#less than 2 and we are back to a group stage

[companion-showdown]

Next time is going to be Chaos Incarnate: Favourite Chaotic Companion (I'd do most chaotic but I think that'll just end up recreating the glowing green goo tournament)

Current list of contestants is

Vicki Pallister

Dodo Chaplet

Jamie McCrimmon

Zoe Heriot

Sarah-Jane Smith

Ace McShane

Clara Oswald

Iris Wildthyme

Missy

the TARDIS

Suggestions for the remaining slots are more than welcome. I've decided not to be as strict about them being actual companions as last time (within reason, they have to either be at least a notable character, or a really good fit for the tournament)

tournament won't start until tomorrow (21/05) (9 BST (UTC+1) at the earliest but probably much later), so again, unlike last time, there is plenty of time, and any suggestions will almost certainly come in before the tournament starts (sorry Doctor Elizabeth Klein)

(Susan, Leela, Bill, Graham, and Dan are currently maybes, so its particularly worth speaking up for them)

[soojinieshifts]

Hihihi I just wanted to ask how world tour work and if their stressful :33

Oooo ok this is a good one!

TOURS

So tours are usually planned a few months in advance, some companies will do a year or 2 in advance but it depends on like the success of your groups and how big your fanbase is. The planning is done by your staff, managers, etc.

Touring can be so much fun honestly because you get to go to so many beautiful places and see so many cool stuff, my favorite part is getting to show my members around my home country and the places I’ve grown up. It’s also fun to introduce them to my family, have them try our foods and so much more things. Not all companies however have all countries in mind it’s usually just the ones they think are popular or care about but I script our tour stops usually so I don’t really run into this problem like I did when I was a baby shifter.

Usually your company will let you guys pick your set list, but they also will do a lot of them based on popularity of the songs. Like usually you will preform all title tracks that you have released since those are most popular but you and your members will also be able to pick the bsides and other songs for set lists. If you’re planning on having a solo stage then a lot of planning and practice goes into this before tour, and during sound check every set will be run through in order to avoid any mistakes.

All this aside, touring can also be very tiring. Especially if you are having a comeback near the end or middle because then dates become more closer and immediate/less spaced out?? (If that makes sense😭) in order for you guys to have time to go back to Korea for the comeback, if you have schedules then you will have your show and depending on when the schedule is you will usually be flown immediately to wherever said schedules is. (By schedules I mean events for brands and other shit like that). Some companies will give maybe a week or 2?? Cool down period before going to the next leg of the tour (like Asia, North America, South America, etc.) Some groups like twice for example does a complete different performance for each place they are going to so this means twice is practicing more than usual. Overall the most tiring part was traveling around often, going to the airport early in the morning, and very late practices.

For my personal experience for every tour I went on, we would sleep at hotels with the members sometimes it would be solo rooms or roommates (it would be really fun with roommates ngl), Concert outfits were entirely chosen by stylists but for solo stages we usually get a say in what we get to choose. My favorite moment of the concert was realizing that I was finally there. Everything just came to me naturally , all the training, practices, everything paid off to this very moment. It can still be stressful and pressuring but also very fun! But this was all my experiences so it might not be the same as yours.

Things I recommend you script: Tour edition

- you go to more places for tours (if shifting to a group where they don’t go many places)

- you always have the best outfits

- your solo stage!! Trust me this part is so fun fr

- no one ever has a wardrobe malfunction on stage

- there are never any technical difficulties (mics not working, sound issues, etc.)

[bairdthereader]

Charlie Spring, An Appreciation: Part 2, Friendship

Charlie is often described as nerdy, shy, and awkward, the dork who is lucky enough to catch the eye of the popular boy. But that characterization does Charlie a huge disservice; it overlooks the richness of his personal life and the complexity of his inner landscape.

It also ignores the fact that he has cultivated a solid and loving friend group that he cares for in so many ways, whose devotion he earns through his own dedication and fierce loyalty. He is by no means alone or isolated when he meets Nick, he is not "desperate" in the way some people (and the horrible Ben) characterize him.

Charlie's relationship with Tao is a longstanding one, but not without its challenges. Tao isn't the easiest person to be friends with, but Charlie sees through Tao's prickly defensiveness to appreciate and love the part of Tao that feels so intensely, the part that is vulnerable and lost. And he fights for that friendship again and again.

The most beautiful example of this is on the Pont de l'Archevêché when Tao confesses that he accidentally outed Charlie the year before. This could easily and justifiably end even a strong friendship. But you can see the moment that Charlie decides his relationship with Tao is more important, that it is worth all of the pain that accidental outing caused him. He forgives instantly and completely, with no lingering resentment at all. And if that wasn't heroic enough, he follows up with the most thorough reassurance speech ever given, tailored specifically to eradicate all of Tao's most deeply held insecurities. Charlie's empathy is astounding.

Elle explains to Darcy that Charlie was her friend first, followed by Tao, which tells us that Charlie's care for her began a long time ago, and that it's lasted through all the challenges she's faced during her transition. I wish there were more moments on screen where Elle and Charlie have one-on-one conversations; there are shockingly few. But the way they speak about each other when the other isn't there is just as revealing. Elle clearly loves and understands Charlie in a unique way, and she does all she can to smooth the ragged edges between him and Tao, and lovingly supports his relationship with Nick. She does this because Charlie does the same for her, and because she knows his friendship is deep and abiding and unconditional.

Though less outwardly demonstrative than his friendships with the others, Charlie is no less caring and protective of Isaac, the friend who, I think, is the mostly gently supportive of Charlie as he navigates the early stages of his relationship with Nick. Charlie is open with Isaac when he asks for advice, but doesn't pry into why Isaac is asking a question that's so out of character; he knows Isaac processes most things internally before speaking them aloud. At prom, Charlie reminds Isaac--in a moment where he clearly feels isolated and singled out--that he is important, both to Charlie personally and to their group as a whole. A quiet person like Isaac could easily end up on the fringes of a friend group, but Charlie pulls him back in.

Charlie is also more caring with Tori than I think he's given credit for (especially at this point in the timeline and without some of the supporting backstory from the later comics and other books). Even with the limited interactions we see on screen, he's always trying to include her, trying to make sure she's not alone, while still giving her the space she feels she needs. Their bond is deep and protective, and it goes both ways. Charlie may be the younger of the two, but he's taking care of her, in his own way, as much as she is of him.

Again, I could go on and on:

This idea that Charlie is the quiet, awkward wallflower just doesn't hold up when it's so clear that he's the lynchpin of his friend group. Charlie's endless capacity for loyalty, forgiveness, empathy, and inclusion make him a champion in the lives of everyone he loves.

[apomaro-mellow]

Hot for Teacher(s) 3

Part 2 / AO3 Link

After school practices for the Thanksgiving performance was only for the students who wanted to put a little more time into it. Apparently a bulk of the rehearsal happened during their music class and that made sense. Still, Steve was glad to put a face to some of the kids his son mentioned. The first night there had been a girl who's lip trembled at the slightest upset and Steve knew that had to be Yasmin.

"She's a crybaby who cries over everything", Shawn had said one time.

"Hm, need I remind you of all the times you've cried? Why I remember just last week-"

"We don't need to talk about that", Shawn said, properly chastised.

Even so, Steve could see how it could get a little frustrating to be in a class with someone as sensitive as that. And yet, Mr. Munson never let on that he was frustrated or anything like that. Every time the tears came, he talked her down. Which was quite the feat since he had probably been doing it for eight hours at this point.

"You're really good with the kids", Steve complimented when Mr. Munson took a seat near them to rest.

Third grade was working on their performance piece on the stage now while the smaller kids got a break. Mr. Munson smiled a bit as he scratched at his head.

"Yeah, well, patience is key, as I'm sure you know. Actually, how old are the kids you teach?", he asked.

"Middle school", Steve answered, laughing a little when he saw the other teacher's eyes get wide in fear.

"Braver than any marine, I swear. I will take spilt milk tears over the raging hormones going on over there."

Steve's brain decided to highlight the word 'hormones' which made him delayed in his response. He cleared his throat to try and cover it up. "It's not as bad as all that. I've got the babies of middle school, the sixth graders, but don't tell them I said that. And I'm lucky I've got a group there that's absolutely obsessed with science."

He met Mr. Munson's eyes and was met with a million watt smile. One that he knew was on his own face too.

"That's the best feeling, ain't it? When they wanna soak up as much as you can give?"

"The best", Steve agreed. It wasn't always candy and roses but it was all worth it for those days when everything just clicked. "Speaking of passions, did you get that approval for your ideas for the show?"

"They said I could play guitar, but they vetoed my pyrotechnics idea."

That night, Mr. Munson walked him and Shawn back to their car. And as such, became a routine for two days out of the week. Through it all, Steve commended himself for only drooling a little over him and only when he was alone.

At home, one Saturday, Shawn was humming his class' song while Steve made them lunch. He looked to the calendar and realized the show would be that coming Monday. Well, he knew that but it hit him that in less than a week, Thanksgiving break would start and then there wouldn't be much of a reason for him to see Mr. Munson anymore.

Just as the thought came to him, he looked at the school events calendar he had put in his phone and saw that there would be a Winter Dance but that it was for 4th and 5th grade only. He held back a sigh. Oh well, maybe if he got particularly antsy, he could schedule a confere-no, nononono.

He wasn't going to waste a teacher's time over nothing. Just because, what? He wanted to see him?

He said as much when he talked to Robin the next day. They were sitting in his living room, Shawn was up in his room, reading on this lazy Sunday.

"So, you're just going to avoid him?"

"It's not avoiding. I'm just not going to go out of my way to seek him out", Steve clarified. "And maybe this little crush", he whispered the word 'crush' like tiny ears were listening, "will die down."

"Mhm", Robin nodded, unconvinced. "You know they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?"

Steve leaned back against the couch. "There's at least one absence I'm not missing."

"...Don't tell me this is all because of him?"

"It's not because of him but...", Steve's eyes traveled to where Shawn's baby book sat on a bookshelf. Inside were the only pictures of Shawn's sire. And honestly, Steve wouldn't even have those if it were up to him. But he wanted to leave the door open just for when Shawn got older and could decide how much he wanted that man in his life.

"I don't think Mr. Munson is anything like him. Of course I don't. But I can't make a mistake like that again. If Shawn got hurt, I could never forgive myself."

Robin gave him a pat on the leg. "If you really think it's for the best."

It was. Steve knew that what was on the surface could be hiding something ugly underneath. He wasn't going to expose him or his pup to anything like that again. Mr. Munson was nice but these feelings weren't deep enough to swim in. Steve was barely getting his toes wet. He would stay high and dry and then Shawn would go on to second grade and then he would only see Mr. Munson in passing, if that.

Steve had all these affirmations in mind as he settled in to see Shawn's performance Monday. Planning ahead, Steve had told his school a couple weeks ago that he had a doctor appointment and wouldn't be coming in until later. Just long enough to pop in and see Shawn sing. As he had planned and rehearsed, Mr. Munson sat on a stool to one side of the stage, acoustic guitar in his lap.

It was all the school would allow and seeing as the kids' singing voices weren't super strong, it was for the best. Steve recorded the act, phone focused on Shawn while every once in a while, his eyes drifted to Mr. Munson.

After the song, Steve waved to Shawn, who waved back. He had told him ahead of time that he'd have to go back to work after seeing him, so that his son wouldn't be disappointed. When they saw each other at home later, Shawn's adrenaline from the day hadn't waned.

"So a lot of the other kids' parents took them home, so Mr. Munson let some of us play with his guitar!"

"Did he now?", Steve smiled.

"Uh-huh. He even taught us how to play. Do you think he teaches guitar?"

"Would you like some lessons?", Steve asked.

"Only if Mr. Munson is teaching it. He makes everything so cool."

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

Steve watched as Shawn ran ahead to go into the corn maze. Most of the corn was gone, so he wasn't worried about him getting lost as Robin went to get them hot ciders. Shawn scurried through the maze when he found someone familiar.

Robin had come back with two ciders that she and Steve sipped on while Shawn made his way through the maze.

"Dad! Look who's here!"

Steve looked up, expecting to see one of his little friends. Not Mr. Munson.

Not Mr. Munson in ripped jeans and a leather jacket.

Not Mr. Munson in ripped jeans and a leather jacket with chunky rings and his hair let loose, spilling over his shoulders.

"Dad look! It's Mr. Munson! Dad?"

"Mr. Munson! What a surprise!", Robin came in for the save while Steve was speechless. She gave him a subtle nudge that really wasn't all that subtle but that was okay because Mr. Munson was having his own crisis.

Because here was Mr. Harrington, enjoying a harvest festival, shoulder to shoulder with a beautiful alpha woman.

"H-hey, didn't expect to run into you here", Mr. Munson stuttered.

"Me neither", Steve said, voice a little breathless. He cleared it and remembered himself. "This is Robin, she's my neighbor. Robin, this is Shawn's teacher."

"Heard so much about you", Robin grinned.

Steve wanted to kick her in the shin.

"Hey, Shawn, how's about we go and pick out a pumpkin or something?", Robin suggested, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the other two, leaving them alone.

Mr. Munson looked like a deer caught in headlights and Steve couldn't blame him.

"Jesus, she couldn't be anymore obvious."

"Did you want to talk to me about something, Mr. Harrington?"

"No, I didn't. But, I think...I think we should have this conversation anyway." Steve ran a hand through his hair.

They went to a little sitting area the farm had set up near the food booths so that they could talk. Eddie's mind ran a mile a minute, thinking of what this could be about. Both good and bad. He'd gotten a hot chocolate both to keep his hands warm and to give him something to do with said hands. Hands that Mr. Harrington was staring at right now.

"I um", he shook his head and pushed a lock of hair behind his ear. "I just wanted to-god this is hard."

"Well, let's make it easier", Eddie said. "Is it about Shawn? Is he having problems in school?"

"No, it's not about that. It's about us-I mean, there is no us but I-goddammit", Steve hissed, cheeks getting red in embarrassment. He let out a breath. "Mr. Munson, I'm having..." don't say feelings don't say feelings don't say feelings "-sensations, that aren't entirely professional. About you."

"Oh."

"And I know nothing can come of it, but I just want you to know that, to know that I'm aware of them and if I ever come on, I guess too strong, please just let me know."

"Um, for how long?", Eddie asked, hoping he wasn't vibrating in his seat because it sure did feel that way.

"Uhh, pretty much since I first met you", Mr. Harrington admitted. "And I don't know if it's because you've been looking after me and Shawn when we walk back to the car, or if it's something else but you just smell...you feel safe. And it's hard for me not too....", he trailed off, voice getting soft.

He didn't know how much that meant to Eddie. His first year of teaching, Eddie had gone on scent blockers, not wanting to overwhelm the little noses in his room. But one day he'd forgotten and things just seemed to run more smoothly when they could get a whiff of him. For Mr. Harrington to say his scent made him feel safe...

"It hasn't exactly been easy for me either", Eddie finally said. "Me too, since that first day I... But you already said nothing can come from it."

There was a hesitant look in Mr. Harrington's eyes. "Well, you know, why not?"

"Why...not?", Eddie echoed.

"I have my personal reasons for not pursuing this, but they mostly involve Shawn. If he doesn't know about it, I mean if we can hide it from most people, you won't get in trouble with the school. And we won't, you know get Shawn's hopes up if it doesn't become serious."

"Why, Mr. Harrington, are you propositioning me?" Honestly, Eddie didn't give a flying fuck what this principal thought about his private life. At the end of the day, it really was just Shawn he was worried about. He didn't know what happened to the other half of his DNA, but he knew that kids with only one parent sometimes longed for a second. He couldn't make Shawn think that was him unless this was the real deal. And he wouldn't know that for sure if he didn't give this a try.

"For starters, when we're not on school grounds, you can call me Steve."

"Eddie."

"Eddie, would you like to go out with me sometime?"

Steve's face was a mix of hopeful and confident that Eddie wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. "I'd love to."

Part 4

There is absolutely some angst with Steve's baby daddy comin down the line. I came up with it where I come up with all my best ideas, half asleep when I wake up in the morning.

Tag Team

@anne-bennett-cosplayer @aol19 @lololol-1234 @hippieg1rl420 @gregre369 @attic-cat-blog

[sageandred]

Some minor things I'm thinking about/predictions for season 3~

-some more (pretty unedited) things I think could happen + predictions I don't necessarily hope to happen; + talking out some frustrations I personally had (if u don't want to read anything partially negative)

Missy & Amerie friendship. It would be good to expand to some less visited friendships. We got a hint of Amerie & Missy once again and I could see them talking even more nxt szn.

Sasha and Quinni are going to be working together nxt szn, and I can already see how the writers might try to rekindle something, but I don't want that, obviously. I could see them making Sasha develop feelings again only for Quinni to turn her down or it could be an opportunity for Sasha to actually apologize after some reflection as they continue to go their separate ways romantically.

Ant has to find out Harper also made the map, right? (that's the direction it's heading in??)

I don't care either way, but if Rowan wasn't just a 1 season and done type of character, I could see them trying to explore a mental health storyline, and separate from that make him more likeable/building friendships with anyone but Amerie.

Critiques of the Season/What I Hope Going Forward

They really missed some opportunities with Harper. It's totally valid for 2 childhood besties to grow apart in some ways and come back with an even greater and more mature connection. Instead, they just had Darren and Quinni adopt her into the group when I wish they would've spent a season of her developing her own friendships and building up her relationships that will be beneficial going forward.

which brings me to my points: I want Harper and Amerie to spend some time apart next season. I don't want it to be dramatic and I don't want them to have a fallout. They can actually be friends without being attached at the hip, but I don't want the s1 trio to be disrupted when I think that relationship is very special (sorry if this sounds harsh), and feels more organic than Harper's outside of the one that's developing with Cash.

Speaking of relationships: Ant & Harper feels underdeveloped to me. They could be a great couple. I wish they spent more time this season giving them individual arcs, but I think next season they kind of need to go through something dramatic to have the kind of break-through I'm wanting from their characters. They're kind of boring to me rn (I'm so sorry Harthony fans). They could end up together or not; I'm just not sold on their story yet.

New couples-I like the development stage of new couples/couples you don't expect. Give Quinni a gf, ofc. Switch up some of the dynamics. Relationships can be a means to another end, and it doesn't have to = the previous being bad. I don't want a love triangle, though; let them grow without the drama.

They could show the journey of Missy dealing with a toxic man, or they could show Spider/Missy grow together (I really don't care); I just want development for both of them individually and their own separate arcs regardless (especially Missy-he did have his own large arc this season). I actually think it would be cool to show the slow effects of how things add up and trauma causing some unhealthy behaviors with Spider (it doesn't have to make him bad; he's like 18 and anyone could grow from a failed high school relationship/become a really great person, but I just don't feel awe when I see their scenes...personally).

I didn't add this point with them on my other post, but I kind of want Darren and Cash to each have new romances/flings. I know there is love there, but I think they need to find themselves independent of one another. Their relationship very much feels like they grew up together and prematurely decided they belong together what with Cash's long secret crush (which is fine, but..); it is absolutely cute, though their incompatibility and continuous communication problems need to be explored/they need to mature.

[stan-rabelais-et-diderot]

Small thoughts on the Netflix Three Body Problem adaptation

1) We are making it international" they said. They replaced all the international collaboration, the counsel of world leaders that we see throughout the books with... two British dudes deciding everything by themselves, not accountable to anyone. They managed to make it less international than the book. But more than that, they perverted the very themes Liu Cixin wove into his books, the very ideas the books revolve on: group mentality & collaboration versus the individual, banal or exceptional. The Netflix show removed the very notion of collective, of group mentality, without which there is nothing to contrast individuality against.

2) They made Ye Wenjie an unrecognizable shell of herself. Her back is not held up straight. An old Ye Wenjie, cursing, sloushing, moving to England. Is it really Ye Wenjie? It bothers me so much that they could get away with saying this is Ye Wenjie. This is not her.

3) They "simplified" the science to a point where nothing is explained, nothing can survive through any kind of analysis of the logic of the things shown & the actions taken. Just one example, because I’ve seen the headset being praised for looking “cool”. It’s not cool if it’s at the expense of a logical plot. The futurist headsets we are shown imply that either 1° the Trisolarians are able to send sizable physical objects [which they physically can't, the limit to what they could send through space is clearly explained, it is the two protons they did send Earth] or 2° the Trisolarians shared schematics of advanced technology with the ETO, letting them to develop the headsets. But that is the one thing the Trisolarians would never do, as their entire plan rely on humans’ technology not being able to develop any further than it already has.

4) I thought it was gonna be lesser than the Tencent show. I didn't expect it to be so utterly lacking on all front. If there was one point of worthy comparison, one point where I expected Netflix to do a good job, if only to show they had a bigger budget, it was “the” boat scene. Tencent spent 25% of their budget on that scene, so I expected Netflix would try to make their boat scene more spectacular, better on a technical level, to show that the US special effects are undefeated or something. I would have never expected that they wouldn’t even try to compete. That scene happened in the episode 5 of the Netflix show & it’s underwhelming. It has no gravitas, but of course it can’t have any gravitas, it’s not the culmination of the collaboration of humans across the globe, demonstrating that they can fight back & achieve greatness when they are united, of course it can’t be the same when it’s just 10 British people working in isolation. They didn’t just do something underwhelming on a technical level, they did something underwhelming on a narrative level. Just like the scene with the insects, the culmination of the Tencent show had no weigh & no impact when done by Netflix.

5) The misguided belief that somehow an American show could show Chinese history (the cultural revolution) to an international audience better & with more accuracy than a Chinese show to a Chinese audience because of the censorship in China is laughable. An international audience would need more context to understand a historical time that they or their parents didn’t live through, but that’s not what Netflix did. What they showed was mildly violent & shocking to be sure, but not very accurate to the content of the book. They cut out a lot of plot, but they could have done that, simplified it without stripping it of context or changing the story so much it resonates wrong. I'll just give small examples:

on the stage when they condemn Ye Wenjie's father (with microphones in front of a huge audience???) they keep saying "lies", which makes no sense, that's not the logic, the charge is propagating western propaganda, upholding western values & a capitalist way of thinking, not lying (see the end of page note on that point).

they call Ye Wenjie comrade during her time at the Red Coast (in the book [& in the Tencent show] her status as a political dissident & therefore NOT a comrade is emphasized, stated explicitly. If you don't understand the social implication, let's simplify & say that being a comrade is like being a citizen, not a comrade, not part of the group, not trusted).

Netflix Ye Wenjie unironically says: "how awesome would it be if China was the first [country to make contact with aliens]". She says it, mind you, not in front of the political commissioner because she is asking for something & need to butter him up, no, she is just enthusiastically patriotic? She is shown to be enthousiastically patriotic toward China & LATER she sells out the planets to the Trisolarians.

The inconsistencies are not only baffling deviations from the source materials that display a complete lack of comprehension of Ye Wenjie as a character, as well as an astonishing disregard for the accuracy of the ideology of (Mao-area) communism & the history of Maoist China. They didn't show a lot of content, so they could have easily avoided making such basis mistakes.

What really pisses me off is that I keep seeing press pieces saying that the Netflix version “doesn’t shy away from showing”, “won't censor” the part of the story taking place during the Cultural Revolution, sometimes outright saying it as a reason to watch the Netflix version over the Tencent one, implying to the readers the Tencent version is heavily censored, when in reality the Tencent version spend a lot more time than on it than the Netflix one, showing how bad it was, in an accurate way, very close to the content of the book. The political rhetoric fallacies, the bureaucracy, the hypocrisy, how miserable everything is, is shown very well.

[Disclaimer, I'm not Chinese, it's not my culture, it’s not the country I live in. But in France there are Maoists, so I’ve learned just enough about the history of Mao & the Cultural Revolution to hold very negative views about it. In reverse, in a very racist, sinophobic way, many Westerners think Chinese people can’t think for themselves if they don’t hate every single thing about China & they lump in the country, the people & the Xi Jinping administration. It’s absurd to ask other people to hate their country, to have no pride in anything from their country. What hypocrisy, in every country, nationalism is taught to us from the time we first attend school. Patriotism is a requirement, it’s ingrained, internalized in all of us. We can be critical of our country’s history, of our government, or many things & still find pride & love for some things. I know that’s the way I feel about France.]

Censorship does exist in China, it’s exist materially in a way that differs from the Hays Code in the US in both the scope of its autority & its function. It is enacted by a governement agency called the NRTA & everything that airs on tv has to be clear by the NRTA first. A clear guideline is not provided, we know what passed it, creators know what didn’t, so to a lesser extent we know what doesn’t passes NRTA censorship: graphic violence, nudity, sex, ghosts (or BL since 2021...) et caetera. It would be dishonest to pretend that the topic of Cultural Revolution is a taboo that cannot be spoken about, as if the current administration has a positive view on it & would therefore not allow it to be criticized. What is censored (as far as we know, what is different from the book) in the Tencent show is the opening scene, a very graphic violent scene. That’s it. It’s censored, probably more for the violence than anything else. Some people find it disappointing, but the symbolic meaning of that violence in not hidden in the narrative & the event are instead visually & auditory implied in a short flashback at the end of one episode.

NB) In the opening scene of the Netflix show (the same one that was cut on Tencent), the political tribunal has someone accusing: "Lies, all lies!". But lying is not a political charge. It sounds ridiculous. They just had to follow the book, they didn’t have to understand communism, but no, they had to come up with things themselves... My best guess it that the creators didn’t realized that "lying is bad" is a cultural value that is not universal.

I don't know if "lying" is a big deal in China, but I know it's not a big deal in my culture & in a Marxist/communist political context, lying is just not "a thing". They are a lot of charges you can get in a political tribunal:

-individualist behavior,

-liberalism/imperialistic thinking,

- lack of self-criticism (Maoism famously has the three principles, one of which being the practice of self-criticism so you/we can do better).

-deceiving the masses with xx propaganda [so they don't revolt when they would if they knew the truth], that’s as close to lying is a political charge can get,

-aspiring to bourgeois comfort [that can mean profiting of other people's labor, not doing enough or not wanting to sacrifice your life for the cause],

- treason & of course

- being counterrevolutionary / working against the revolution, are the two big ones !

Can you see what is not on that list ? Lying is not on that list.

[igncrxntripley]

their secret weapon pt. 1

Synopsis: The Judgement Day has their eye on a new member, and they make their move on Y/N to convince them to join. A/N: Part 2 coming soon!!!

The Judgement Day had quickly become one of the most dominant groups in the WWE. They had a hand in both the men’s and women’s division, Rhea was on her way to one of the biggest matches of her career on the grandest stage of them all, and they obliterated any superstar who came in their way. The four of them all walked around backstage with an undeniable swagger that no one could stomp out and they knew they were the best; however, the best of the best still needed to find ways to grow.  Damian and Rhea would usually go to the NXT tapings every week and watch from backstage. They not only were looking for the best talent rising through the industry, they were looking for people just like them; people who were stomped on, taken advantage of…people who continued to prove themselves and got nothing in return. For the longest time no one stuck out. They didn’t see the drive and hunger they needed in The Judgement Day…until Y/N walked in. That night, they’d taken hit after hit in a championship match and had gotten so close to taking the win. And even though the WWE audience that night showed their appreciation, management in the back was much less kind. Rhea and Damian knew exactly what they needed to do. They told Finn and Dominik that night and immediately began working on a plan to get Y/N into the palm of their hand. 

It began with small hints in Y/N’s locker room - black hoods, purple bandanas, any small indicator of the four monsters who’d begun watching them with a close eye. Y/N didn’t think much of it, they just kept going on about their business. They worked their ass off in NXT, fighting for every opportunity big or small just to prove they could be the face of the WWE. Even short backstage promos with other susperstars just go hopefully work their way into the fold of what NXT had planned for its athletes. But for every ounce of work they put in, it was stomped on and ridiculed. Nothing they did was good enough…until four people walked in and changed their life. 

It was the night of NXT Vengeance Day. The day Y/N’s career was about to take a turn for the best. They walked away from their locker room for only a couple of minutes, but when they came back a purple envelope was left on top of their suitcase. The envelope was sealed with purple wings, and when Y/N opened it there were directions to a different room backstage. It finished with simple instructions. Knock three times. Await your judgement day.  Y/N had to admit that the words gave them goosebumps, and while they wanted to run away and keep themselves out of whatever mess The Judgement Day was creating, they just couldn’t. Y/N hesitantly got dressed and made their way to the location given to them in the letter, which was a door that looked pretty much like any other closet door in the backstage area. They following their instructions and waiting for the door to slowly open though, looking around nervously in case any cameras or other superstars caught them. Once it was open, Y/N let themselves inside to a dark room lit only by a couple of candles and purple LED lights. “Take a seat.” said a deep voice from behind them that they recognized as none other than Damian Priest. They’d heard that voice enough during WWE broadcasts.

Once Y/N got comfortable, the other three members of the purple-hued faction made themselves visible while The Punisher joined them. They all stood in front of Y/N, looking down at them with the biggest smirks on each of their faces. “Your life is going to change today, Y/N.” Rhea said. “Yeah right.” Y/N mumbled with a small roll of their eyes.

“She’s right.” Balor chimed in, stepping closer to the NXT superstar. “We’ve been keeping an eye on you. We see how management treats you, how other superstars treat you…and you’re more than what they’ve made you out to be.” He said softly, Y/N’s face watching with curiosity mixed with fear. Dominik wrapped an arm around Rhea’s waist. “And if it wasn’t for her, you wouldn’t even be here right now.” He said with the same shit-eating grin on his face as the rest of them. His words made Rhea chuckle softly. “I turned Dom into a star. I gave him an opportunity when no one else would.” She said softly, this time walking closer to Y/N and wrapping her arms around them from behind. “We could do the same for you. You just need to let us in.” Rhea smirked, her black lipstick-covered lips brushing against Y/N’s ear. 

Her words and her touch made Y/N shiver with anticipation and nerves. Normally they weren’t this much of a pushover; they’d learned to put up a fight for themselves over the course of their time in this industry. But their words were too good to be true; the fact that four people - four stars in this business - were giving them more of a chance than anyone else had…it was like a dream. But Y/N couldn’t give in that easily. They let out a shaky sigh and looked up at Damian, Finn, and Dominik while Rhea continued to stand behind them. “What’s in it for me?” they asked softly. “How do I know I can trust you? I’ve been torn down enough in this business, I don’t need you all to help with that.”

Damian chuckled softly and looked at his friends before looking back at Y/N. “Anything you want and more.” He said. Rhea nodded in agreement and gently squeezed Y/N’s body. “At the end of the day, you have four people who want nothing but the best for you. Not only do they want the best…” she turned Y/N’s face to look at them. “But we’ll give you the best.” Damian nodded and stepped closer as well. “You just have to trust us.”

[jackactuallywrites]

I am asking very nicely for part 2

I need our pathetic duo

Besties are making fun of MC for being an idiot and they take her to a club and WHO'S THERE? 💀

They meet in a smoking area and MC is going through all stages of grief

That's us btw

Drunk and Disorderly

Pairing: Simon Ghost Riley x You

Rating: Still pretty mild

Warnings: Alcohol, smoking, clubbing, Liverpudlians

Summary: You to the club assuming Ghost won’t be there. More fool you!

Notes: we simp for @xxven providing all these excellent plot ideas it would not happen without her ����

Word count: 1,666 (spooky!)

“I’m not going back to the pub.”

You were being uncharacteristically firm; usually, enough badgering from Katy and Elle would have you giving in and trudging off to the pub, but this time you were absolutely resolute. Elle was less than impressed, letting out a heavy groan as you vetoed the classic Friday evening plans, “Is this because of the whole Ghost thing?” You glowered at her, and Katy snickered, “Can’t believe you thought Soap was some girl chatting him up.” You huffed, “It’s hard to tell in that lighting! Plus, a lot of the girls around here have that haircut.” Elle did her best to hold back her amusement, whereas Katy did no such thing, cackling at you outright, “You twat.” You made a face at her, “Bite me. We’re not going to the pub.” Elle acquiesced, “Alright, fine, fine. What about the club?” Katy grimaced, “So we can watch you get embroiled in lesbian drama again?” Elle grinned, “I mean, what’s a night out without a little drama?” “A little drama? You almost got your extensions ripped out.” “But I didn’t.” You interrupted, “I vote to go to the club as well.” Katy huffed, “That’s because you know you won’t see Ghost in a gay bar, isn’t it?” You saluted, “Absolutely. Two against one.” She sighed, knowing she’d been beaten, “Fine. But no drama!” Elle held her hand over her heart, “No drama!”

Of course, it had been a promise that couldn’t be kept. Elle had a habit of finding herself in the middle of arguments, no matter how hard she supposedly tried to keep out of them. It was lucky for her that Katy was there to console the jilted lover and convince her not to throw her drink over Elle’s head. Elle was unbothered as always, already finding some beautiful person to dance with. With Katy busy soothing troubled lesbians and Elle trying to seduce anything even remotely sexual, you were left alone, though you didn’t mind.

You couldn’t think of a better place to bury your embarrassment than in the middle of a gay club, your face painted with colour and sparkles, your tits pushed up so high they practically touched your chin, and your waist cinched by your corset, your confidence absolutely untouchable. You’d already gotten several numbers that night, not that you planned on using any of them, still silently pining for a certain murderous spectre, but it had done wonders to restore your self-esteem after that dreadful night the week before.

The memory had long since faded into irrelevance in your mind, the music seeming to pump directly into your veins, the bass pounding along with the beat of your heart, your hips swaying, your hands touching your hair, your neck, absolutely enraptured by everything in that moment, lost in the sensations of absolute peace that only pounding music and heavy drinks could provide. You danced until your feet hurt, and the sweat began to bead up on your forehead, threatening to ruin the intricate swirls Elle had spent so long on, finally taking a break from your dancing and heading out for a breath of fresh air—in the smoking area.

You paid little attention to the patrons as you pushed open the heavy door into the cool night air, letting it flow over your face, enjoying the smoke-tainted breeze. The door shifted slightly behind you, someone taking the weight of it out of your hands, holding it open as they came into what was generously called a garden, though was more accurately a group of cheap metal chairs on fake grass, grouped around a single space heater. Most of the chairs were occupied by a group already deep in conversation, some of them known to you, huddled together, with two chairs left out. You were too happy to sink into the available chair, taking the weight off your feet, leaning back and stretching out your ankles, only somewhat regretting your decision to wear heels. The person who’d come along behind you sunk into the last available chair, and you finally looked over at them, wondering if they’d be good conversation.

Fate, it seemed, had a very funny sense of humour.

Ghost was sitting in the chair beside you. Ghost, terrifying Lieutenant, was in the smoking area of a gay bar. He was looking at you curiously, still wearing that trademark skull balaclava, inexplicably allowed to wear it no matter where he was, dressed in a slightly more casual version of his usual uniform, a thick black jumper paired with the classic cargo trousers that every soldier favoured. And there you were, in your skimpy sparkly dress, arse out, tits out, dignity left somewhere behind on the dancefloor. Your only saving grace was the hope that he might not recognise you, as crushing as that might have been.

The nod he gave you was friendly enough, as well as the “Alright?” he offered in your direction, and you did your best to squeak out an “Alright!” in response. Thankfully, he didn’t seem entirely bothered by your practically virginal awkwardness around him, his attention on the cigarettes in his pocket, digging out his lighter as he pulled up his mask, revealing a clean-shaven jaw as he clamped the cigarette between his lips. You were clearly not one for subtlety, as he offered the pack out to you, clearly noticing you staring.

Broke and gasping for a quick smoke was probably a better look for you than desperate, so you took one from the pack, trying to remember where you’d stashed your lighter, but Ghost was already leaning in with his, the tip of his cigarette touching against yours as he sparked them up, taking in a deep breath to encourage the embers to catch. You were absolutely spellbound to be so close to him, able to smell the slight hint of cologne that lingered around him, but you leaned away the moment he did, trying to look at least somewhat casual about it, as though smoking with your lieutenant was something you did every day. It was an undeniably insane scenario, yet when he settled back into his chair, entirely at ease, the tension seemed to dissipate from your body. He wasn’t judging you or staring at you with murderous intent, nor was he stained in blood with sweat trickling over his sculpted chest. He was just a man, sitting in a rusted chair, smoking cheap cigs out in the cold. It might have been the alcohol that caused this revelation, or perhaps the soothing effects of the nicotine, but you could feel the anxiety fade away as you looked at him, noticing just how ordinary he seemed.

“I’m not gonna grass you up for being drunk and disorderly if that’s what you’re worried about.” Ghost’s soft voice snapped you out of your revelation, the man clearly having cottoned on to your weird behaviour around him, yet he’d entirely misconstrued the true cause and given you a perfect excuse. You leapt on the opportunity, smiling, “Hey, I might be drunk, but I wouldn’t say I’ve crossed into disorderly just yet. I’m just worried what Elle will say if she catches me talking to a Manc.” He hummed at that, “What, she a scouser?” You nodded, “And proud of it.” He snorted, his lips curling into a slight smirk, “Why would anyone be proud of being from that shithole?” You gently kicked his leg with the toe of your heel, “Hey, nothing wrong with Liverpool!” “Scousers are what’s wrong with Liverpool. And the world.” You rolled your eyes at him, “Yeah, yeah, get over it. She’s perfect.”

There was something easy about his company, the conversation flowing like water as you idly gossiped about the various officers you’d seen out that night, some of whom were decidedly less than single, as well as occasionally dipping into the finer points of what military equipment you each favoured, with him favouring the classic goretex and you preferring the AKUs. Your cigarettes had long been stubbed out, and the psychological warming effects of the alcohol were beginning to fade, your skimpy dress doing very little to protect you from the chill.

After the third time you’d been wracked with shivers and the second time you’d refused his jumper, Ghost took matters into his own hands, tugging it over his head and offering it out to you. You opened your mouth to protest, but he cut you off, “If you don’t take it, I’ll give you a formal reprimand.” You pursed your lips, rolling your eyes at him, but you took the jumper from his hands, tugging the warm material over your head and letting it fall down over your body, shifting in the chair so it covered more of your exposed skin. The fabric swamped you, but you weren’t complaining, amused that the hem of his jumper was longer than your dress. You grinned at Ghost, holding your arms out to showcase how long the sleeves were on you, “How do I look?” Ghost had long since pulled his mask back down, but you could see the slight crinkle at the corner of his eyes as he smiled underneath it, “Warm.”

The heavy door opened again, revealing a very happy-looking Elle with a big lipstick smudge on her cheek and a somewhat tired-looking Katy. Elle pointed at Ghost, wrinkling her nose and booing loudly, “Manc!” Ghost looked at you, then back at Elle, folding his arms over his chest, showcasing the tattoo sleeve that wrapped around his forearm, “Scouser.” She responded with a childish stream of incoherent babble, and Katy sighed, “Come on, we’re off.” You weren't about to bicker with Katy, so you pushed yourself up from the chair, looking down at Ghost, “You’re not getting this back, you know.” He shrugged, “Fine by me.” You smiled down at him, “In a bit then.” He nodded as you left, his eyes flicking over your body, drowned by his jumper, “In a bit.”

[brunhielda]

As I am unable to indulge in my yearly Independence Day tradition this year, I instead reccomend it to total strangers on the internet.

(If you are reading this and it is not July 4th, USA, this is still a decent recommendation in general)

Watch 1776, the movie musical from 1972. (It is available on Amazon and Apple TV for less than $5, and is free with Hulu)

“Why?” I hear you ask, “would I watch that old thing when I have Hamilton?”

Firstly- I will not compare quality. The two shows are apples and oranges and the only thing they have in common is the subject matter being the Revolutionary period of the USA.

I will openly admit that Hamilton has much more dynamic staging/dancing, and there is simply no rap to be heard in 1776.

That said, reasons you absolutely SHOULD watch it:

1) You have already seen Hamilton. Presumably you have not seen 1776. It will be something new.

2) The line “Sit down John, you old f-!” from Hamilton is a reference to this musical, so you know Lin Manuel Miranda is a fan.

3) The main character, John Adams, is played by a much younger William Daniels. You may know him as “Mr. Feeny.” And yes. He is glorious.

4) You will enjoy such fun quips as-

“I have better things to do than stand around listening to Benjamin Franklin quote himself.”

“Hold on John- that was a new one!”

(Arguing with God)

“A simple plague of locusts I’d accept with some dispare. But no, you gave us Congress! Good God Sir, was that fair?”

“May my horse be turned to glue if I can’t deliver unto you a resolution on Independancy.”

(Said horse- a paid actor- turns around to bite him)

Jokes from old congressmen about being so old it hurts to piss.

Jokes about bull testicles.

(Refusing to help write the Declaration)

“I cannot write with any style or proper edicate! I don’t know a participle from a predicate! I am just a humble cobbler from Connecticut.” (He is so relatable for that. The whole song is one big- everyone is trying to ditch this “group” project)

5) Thomas Jefferson being too horny to work is a major plot point.

6) The most romantic subplot in this film, and I mean, actually beautifully romantic, is John arguing with his wife, Abigail, via letters. Best part about that is these parts are straight from their real historical letters. Perfect in every way. 🥰

7) The discussion on Slavery is intense. I will say this version of events paints Jefferson rather rosy, but it was written before we knew what we knew about him, and he is documented as fighting hard to end slavery with the founding of the nation. It is bizarre, knowing that, that he continued on in the manner he did. People are multifaceted, and some just get worse with age.

But the part in this movie that is worth watching is the argument the South gives back. Thier argument is basically “If we are sinning by this practice, then you are sinning with us, because you benefit.” While it is a lack luster argument to keep doing as you are doing, it does allow a nuanced understanding of privelege before the term was even used in that manner.

It also delivers a bone chilling example of the triangle trade in the form of a song that has haunted me since childhood.

“Molasses to rum to slaves. Who sails the ships out of Boston? Laden with bibles and rum? Whose fortunes are made in the triangle trade? Hail Charleston! Hail Boston! Who stinketh the most?”

8) “Cool Considerate Men” is also bone chilling, as a bunch of conservative congressmen dance calmly while listening to a casualty report from Washington. The song will never not be relevant.

9) In the same way, “Mama Look Sharp” will always always bring me to tears. It is a song from a Messenger Boy sent with Washington’s missive from the front. He sings about his friend calling for his mother as the young boy lay dying on “the green.”

The green was where people held meetings and parties and festivals- the green is the old fashioned version of “the Town Park.” The first battles for freedom were faught in town parks, where boys crawled off under thier favorite tree to die.

In light of everything that we have heard about fighting for freedom around the world, the line “The soldiers they fired! Oh Ma, did we run. Hey! Hey! Mama, look sharp,” is making me cry right now, and I haven’t even heard this song in a year. 😭🎶

10) “Is anybody there??? Does anybody care?! Does anybody see what I see? I see Americans, ALL Americans, FREE, forever more! Is anybody there??? Does anybody care?! Does anybody see what I see?”

The older I get the more I relate to John Addams screaming into the void because he simply cannot fix all the problems by himself.

There is more I could say about this musical, but at that point it would just be telling. Go watch the film. It’s funny and fun and poignant and powerful, and might make you cry. As good broadway often does.

[hwaightme]

Your fan, San (part 2)

(part 1) (your fan ml)

💬 pairing: san x interpreter!reader 💬 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining, drama 💬 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if san was stanning you 💬 wordcount: 4.5k 💬 warnings/tags: language, conflict, two shy dorks, homie sabotage?, misunderstandings, love above all, touring, busy life, reader is a pro linguist, we stan simpteez, unedited oop- 💬 taglist: @acciocriativity, @doom-fics, @layzfeelit @jcngh0-hq @black--awsum @honey-lemon-goose @i-luvsang @jackinmyarea , @izuijin @justhere4kpop 💬 a/n: Hello there <3 here is PART 2 of YOUR FAN SAN!! Hopeless romantic? Check. Chaotic? Check... and the FINALE is coming soon??? ;~; P.S. that uni life do be getting wild so apologies if I'll be haphazardly uploading or if trains of thought are derailed~

'The Beauty of Falling in Love - a collection of short stories, poems and musings'

That was the title of the book you had to translate. And if you were not a (fully) sappy and sentimental mess before, you sure as hell were now. Because each little chapter, be it an anonymous recollection of favourite moments with a loved one, or a vignette dedicated to someone special, was some of the most heartwarming work you have ever read.

Each piece sounded so personal, so real, that you found yourself spending more time than usual on this commission. You had made an agreement with the client that they would be sending chapters out one by one, and prior to receiving one, you would send back a completed translation.

It was an easy enough arrangement, and was not too taxing when it came to your personal time. You could ruin your sleep schedule to your heart's content by watching dramas that you had missed whilst on tour, could make late night trips to the convenience store because you did not want to be caught in the businessperson rush, could catch up with people who you had inadvertently ghosted because of work and inability to find words when you wanted to.

Outside of your preferred mode of relaxation, you kept in touch with some of the members of ATEEZ, thanks to a group chat that San had created and 'simply had to add you' - at least that was how he had advertised it. The group chat consisted of him, you, Wooyoung, Yunho and Yeosang, who to you seemed like a random pick, since you did not interact with neither Yunho nor Yeosang as much.

But over a very short period of time this had changed for the better, and you had grown very comfortable, attached even, to the chaotic quartet. If anything this it was a top up vaccine for being able to keep up with the ATEEZ chaos - otherwise you would be familiarising yourself with it again for tour, as if it was the first day of work.

Little did you know, you were talking with the Operation ring leaders + Yeosang who was in it for the gossip, and to control the fire... in the way he wished. It was more or less a regular conversation, aside from San occasionally panicking and running up to one of the guys for advice.

"Yeo why did you write 'AMOGUS'?"

"Don't question me. This is art- ah see, Y/N sent the prayer hands emoji, she agrees." Yeosang responded, pointing at his phone screen.

"I feel like you guys are six parallel universes ahead of me and I don't like it."

"Make that ten, you boomer."

"This is an ancient meme you are quoting Yeo~" Wooyoung joined in, trying to poke fun at his friend.

"Say that again, the king of social boomers? Are you salty that I did not put hyung after AMOGUS because it's old?"

"What even is this chat-" Mingi, who was observing from his position lying across three dining chairs, threw the question out into the air.

"It is us trying to force San to dm Y/N by pushing them together like two dolls." Wooyoung, slightly irritated, explained.

"Man, you really are done." Mingi responded, chuckling

"I don't know, am I? San is breaking up with me so I am going through all stages of grief."

"Double u tee eff?" San raised an eyebrow and stared at Wooyoung, phone loose in his hands.

"How far along is she?"

"She isn't pregnant dude."

"Ugh you know what I mean."

"Like... a third of the way?"

"Damn you guys are slow as shit. We planned for this to take how long? You even have the confession already written up for the last chapter, this is kind of ridiculous. You know what, hold up."

Wooyoung tackled San, and thanks to the surprise nature of the attack, got the perfect opportunity to grab his friend's phone. After securing 'the bag', Wooyoung strode off to the other side of the room, clicking away, while San attempted to stand up, shouting.

Yunho seemed to have caught onto what the other was about to do, as he launched himself at the shorter man sat on the sofa and splayed himself right over like a blanket.

"No hard feelings bro this is necessary."

As San way trying to battle his way out, but was further restrained by Yeosang who had finally stopped taking photos, Wooyoung giggled deviously and locked the phone again, sauntering back with a devilish grin and handing it to San.

"It is done. You can thank me later."

"What did you do?"

"Something that you should have done like... a year ago."

"DID YOU TEXT HER?"

"Yeah. And don't worry, nothing Woo-style, you grilled me enough times for me to remember her preferences. Plus, I know how to text like you."

"And when did that come in handy?"

"Uh... I have to go water my fish BYEEE~" Wooyoung quickly departed from the living room sprinting back to the dorm, while San remained in shock, swiping at the screen to reveal the message that his friend had sent on his behalf.

Damn. It really was just like him.

The text came to you as a surprise. Though you have had some conversations over private message before, most of them had been in some way work related. Not San messaging you out of the blue to ask how you were and that you should catch up.

With the group chat all but abandoned, you happily launched into texting San. There was never any pressure for a phone call, which you greatly appreciated, and there was no specific guidelines that either of you enforced - without a care you double, triple, quadruple texted, abruptly disappeared only to reappear with a link or a photo... main things was that together, you kept your conversation alive and thriving.

You would have never, not in a million years, imagined yourself getting this close to San, or anyone with a celebrity status for that matter. Simply because you felt like they would need and deserve more than you could offer socially. You were all about human connection and uniting minds, but when it came to your own personal preferences, you would much rather write out your thoughts in astonishing detail and hit send, than say the same things out loud and to somebody in person.

And yet, contrary to your assumptions and what you could only say had been prejudice on your part, San was supportive of you and of your choices, saying he could 'imagine your voice well enough anyways'. He steered clear of pushing you to communicate in a style that was not yours; though you did enjoy hearing his voice, and would be lying if you said he was not a charmer, you could not bring yourself to reciprocate that approach. It was too overwhelming to do during the time that you had allocated for yourself as your regenerative state. And San made your heart melt by showing that he got that, without you having to tear yourself apart and explain.

To him it had been fairly easy to figure out that you were a text over call kind of person, and was something that he had advertised to the Operation Love Language squad. Given your notes app being packed, post it notes sometimes threatening to pour out of your bag, and him spotting you willingly sitting far away from any groups so you could watch something, earphones in, all pointed to that conclusion. And San found that he liked it more than he would have guessed.

Each text was like a memory, and an expression not only of something that they wanted to blurt out, but more often than not of a considered, weighed out opinion, even if it was onomatopoeia or a string of emojis. He would have never been able to get to know you like he did over text, and get so close to you that you were now happily discussing with him your own worries, and passions, and dreams, not just responding to his stream of musings and questions.

It was through one of these extensive texting sessions that you had revealed to San your endeavors as a freelance translator, and gushed about the commission you were working on.

This made San's thumbs freeze midway through typing. Carried away and impatient, he had tried to strike on all fronts, and now that he was in continuous communication with you, he regretted it. Deeply. Except he did not yet know just how risky the decision to parade as someone he was not could be.

After the first time you had mentioned your side work, he had begun to get progressively more quiet. Bit by bit. Until his responses to you turned almost into a conversation with a wall. You were unable to figure out just what had gotten into San, what had changed?

You turned to the work you were meant to translate as a distraction, expecting that the client would have shared the new chapter with you already... but no such thing.

Instead, there was an order cancellation, and a short apology.

What did you do wrong?

What happened?

Was there something that had not been quite right?

You looked over your already completed translations - you were searching for anything to suggest a reason for cancellation. The words appeared blurry, fading into one big mush. It was all terrible... wasn't it?

Who were you kidding you were probably rusty after not working with fiction for so long, and for not focusing hard enough. You had stopped paying attention to the craft. Who even were you? And interpreter, a translator, or a fraud?

You looked at the cancellation email again, knowing full well that it was pointless to try and reach the customer - they might have blocked you for all you knew. This hurt. This really hurt.

You saw that San had responded to your messages, again in a weirdly cheery tone, asking you how you are and what you have been up to? San would understand... right? San would listen to you...?

So you did something that you yourself did not expect, and pressed on the call button. He picked up on the first ring.

He sounded nervous, and almost tearful as you bared all and talked him through what had just happened. You needed him. He was the only one who had understood your language.

When you told him that you were probably over reacting and just humiliating yourself by being 'so deep in sad mode' over a whole lot of nothing, he instantly was there to catch you and call you out. He emphasised the importance of your work, of the beautiful job you had done so far... but then halted, unsure of how to proceed.

This left you confused. He then picked his words in a strangely careful manner, and almost beginning to side with the customer, saying how maybe it was for the better, and that now at least you could relax and find another project...

"San. This is really unlike you. What is up with that personality switch?"

"What do you mean Y/N? It's nothing-"

"I have an ear for speech, San, if there is anyone who could be a bullshit filter, it is me."

Silence.

More silence.

You were about to call out to him again, when you hear a muffled, barely there whisper:

"I'm sorry..."

You were sent reeling. What did he mean? Why was he sorry?

"I... it was me. Y/N. I am sorry. I really did not mean it to turn out that way I-"

"Okay first of all, why?"

"I..."

"Second of all, whilst I am grateful for your support and stuff, it does make me uncomfortable."

"I'm-"

"Thirdly, actually you know what focus on point number one."

When you did not hear an answer, you tried again: "Hello? I am waiting."

"I like you."

"...What?" you were left in shock.

You had suppressed your feelings for San in the deepest caverns of your soul out of the terror that it was bound to be unrequited, but here you were. Listening to that same man who had supported you from the beginning of your career to now (and exposing yet another ridiculous attempt at that), who had read your quirks and style and knew you better than most. Listening to him confess.

"I... how do I say this... it has been a while. A long while. I have been trying to approach you but... I was either too shy for it, or the attempts were just ridiculous. So we- so I came up with this idea, to try and tell you... this book right. The Beauty of Falling in Love. It is... it spoke to me. And I had planned to give it to you piece by piece until I could then reveal myself to you... but then we started talking outside of that and then I panicked and- yeah, I am... I am just so sorry, this is confusing as hell."

"Wait... wait wait... this is... so were you paying me to get me to like you? Was that what you were doing?"

"GOSH! NO! NO, DON'T MISUNDERSTAND!"

"Look. As much as I do like bringing joy to people through my work, this crosses a line. And it's not the fact that you ordered something from me - hell, support the artist right? It's the fact that you decided to be somebody else. You decided to conceal yourself to talk to me. Like you did not trust me. Even though you want me to like you.

I'll be returning the money to you shortly. M-kay? And... talk on stage, I guess."

Before San could respond, you ended the call sharply. No more phone calls. They were cursed, apparently.

With these thoughts, and a heavy heart, you departed for Japan.

---

"Maybe... just maybe if you had seen it through and not abandoned ship... your ship could have sailed?"

"Yunho just because it's your idea does not mean is good!" San retorted, having recounted the story to the members, gone into full crisis mode.

"Hello!? You agreed? I am just generating ideas here."

"I think we all blew this out of proportion and did not consider risks... at all." Mingi interjected, massaging his temples.

"You guys, I have an idea-" Wooyoung began, but was quickly cut off by San, who was already half way out of the door.

"You know what? I am done with the ideas. I will just do what I think is right."

---

You were conflicted. In a way, you had gotten what you wanted. A confession from your crush that you had been quietly keeping in the shadows. But at the same time, your anxiety spiked. Were you that unapproachable that San had to have twisted everything to get to you? Was your work more entertaining than you could ever be?

With these thoughts, and a heavy heart, you departed for Japan.

If your presence was not explicitly required at the venue, you would not go. Once an event ended, you would leave. If anything, you were acting just like any employee would.

You were trying to bury the conflicting feelings that you were experiencing. To an extent, you felt disrespected. Like you had been mistreated via the means of 'i am using your translation services so you should love me'. And it was one unpleasant thought.

So, you stuck to what you knew and were more or less confident in. Words that were not yours. ideas that were not yours. Feelings that were not yours.

In a matter of an hour after the first small event, however, you could not sulk in your room how you wanted, thanks to a random slip of paper being shoved under your door. You ran across the room and slammed it open in an attempt to catch the culprit, but there was no one in sight.

You gingerly picked up the papers, and read. It was unmistakable. It was the next chapter of the book, with an interesting translation on another sheet of paper, and an additional note.

"I am sorry, and I can only hope that you will read this and let me fight. <3 San"

As much as you were ready to forgive him then and there, you decided that you wanted to see just how far he was going to go.

The next morning - another letter had arrived. The next chapter, a translation, and another note.

During filming for a morning show, San had shot you numerous glances in an attempt to see whether you were even reading what he had been Amazon Priming to your room, but with a cheeky smile dancing on your lips, you let your fun continue.

Another package.

And another.

And another. Until, finally, the last chapter had arrived. At least that was what you thought right up until the evening of the same day. You had assumed that it was going to now be your turn to act, or at least to start talking again, but a loud knock jolted you out of your thoughts.

And another.

And another knock on the door. This man was an unstoppable force.

"I... I translated the last one. Well, tried to."

"But there were only eleven stories-"

"Nope, twelve. Here."

You saw a two pieces of paper appear from under the door, just like before. Except instead of the Korean page being a scan from the book, it was evidently a document that either San... or somebody else, had typed up, and then managed to print.

To be respectful, you attempted to read the Japanese, but soon enough gave up since the kanji somehow managed to look cursive, and instead took the Korean text in your hands.

You took a seat with your back against the door and knees almost flush against your chest, and began to read, your heart rate picking up pace as soon as you saw "Dear Y/N,".

It began as a little story. A re-telling of how both of you had met, and how you had come to own a little space in his heart, eventually leading to him simply giving it to you.

"Did you know that you look so beautiful in those moments when you don't think anyone is watching? The more I think about it, the more I feel like it has been what had drawn me in. How you typed and typed on your phone. If time allowed, I liked to try guessing whether you were going to switch the keyboard at some point or not. How you were and are in your element. And of course, how you are, simply, you."

He recalled the moments that you two had shared. The levels of pride and admiration he felt when he saw you being approached and congratulated by the fans, and when he could take a moment to just enjoy what you did.

San moved to explaining 'the plan' to you, and though you were ready to scold him then and there (especially since there was the door between you that made confrontation easier), you could not help but admit that the general notion (aside from making affection and crushing on someone a monetary exchange - better not put feels on Etsy) was heartwarming.

As it turned out, both of you were shy dorks who could not act on feelings. Admittedly, one of you was a LOUD shy dork and the other a 'language is life but still can't read between the lines' shy dork, but at least you made it here.

San was a nervous wreck, barely stopping himself from either pacing up and down the corridor or going into a meltdown and lying face down on the carpet. He already looked suspicious enough as is, just standing by a random hotel number like a vampire who had been refused entry.

Or perhaps more accurately, like a cat who had been shut out of the house and was now desperately trying to claw its way back in.

But that stress was quickly washed away when your form suddenly appeared before him, peeking out, drowning in an oversized hoodie. The papers were still clenched in your hand as you motioned for San to come in.

You waited until he was right in the middle of the room before closing the door. Part of you was afraid that he was going to nope out at any moment. You needed the reassurance. The confidence that was normally there when you were working. But every fiber of your being was screaming in protest, wanting simply to hide.

You observed him. He looked like he was barely breathing.

"I... really I am... so sorry... again... I know that it was so fooli-"

"私でもあなたのことが好きだ..." (I like you too)

"eXCUSEME?!"

"All this translating and you still can't process?" you joked, but began to pull on the drawstrings of your hoodie in an attempt to make your face disappear.

"ohHH NoONOOO I just want to hear you say it in every language that you know!!!" San exclaimed and in a matter of seconds was inches away, peeking at what was not yet concealed by the fluffy cotton.

As he leaned closer and closer, flustering you (and himself) in the process and took both of your hands in his, in the last leap of bravery you whispered:

"Well that, you'll have to earn, San. And I don't take traditional currency."

"You will never let that go."

"Never ever, Choi San, it's a core memory now."

"Well hey at least it means you are not letting go of me~"

"Oh the way you twist words..."

"Like you twist me around your finger, not to give you an ego trip or anything..."

"It's 'wrap'. The correct word is 'wrap' around a finger."

"Okay you know what how about I translate it to body language?" he puckered his lips, making you giggle.

"As long as I don't need to correct grammatical errors."

"Now now I'd say I'm fluent."

--

The habit of sliding notes under your door or passing them to you did not stop - it only got stronger and became an 'any location', Mission Impossible note transfer agreement.

It had become something of a game, muddling languages together and writing near-nonsense just to sit there almost crying, trying not to laugh.

Soon enough, the game spread to Wooyoung, who would on occasion intercept the messages and add in his own flair, and soon enough to a curious Yunho and Mingi, who then turned it into impromptu paper plane throwing tournaments.

Really, the only reason why Hongjoong did not intercept was because you managed to at least keep the messages under strict PG rating and had good aim - with a saving swoop you had managed to return one such airmail right into San's lap during a fan sign, leading ATINY to give you an additional "aimbot" title.

It did not matter what the schedule was, you left each other encouraging notes (and without the other knowing, stored them away in your luggage).

"Good luck being the first one to get hair and makeup done..."

"Good luck with the translation deal on the book <3" (after an entire evening of a pouting and pleading San, you had reached out to the editors of the romance book you had translated for him, and now were in very promising negotiations)

You raced ahead, in time with each other, creating your own language.

The extended time ATEEZ had spent in Japan was coming to an end, and in the blink of an eye, it was the final concert. The "closing remarks", the epilogue.

You were prepared to interpret in full, as always. One member down. Another... finally, it was only San left. The other members were looking at him expectantly, while some sent glances in your approximate direction.

You took Hongjoong's tranquility and him nudging San in the shoulder as a sign that no, you will not have to pretend he said something different and double speak it - whatever he was about to do was, apparently, captain certified.

At that moment, San pulled out a note from a pocket that you had no idea even existed. The action seemed to have the same effect on ATINY as they "oooohed" - Yunho fake whispered into the microphone that San was now a part-time magician, so these things were the norm.

You had your microphone at the ready. With bated breath, you waited for San to begin. And that, he did.

In Japanese.

Grammatically correct, coherent and well-delivered Japanese.

Even though some of the phrases were obviously not his style and word selection, leading you to imagine him poring over this text like he was writing the declaration of independence with the boys, it was him. It was his feeling. It was his message.

Your arm fell to your side with a thud, and you were grateful that your microphone had been turned off for the time being. You caught yourself gaping, and had to forcibly compose yourself to reveal only a soft smile, as you took the scene in.

San was not exactly trying to hide that he was paying special attention to a specific part of the arena, with his body turned almost completely in your direction and only a few glances off to the sides and at the note.

"...and I hope that we will always be together, as one, and share this world. sometimes there may be struggle, there may be darkness, but WE," he makes a grand gesture with his hand, as if highlighting the area in front of him, but really it was just to, again, symbolise that certain someone at the forefront of his mind, "will last, and be the light."

The crowd roared, and you could allow yourself to internally combust as you watched ATEEZ wave, bow and bid their farewells.

Some things did not need a translation to be understood, and some things were not up for interpretation.

Like how San sprinted to you as soon as he was out of public sight. How he swept you off your feet both literally and metaphorically.

How Jongho muttered 'get a room', but still smiled at both of you when he passed by.

How, upon your return to South Korea, he had practically made it his mission to dote on you, and any moment he got, show that you were together.

Matching plushies? Check.

Basically exposing you both on Late Night Dive (though there was not really anything to expose because the entire ordeal was almost a live streamed ATEEZ drama)? Check.

Happily chatting away with ATINY about love and about finding it, sending loving stares your way? Check.

This was the love language you shared. No hiding, no scheming. Two native speakers, who found each other in translation.

[bakugo-dee]

WTF

Bakugo x Kirishima x Reader (female)

Warning: Some cursing

“What do you mean I am being benched?” you yelled at the Commissioner as you paced around the room. “I am the top Hero here, Tsukauchi! Why the heck would you do this to me? Besides, you know you need me for the next mission!?” “We received intel on current situations that threaten your safety. It seems that you are being targeted by the League of Villains (LV) and your recent run-in with Dabi has all agencies on high alert.” Tsukauchi sat behind his desk rubbing his temples as if trying to relieve a headache. “OH?! (you exclaimed, stopping in your tracks) All agencies huh?” “Yes. All agencies.” You crossed your arms and gave him a side glance “So…which one gave you the intel?” “Dynamight’s.” “Dynamight?!” you slammed your hands on his desk “Y…yes.” You knew better than to be taking your frustration out on the man in front of you. This turn of events wasn’t his doing after all. He was just following protocol. You pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration and softly sighed “I see.” You turned to exit the Commissioner’s office “(Y/H/N)…wh…where are you going? This is only temporary. At least until we can figure out why the League is after you.” “You already know why. And don’t worry,  I’ll be back. Right after I set HIS ass on FIRE!!!!” With a confused look on his face, Tsukauchi watched as you let the door slam behind you “His ass? She doesn’t mean Dynamight’s…does she?” 

No one at Hero Public Safety Commision (HPSC) knew of your current relationship with the #2 Hero Dynamight and the #8 Hero Red Riot. Due to your line of work, it was safer this way. Heck, other than Naomasa Tsukauchi, who had recently been elected President of the HPSC, no one even knew your true identity. The saddest part out of all this secrecy was that not even your own boyfriends knew just how powerful you were. 

Your telekinesis quirk had manifested at an early age and it quickly caught the attention of the HPSC. Your quirk not only allowed you to move objects, but you could also manipulate matter at will. Your limitation was your own imagination. The HPSC approached your family with an offer to have you trained as a member of an elite group of heroes but you would need to keep your abilities a secret. You were allowed to attend UA as part of the General Studies course and that’s where you met the boys.    

“UGH! DAMN YOU KATSUKI! Why the heck aren’t you answering your phone?” You threw your cell phone over to the passenger seat of your SUV. All your calls kept going to voicemail and he wasn’t reading any of your text messages. The staff at his agency wouldn’t tell you where he was, only that he wasn’t available. This of course was standard procedure. They don’t know your Dynamight’s girlfriend and as far as they’re concerned you could be a villain plotting to attack the #2 Hero. 

Your heart was racing with anger as you pulled up to the front gate and saw thier cars parked in the driveway. Trying to keep your calm, you think back to the day on the lake when the three of you confessed your feelings for each other. How the heck do 3 best friends fall in love with one another. The thought still baffled you but the past year had been so amazing and now here you were sharing a home with them. Even though you had some reservation at first. Things had been going great up until 2 weeks ago when you were approached by the notorious villain, Dabi. 

Your undercover job at the Hero Commission was working in the PR Department. You were at a mall signing with some sidekicks and that’s where Dabi saw you. He was scoping the scene to gain intel for the LV and took a liking to you. He had no clue who you were, much less that you were a Secret Agent for the HPSC or in a relationship with the #2 and #8 Heroes. He managed to corner you behind the stage and struck up a conversation. Before you knew it he was trying to recruit you into the League of Villains and then tried kidnapping you when you refused. After a brief scuffle which led to a fight between him and the present Heroes, he escaped and you managed to walk away with only a few minor burns. However, the whole ordeal freaked out your overprotective boyfriends and for the past few weeks they have been pushing you to quit your job and stay home where they could keep you safe. Their lack of faith in your abilities has made you bitter towards them but then how could you blame them, they don’t know what you’re capable of.  

You rush into the house and are quickly greeted by Kirishima hugging you. “Hey baby! You’re home early. Wha…what are you wearing?” In your rush to get home to confront Katsuki you forgot to change out of your hero costume. “Ummm…Nevermind that…where is HE?!?!” “Bakugo?” “YES! Bakugo! Where the HELL is he?!” “Baby are you ok? You seem a little agitated.” “OH! I seem a little agitated. I am way passed agitated! Where the FUCK is he RED?!” “Ummm…baby??” You push a stunned Kirishima aside and head to the outdoor training facility. He chased after you, but to his surprise you were so much faster than him. At this point you are so angry that you are no longer in control of your quirk and flames start to spread all over your body.     

You smash the doors to the training facility “BAKUGO KATSUKI!!!!” You have now unleashed the full power of your quirk and are flying high engulfed in flames. Bakugo is staring at you in horror and disbelief. “Princess??? You…you…can fly? What the CRAP!?” You start shooting flames and hurling nearby objects at him simultaneously. “Baby Girl? What the…? Stop…you idiot.” He tries to dodge your attacks but one after another you land them all. You manage to pin him under a boulder, knocking him unconscious. “(Y/N)!!!!” Kirishima finally runs in “STOP!!!! What are you doing? You’re going to kill him!” and with those words you look down to where Katsuki is lying. The shock of what you have just done over takes you and you collapse to the ground in tears. “Katsuki? I…I…I’m sorry.” You lift the boulder off of him as Kirishima rushes to his side. 

“Is…is he ok?” “He’s unconscious. We need to get him to the hospital. He might have head trauma.” “What?” “Com’on.” Kirishima lifts him up in one swoop and the two of you rush to the car. You climb in the back seat of the truck and Kiri places Bakugo in your lab. “Katsuki…babe…I am so sorry. Please be ok. I didn’t mean to…” You say softly as your tears fall onto his face. “Baby…please…I am sorry. Please…I was just so angry.” “(Y/N), what the hell is going on? What was that? I’ve never seen you display that type of power before. Where did that come from?” “This is my power.” you reply with a heavy sigh and tears streaming down your face. “What?” “Kiri…please just get us to the hospital. I’ll explain everything later.” “Ok baby but…um…I am not going to lie…uh…I am pretty terrified of you right now.” “I’m pretty terrified of myself too. (you look down at Katsuki) Baby…can you hear me?” He opens his eyes slightly “Princess…you dumbass…what the heck was that?” “OH BABY! Shhhhh…don’t talk. We are taking you to the hospital. I am sooooo sorry.”

Once at the hospital, Bakugo is quickly taken in to see a healer. You and Kirishima are sitting across from each other in the waiting room. Normally he would be all over you in situations like this but after what he just witnessed, he’s been keeping his distance and you don’t blame him. Your phone rings “Hey. I am at the hospital. Can you come meet me here? Great. Thanks.” “Who was that?” “The Commissioner.” “What? Why is he calling you?” You don’t respond to Kirishima’s questions. The nurse walks in “He has been asking for you both. You can go in and see him now.” You walk in silence to his room. Kirishima walks in first. “Katsuki! Are you ok babe?” “Yeah…shity hair…I am fine. Where is (y/n)?” You step out from behind Kirishima. “Hey.” “Hey? Is that all you have to say to me?” He is angry but not as angry as you expect. “What the FUCK was that? Since when do you have that kind of power?” “I was angry at you. You had me benched.” “What? What do you mean I had you benched?” “Your agency. They called the HPSC and had me benched.” “Princess…you’re going to need to do some more explaining than that because I don’t have a fucking clue as to what you're talking about Dumbass and what the HECK are you wearing!” Just then, Naomasa Tsukauchi walks in. “(Y/H/N)?” “It’s ok, Tsukauchi. You can call me by my real name here.” Bakugo and Kirishima are both staring at you in confusion. “Um (y/n)…why is the Commissioner here and why did he just call you (Y/H/N)?” “Because that’s my Hero name.” Bakugo and Kirishima are both staring at you with a look of confusion “WHAT THE FUCK?!!!”

[jujumin-translates]

[18TRIP] Event Story | WE ARE M・T・T・B | TRACK. 2

Characters: 🫰 Chihiro Natsuyaki, ☁️ Ten Murakumo, 🎨 Kiroku Kinugawa, 🌕 Muneuji Kaguya, 🔮 Toi Shiramitsu

Location: HAMA House - Living Room

Chihiro: Thanksies for waiting, y’all! I brought Tenchamu with me~!

Muneuji & Toi & Kiroku: …

Ten: Uhh, got something you wanna say?

Muneuji: Natsuyaki-san, I’d like to know why you chose us as members.

Kiroku: … Yeah…

Toi: I wanna know too…! I feel so bad for the rest of Chii Nation that I’m the one standing on stage with you, Chii-sama…

Chihiro: The reason I chose you, Munechi, was ���cause I saw endless possibilities in that cute lil’ face you’ve got under the helmet~!

Chihiro: And for Kurokkuma~, I chose him ‘cause he’s a fellow TuRyStA liker ♪ So like, obviously I would!

Muneuji: TuRyStA…? Toi: It’s Chii-sama’s oshi’s brand…!

Chihiro: And as for Toonya~, I chose you ‘cause you came to Chii’s meet ‘n greet and I wanted to talk to you a lot more~!

Toi: C-C-Chii-sama…!

Chihiro: And with these members, I’m sure we’ll have lotsa fun during practice and during the performance~.

Muneuji: I see. If that’s the case, I agree.

Ten: You agree, huh…

Kiroku: …, …

Muneuji: I have no experience with this sort of dance, however, have you decided what kind of dance we’re going to do?

Chihiro: Nope, that’s something I wanted to talk about right now~. Let me know if any of y’all have any suggestions.

Ten: Ah, I’ve got one.

Ten: Showing my face is embarrassing, so I’d like it if I could hide my face. So can I wear a mask or something?

Chihiro: You’re more of a shy boy than I thought, Tenchamu~. You even hid your face in the dancing vid from the other day.

Kiroku: …Gh! I… think masks are a good idea too. I also… wanna hide my… face.

Chihiro: Gotcha…

Chihiro: Ah! Then why don’t we all wear masks? It’ll like do the reverse and make us stand out more!

Toi: That’ll make us less nervous too! If we’re gonna do that, I’d be nice if the masks were cute…

Muneuji: Then why don’t we leave the mask design to Kinugawa? He should be able to come up with a design that’ll catch people’s attention.

Chihiro: Nice idea, Munechi! Could you do that for us, Kirokkuma?

Kiroku: Mhm… If it’s something like that, then… I can do it.

Chihiro: Thanksies much ♪ Got anything else? Throw more ideas at me, besties!

Toi: Ah, how about a sparkly idol-like dance!? Or something… Umm, I thought maybe that could be good…

Chihiro: Yep, yep, you def wanna have as much fun as you can with it, but being sparkly is def an important factor~! You got anything, Munechi?

Muneuji: I don’t have anything in particular. However, I will do everything to the best of my ability.

Muneuji: In other words, a competition is like a game… It’s a place to compete with the skills of others. That’s why we’ve got to take this seriously.

Chihiro: How surprisingly ambitious of you, Munechi! But you don’t need to be so hardcore about it~! The Chii Gang’s gotta have more of an enjoyer vibe, y’know ♪ 

Chihiro: (I used to be too uptight myself that everyone in the Evening Group turned their backs on me.)

Kiroku: …, …

Chihiro: What about you, Kirokkuma? You got anything else? Any kinda request at all?

Kiroku: I…

Kiroku: (A competition… I’m not used to dancing in front of people. I don’t like having attention on me either…)

Toi: Hehe. You have great reflexes, Kiro-chan, so I’m sure you’ll learn how to dance in no time.

Kiroku: !?

Ten: Kiro-chan? Huh, that’s kinda cute. Is that what you call Kiroku?

Toi: Yep. We actually used to be neighbors. Nii-sama, Kiro-chan, and I were really close~.

Chihiro: Ooh~, I see! I think Chii’s gonna sometimes call him Kiro-chan too ♪ 

Kiroku: Ah… Haah.

Muneuji: By the way, what are we doing for the music?

Chihiro: It’d be fine to use an existing hype song~, but I’m still gonna talk to unlove-sensei about it.

Chihiro: BTDubs, Chii’s gonna be the one coming up with the dance choreography~.

Toi: W-We have to think about the costumes too…!

Chihiro: Right! I wonder if Sakujii can help with that? Next time we see him, let’s bring ideas for the costumes we wanna wear!

Ten: …Cool, I guess that means we can be done for the day then~.

Kiroku: …

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Kiroku: Natsuyaki-san.

Chihiro: Kirokkuma ♪ Good worksies earlier.

Kiroku: …Good work… today. U-Um… I have some… designs done.

Chihiro: Huh!? But I only just asked you to do that this afternoon!? Isn’t this too soon?

*Kiroku hands Chihiro a piece of paper*

Chihiro: …For realsies? This are like crazy super perfect…!

Nanaki: Ah, Natsuyaki-san. I’ve got the general framework done for the song you commissioned earlier, could you take a listen to it?

Chihiro: You’ve got the same crazy soon problem too, Nanamero~! Just gimme a sec, I’ll share this with everyone so we can talk about it!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Ten: Damn. You guys have come up with so many ideas, you really are all serious.

Toi: All these designs are so nice it’s hard to get rid of any of them…

Muneuji: And the song Nanamegi wrote is brilliantly done, even thought it’s just the general framework. I also like the proposed title “Kink”.

Kiroku: I… also like it. It means stuff like twist… or bend… or whim… Chihiro: Hmm~..., let’s start with the designs first!

Chihiro: We’ll do a majority vo~te! Everyone point to the design you like on three~.

Chihiro: Thre~e!

Chihiro: …

Toi: Chii-sama and I are both pointing to the cat masks… And everyone else is pointing to different ones, so…

Chihiro: Alright, we’re going with the masks with the cat motif~!

Kiroku: I… think that’s good. The affinity it has with the song is… also high.

Ten: Ooh, so the proposed title “Kink” could reference a “kinked tail”.

Muneuji: I see, so it has a connection to cats.

Chihiro: Nanamero’s taste is for realsies too good! The song and title are great! Absolutely no comments on ‘em!

Chihiro: M’kay, I’ll let Nanamero continue writing the song~, and Chii’s gonna come up with some dance choreography to match the vibes of the song and the masks~.

Chihiro: And that’s that. Let’s end things for realsies today~!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Location: HAMA House - Lesson Room

Chihiro: ‘Kay! Let’s all dance the choreo I just taught y’all~!

*Music starts playing*

Kiroku: Turn, break…

Muneuji: And loose legs here…

Toi: Haah, haah, my leg won’t move… Ah!

*Toi falls down*

Chihiro: Toonya, are you okay!? Hold on, stop the music!

Ten: You go~t it.

Chihiro: Hm~m… I tried just combining basic steps, but I guess that was still too difficult~...

Ten: Seems like we’ve all got different experience levels.

Muneuji & Toi & Kiroku: …

Chihiro: (Huh, did the three of them just start looking kinda down…?)

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[mimibwi]

Unpopular(?) BTS shipping opinions

These are some random points I wanted to talk about regarding shippers and my opinion on some specific ship moments:

1. The most likely possibility is that no ship is real in a romantic way.

We really should start swallowing that cause people might die… I genuinely don’t get how some of you would rather die before accepting the fact that your ship probably aren’t dating, they aren’t friends with benefits or exes or whatever narrative it is being pushed these days. If we’re looking at this seriously (and I am saying this as a shipper who likes to explore the possibility of my ship being romantic) those boys are most likely just friends, coworkers, family at the end of the day.

I mean obviously the possibilities for any ship being romantic still exists but I just don’t think shippers should be as confident as they are that their or any ship really between the boys is romantic or sexual. I can’t explain this well because I genuinely am not against shipping but I just think some people are incapable of doing anything casually— that’s problematic.

2. None of us know who is actually close and who isn't, especially not right now.

The little they share with us right now isn’t enough to prove anything. We have no clue who sees or calls each other and that's fine. Why are shippers so quick to push the X and Y are drifting apart thing? Nothing much seems to have changed between the ships themselves but the content we get and the member’s approach to social media has changed. I think this is how things have been for the most part on the social media front for a long time. Whilst the guys have been known for their use of social media in the past, they got the paper award for a reason lol, I think they have been gradually reducing their use for a while now so none of their behavior in chapter two is really striking to me. The only thing that really has changed is the lack of constant in flow of BTS OT7 or subunit content.

The lack of this type of content is what makes it seem like members aren’t close because shippers and other fans have no other content to distract themselves when the boys don’t post on social media, even though they are posting or not posting the same amount than before chapter 2 started. In other words, social media interactions have never been the sole indicator to determine the status of anyone’s relationship much less the boys. What shippers usually focused on in chapter one were clips from Bangtan bombs, ITS, BVs, Run, Memories, Summer/Winter packages etc. but with the lack of that now it seems like some ships aren’t close anymore when that probably isn’t the case. It’s obvious that they don’t spend as much time together anymore but that was the entire point of the hiatus and chapter 2: for them to branch out and do their own thing. However, that doesn’t take away much because if you have ever had long term friendships like the ones Bangtan have, you will know that those are the ones where you can go months without meeting up regularly and still be close as ever once you get back together.

I’m ranting but all this to say I don’t see what many of you do when it comes to “drifting apart” narratives cause there isn’t much to go off of.

3. 'Letter' is not about Jungkook.

Not gonna even speak too much on it. I'm sorry for my fault— not really😐

4. Matching clothes or accessories doesn't always mean something (to me).

Yes those moments are cute but it isn't that significant in my opinion, especially if it's matching for a stage or anything for work cause those outfits don't seem to be completely their choice sometimes.

5. None of the boys are intentionally malicious to each other.

They don't see, intentionally ignore and then do things that would directly result in hate towards the other members. Yes, I am talking about Taehyung. I will never get over the fact that some of you basically think Taehyung is admin of every Taekooker group chat out there. So many of you are CONVINCED that this man sees everything toxic Taekookers do and say. Even if Tae does browse ARMY spaces sometimes, who are you to tell me what he does and doesn’t see.

This isn’t really a shipper conversation but pjms and some ARMYs attitude to Yoongi regarding scheduling can also fall under here too. I won’t spend too much time on this because it falls under a subset of BTS related things I don’t like entertaining i.e. their work decisions. It really isn’t mine or any of our places to speak on in my opinion. These conversations are very manti-coded and they’re almost never productive so I’ll move along swiftly.

6. Not every shipper from a toxic shipper fandom is toxic.

This is probably the one and only time I’ll defend some shippers but you can’t group everyone like that. Even if most of the shipper fandom are a bit much, it isn’t any individual shipper’s fault their co-shippers are toxic. It’s sad bro. I feel more sorry for them to be honest like they’re living with psych ward escapees, it’s scary out here. Though this kinda contradicts with this point, I think that’s the reason why these huge toxic fandoms continue to get bigger. I can imagine it’s difficult not to get enveloped and start sharing those opinions when you’re surrounded by them all the time. I still maintain that not all of them are like that though and along those same lines majority non-toxic fandoms also have some rotten eggs. Anyway, non-toxic taekookers and jikookers I’m rooting for you. Fighting!!🥺

7. On the contrary of that last point, I think some non-toxic or seemingly unproblematic shippers reinforce or enable the behavior of the toxic ones.

It’s a very rare occurrence to see these seemingly non-toxic shippers calling out toxic behavior from the co-fandom. I kinda get why so I am not completely blaming yall because I can understand why you may not want to be at odds with the masses. However, I think it’s problematic because some of you start making excuses for their behavior even if you don’t share their opinions or exhibit that behavior yourself. This reinforces and spreads these narratives to more people who now feel justified to make the same comments or act the same way because of all the excuses.

8. Toxic shippers are the same thing in different fonts.

All of you claim your groups are better than each other but turn around and act the same exact way. You hate on members for the same reasons and push many of the same narratives. I really don’t care to say or call out whose worst because all of you are bad in my eyes. I definitely am not kekeke-ing with toxic, delusional shippers about other toxic, delusional shippers being toxic and delusional. Some of y’all are so quick to call out other shippers but it’s crickets when it’s your co-fandom exhibiting the same exact behavior.

9. Shippers are the reason some ships aren’t talked about more—

Take this with a grain of salt because these ships are talked about quite a lot despite all of this. I have seen shippers from very big, majority toxic shipper fandoms say “ARMYs aren’t talking about x ship but if it was y ship they would be celebrating” and I am really sorry to say this but your big, majority toxic shipper fandom is sometimes the reason why. It is really sad and I am not encouraging or defending any of this but it is evident that many people refrain from talking about some ships because they don’t want to be associated with the shippers or attract those shippers into their spaces.

It’s also frustrating because many times the distaste for certain shippers and even solos translates as hate towards that ship or that member and most times that isn’t the case. There are cases where shippers’ behavior actually produces disdain towards the member’s relationship and even the individual members. This point is one I don’t support in any regard because if you present yourself as a fan of these men, there is no reason why random people’s behavior on the internet should interfere with that. I’ve expressed this here before but fandom behavior should not reflect on the boys. Although I do wish we all acted in a way that will be a good reflection of them especially in online spaces, that isn’t always the case unfortunately:(.

10. Jimin didn't give Jungkook a hickey.

And even if you argue "sure friends bite each other on the neck scoffs", it's hard for me to take that moment seriously /especially/ if you are looking at it from a ‘jikook are dating’ perspective. It just doesn’t make sense to me that a closeted couple under their circumstances would even want to imply something like that or something that can even be interpreted like that, especially coming from Jimin. Also the way they talked about it didn’t come across as a couple secretly sharing their relationship. It just seemed like a fun, little joke/story but that’s just my perspective.

11. The message Tae wrote for Jimin on 'Let's BTS' was just what he said.

I find it hard to believe there was any secret message on the note considering the circumstances i.e. filming with a crew they most likely aren’t familiar with and the whole thing being on live TV. If Tae was serious about the note being “for Jimin’s eyes only” and not the other members, I doubt he’d want the crew to see. I think the blurring was only done for dramatic effect and it worked because I'm sure many were floored when Tae said he likes Jimin the most.

12. Car sharing as “proof” is ridiculous.

That’s it, that’s the opinion…

13. Some ships don’t make sense as a romantic pairing.

I think all the boys are close and every pair has had moments that make you do a double take but if I am seriously considering a ship to be romantic, many if not most of them just don’t seem likely to me. I know shipping is a lot about personal perspective and that we all won’t see the same things in the same way but some shippers act like some ships are so obvious and I don’t see it half the time. I swear sometimes I watch these shipping videos trying to force myself into thinking some of these ships are romantic but I simply can't. I feel like some of you are lying to me to be honest.

14. The taennie situation is strange.

Do I even want to go here… This isn’t me claiming that they’re fake or real because I really don’t know. I just want to say that the progression of this situation since the insta follow has been so weird in my eyes. If you told 2021 me that this is where we’d be almost two years later I think I would laugh in your face. The whole Gurumi situation— what even was that? Then the walk… I don’t stand with any cosplayer narratives about that video especially, maybe drop that one cause it’s not looking too good for you guys. I think I have the same outlook on Taennie as any other ship really and that’s just that it’s possible. I don’t think they’re fake but I also don’t think they’re real— I’m just here shrugs.

This was a whole pile of nothing lol. It’s just hard for me to form any decisive opinions with how strange the progression has been. If they are together, good for them and if they aren’t…good for them??

The only thing I’m sure of is that I don’t like taennie shippers. Anyone who spread those alleged leaks just to prove something and supported someone who has posted and threatened to post the types of pictures that Gurumi did for half of their ship— JAIL. I think a lot of them hate other shippers and want to be proven right more than they like the two people in their ship but i’ll just leave it at this (that’s how a lot of shippers come across to me tbh). Sooo… I wrote this weeks before Jennie’s insta post lml I guess cosplayer narratives are completely out the window huh? I maintain what I said in this post. Taennie is still strange to me even after that post but girl do your thing I guess😐

15. JK isn't the possessive alpha male people want him to be.

How so many shippers look at that man and see that is beyond me. I know he has the whole strong, beefed up, tatted up fuckboy look going but something I have always found interesting is that Jungkook, as a person, isn’t that stereotype. He is a total sweetheart and must be protected at all costs. And I obviously don’t know what he’s like off-camera or what he’d be like in a romantic relationship but all shippers go off of BTS content and he doesn’t come across like that to me in there. Half the time you all talk about him being “jeonlous” (the fact that there is a name for it is part of the problem) is just him staring while zoning out or being nosey which he’s so real for because same.

Editing this after ‘Seven’ and I don’t know if seven era proves or disproves my point but I maintain this opinion🙃

16. Pushing the jealousy narrative so much makes me question if you think these people are in a happy or toxic relationship.

Don't get me wrong, jealousy is a normal emotion (within limits) and I think it can even be a little cute sometimes but the amount these jealousy narratives are pushed is concerning to say the least. My thing is why do you think X is jealous because another member touched Y's shoulder so he moved closer to them to show his possessiveness(?). Like I can bet on that not being the case. Even if a ship is real and a couple does exists among the boys, they are not jealous every time their partners so much as touch another member. They’d be mad every second of the day if that was the case. I guess I can see how some of it can come across as jealousy based on how you look at it but frankly, most jealousy moments are stupid. I don’t know how people take some of them seriously.

17. Even if a ship is real, the lives of the members involved in that ship doesn’t revolve around whoever their partner is.

Well this applies to any relationship ever but you can be in a relationship and still be your own person. You should be able to have your own wants, friends, interests etc. outside of your relationship and I can argue that you’re encouraged to do so. Some of the ideas and theories shippers push are borderline toxic, unhealthy and unrealistic expectations of what relationships are or what they should be.

18. I find it weird to use 2013/14 moments as hardcore proof of a ship being real.

There are multiple reasons for this including: I find it creepy *shrugs*. Not only those including JK but especially those including him because he was underage at the time. In general though, I personally find it a bit weird to obsess over the love lives of people 19 years old and younger. Some may argue it’s weird to obsess over anyone’s love life in general and I can agree with that too cause I specified 19 but I cant really explain why 20 is different or acceptable so— Not saying you can’t see things or find it cute but some of these theories especially the sexual ones need to go. Another reason it’s strange to me is because realistically, there most likely isn’t anything there. Maybe a small crush at most but it doesn’t make sense that these boys were really focusing on relationships very seriously back then. Or maybe they were, I would never know. Even if a ship is currently real (that I won’t know either), it doesn’t mean they were into each other back then.

This just reminds me of those taennie shorts I always see on Youtube trying to say they were looking at each other in a blurry clip from an award show in 2017/2018, some of you are very unserious people. Like even if they are (allegedly) dating now— bro I am not gonna explain this cause it’s so obvious (not obvious that they’re dating now but obvious that they probably weren’t dating then. Well no but— sighs bro idk just don’t ask me if I am a taennie shipper ever again I beg). I get a good laugh out of those shorts though so thanks I guess.

I’m in the middle of writing this and just saw a video with 23K likes saying Taekook showed up with hickies the day after JK’s 18th birthday. WTF??? Some of you are so fucking disgusting. I don’t think some shippers even consider the implications of your words because you would shut the fuck up otherwise. Also the people who consume content from people who think like this are also fucked up in the brain. There’s no way y’all are normal seriously. I was having fun writing this but this shit got me heated and threw me off so bad. It’s crazy that that’s the exact same thing I was trying to talk about here. (I never want my posts to be overly explicit but I can’t hold back from being angry about this because really WTH??)

I’ve been thinking about this since I wrote it and wondering if people may see this as an exaggeration or over reaction of that Tkk video so I’ll make my point clear. I don’t think Taekook’s age difference at that point was necessarily wrong…I kinda side eye it (if I look at it from the perspective that they were dating or something back then) but it’s not the worse thing ever. HOWEVER, I think you, AS AN OUTSIDER, pointing out a “hickey” on a freshly 18 year old boy’s neck (there didn’t even seem to be any but that’s besides the point) is very gross, much less implying that his older bandmate was waiting for him to turn eighteen??? I hope other people can see how absolutely disgusting that is because 23 THOUSAND people didn’t.

19. Speaking of youtube shorts— shippers need to stop editing moments out of context or fusing different parts of videos to make their ship seem real.

There are so many times that I watch a short or reel of shippers making it seem like something then go back to the original content and the things didn’t even happen within the same 5 minute span. Why do y’all do that? It’s so annoying and obviously misinforming. This is why it’s very important for fans especially new ones to look at the original content and form their own opinions because some of you cannot be trusted.

20. Shippers need to let go of the eye contact narrative.

People are allowed to look at the people around them especially if they’re speaking or doing something. I might even find it kinda strange if you don’t look in some instances. It comes back to the jealousy thing again but some people also say it’s flirting which… each to their own I guess. This is one where I am torn again because I can sometimes see what you guys mean, there are even staring moments that I hype up sometimes but some moments just don’t give what shippers thinks it does.😕 The funniest ones when it comes to this are those ships with members from other groups. I don’t know how to tell yall that JK isn’t in a long term, loving relationship with Tzuyu or Lisa just cause he looked at them for 3 seconds one time in 2016. The way I’m talking about all sorts of ships here, I did say I am noseyㅠㅠ.

21. It’s okay to form your own opinions even if it differs from the general consensus.

I’m saying this because I am tired of shippers being called “insecure” because they question moments and the validity of their own ship as a romantic pairing. Emphasis on romantic here because I am not a supporter of people questioning if the boys are friends or not— let’s not go too far😑. Anyway, this is for you if you’re scared to be called insecure for your unpopular or out of the box thoughts about your ship— it’s okay. It’s okay and I would say natural, maybe even better to have doubts. None of us know anything for sure, so being completely secure and sure of any ship is delusional, boraward escapee behavior. It doesn’t mean you love them any less, it doesn’t mean the boys love each other any less even if the only thing that exists between them is friendship. It’s okay to not agree with everyone on what a particular moment means. It’s okay to doubt and it’s okay to be the outlier— so question things all you want. As long as you’re respectful and aren’t hating members or other ships or anything along those toxic shipper lines, everything is fine by me (not that you need my approval lol).

22. ALL OF YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF EACH OTHER’S BUSINESS!!!

This is very hypocritical of me cause I’m always in everyone’s business. Well not always but I did tell y’all I’m nosey. The problem with looking into other ship moments comes about when it starts making you mad. If you think it’s gonna upset you that other shippers are blind and they haven’t seen the light (your ship) then stop going into other shipper’s spaces. Stop provoking other shippers, stop engaging in ship wars cause all of you look dumb as hell. Stop trying to get other shipper’s opinion of your ship only to be mad when they don’t agree with you. What did you even expect? Stop putting ships against each other and start realizing that every ship is it’s own thing. I don’t get why there needs to be a scoreboard and we need to prove why certain moments mean something while others don’t. Just enjoy the moments from your favorite ship(s) when you get them and move tf on. Are y’all not tired??? Y’all are draining the fun out of this shipper business. I don’t get how y’all do this day after day, I get tired just reading one or two of these posts sometimes.

23. Shipping just isn’t that serious.

I’m writing this after the next point so sorry if my disinterest in this comes across. I’m just gonna keep it brief— Jikook, Taennie, Taekook, Yoonmin, Liskook etc. etc. are not losing sleep because some people on the internet think they aren’t dating and neither should you. You can relax! Some things just aren’t that serious. You can rest easily knowing that that Jikook won’t break up or Vmin won’t suddenly become mortal enemies because Amanda from South Wales thinks they don’t hang out and aren’t friends anymore. It’s okay! Breathe! In the same way, Yoonmin and Taekook aren’t dating just because you and your moots say they are. Let’s all just get a grip. Y’all are just on Elon’s broken ass app fighting day in and day out and for what…

24. No ship is worth shipping right now.

I’ve been adding to this post for over a month and my outlook on shipping has been evolving during that time. I’ve held back on posting this because I’m not sure if I want to include myself or share these opinions in any public shipper spaces. I just don’t know if I want to talk or hear what anyone has to say about these ships right now. Shipping has just been so boring recently and it’s understandable why— point 2 of this post is one of the most significant reasons plus others.

The conversations I see in shipper spaces have been more or less the same for the past few months: who’s wearing matching clothes/jewelry, who is and isn’t hanging out, who is and isn’t fanservice, debunking or supporting taennie to prove or disprove different ships, who supported who, who went live and talked about who and the list goes on and on… None of these conversations are stimulating or interesting to me in any way and personally I don’t see how anyone can enjoy these constant circular conversations about the same mundane topics. I don’t think there is anything from any ship worth discussing on this scale right now and I’m honestly just bored🫤. The lack of content from your ships is making a lot of you miserable and I can tell cause the conversations y’all are having are making me feel the same way. I log on and all I see are people thinking they got a hold of a life boat and bragging about it despite the life boat being deflated or in many cases non existent, when we’re all sinking with these ships.

Like I mentioned in point 1, the possibility of any ship still exists and I don’t think this period really proves that any one in particular is “real” or not BUT as shippers, it’s okay to admit that we have nothing to work with right now. There’s nothing worth obsessing over for more than 5 minutes and there’s nothing worth fighting for on the bird app the way y’all do. I think it’s okay to give it a rest for a bit. Get a hobby, read a book, touch some grass, go on a walk, fill out a job application—ANYTHING!! Anything else is worth doing than obsessing over these slowly sinking ships. I’m not against anyone talking about their ship or anything (you do you) but the continuous pulling sh!t out of thin air to fight about and talking about the same fucking ring for 5 days in a row is an interesting way to spend your time to say the least.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is it’s not the fact that anyone is still shipping but it’s the way it’s being done. It’s the fact that very minuscule interactions and occurrences are being given any significance. And I mean shipping has always been like this but it’s becoming increasingly annoying to me and whilst I was somewhat engaged before, i don’t feel any need to care that shippers are being shippers (dumb) right now. I’ve still been watching videos of my ship and all of BTS really (I miss them so bad) and I’ll definitely be one of the first ones up when my ship breathes but even then I don’t know…

Anyway, those were my opinions! I may have others but these are all that have come to mind thus far. I don’t think any of this is particularly new or really controversial to be honest. They have all most likely been said before by other people but I just wanted to give my take I guess. Whilst I gave opinions on general subsets of shipper moments (eye contact, jealousy etc..) my views are quite fluid and can change from moment to moment.

Please note that I am not claiming that my views are “correct” because I don’t know anything for sure either so I am not trying to change anyone’s mind here. This is mainly in regard to the specific ship moments I mentioned. I was wracking my brain about whether or not I want to give any of my opinions on specific ships here cause I really want to talk about shipping from a general stand point on this blog. I came to the conclusion that no one would die if I said one thing about jikook or vmin or taennie right…RIGHT???🫣

I didn’t write this in order so the change in tone in different parts compared to others is crazy to me. I went from being so enthusiastic about sharing some of these to not caring much at all lol. I have a few interesting posts about shipping and other BTS-related things I’ve been slooooowwwwwllllllly adding to but I am not sure when or if they’ll ever see the light of day at this point.

~🐝

[arsonmiss]

christmas duets w/ 5wirl!

since it’s the last day of november it’s officially christmas so expect christmas/winter writings (I would like to do a 25 one shots of christmas think but we’ll see)

I’m editing this at 2 am I just spent two hours writing heizou and venti and they didn’t save and I’m gonna cry

characters/content: aether, kazuha, xiao, heizou, venti, visi0n reader, mean girls reference in xiao’s, characters are probably ooc, author is writing this at 1am with, please bear with her, heizou and venti are rushed cause they didn’t save and author is having a breakdown

aether: walking in a winter wonderland (matt wertz)

(small a/n: the singer in this cover sounds so much like zach/aether to me??? maybe I just have hearing issues but I swear he does)

“Y/N, your hat!” Aether exclaimed, tossing you your santa hat, pulling his own on and adjusting his mic in the backstage mirror, looking at the small countdown clock that was slowly ticking.

“Thanks, Ae!” You called back, rushing next to him, inspecting yourselves and your matching Santa outfits. Diluc and Childe had decided to do another joint group event for Christmas, but this time it was duets. The two singers were picked from a hat, and you and Aether were the two lucky winners!

You two had decided on a classic song, something simple everyone could sing to, and a song to mainly calm Aether’s nerves. He had claimed it was because since there would be less people on stage, there’d be more eyes on him, but you knew him better than that. Xiao and Lumine did too, seeing as however you mentioned it they changed topic almost immediately. You didn’t press it though, you decided to wait until after the show.

“Okay, you two! Showtime in five!” Childe called, raising his hand for emphasis. Your bandmates, who were also backstage, were ushered away by Diluc, all of them cheering encouragement towards you two. You soon after turned towards Aether, raising your hands up, giving him a smile. “Sing our hearts out, right?”

He looked back at you, before nodding, clasping your hands with a smile. “Right.” You both took a deep breath and let go of each other before you rushed out on stage, waving to the cheering crowd before you. As the music started, you two began your routine, the steps and vocals flowing out of you like a river, the mind-numbing rehearsal helping greatly.

While you two spun and slid across the stage, every time he had the chance, Aether stole a glance at you. Afterwards, when you finished and were talking to the fans, he looked up at the sky. Even though it was cold out, the sky was clear. No sign of snow for a while. He looked back at you, who was having a small bit of banter with Xinyan, giving a smile. Maybe he couldn’t walk in a winter wonderland you now, but he’d be sure to ask at the first sign of snowfall.

kazuha: santa tell me (ariana grande)

“Kazuha, Y/N. Twenty minutes,” Diluc called, walking back to take care of some more preparations as you two nodded, you shaking your hands and letting out a breath.

“Fuuuu… Okay, you got this, Y/N, you got it…” You sighed out, shaking your hands. Kazuha gave an amused smile, grabbing your hands and holding them gently, causing you to look at him.

“What, you’re nervous? Where was this anxiety at your other shows?” He asked, tilting his head a bit. Ignoring his teasing tone, you looked off to the side, subconsciously squeezing his hands a bit.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but we don’t normally sing stuff like this. What if I mess up? What if I trip over my outfit? This is very long,” you said, reaching back to lift a piece of fabric that was almost to the floor.

Kazuha shook his head, squeezing your hands once more. “You’ll be fine,” he began, looking at you with soft eyes. “Besides, I’m here. And I always will be, even next year.” You paused to look at him, before letting out a small giggle, raising an eyebrow at him. “Did you really just use a line from our song? Seriously?”

He gave a sheepish grin, leaning forward a bit. “Yes, but it made you laugh, right?” He began, before moving one of his hands up to your cheek, rubbing his thumb across it softly. “And I meant every part of it, Y/N.” You stared back at him, your cheeks heating up, while he leaned forward, his own face a light shade of red as he planted a kiss on your free cheek, placing your foreheads together. “I’m not going anywhere, Y/N. You seem too helpless for me to leave you alone right now, anyway.”

You looked back at him with wide eyes, your mouth fumbling over your words, deciding to focus on his last comment while you processed everything else. “Wh…? Hey, I’m not helpless…!” You said, puffing your cheeks out as he grinned, leaning back from you.

“I’d prove that wrong with another kiss, but we go on in like two minutes and I don’t need you shutting down on me.”

“Wh—?! I wouldn’t—! Kazuha!”

You calmed your blush and expression as best as you could as you followed him on stage, deciding it was for the best for you to just turn off your brain and let your practice take over.

He made good on his word though, and you were short-circuited with a few pecks in no time. Well, at least you got a boyfriend for Christmas, even if it did come with relentless teasing from the others, specifically Lumine and Heizou.

xiao: jingle bell rock (bobby helms)

“Okay, you all. On in ten,” Diluc said, walking back to the dressing rooms where the rest of Visi0n was, assumingly to make sure they’d be ready to make their own appearance in time. Meanwhile, you were trying to not giggle at the boys in front of you, four of which were varying degrees of embarrassed, while one was doing a much better job of holding back his laughter, although he had a large smirk on his face.

“Not a word, Alatus,” Aether seethed, pinching his fingers for further effect, pulling his dress down. Normally, Xiao would’ve been annoyed at the use of his middle name, but the sight of his bandmates in the dresses from Mean Girls made it hard for him to be mad at anything right then.

“Archons, this is so embarrassing…” Kazuha sighed, pulling his own dress down, his hands stretching the fabric. Venti looked at himself in the mirror, twirling around a bit as he made finger guns.

“Speak for yourself, Kazuha, I’m rocking this look,” the singer said, making poses in the mirror. “I don’t actually mind losing that game of candy poker as much as I did then now,” he said, doing a catwalk you couldn’t help but giggle at, the others rolling their eyes at him.

“Normally, I’d… probably try and use my humor as well, but it’s way too cold to do that. As soon as this show is over I’m putting on the biggest puffer jacket I can find,” Heizou said, rubbing his arms.

“The choreography will warm you up. Lucky there’s no radio for you to kick into someone’s head either, isn’t there?” Xiao said, pulling a laugh from your throat, Aether squinting his eyes at you.

“Hey, don’t laugh, how would you like it if someone put you in a short dress in this weather?!” He exclaimed, your brain immediately seeing an opportunity to tease him.

“Are you saying you want to see me in that dress, Aether?”

“Wha—?!”

“Oooohh, Aether, I’m telling Lumine~”

“Shut up, Hei—“

“Lumine? Why not go straight to Childe? He’s the manager, you know.”

“Venti!!!”

As the time for you to go on stage eventually arrived, with you and Xiao singing as the other four followed through with their cosplay and performed the Mean Girls choreography, Xiao’s mind couldn’t help but go back to the comment about you in a dress. He was glad everyone was too busy to notice him or the flush in his cheeks.

Later on, you two were watching a recording of the show on the couch in his bedroom of the hotel you all were staying in, laughing at the other members, sipping hot chocolate to warm up from the cold. Soon enough, you placed your up down, adjusting under your blanket to face him, placing your legs up on the chair. “Alright, Xiao, what’s up?”

Xiao looked back at you, a bit of confusion in his face, not expecting you to pick up on him fast. Thankfully, for him, he had spent a good amount of time carefully crafting the question he wanted to ask you, the perfect wording in his mi—

“Do you want to go on a date with me?”

Well, that’s all out the window.

“Huh? Oh…!”

As he was mentally cursing himself in three different languages, you looked up at him, already being able to tell he was struggling to express himself. You let out a small sigh, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, causing his brain to freeze mid-thought. As he opened his mouth, you placed a finger to his lips.

“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you. Yes, I mean it. We can figure out the details later. For now, just try and get your brain unscrambled, okay?” You said, wrapping your arms around him, pulling the blanket around both of you. Xiao simply gave a nod, wrapping his arms around you, placing his chin on your figure, looking back at the laptop where you were already putting on a movie for yourselves to watch.

heizou: last christmas (wham!)

You closed your eyes as Barbara powdered some blush onto your face, Xinyan and Yun Jin fixing up your hair, Lumine holding your hand on your free side. You were all talking a bit before you had to go on stage, trying to calm your nerves.

“So you get to go on with Heizou! That’s really great, I’m glad for you, Y/N. Especially since you like him, right?” Barbara asked, you giving a small hum of affirmation, opening your eyes to look at the mirror, rotating your head to look at your appearance.

“Yeah… Although I’m nervous. You know how he is, he definitely knows. I don’t know why he hasn’t said anything about it, though. I really think he just doesn’t like me back.” You said, almost immediately being met with various protests.

“Hey, ‘m sure Heizou likes ya back just as much, m’kay? Maybe he just doesn’t know how to say it, s’all,” Xinyan said, Yun Jin nodding and adding on to her statement. “Yeah, people who are observant over others normally aren’t too observant about themselves, right?” She said, you giving a small sigh.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right… I think I’m gonna ask him later, and if I don’t get a yes, I’ll just move on from him. I don’t want a repeat of… you know.” You said, all of the girls nodding and hugging you from all sides, squeezing you gently.

“Of course, you deserve at least that much. And no matter what happens, we’ll always be here for you, right?” Lumine said, a small chorus of agreement followed as you reached up, cherishing the bandmates who meant the world to you.

“Alright, now go out there and kill it!” Lumine said, the other three cheering with her as you stood, taking a deep breath and heading behind the curtain.

You walked next to Heizou, who seemed to be in thought about something, quickly snapping out of his thoughts with a smile towards you. “Y/N! Ready to go out there and sing?” He asked, raising a hand for you to squeeze. You looked back at him, before forcing a smile, nodding and gently, briefly squeezing his hand. He found it odd, but there was no time to address it, he’d just have to ask later after his own plans for later that night.

Later on, you and Heizou had met up at a park near your hotel, sitting on the swings next to each other. You had been idly chatting about things for a while, and you had been trying to bring up the courage to ask about his feelings in response to yours. Eventually, you steeled your nerves and plunged into the metaphorical water.

“Heizou, we both know that you know how I feel about you already, so please, just be honest with me. Do you feel the same?” You ask, swallowing back the pleading tone in your voice. Heizou looked over at you, before giving a smile, pulling something out of his coat pocket and handing it to you.

“Well, it’s like George Michael said, right? With a note saying "I love you", I meant it~” he sang, watching as you took the heart shaped box, reading the careful calligraphic on the top.

‘Merry Christmas, Y/N. I’m glad I got to sing with you. Now, let’s keep doing it for the rest of our lives, okay?’

You looked at the redhead, who walked over gently leaning towards you.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before, I just didn’t know how. But, I’m glad I finally did. And you are too, right?” He said, letting out a breathy chuckle as you wrapped your arms around him, leaning in.

“Yes, yes I am,” you said, closing the gap between you two, pressing a soft kiss to his lips in the moonlight.

venti: all I want for christmas is you (mariah carey)

“Thank you for coming out, everyone! And as always, we’ll see you next time!” Venti said, giving a wave to the crowd who clapped and cheered while you two went off stage. You had just gotten done with one of your many performances of the song that seemed to be the embodiment of Christmas itself. It wasn’t a bad song, mind you, but having to perform it so many times made it very tiring very fast. Well, at least you had Venti to do it with.

Later on, after your final performance for a hit, both of your bands had gathered in the hotel preparing yourselves for the night you all had planned full of Christmas movies, hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, and gingerbread houses.

After a long night of fun with yourself and your bands mates, you found yourself alone on the balcony, reminiscing over the night.

At least, you thought you were alone.

“Y/N? Oh, you’re still up. Is everything alright?”

You looked back at Venti, giving him a nod and a smile as he plopped down on the space next to you on the balcony couch.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking, y’know? Tonight was fun and all, but it feels like something was missing, is all…” you said, trailing off. Venti gave you a nod, before pointing up, turning your attention towards the ceiling above you.

“Maybe that’s what it was?” He suggested, your face turning red at the prospect. You liked Venti, sue, but the thought of kissing him made you sweat. He looked at you, giving you a grin and leaning forward, giving you a teasing look. “C’mon, Y/N, you know the rules~”

You took a breath, shaking off your nerves. You knew Venti wouldn’t leave you alone about it, and besides, what’s the worst that would happen, right? You resolved to kiss him on the cheek, but like how most cliches go, he ended up tilting his head and kissing you on the lips instead. You felt him softly melting into your warmth, before pulling back, almost too quick for your taste.

He looked at you, grabbing your hands and squeezing them gently, an uncharacteristic nervous blush on his face. “I… didn’t expect that to actually work. But that doesn’t matter. I like you, Y/N. And I hope you like me back too.” He said, waiting for your response.

You looked back, a small smile creeping onto your face, giving him a small nod in response. “Yes, I like you too, Venti,” you said, leaning forward and wrapping your arms around him. He let out a small sigh of relief, leaning into you.

“I’m glad. All I wanted was you. And I actually mean that, not just the song.”

You gave a laugh at his quick end comment, before pulling him back inside, the two of you heading to sit next to each other, holding hands as you drifted off to sleep.

[sarucane]

Why did Ed throw away his leathers?

Who's up for a scene-by-scene analysis of Ed's character development in S2E6? Cause I feel the need to rant, so come along for the ride

In season 2 episode 5, Ed is complaining to Stede about having to wear something other than his leathers. Then in ep6, he's (without explanation) back in the leathers--and brooding over the kraken. By the beginning of ep7, he's actually tossing his leathers into the sea.

It's a pretty abrupt transition, and the shift in focus from Ed's relationship with Stede to Ed's relationship with himself is kind of jarring. So I'm gonna go rant about how Ed shifts in each scene of ep 6, building up to his attempt here to break completely with his past self.

At the beginning of the episode, Ed's sitting and brooding. Fang had to strongarm him into sitting with himself in the last ep, but now Ed's doing it voluntarily.

And what he's thinking about is his kraken-self. He flashes back looking at all the things he did, the things he completely failed to take real responsibility for at the beginning of ep5. He says he can feel a storm coming, but what the viewers just saw points to a storm inside himself.

In the first season, Ed told Stede that he wasn't a good person because he'd killed his dad and he'd planned to killed Stede. That he hadn't killed anyone since he killed his dad. But that "no kill" rule was always semantics and misdirection. A cognitive dissonance that allowed Ed to live with himself--without having to change his behavior. And to live in the violent pirate world.

But Ed couldn't keep from being the kraken by not killing someone with his own hands. And he's finally realizing that, finally dealing with the full weight of what he's done, and starting to reckon with what that means.

So he apologizes to Izzy. He does so after Izzy's initiated conversation and offered him a drink, and he does so in a way that Izzy can accept (like when the crew ran off after leaving the unicorn leg). And Ed doesn't give any context or justification to that apology, just takes responsibility. It's an important step, and shows how far he's come since the non-apology speech last episode.

Then Stede shows him a closet that's far less fun than the auxiliary wardrobe: a place where he's stuffed all Ed's loot from his kraken phase. Stede presents this as half-gift, half-convenience (hell, squint a bit and it can read as early step in Stede and Ed moving in together, like Ed having a drawer).

Stede clearly didn't expect Ed to be depressed about this "Guilt Room" (and notice that Ed and Stede aren't positioned face-to-face in most of the scenes in this episode, a staging choice that points to how they're not both close but not quite getting each other's headspaces). But Ed looks at the room and just sees a reminder of how terrible shitty a person he became.

So Stede suggests something constructive. These scenes are difficult, because Stede is trying, he's offering solid ideas to Ed. But Ed's depression doesn't lift while they're in that room. The loot isn't the poison, it's just a reminder of the poison that's already inside Ed.

Ed's better when they leave and there's other things he can focus on. Going on shore and giving slashing lessons to two random Waititi kids noticeably cheers him up--he even flirts with Stede a bit. But that leads him to straight lying and saying "we aren't pirates, we run an inn." It's his first attempt in the episode to just reject the poison completely, isolate the kraken from himself.

Ed's also clearly feeling better during the Calypso's birthday party. He embraces the community there, joining in on the drinking and "sacred traditions," and poking Stede to do the same. When he withdraws to the side of the ship, Stede pulls him back in to the group.

Then Ned Lowe attacks, and he does so because Ed's a better pirate than him. Because of Ed's guilt, because of how he got that room full of treasure.

Both the big party and Lowe's attack happen because of Ed's actions at the beginning of the season. The party is an attempt to turn poison into positivity. But then it's destroyed by pure poison, wiping out all the positivity and more.

Ed doesn't reckon with this until later. While Lowe's onscreen, he's not focusing on himself or his guilt at all. He deliberately refuses to be impressed by anything Lowe does, only taking Lowe seriously when he hurts Stede--and even then, only for a minute.

Ed refuses to kill Lowe because "I don't respect you enough to kill you. You're not worth the poison."

It's consistent with all Ed's actions in this episode. He's not going to take Lowe seriously. He's not willing to give Lowe that power. And it also reaches back to how he was thinking about violence at the beginning of the episode: acts rebound on the one who does them. One pirate killing another is a cycle, and Ed doesn't want to be a part of it anymore because it makes him someone who destroys everything around him. And that's not who Ed wants to be anymore.

Lowe spots Ed's insecurity immediately, demanding to know "what happened to you," questioning his identity and worth. Ed still doesn't seem able to bring himself to care--but the crew does, and so does Stede.

And that's when Ed finally engages with what's been happening. Because he sees Stede making a decision that's going to poison him--driven partly by insecurity around why Ed fell for him in the first place. And after all, Lowe is only there because of Ed. The poison originated with him.

Ed understands why Stede kills Lowe, he understands why the crew cheers it on. But it's one more effect of his kraken phase come back around.

Ed doesn't think about this immediately afterwards. He focuses on Stede, on supporting the guy he loves in a psychologically difficult moment. He responds to Stede's need and sets aside all his fears of the risk in this relationship, all his struggles with his self-identity, just for a while, to focus on what's right in front of him.

But when he wakes up, those problems are still there. And Ed tries to resolve them by cutting himself off from the poison. By throwing the leathers away, symbolically throwing away the kraken self that brought all this on them.

Ed does all this slowly and deliberately. But it's as much a panic move as the twine was, as much a doomed (though useful!) experiment as putting on a robe and singing in s1 was, and as extreme and ultimately useless as painting a beard on his face in to be the kraken was. You can't carve yourself up. And deep down Ed knows this.

Ed is so inward focused in this episode--that, or he's completely focused on what's happening around him--that he's not realizing how people are helping him. That Izzy, Stede, and the crew are opening doors for him to walk through, to reckon with and accept his past self. That (unlike Ned Lowe) his past bad actions and failures don't define him, any more than they do Izzy or Stede. He doesn't have to go to these extremes. He can just be Ed.

[popawritter12]

More than 100

ღ𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲! 𝗔𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘅 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀ღ

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Phase 1: General Headcanons.

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>Although Aatrox tries to avoid it, his emotional instability causes him to yell at you almost routinely.

>You're going to have to get used to seeing massacres, although if you know how to manipulate him, he will be more "manageable".

>I assume that if the Darking sleeps, then it would be uncomfortable for you to move by literally sleeping in his hand.

>Aatrox is not capable of saying a miserable "I love you", so don't think that coexistence will be easy.

>He doesn't have a particularly positive relationship with his siblings, but he wouldn't mind if you tried to talk to them either (even if you don't talk to them much).

>Aatrox is careless, it is much easier to escape from him than from other Yanderes.

>Although, when escaping, the stage in which you escape will end up literally destroyed.

>He doesn't usually get along well with physical affection, and it's much worse if you're as small as his/her hand.

>He doesn't like it when you joke about escaping or worse, escaping with Phanteon, I recommend avoiding jokes like that.

>He tends to stay calmer so as not to scare you so much, and it's very difficult for him.

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Phase 2: Placed on the tier list.

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Aatrox belongs to the group of "not understanding", this is because, in his current state, he does not understand what it is to love, he remembers it in the past, but it is complex for him to understand it 100%.

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Phase 3: Story proposals.

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(Name) was Aatrox's companion, and after the events in his lore, (Name) tries to help Aatrox become the way he was before, which develops his Yanderism.

(Name) was one of Atreus' best friends, and when he died at the hands of Aatrox, the latter took (Name) as a "trophy" of his victory.

(Name) is a victim of one of Aatrox's massacres, and draws Aatrox's attention because he was a survivor of several, almost as if he felt persecuted by (Name).

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Phase 4: Odds

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Kidnapping odds: 100%

Chances of death: 50%

Chances of sexual abuse: 40%

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Phase 5: Story prototype + extra data.

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➳♥Probability that your relatives will be killed.

Well: 100% basically.

He himself doesn't like humans, and when there's only one living thing that makes his existence less horrendous, what makes you think he'll let others take it from him?

➳♥Approach.

Considering his track record, we can say that you most likely met him when he massacred one of the many groups he kills almost daily.

➳♥Fall in love

After seeing you several times in several of his massacres, he notices many things about you, which unusually attract his attention; Why would he care about a human? On top of that, one that barely survived his attacks!

➳♥Start of the cycle

And obviously he came back a third time. This time he was interested in having you, you never left his head, seeing you fight, seeing you fight even if you are the weakest person any human has ever met, he loved it. This time, even when you tried to escape, it didn't take me long to catch you, to hold you in his hands like a bug that he could squash for the mere pleasure of it.

➳♥Murder?

Do I need to mention it? No? Well, I'll say it the same: he kills the first thing he sees that turns out to be alive, it doesn't matter if he is human, animal or even a being from the void, if he approaches any of the two, he is already dead.

➳♥ Relationship or kidnapping

Unless you have such an absurdly high level of bravery that nothing intimidates you, even a being over 10 meters, the only result I see is that he kidnaps you, and you adapt to your now new purpose; be of him

➳♥Coexistence

Eh, quite complicated, if you will. Would you give it a 3 out of 10 for how enjoyable it is? Yeah.

Not at first, but eventually he will want more and more of your attention, your love, to see you smile, and he is not kind to ask for it, in fact if you are afraid or brave, he demands love or threatens to try to kill you.

➳♥ Family or marriage.

????

Well, he's a Darkin (I don't know if it says like that), I doubt he understands what family is apart from getting along more or less with Varus or Rhaast, and in fact, the chances of marriage or commitment are not nil, they are non-existent, directly does not know the meaning of sentimental partner or relationship.

↘In case it is possible, children?

Unless one can adapt to the other's size through magic or something, it's literally impossible. And no, I don't care what rule34 says about it.

➳♥ Bad ending.

Either he kills you for your disobedience, or he kills all the people important to you who are alive (unless they died from his previous massacres, which is quite likely), and I do see a relationship in which your only role is adapt to being a mere decoration object to a certain extent.

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♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎♥︎╣[-_-]╠♥︎

Extra things:

-I could get to give you an animal so that you can be happy or calmer (I'm not telling you a huge and strong one, but one like a rabbit or a chinchilla).

-If he has to introduce you to someone, I think he will refer to you as "My human", since it is the most agreed if we talk in this context.

-If before he hated Pantheon, now he hates him; since he could try to save you from Aatrox, even if it means that he dies, which would generate anger, and not exactly a little.

-If you insist a little bit, maybe he will slowly stop killing so many people; As I understand it from the lore, I think there's a small chance that your life might comfort him a bit from his meager existence, which is even relieving for him.

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