rather than its cost. Money's not an issue to him either way, and he knows that you don't care about how expensive this ring will be. Regardless, he wants only the best for you, as you rightfully deserve. Jumin would go for traditional classic designs, as he finds them the most flattering to look at. Might also like boho-styled engagement rings. When it comes to the process of picking one, he won't overthink it too much. He wants the ring to be perfect, no doubt, but he's pretty cool-headed with his search. Might ask Elizabeth to pick out the best design if he's conflicted. With her intricate collection of collars, he knows she has a good sense of elegance. Would probably go for yellow gold variety when it comes to color, as it's the most classy one in his eyes.

Saeyoung

Would go with something simplistic but unique. I am like 70% sure he would create your engagement rings and wedding bands by hand. It just sounds like something Saeyoung would do. Poor guy would probably be the most stressed of all the others. He wants it to be perfect so badly, but he's also indecisive as hell. See, he's mostly non-traditional when it comes to his tastes, but he also really likes the classic styles of rings, not to mention that the idea of a classic traditional wedding makes him feel all emotional on the inside. This issue would probably persist throughout your entire wedding planning, and not just the creation of your engagement rings: he just can't decide which side to take for the life of him. In the end, he'll probably find the middle ground thanks to your help and encouragement. He's gonna let out the biggest sigh of relief once those rings are finally done. And probably cry right after, as he has never thought he would hold anything as precious as an engagement ring meant for his soulmate in his own hands. Would go with white gold for color.

Jihyun

Would go for something custom-made and simple, but still a bit unique in its presentation. I don't think he has much preference when it comes to style, so he's fine with anything you pick. He doesn't want it to be too ostentatious or expensive, however. He strikes me as someone who prefers more modest designs, even if he'd like to sprinkle some custom design choices. It'll depend on your relationship with him, and what makes it unique for you. He wants your rings to reflect that, more than anything else. He wouldn't be anxious while working on the design itself, occasionally asking for your input, as he wants these rings to be the representation of your shared love, not just his own. He might go a bit overboard and come up with a borderline silly-looking design initially, so it'd be best for you to keep him from getting too creative. Can't fault the man for getting carried away. He would probably go for yellow metal, as it reminds him of the sun.

GE Saeran

Would go for something simple, romantic, and vintage-styled. Saeran doesn't know much about the intricacies that go into picking out an engagement ring, so I can imagine he'd get pretty overwhelmed the first time he tries to research the topic on his own. You'll probably end up picking it out together, patiently discussing important details between yourselves. He knows he doesn't want it to be too fancy or eye-catching, and he knows he wants the ring to remind him of your smile whenever he looks at it. His criteria is pretty easy but sweet nonetheless. It's less about the details and more about his inner feelings. He would probably go for a floral-themed ring if he comes across one that catches his eye, but it's not definitive. He would also go for a colored gemstone, mostly because he likes it better that way. He loves the color pink, as it reminds him of the feeling your gentle love, so he will have a preference for rose gold rings, not doubt.

SE Saeran

Would go for something both unique but elegant. Now, Saeran is definitely not picky when it comes to engagement rings. He kind of feels out of his depth here. Still, it is very important to ask for his input and offer for him to pick out some options he likes, even just on a whim. You two will take your time during this process, as there is no need to rush, and he will get overwhelmed from time to time. It's best to take it one small step at a time, not rushing into anything too quickly. He needs to be reminded that he has nothing to worry about, as all that truly matters is your bond with one another. Saeyoung will probably be the one to make your engagement rings for you, as well as your wedding bands. Partially to not stress Saeran too much with all the shopping, as jewelry stores tend to be too bright for the eyes. It'll be a pretty unique and somewhat edgy design but with a touch of soft colors in the mix. Kind of like him. 

Rika

Is the type to go over the top but, in reality, she would like something classic and simple. When she's in a good place both physically and mentally, she's very doting, and she's also a hopeless romantic. I'd say she's almost on par with Zen when it comes to her romantic fantasies, which is why she loves his musicals as much as she does. It can be a good thing, but it also makes her prone to perfectionism. She will pick out a very fancy ring that she thinks is good enough for someone as wonderful as you, but... she feels dissatisfied with the result, and that makes her anxious. Rika is a people pleaser, so she tends to make choices with someone else in mind, rather than trusting her own heart. You guys will have to talk about it. It's hard to understand what you like when you've lived your whole life masking as someone you're not. In the end, I think she would go for something simple and elegant, probably also combine the colors she associates with your love. Keep her in check, though, as we all know Rika's design skills are out of this world. 

Vanderwood

Weirdly enough? Despite their seemingly simplistic nature, I think they would go for something very unique and even a little odd-looking. Vanderwood is a pretty laid-back person, but all these casual vibes go out the window once it comes down to design. They are very picky with anything that they own in their closet, and engagement rings are on another level completely. They wear leopard print for a reason! I think they would end up getting something custom-made, as it's the easiest way not to stress out over the perfect design. They are not so much nervous as they are choosy. Still, they do have a major soft spot for you, so it's up to you to stir them in the right direction. They would like you to be very involved in the process of deciding on a perfect engagement ring. The end result will still be weird, though. But, the amount of weirdness will depend solely on you. Whether to embrace the weirdness, or to add just a touch of it - it is your choice to make.

[mystic-headcanons]

masterlist

updated: 12/18/23

RFA

the RFA at the eras tour

what their favorite taylor swift album is

jumin, zen, and jihyun with an mc who dies before they can confess

the rfa getting jealous of someone flirting with mc

with an mc who is stressed

with a short mc

what the rfa first noticed about you

holding their child for the first time

rfa getting jealous and clingy

with an insecure mc

rfa + their ideal partner

jaehee, jumin, & the choi twins' preferred cuddling positions

with a trans ftm mc

an oblivious mc

the rfa wants you to take care of urself!!!!

hanahaki disease

insecure/jealous mc

what if rika grew up with yoosung?

seven / saeyoung choi

707 angst

insecure 707

707 comfort

zen / hyun ryu

mc making it to his dimension

with an introverted mc

comforting a chubby mc

jaehee kang

soft jaehee

sleepover turned romantic

jumin han

mc accidentally saying 'i love you'

mc making it to his dimension

oblivious to their feelings

with an mc who doesn't do relationships

first kiss (lightly nsfw?)

autism headcanons

jumin han learning he's autistic through mc

more autistic jumin hcs

more autistic jumin <3

unknown / saeran choi

hurt/comfort with saeran

saeran helping mc with halloween costume

better

yoosung kim

nervous mc and yoosung first kiss

mc feels guilty about him losing an eye

jihyun kim / v

mc proposing to v

v with an autistic mc

[ask-mr-hugeface]

ᎥᏁᏖᏒᎧᎴᏬፈᏖᎥᎧᏁ

“ᏇᏗᏁᏁᏗ.. ᎮᏝᏗᎩ ᏖᎧᎶᏋᏖᏂᏋᏒ?”

“ፈ’ᎷᎧᏁ, ᏖᏗᏝᏦ ᏖᎧ ᎷᏋ!”

INFORMATION ABOUT MR HUGE FACE:

- Mr. Hugeface is always willing to talk to new people! No matter how.. weird.

- Mr. Hugeface talks ONLY in another language. Though, he might allow you to teach him yours. If you can

- Mr. Hugeface can use third person, he/him, they/them pronouns! But mostly uses third person when “playing” with you.

- Mr. Hugeface dislikes you bonding with other characters, try and avoid that..

- Do NOT bring up Mr. M@ch3t3. Ever.

INFORMATION ABOUT meee :33:

- Nsfw is strictly targetted towards Mr. Hugeface only.

- I use any pronouns and I don’t care what gender you assume of me!!

- I prefer to be called Jumin, or Chou^_^

RULES

- Anons are always welcome! There will be a list provided once there are 3+ anons

- No discrimination toward anything or anyone unless with humor, context, or reasoning.

- Sending photos of violence, intimacy, etc. using asks or dms are strictly prohibited. Otherwise, you will be blocked.

- Please do not try to do nsfw with me, only Mr. Hugeface.

- RPs of any kind are always warmly invited.

- If you have difficulty reading, translations will be put in hashtags.

P.S. sorry if I can’t reply to your asks immediately after a few hours or more. I have school and I like to focus on my studies too :)

[sleepingdeath-light]

poly relationship hcs ; jumin & v

requested by ; anonymous (02/08/23)

fandom(s) ; mystic messenger

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; v / jihyun kim, jumin han

outline ; “hi death, i hope you’re having a good day! i was wondering if i could request some sfw poly headcanons for mysme, either for v and jumin or jaehee and zen, whichever you feel like more! thank you in advance <3”

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

with partners like jumin and v it’s impossible for you to not be spoiled rotten — they love providing for you and each make sure, in their own ways, that you’re never without whatever you want, need or crave (whether that’s a home cooked meal, a new outfit, supplies for your hobbies, or anything else)

jumin is incredibly protective of you and v, feeling a lot of guilt about what happened to his best friend (and now partner) in his last relationship and what followed it — so he makes sure that the two of you are accompanied by security whenever you’re out and about (overtly if you’re at a public event, like a gala or a fundraiser by the rfa, and covertly by a smaller group if you’re just running errands or going on a date or something else along those lines)

jihyun took up painting again after settling into your relationship and you and jumin are his muses — pretty much all of his warm up sketches are of the two of you (countless expressions, poses, scenarios, moments captured in pencil and pastel and oils and pen and charcoal and…), he takes pictures of you all of the time, makes sure that you know how wonderful you both are, even if most of his art featuring the two of you never leaves your home

jumin leans towards traditional pet names (like ‘darling’ and ‘dear’, when addressing the two of you) whilst being responsive to anything you use for him — including some ‘sillier’ pet names like ‘honey bunny’ and ‘baby’ — whereas v will generally just call you and jumin by you names or, occasionally, ‘my love’ or ‘my loves’ when addressing you both

the three of you go on frequent holidays just to escape the responsibilities of life for a while — jumin, his business, and you and jihyun, the duties of running the renamed rfa — and you go anywhere and everywhere you can (even tagging along on business trips with jumin just to get away for a few days — which he’s always quietly grateful for)

jumin and v are both early risers, with the former having to get up immediately in order to get to work whilst the latter enjoys staying in bed and cuddling for a little while — but neither leave bed without sharing a kiss amongst the three of you (with jihyun even returning later once you’ve woken up with some freshly made breakfast for you to share after jumin has gone to work — or to have with him if it’s one of his rare days off)

you and v will often venture out to jumin’s office in order to join him for lunch, taking the opportunity to spend some much needed time together in the midst of his packed schedule — but if he’s too busy that day you two will just pack him something with some loving notes for him to read between meetings

between the three of you elizabeth the third is absolutely spoiled rotten and you wouldn’t have it any other way — three sets of hands to give her affection, three humans to play with, three pet parents buying her all of the toys and treats a cat could possibly want, and three laps to curl up on when she’s tired (what a life!)

when it comes to kissing — jumin always kisses you passionately and never fails to leave you flustered and breathless (he also prefers to kiss your knuckles or your lips), whilst jihyun prefers to kiss you sweetly and chastely whilst making every one count (he also prefers to kiss the top of your head and your wrists)

jumin sleeps flat on his back and enjoys having the two of you cuddled up to him — either against his sides or on his chest — whilst v is a side sleeper who prefers to spoon over anything else, but he’s also happy to have you or jumin resting on his chest if you’re comfortable there

[wdymtheanimeisover]

In no particular order these are the questions that currently haunt me regarding Jinx (the manhwa

How did Jaekyung get the jinx?

Is it actually a jinx or is it just in his head? (Like the yips or something)

How did Kim Dan get indebted to the loan sharks? (In flashbacks you can see him as a kid cowering with his granny while they are threatened so was it granny or someone else’s debt he inherited?)

Where is Jaekyung’s family?

Where is Kim Dan’s parents? (Is it related to the debt thing?)

How long has Coach Park known Jaekyung?

Does Coach Park know about Jaekyung’s past?

What happened in Jaekyung’s life to make him act that way towards people?

Why is Jaekyung acting so dumb, is it denial, is it an act, or is he really just a big ol’ dummy? (Like seriously bro quit playing like you don’t know what’s going on)

How much has grandma figured out about Kim Dan and his relationship with Jaekyung? (I feel like she knows that something else is going on between them other than actual physical therapy)

How much does Team Black know? (The people who are still left have to know that something is up with the way Jaekyung has been acting since Kim Dan left, or do they just think that it’s because of his injury?)

What are the loan sharks and his lackeys gonna try next since they weren’t able to follow through with their plan when Jaekyung had that non title match?

Does Heesung know that Potato spilled the beans? If so what happened?

Is Kim Dan asexual or perhaps demisexual? He was sex repulsed at the beginning of the story because of trauma, but it’s unclear to me if he had any sexual preferences or attraction before that incident.

How does Baek Jumin know Jaekyung?

[meh-kris]

What type of Pony would each Mystic Messenger character be?

Yes, a very important question that I have been thinking about since I woke up this morning. (Also shout out to Saeyoung since I completed his route today >.< now my life is meaningless haha/j)

These are all personal headcanons lol (with maybe some reasoning?)

Yoosung- Pegasus (it was a close between this or earth pony, but I feel like he's more of a Pegasus)

Zen- Unicorn (based on that one chat I think Saeyoung's route? Also it would just match his vibes)

Jaehee- Earth Pony (I feel like she has that earth pony vibes considering how hard she can work without wings/magic)

Jumin- Unicorn (uses magic at times but not as much, prefers not to waste his magic unless necessary)

707/Saeyoung- Pegasus (I feel a strong Pegasus vibe, no further explanation YET)

Saeran- Earth Pony (hear me out . I can't exactly explain it but it's THERE)

V- unicorn (same as Jumin, but uses it more often)

Rika- okay this might be a stretch but,,, Unicorn turned Alicorn (perhaps after she creates Mint Eye?)

MC- up to interpretation but imo she's a unicorn

[marshmallowprotection]

Hi dear, I hope you are well and that you had a great birthday.

i don't know if you still do accept requests. If you can, could you write about V, Jumin and saeyoung dealing with an MC who is really selfaware of their scent? Let's say that when they were younger they were always bothered by the smell from other people, even though they take good care of themselfs now, they are still a little insecure about it, like not hugging them or getting close if they are sweaty or when they have just woken up.

Jumin understands that this is an insecurity of yours that won't go away overnight. You've held onto the belief that you don't smell good for one reason or another, and it's largely chipped away at your self-confidence. It doesn't take much for him to want to research why this is such an issue for not only you, but for many people out there since it seems this isn't a localized issue.

It boils down to a few different things, but he's quick to note classism and racism are at the top of the list. He sighs, because he should've known as much, unfortunately. The world is cruel for no reason other than to be cruel sometimes.

But, he isn't one to stand by and do nothing when he knows he's in a good position to do something. Jumin is just the kind of person who wants to make things better for everyone, not only his partner! Your smile is important to him, but he knows he never wants anyone to be in a position where they feel the same as you have felt. So, be warned ahead of time that he'll want to talk about your experience when you feel ready to talk about it. He wants to better understand what things he could do to make a difference, not just in your life, but others, too.

In regards to your comfort, he won't take it personally if you feel like space will help you feel better. He's never put much thought into how he smells before, frankly. He's taken his fair share of showers and put on cologne, but outside of that, it never occurred to him that people might be smelling him and judging him for it. Sure, you'd think a guy like him who's had no real choice but to be aware of his presentation would know better, but it's one of those things he's never put thought into beyond surface level thoughts.

He doesn't want you to feel down about yourself. So, what can he do? Affirm that you smell good? Not say anything at all? Purchase all the soaps and perfumes you like to better help you explore what scents you enjoy? He isn't sure what would be preferable, but he's listening to your concerns and taking stock of them. Nobody will ever say an ugly word about your scent again on his watch. He would love to be able to cuddle with you and relish the moment, but... even he needs time to quell his butterflies. There's no rush to force yourselves into something when you're still learning comfort and boundaries.

Saeyoung understands what you mean before you say it. He grew up in a house that didn't care about his needs. Do you really think that he was allowed to take showers every day? Much less every few days? It all came down to what his mother tolerated, and that woman gave no room for him to be comfortable, much less his brother. I assume that he let Saeran take showers first, far more than he did, because there was always a risk of infection on his brother's half if he wasn't allowed to clean up as often as possible. Saeran needed that. He let go of his time to shower so Saeran could.

Rika pointed out that he was a bit dirty when she first met him, and that's to be expected. She didn't judge him for it. She knew what it felt like to be kicked out on the street with no way to take care of her needs. I have no doubt that many shops would kick him out before he had a chance to finish his shopping because of his appearance. He's well aware of what people think of someone who is poor and may not be able to clean up as often as someone with free access to a shower. He isn't going to judge you for being self-conscious.

He knows what it feels like and if we're honest here, he feels the same as you. He makes a point to take a shower at least once a day, if not twice, not only because he's worried about his smell, but because the agency has made him do some disgusting things... and he never feels clean enough afterward. He doesn't talk about those experiences that often for a reason. But, you can tell what he's thinking when he stays in the shower for longer than twenty minutes.

So, you can expect him to comfort you with a second thought. You don't have to explain why you're nervous to hug him... he knows that instinctual reaction. But, if it makes you feel better and you're not afraid of him being with you in the bathroom, he'll offer to run a nice bath for you and do your hair! It's not because he thinks you're stinky, it's because he wants to show you you deserve tenderness no matter how you smell, and what he wanted was for someone to offer that sort of kindness when he felt his lowest. If that's not it, he'll listen to whatever you'd prefer him to do first!

Jihyun, similar to Jumin, hasn't always had to think about the way he presented himself to the world. At least, that was the case when he was a little boy. As he began to come into his own and interact with people, he began to notice subtle biases and the way people hold themselves in front of others vs when they're alone. When he encountered Rika in the gallery, that was one of the first times he saw someone shine like a wonderful light... and then dim like a candle when he met her eyes.

He was intrigued by that, for better or worse, and the more time that he spent volunteering, the more he realized the world was different from what he thought it to be. He was so caught up in proving himself as an artist to his father that he didn't think of others the way you would have expected him to. It doesn't mean he wasn't outright unaware of scent and the insecurities that could arise with it, but... it says more about how self-centered he was until he unfortunately lost his mom.

He has his own fears when it comes to being close to another person. It's not about smell for him, though. It's about the scars he has (I truly believe he has them from the accident) and the fear of baring himself to another person again without knowing what might happen ahead of time. He needs time to unravel himself in front of you, just as you are in need of the same. You both need to talk about these things as you grow closer to one another. There's no rush to figure this out and you don't have to be afraid of what's to come when you do get closer.

So, what can he do to help you feel better? He knows buying soap and perfume isn't always the answer, and doing so may make you feel worse no matter if you asked him to or not. He wants to listen, and not only that, he wants to grow as a person and know he can be there for you just as you've been there for him. You can trust him to do his best for you, with a smile on his face. You will never have to feel down on yourself when he's there because you've done the same for him.