#oh and lemme know if i should post the background cuz i put in THE WORKK like theres a shit ton of details in the back

[chxfvyu777]

Finally finished this omg😭😭 also i def went overboard w like jewellery n decorations in the back but idgaf

[concealeddarkness13]

A New Dawn Part 16

In which Kai plays video games, gets manipulated, and finds a family. Tagging: @ratracechronicler and @merigreenleaf!

Here is the post with the previous parts’ links!

I couldn’t sleep that night. Not really. I had been too tired the night before to actually think about it, but Rat had said we could be family. I had agreed, but I hadn’t really thought about what that meant. I had never really understood the concept of having a family who wasn’t related to you. It was like a foreign concept to me.

On my planet, everyone valued flesh and blood family, living in the same house with their extended family. If you weren’t doing that, you were seen as an anomaly. Taeo had had to overcome the stigma of living by himself to become popular. There were plenty of people who still whispered about it.

I knew that it was a long shot for me to find my actual family. If the jellyfish had me before I lost my memory, they might have killed my family when they took me. Or I could just never find them. Maybe it would be better, less heartache, if I just…

I took a deep breath. I just couldn’t give up. But it wasn’t a bad concept, a family that didn’t share blood.

I glanced over at Rat and Eli. I didn’t want to lose them too, not to the jellyfish, and, honestly, not because I got back to my planet.

*

Rat and Eli left for their date (yes, I was still going to call it that), and Rex and I went back upstairs. I had been thinking of strategies for Galoshlimb all morning, but Rex actually put in another game, explaining that it would be more fun for just two players. It was a fighting game with weirdly designed characters that looked like aliens.

As we competed against each other, he glanced over at me. “So…how’s life on Mars?”

I frowned over at him as my character died again. “Um…Mars?”

“Y’know. Back home an’ all.”

Oh. “It isn’t called Mars. I haven’t heard of that planet, actually. It’s called Versteria. And I guess it’s going good.” I shrugged. “I haven’t been there for at least a month, so I’m not sure.”

“Oh, okay. Cool, cool.” He looked a little surprised. “Any invasions as o’ late, or you kinda keep to yourselves on this Versteria?”

My character died again as I thought. “There really aren’t any invasions. There are already so many different kinds of aliens on my planet that we’re pretty welcoming.”

Rex opened his mouth to say something else, but I tensed as something moved out of the corner of my eye. I jumped up and ran to the window, and the shadow of one of the jellyfish aliens zipped across rooftops. I stared at them for a little bit before I shook myself. I had to go after them. Why were they even here? I had thought I had scared them off in Fre Jac-Mac.

I turned back to Rex. “Speaking of aliens, I just saw one of the aliens that followed me here. Would you want to help me pursue them to figure out more about what they want?”

He leapt up. “I’m gone, mate. Lemme grab my hat! Should I bring the blackthorn along?” he asked excitedly. He stumbled into his room and grabbed a battered old sports cap. The cap had the words: “Cryptid Seekers Squad”. He gestured at a dangerous-looking stick, which I assumed was the blackthorn.

I shrugged. “If you want to.”

He grinned, grabbed the stick, and ran after me as I left through the window. The alien hadn’t left my line of sight yet, which was a little weird. But I pushed that out of my mind as I followed them. What really mattered was that the aliens were still here. And I had to figure out more.

The alien led me to the street, past buildings covered in graffiti. I wanted to stop and stare, but the alien didn’t stop, so I couldn’t either. I would have to ask about all the graffiti later.

Rex broke the silence. “So whadda these chaps look like anyhow?”

I frowned. It almost seemed to easy that I was following this alien. As if they were slowing down on purpose to make sure I would follow. Great. “Weird looking faces. Hair that looks like jellyfish tentacles instead of actual hair. Steadily more see-through skin the farther down the arms you go.”

Rex whispered under his breath. “Wicked cool.” I couldn’t agree with that.

We seemed to be going toward a place in the distance where smoke was coming up. Was something burning? But then we made it to a dead end, and the alien turned around and grinned at me. “It’s so good to see you again, Kaira.”

I glared at them and pulled out my knife. “My name is Kai, and why are you still following me? I would think you would be scared of me now.”

“Scared of you? I’ll only be scared of you if you can turn on that light show again.” I grimaced. It could only be activated when I was hurt badly during a fight. Rex tried to say something in the background, but I didn’t listen. They laughed. “Then I’m not scared of you.” They paused and held out a transparent hand. “And if you’re smart, you’ll come with me. Don’t you want information on your real home, your real family? We are the only ones who can give you the answers.”

I sucked in a breath and shook my head. I wanted to learn more, but I couldn’t trust them. It wasn’t worth it to turn myself over to them. They probably wouldn’t tell me anything anyway.

Rex spoke up, louder this time. “OI! How see-through’re we talkin’ here, mate? I can’t see nothin’. Just a wall there.” He moved toward the alien, crouched down, and he prodded the stick he brought at them.

And the stick went right through them. They clicked their tongue and shook their head. “Unfortunately, our ruse was found out too quickly. See you soon, Kaira.” They laughed and disappeared.

I clenched my fists. I had let myself get tricked again. Shit. I looked over at Rex. “I was wrong. They were messing with my head. They can make me see them when they’re not there. Let’s go back.”

He turned to me, looking a little disappointed. “They ain’t…You’re sure? They can do that?”

I frowned. I should have known better. Stupid. “I mean, they could be here. But they could be anywhere. It would be pointless to try to find them. And they can do that, from what I know.”

“Like, to anyone?” He held the sides of his head and looked around suspiciously.

I shrugged. I honestly didn’t know. “I think only to people who were stung by their jellyfish tentacle hair things. But I didn’t even know I was stung when it happened.” I sighed and started walking back. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

“Oh…yeah. Whatever,” he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets, with the stick having been clipped to a keychain. Cool. “’Pologies for all the questions an’ sticks.”

…Huh? Why was he apologizing? He hadn’t done anything wrong. I had led him on the chase that ultimately led to nothing. I frowned back at him. “I didn’t mind. Actually, I think your stick is cool.”

He sounded confused. “Thanks?”

That didn’t sound entirely encouraged, but hopefully it was enough. I looked back to the front. “Anyway, thanks for coming with me. If you hadn’t pointed out that there was no one there, I would have kept letting them mess with me.”

He jogged to catch up to me. “Hey, yeah, no problem.”

We headed back, with the smoke still in the distance. I eyed it, but didn’t ask Rex. He probably wouldn’t know why something was on fire.

It was nearing sunset when we got back. I hadn’t realized how far we had gone, chasing after the phantom alien. And when Rex opened the front door and we walked inside, Rat and Eli ran up to us. Eli looked worried, while Rat looked furious. I shrunk down instinctively. “Are you two okay?” I asked, trying to relieve the tension.

“We’re fine—where in Perdition did you two go?” Rat demanded.

Shit. She wouldn’t be happy about this. “Uh…I thought I saw one of the aliens. And I followed them…”

“An’ I followed her,” Rex said, then yelled over Rat’s shoulder at one of his parents. “So, no, I did not spend the whole day up in my ‘cave’ playin’ games! We got exercise an’ sunshine an’ all that goodness!”

Rat smiled, but her eyes were still angry. “You seem incredibly well-equipped to handle those aliens.”

Shit. Before I could say anything, Rex spoke up again. “Nah, but we didn’t need to, see, cuz they ended up not bein’ there for real, just in eye tricks.”

I couldn’t look Rat in the eyes. “I had thought that the aliens wouldn’t bother us again, so when they showed up, I had to figure out why. But I did ask Rex to come along so I wasn’t alone.” Hopefully, that would make them feel better.

“That’s good!” Eli smiled encouragingly. “That was a really good thought, Kai. Rex is strong, and he knows this city better than any of us. Asking him for help was great.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Rat seemed to calm down a little, not so much anger in her eyes. “Uh. Smart.” She stood for a second before punching me lightly on the shoulder. “Gave me a scare, though.” She flicked Rex’s hat. “You couldn’t have messaged us?”

“I had way bigger fish to catch,” he scoffed.

They seemed to be feeling better, so time to distract them. Also, I really wanted to know how it was. “So, how was your date?” Rex’s jaw dropped at what I said.

Rat’s expression remained neutral. “We didn’t eat any dates, or raisins or prunes or other dried fruit. We stopped for sushi on the way back from our trip to the forest, though.”

What? “So…it was good?”

“Yes,” Eli said pleasantly. I could not figure out if there was something else behind his words or not. Too aromantic and asexual for that. “It was. Thanks for asking. How was the rest of your day?”

Should I pry more? Should I just leave them be? I wasn’t the right person for the job. So, I just blurted out, “Video games,” and left it at that.

Rex’s eyes widened. “I think I left it on paused,” he whispered and sprinted up the stairs.

And now, we were alone. Rex’s family hadn’t come to talk to us. I fidgeted with my hands. “I’m sorry for running off after the aliens. I should have thought more.”

“Well…” Rat said. “You thought a little. That’s some progress at least, right? And nobody got hurt, right?”

I…I didn’t want to lose them. I had to think a little more before I did something stupid. I fidgeted some more and sucked in a breath. “And—and you weren’t lying when you talked about family, right? You’d be willing to let me be a part of it?”

“I wasn’t lying,” Rat said at the same time that Eli spoke.

“Of course, you can be a part—” They both spluttered to a halt and fell silent before Rat spoke up.

“Yeah. Absolutely. It’s a weird family, but you’re invited.”

I…I was part of a family. I wasn’t alone. I breathed out, long and slow. “Thank you. I don’t know if I’ll be able to return to my own world, and I’m glad I’m not alone in this world. I care deeply for you two.” I hesitated. Would this be too much? But I really wanted to hug them. So, I moved closer and hugged both of them at the same time.

Eli hugged back, wrapping his arms around both me and Rat. “I’m glad I’m—I mean, you, you’re—I’m glad you’re not alone too, or either, or y’know,” Rat said. She snort-laughed and ruffled my hair. “You’re okay.”

I sniffled as tears threatened to overtake me, but a few tears slipped down my cheeks. I sighed and relaxed, leaning into the hug. “Thank you both so much.”

They didn’t say anything, but they were both also sniffling.

[taeyungie]

hiiiii~ 🎨 pleaseee? 🥺

SKY YESSSS EVERYTHING FOR YOU! YOU'RE HERE! A REAL QUEEN HAS ARRIVED INTO MY ARMS AAAAAAA I CANNOT WAIT TO WRITE A WHOLE BOOK IN THIS ASK ✨👍❤️❤️❤️❤️ idk i know it's silly but i get so much joy from complimenting you in practicular sjdhsjks you're just the cutest and you deserve all the love AND I'M HERE TO GIVE IT TO YOU AT ALL TIMES!!!! 😌😌😌❤️💕💘💓❤️💕💘 you're really truly the one who carries this site on your shoulders and it makes me so incredibly proud of you because you always work so hard 🥺 YOU MAKE SO MANY PEOPLE HAPPY i couldn't imagine being here without you!! YOU'RE ESSENTIAL, ANGEL. Before i start with showering your gifs in love all i want to say is that YOUR GIFS JUST OPEN MY THIRD EYE AND I HEAR ANGELS SING. DON'T YOU TELL ME LATER AGAIN THAT I'M EXAGGERATING (I'll get to that later on 😤) BECAUSE YOU'RE SIMPLY A GENIUS ✨ your style are one in a million, there's no way i could ever get confused on whether a gif is yours because your gifs are unmistakable!! ONE OF A KIND! you're such a precious baby, always being worried if your gifs are pretty and this makes me want to give you all the love (BUT AT THE SAME TIME LIKE 😤😤🤜👊🤛✊🤛👊✊ HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR OWN GIFS???? LIKE /ONE/ EVEN??????? OH MY GOD) and write essays about your every gifset because every 👏 single 👏 one 👏 of your sets makes me want to write poems NOW MOVING ONNNNN

I'll really have to put this under the cut because oh my god i'm so sorry you might want to get a popcorn on the way because.... yeah

good god i think i need to lie down YOU DROPPED A BOMB AND NEXT SECOND YOU JUST VANISHED LIKE '💆🏻‍♀️😌💅🏻 uhuh goodnight' AKSNDKSJSKSKKSKSKSKD ARE YOU SANE THIS IS INSANE FKANDKDKDKSJSSK THE WAY THAT I SAW THIS CLIP BEFORE AND THOUGHT oh he looks gooood BUT NOW YOU DECIDED TO JUST UH??? PUT SOME OF YOUR ✨SPICE✨ INTO THIS MEAL AND PUT IT ON A PLATE LOOKING LIKE /THIS/???????????????? bro i need a doctor i'm having literal heart palpitations...... WHERE DO I EVEN START 🙏 (warning: a very stupid and corny word-play ahead) he's beauty he's grace he's mr. golden face WKDHSKSKKS BUT REALLY HIS SKINNNNNNNNNN HISSSS SKIIIIIINNNNNNNNN 😭😭😭😭😭 THE WAY HE'S GLOWING, PLEASE!!!!!!!!! only you can make them look like this, you pull out in their skin colors everything what's the best, just stunning. next, lips.. oh my goodness, lips. beautiful, amazing, just *mwah*, beautiful, kinda desaturated (which i love in your gifs) red shade. next we have CURVES GAME ON POINT, JUST STUNNING, IF I TELL YOU THAT YOU INSPIRE ME SO MUCH AKSJSJSJSJSJKS amazing blend to the background, beautiful contrast. your gifs make me fall in love with him more and more every day 💔 and i can't leave without mentioning SHARPENING SETTINGS AAAAAAA i love itttt

indeed the cutest pie 😭😭😭 i loooove how you sometimes make your gifs so tall, you know, it's so pleasing to look at and makes them so unique and pretty. I LOVE the coloring here, it's so soft and makes everything look so flawless and light?? because gif itself is a bit dark too and his skin, and light hair are just outstanding but the contrast is so soft that everything is just pulled together nicely and looks amazing! and i love how you just pulled a magenta on me and made his mic look THIS GOOD ahhhh it's THE PRETTIEST MIC EVER 😭

this set is just... yummy 🤷‍♀️ you know???? YOU KNOW i know you know 👏 I'M– so in love with the coral, mustard and soft minty shades of background probably that's why it reminds me just of a good candy 👍👍 to add to that there actually ARE candies on the screen, like 4 of them 👀👀👀👀 again, curves adjustments - *chiefs kiss* i love skin colors and lips, it's something i can't get enough of i just simply want to eat a gif 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

now, we have reached the star of the show. I'll bring back something as a friendly reminder :

you cannot just say it's not the best and then have me just staring at it for five next hours ISLSNSJWNSJSJSNKSSJSJ please PLEASE where am i supossed to start FIRST OF ALL WHICH PARALLEL UNIVERSE YOU'RE LIVING IN THAT YOU MANAGED TO MAKE MAGENTAS LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL I JUST CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW KAJSJSKS i'm really saying this seriously right now but this gifset made me tear up because i notice every single detail and it overwhelmed me to the very ends of my nerve endings KSJSKSK BECAUSE��� 😔 skin color, suit color, hair color, lip color, mic color, sharpening, background, lighting, contrast, exposure.... all of it is just so beautifully composed and i don't think anyone could ever make something this amazing, especially looking at raw footage like comparing your gif to video frame it's just.. insane. you have magic hands and big brain that's all i have to say and i think it's truly one of my favorite sets of yours

run episode koo 🥺🥺 first and foremost i wanna notice and highlight how much i love that you just got rid of...... all blue and green KSJDJS LIKE PERIOD QUEEN AS YOU SHOULD ✨✨✨ i was kinda scared to do it on my own gifs and here i have another example of how you're just a genius, not scared of ANYTHING ✊💯💘 and then we can move onto his beautiful, tanned, golden skin and gorgeous red lips. I LOOOVEEEEEE IT SO MUCH I LOVE CURVES HERE AGAIN AAAAAAA I'll literally say it every time because it's the best part of your every set and I'm A COWARD TO MAKE MY GIFS TOO DARK AND DO THE CURVES THE WAY I WANT TO SKDJJSKS so i admire yours 😌✨

this gifset just simply brings me so much joy, it's like drinking a glass of cold water in the middle of the night, it's like feeling a warm gentle touch of sunlight on your skin when the sun is rising, it's like a fresh breeze ✨ again, stunning coloring, i love how you mixed oranges with this pastel blue and beiges you have kinda going there 🙇‍♀️ on its just so so so pretty AND ALSO OF COURSE /THEM/, THEY ARE JUST SILLY AND BEAUTIFUL, NEXT QUESTION

AJSHSJJSDKABSJDKSKKSS FIRST OF ALL THE ✨BONUS✨ IS LITERALLY ME @ YOU AFTER YOU DROPPED OF THIS GIFSET like you know i like this whole situation we have going on here wink wink how old was he in 2015 lemme do a quick math yeah 18 EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD WAS HE AND HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO LOOK LIKE THIS???? yeah no if i was a stan back then we would have a problem you know 👊✊🤜👊🤛✊👊 me looking like.... just nowhere near /this/ good..... at almost 20th year of my life is crying. i love the use of reds and brown here AND OF COURSE CURVES, MOVING ON

🍯🍯🍯🍯🍯!!!!!! THIS SET LOOKS LIKE A HONEY COMB!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ i love how vibrant and bright the background is but you still managed to restore his skin into a perfect golden shade AHHHHHH it's so pretty

NEXT ONE IS DEDICATED FOR USER TAEYUNGIE IDK HER BUT SHE'S SURE DAMN LUCKY 🔊🔊🔊🔊 PLEASE i was so happy when you decided to make this set in the end 🥺🥺🥺 i belive i already screamed lots under the set in the tags but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH it's amazing beautiful just gorgeous from head to toe (a gif i mean cuz clearly we cannot see his toes SKSJSJSKSJSK) A M A Z I N G coloring, veey warm very soft he just looks like a carmel with raspberry on top (WHY DO I USE SO MANY FOOD REFERENCES SKJSJSKS I'M NOT HUNGRY I SWEAR) BUT NO, FOR REAL. he just looks so cozy here and i wanna hug him so much 😔😔😔 long story short my mind and stomach perform pirouettes because i'm head over heels for this man. AGAIN THANK YOU SM BABY FOR DEDICATING THIS ONE FOR ME ❤️❤️❤️

we're here, we survived till the 10th and at the same time last gifset of this post, TIME TO POP THE CHAMPAGNE ✨ and scream a little but more because HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL I'M LITERALLY FEELING MYSELF EVAPORATING SJSJKSKSKS the contrast here is darker than usual AND I'M LOVING IT it's bringing all his best features also he just looks like a glazed donut which kinda makes me cry (WAIT I JUST REALIZED I AGAIN DID A GOOD REFERENCE SKJSJS WTF) BUT HIS GLOW 😭 HIS GLOW 😭😭✨ just amazing, it's inappropriate how much i spent staring at this set KSJSJSKSK

when i tell you that writing this one took me like... two hours. but it was totally worth it and purely out of love for your stuff. anyway, i deserve a kiss on the forehead 😌

creators send me 🎨 & I’ll tell you my favorite of your last ten creations and why

[ecl1pse]

Hi! I saw ur post on how it’s hard to stan gidle bc of the questionable stuff they do and since I don’t know much about it can u please explain to me anything problematic they’ve done? Not that I doubt u I just wanna know about it

ooh, girl! lemme tell ya. this is gonna be a long one, and i will preface this saying i absolutely do not have all the facts and details, but this is what i’ve gathered in my time being a mostly soft neverland.

when (g)i-dle debuted they released this v beautiful mv along with their debut song latata. in the mv the girls had henna in their hands, which, ok. nothing too bad, right. but that was just the beginning of a very weird history of cultural appropriation.

then they released another banger: hann (alone). amazing vocals. amazing sound. cool choreo. but the mv was littered with all these…hm. middle eastern references. which. ok, latata also had some of that. it’s…ok. maybe they’re just going for A Thing. it’s ok. this is just their first comeback, their second single overall, and their first digital single release ever. BUT during one of end of year shows, the girls found themselves in hot water bc they had a stage where they had freaking synagogue as their backdrop. not even like a cool 3d stage, it was printed synagogue on freaking sheet. we all collectively had a very oof moment. (also, shuhua had like, no lines in this song. a crime on itself.)

after that came senorita. which should have been called señorita. it was catchy, it was replayble, it was spicy. it was also also kind of weird how they had a guy just singing “señorita” in the background, and no other lyrics in spanish, other than soojin saying “señor” by the end…hm. also the beat is just very generic “latin-inspired” song. in one of their live stages they had a fake-ass mariachi band as their….back up dancers. or whatever. they were just in the background pretending to play the trumpets. which personally i found more funny than offensive. but also i’m mexican and when momoland dressed up in ponchos, sombreros and fake mustaches, me and my sister just laughed and went “haha we do look like that!” i can take a joke. like, very easily. (also, if you want a more tactful latin-inspired k-pop song, listen to vav’s senorita & give me more. absolute bops imo.)

after that came uh-oh, which is a very clearly an old-hip hop inspired comeback, even down to the mv. it’s proooobably my favorite song of theirs ngl. this comeback wasn’t…too bad or shrouded in controversy, ‘cause tbh the mv director did a pretty good job at paying homage to late 90s/early 2000s music videos. but still, some people were skeptical considering the rep they had been building up. and at this time it was becoming very clear that soyeon is calling the shots, or at least has the most say out of all the girls both in songwriting and art directing when it comes to their concepts/mvs.

during the summer/fall of 2019 gidle participated in the competition show queendom. in the show, during the planning of the stage performance for their cover of 2ne1′s fire, soyeon asked yuqi to make “tribal sounds” for the opening of the song and sing it like she’s “an african chief” and said this was how they could keep their sound, which she describes as “ethnic hip.” it was. gross. and the rest of the girls just laughed it off. queendom pretty much ended up confirming everyone suspicions that soyeon is the one coming up with these ideas and the rest of the girls are just there to do what she says. you can look up the behind the scenes and planning of the stages on m-net’s youtube channel. soojin doesn’t even get a word out when they were planning the fire stage. it’s…weird ngl. you can’t even accuse m-net of evil editing this one bc she just says that! like, wtf. anyways [here is an excerpt of the video]. she says it with such a straight face, too. ew.

people demanded an apology from gidle, soyeon more specifically. it never came. so people boycotted their next release: lion. honestly i don’t know if any transgressions happened during this time cuz i was just so put off by what was mentioned above that to this day i can’t really even vibe to lion. it just brings a guttural disgust to my whole being.

i’m little iffy on the timeline here – bc like i mentioned, i was keeping as far away as possible from gidle at the time cuz of soyeon’s comments – but i do remember that some time after yuqi found herself in hot water for a comment she made about shuhua during a livestream that went like she “needed darker skin to be a police because her white skin wouldn’t let her to catch criminals at night.” or at least that’s how a fanclub made it sound like. it sounded v suspish, but a lot of fans came to her defense saying the joke was poking fun at how fair shuhua is and how she wasn’t actually making fun of darker skin. the fanclub that made the translation actually came out with a letter of apology saying they had rushed the translation and the joke was actually little more nuanced than what they made it out to be. regardless, yuqi actually apologized on a fancafe letter. which was actually really nice of her, since the mistake wasn’t so much on her part, and if anything this is a way lighter offense than anything soyeon has ever done or said, and yet….

[here is a koreaboo article that includes screenshots of the fancafe letter and a translation]

it’s been awhile since gidle/soyeon have said or done anything since – well, it’s been a while since they have released anything, and they’ve been under a microscope since the queendom incident. also, i haven’t payed attention at all to what they have been doing, if they have been doing anything, lol.

their latest transgression has been the very blatant, very suspicious uplifting of imagery from fka twig’s cellophane mv onto their mv for their newest single, oh my god. @anna-something made a [post] which very clearly lays it all out, screenshots and everything. considering all the evidence above i have to say this one also falls on soyeon’s shoulders yet again. also, as i was making this post someone commented on an yt comment i made on a mv reaction of the mv (since i’m not gonna give them views, lol) saying “maybe they have the same mv director.” i looked it up, they don’t. cellophane was directed by andew thomas huang, while oh my god was directed by yoon rima.

in conclusion, it is very exhausting to try to stan (g)i-dle. wouldn’t recommend it. mostly because soyeon does not seem like the greatest person ever. now, i will say i am all for cultural appreciation! in fact, i tried to believe that’s what they were going for during senorita. but… it’s become very clear that soyeon doesn’t understand there IS a line between appreciation and blatant appropriation, so she tends to fall on the latter. if she just apologized, strived to be better, and actually took the criticism and applied it towards becoming a better person – and therefore a better artist – than i could get behind her 100%. but as it stands right now, i don’t like her. i don’t like her at all. i have given her chances, but she does not seem to want to accept her missteps. she doesn’t even addresses them at all. and i’m tired. if yuqi could, why can’t she? i doubt cube, as shady as they are, is keeping her from releasing some sort of statement. 

if she intends to make it big over here in the west she needs to grow up, she needs to apologize. until she does that she will continue to jeopardize not only her own career, but also yuqi’s, miyeon’s, soojin’s, shuhua’s, and minnie’s careers, and they really don’t deserve that. she might be the biggest voice in the group, but she’s also the one dragging them down. APOLOGIZE, SOYEON, GODDAMMIT!

if anyone wants to add anything else that missed, please feel free to do so.

[cddump]

Again (Sitting Three, 2426 words)

The movers were at least kind enough to place Casper's heavier furniture in the proper places they had discussed beforehand. It had cost a bit extra but he wouldn't have been able to set everything up by himself and having the movers wait for him to help wasn't an option. Casper stood from the doorway and flicked the light switch. The darkness that had encased his living room lifted in an instant, and the brightness revealed his couch and television sitting proudly in their places. A few cardboard boxes sat on the corner, but he ignored them for now and headed into the room to the right. The two-bedroom apartment was chosen specify so Casper could convert one of the rooms into a work office, and as he entered that room his desk was already set up against the wall. All that was missing was the monitor and computer. On the opposing wall from the computer desk was a slanted wooden drawing desk. It's shape and size were perfect for its purpose and he was happy to see it in one piece. More cardboard boxes lined the wall and Casper greedily opened them with the box cutter he had stashed in his bag before the trip started. He peered inside and was satisfied with the condition of his computer, monitor, and drawing tablet. If those key items survived the trip, then there was no doubt his printer and scanner had fared just as well. Instead of opening the rest of the boxes, 

Casper investigated the rest of the apartment for himself and returned to the living room. This was his home now, but it all felt so alien. The silent stillness of it all was off-putting, and despite having most of his furniture already set up, it still looked eerily empty. It was also obvious the place had just been cleaned, as the sterile odor of cleaning agents was all he could smell. It made him dizzy, like the smell within an overbearing and enclosed new car. Casper opened the window that was on the same wall as the TV to let in some of the night's cold air. As soon as he slid the window upwards, a stiff gust hit his face, and he couldn't help but enjoy the brisk breeze. Casper turned around. The small and narrow kitchen was behind a chest high wall. He would be able to watch television while using the stove, and it reminded him of a bar. Albeit a small and cheap one, with a pantry hidden away in the corner for storage. Opposite of his work office was his own bedroom. The office had a bathroom next to its doorway, but this apartment was seemingly designed with a 'master bedroom' in mind and had a small bathroom attached to it deeper in. Inside the bedroom, his bed had been placed against the wall, with a much smaller television placed opposite of it on top of his dresser. “So much for a grand tour,” he mumbled. Still, he couldn't help but smile to himself. The apartment was small, but it was all he needed. For now, he needed to start unpacking. A sudden ring filled the apartment as Casper wiped sweat from his forehead. He had lost track of how long he had been unpacking for, but was surprised with how much he had managed to get done. His ringing phone sat on the coffee table, which he quickly answered happily after seeing the name displayed. “Hello.” Despite how happy he was to see his sister calling him, his tired nature took priority and Casper couldn't work up any enthusiasm for the greeting. “Hey, Casper!” Crystal's voice responded through the line, “how's the move coming?” Casper yawned loudly and with purpose. “That bad, huh?” “It's not terrible, actually. But I can tell it's going to take me a while to get used to this.” “Mmm. That's how it was for me and Zoey too. Think you'll get any sleep tonight?”      “I'll try but it doesn't look likely,” he answered as he rubbed his eyes. “It's a new place entirely. My body needs time to get used it too.” “Well I hope you do. You still have those piano CDs, right?” “Yeah. I'll play them if I can't get any sleep. Hopefully that'll work.” “Is that Casp?” A third voice asked through the line. “Ah, yeah it is,” Crystal said, away from the phone. “Lemme talk to him, lemme talk to him! Hi Casper!” The high pitched voice grew louder with the last two words as Zoey spoke directly into the phone. Casper could mentally see Crystal trying to wrestle the phone back away from her roommate. “Hey Zoey, what's up?” “Forget me, what's up with you? How's the place?” “Quiet, actually.” Zoey made a grunt, one Casper recognized. “Did my sister tackle you to the ground?” “She's mean!” “Give me my phone!” Crystal's voice was in the background and Casper smiled to himself. “Uh-oh. Gotta go, Casp! Byeeeeee!” “Hello?” Crystal said, her voice directly in line with the phone. “Hi, yeah.” “Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm sure you'll get used to the place soon. We gotta visit you at some point too!” “I'd like that.” “Have you made any friends yet? I know it's been less than a day, but still.” “...Well. I wouldn't really call him a 'friend,' but I ran into my neighbor." “Oh yeah? Friendly guy?” “I guess. I think he's a little crazy, but harmless. I hope.” “What do you mean?” “He thinks aliens are after him. That's why he lives on the ground floor.” “...What?” “Or, wait no, he's looking for molemen? And is digging a tunnel to find them? I'm not sure, he was hard to follow.” “Sounds creepy. Have fun with that one.” “I'm sure I will.” “Alright. I was just calling to check in on you, so I'm gonna let you go.” “For sure.” “Call if you need anything, alright?” “Mm-hmm.” “Goodnight, bro.” “I sure hope it will be. Goodnight. Tell Zoey bye for me too.” “Right. Later.” The phone went quiet after that, and Casper stood up to stretch. He had been unpacking for long enough, and he decided to try and get some sleep. After a quick swap of clothing, Casper pulled the covers off his bed and slid in before closing his eyes. He emptied his mind, and waited. The tiredness he felt from traveling weighed down on him like a ton of bricks. His feet were sore from being cramped behind crowded train seats and cold walks through the night. His arms felt as if they were being pulled down by jugs of water, and his head pounded from lack of sleep. Yet, hours passed and nothing happened. He lay there with his eyes closed, waiting for rest that simply would not come. And he knew it wouldn't. He sat up and reached for the music player he had unpacked. His heavy finger pressed down on the play button and smoothing piano and violin notes filled the room. Again, Casper tried. He flipped the pillow over and placed his head on the cool sheet, letting the waves of music wash over him. Another hour passed with no rest to be found. The music had reached its end twenty minutes ago and began to repeat itself, but Casper knew there was nothing he could do. Instead, he stood in irritation and put a jacket on over his sleeping shirt. Sweatpants and slippers would do for what he had planned. He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water from the faucet before downing it quickly. Casper grabbed his phone and key before heading out into the building's hallway. Usually Casper would take walks around the block in this situation. It rarely helped, but was better than suffering in bed. However, his feet hurt too much for that and he didn't know this area well enough anyway, so instead he opted to head to the roof of the apartment complex for a change of scenery. Casper walked down the hallway and was thankful to find an elevator. The idea of walking up stairs pained him and he was happy to take the easy way out. He pressed the button against the wall and was surprised when the doors opened instantly. The elevator was completely empty as Casper entered it, and as it ascended he checked his phone. Three in the morning. Crystal had called him at eleven, which meant he spent four hours trying to sleep. He sighed as the elevator halted, and the doors quickly opened for him. The night sky was still dark, though from here the stars were harder to spot thanks to the city lights. The roof's ledges were walled away by a tall chain link fence, and as stepped into the darkness, another gust of wind struck him. “Hey, dude,” came a call. Casper raised an eyebrow. There were lamp posts scattered across the rooftop, and a man walked under the light of one. “Oh, it's you.” “What's with that greeting, man?!” Alex cried. “You should be happier to see me.” “Sorry. I'm tired.” Casper walked towards Alex, who sat on a foldable chair before pointing to a stack of them. “Can't sleep, huh? Pull up a chair, my man.” “Thanks. And no I can't. Not a wink.” Casper placed his own chair next to Alex's. They were facing the fenced ledge over-viewing the city. The streets were empty, and Casper could see some poor bastard at a red light. There was no other cars or traffic, yet the light refused to turn green for him. “Weird.” “...What?” “I said that's weird. This place is super quiet since we're away from the main road. People never have trouble sleeping here.” “Mmm.” “You one of them insomniacs, bro?” Casper sighed heavy as he rubbed his eyes. “Yeah.” “Oh, you are? I was bluffing. Thought you were like me.” “Like you?” “I take twenty minute naps every two hours. It's the most efficient sleep schedule for humans. Plus it keeps you away from the government's designated sleeping hours so they can't brainwash you.” Casper couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. “I'm serious man. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to brainwash you but failed. That's probably why you have insomnia, you know. Government diddlyed you over.” “Whatever. Do me a favor and don't tell anyone, alright?” “Word. ...wait, why?” Before Casper could answer, the elevator opened once again. “Oh, she's here. I told you I was meeting with someone, didn't I? Don't worry, you can stick around. You're cool enough to pick this up. Cuz you're smart. Like me.” A woman stepped out of the elevator and made her way to the two men. From the limited light available, Casper could see the woman's brown hair was long and straight, though a newsboy cap sat on her head. Her amber eyes pierced through the night as she stared at Alex. “Hello there, miss Chase. How are we this fine evening?” “Damn it, Alex. I should have known better than to take another job from you,” the woman answered as she pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. She gazed sideways at Casper. “Nice bedhead. Mom couldn't comb your hair?” She said. “Nice hat,” he snapped back in tired irritation, “sold enough newspapers for that bike yet?” Chase smiled back earnestly. “Whoa hey, calm down you two,” Alex told them, “Dude, she isn't like us. She needs sleep to function. She gets cranky if she's up this late. And Chase, take it easy, my bro's got amnesia.” “Insomnia,” Casper corrected him. “And I told you not to tell people that.” “But why not? No shame, my man!” “I just don't want to be known as 'that dude with insomnia, alright?” “Hey!” Chase clapped her hands twice loudly before placing the cigarette in her mouth. “I got a job to do. Alex, what the diddly, man? I thought we agreed no more goose chases?” “So it was a dead end too, huh?” Alex asked as Chase lit her cigarette. The burning tip glowed in the night's darkness. “No shit. Hey, 'bro,' you smoke?” Chase tilted her pack towards Casper, but he held his hand in protest. “Nah. I appreciate it though. And I go by Casper. Casper Donn.” “I'm Chase Conner. Here, my card.” Chase reached into her back pocket and handed him a slim white card. It read 'Chase Conner, Private Investigator,' and listed her work address and phone number. “You're a PI?” “That a problem?” “No. Actually I think it's kinda cool.” “It really isn't as glamorous as you think it is. More often than not I just check on cheating spouses or try to find someone's lost cat. Don't even get me started on the jobs this idiot's set up for me.” “I would     love     to hear about the jobs this this idiot's set up for you.” “Hey man, that's not cool,” Alex interrupted. “What about client confidentiality, huh?” “Meh,” Chase shrugged, “just as a taste, this last job involved me chasing a squirrel with a tracking chip Alex placed on it.” “...A squirrel?” “He thinks aliens domesticated all of Earth's and are using them to steal people's prescription meds. Then the squirrels take the medication to their mothership. By the way, Alex. The squirrel you tagged? I found it dead in a river.” “Damn it!” Alex hissed, “they were two steps ahead of us!” “If you know this guy's a nut, why take jobs from him?” “The first gig he set up was an accidental victory,” Chase responded. “He thought there was an underground mutant flea market or something below the sewers on the outskirts of town. I thought he was full of shit but when I went down there I found a huge drug operation. I reported that to the police and was given a nice reward. From then on I figured he might be lucky and might keep accidentally finding good scoops for me.” “How's that worked out for you?” “It hasn't. Speaking of which. Alex?” “Yeah?” “I'm blacklisting you. Don't bother calling for a job, cuz I'm not taking anymore from you.” “Shiiit, really?” “Yeah, really. Good to meet you, Casper. Give me a call if you need my services.” Casper nodded, and Chase walked towards the staircases, opting to walk down with her cigarette. “Damn it,” Alex cursed, “the squirrels must have gotten to her.”