#or b) they're taking advantage of his popularity

[flythesail]

I wonder if Amandla and Manny got the news before or with everyone else

[angelicsjn]

How would ocs act if darling is already in an established relationship with someone else? Also I'm really interested in your religious oc, religious themes and imbalances just get me going lol

YOUR SEVEN YANDERES.

A N: This might be a lil short, my apologies...

A B O U T: You are in a relationship, and it's not with them.

W A R N I N G S: Hints of homewrecking.

— ROMAN BEAUREGARD.

Have you heard rumours around F1 drivers and their dating lives?

He doesn't care.

Call him Ariana Grande because he will break into your house and make you a new home.

If he wants you, he will get you, regardless of your relationship status.

But, he does it in a way that's so seamless that nobody even questions his motives, I mean. If it's true love, who is he to leave that chance?

— LATEN REED.

He's not like Roman, but he's still on it.

He wants that damn cookie.

He uses his popularity to his advantage. Everyone loves him, and it's easy for him to turn your partner into an enemy.

He will snoop around and find out anything that makes them even look slightly bad and capitalises on it.

— JAE 'NIKO' LEE.

This man straight up doesn't give a fuck.

He'd kill the bitch for even sniffing around you.

"You can do better than them, they're weird as fuck." And honestly, he's so true (he's got you bedazzled by his good looks)

— KAIDAN WOLFE.

No.... you don't....?

They don't exist to him.

One day, you're with someone. The next you're, like, not. You're with him.

He makes sure that the whole world knows, even you find out when you go onto your phone to see it's blown the hell up.

— HAYDEN WEST.

He's biting his fist.

He's a good boy. He can't do this. He feels so guilty.

So he settles with a friendship....

But he's so attentive. So kind. Caring. It's hard not to fall in love, really.

— JOSHUA WHITE.

Joshua is seen as one of the sweeter few, but he's very deceptive like that.

They aren't a follower of God? He turns the town on them. They said the Lords name in vain? He's rubbing his hand together.

He finds anything to turn the town against them. He finds anything to turn you against them.

He wouldn't make you cheat, no. But he will help you end it with them.

— BLAKE CROSS.

"That's... you chose that?" He'd actually laugh. "Come on, you're too good looking for that thing, Jesus Christ. We're you drunk?"

He's obvious that he wants a piece, and to be frank, he doesn't care. Lmao.

He makes it obvious, and why wouldn't you want him back? He's good-looking, rich, funny, he will take care of you.

He doesn't force it. He doesn't have to. He just worms his way into your life and gets comfortable. That's enough.

[merakiui]

Been waiting to do thisss

⭐️ for tmdg!!! Plssss!!!!

Omg I've been wanting to ramble about tmdg!!! Thank you for asking!! <3 there are many details to discuss, but I listed a few below!

(ask game)

✧ many moray eel facts and behaviors are scattered throughout the story. Like the gaping mouths to signal a want to mate or their toxic blood or how most morays aren't monogamous or how they're a territorial species. Additionally, since Jade and Floyd are canonically bioluminescent, I thought it would be interesting if they were able to glow brightly when they're attracted to someone. >:D

✧ "body language" is mentioned often. this is an allusion to The Little Mermaid (specifically Ursula's line of "and don't underestimate the importance of body language!"), but also a nod to how moray eels interact in courtship. A lot of the gestures are based on body language, and I love the concept of the trio using body language as a means of flirting or conveying certain feelings without having to verbalize them.

✧ the scene in which reader becomes a grouper mer,,,, moray eels and groupers are actually hunting partners. they have a mutualistic bond in which they work together to hunt for meals. it's initiated by the grouper approaching the eel's living space and signaling to them through body language that they'd like to engage in a joint hunt. this is meant to mirror the mutualism Jade and reader have as well as show just how good of a match they are. Even as mers, they are perfect for each other. <3

✧ the title "The Most Dangerous Game" refers to the short story of the same name, in which a hunter is stranded on an island and meets a general who loves to hunt the most dangerous game of all (human beings). For you and Jade, the most dangerous game involves navigating your situationship while trying not to fall for him and his charms. There's a point in the story where you may be able to catch Reader's shifting feelings. >:)

✧ you can tell Jade really does love you when he gives you the entire tray of mushroom brownies. Jade is a foodie with a big appetite and he loves to eat, so for him to bake an entire tray of something and then not keep a single leftover for himself,,,, oh, he's so in love. orz he wants to provide for you, not just by cooking meals for you, but in many other ways as well, such as when he comforts you during the times in which you get upset and cry. :D I like to imagine one of the biggest love languages for merfolk is giving gifts (whether that's actual materialistic items or something intangible like quality time). it's a guarantee you'll be well-fed with Jade because he loves cooking for you!!!!

✧ heliotrope symbolism (eternal love).

✧ the moon and star comparisons. you liken Floyd to a star: something that shines brightly but can also be popular if not read as the astronomical definition. Jade likens you to the moon because, unlike the stars, there is only one moon (Earth's moon) and thus there is only one of you. but there's also something so romantic in Jade pining for the moon because the sky and sea are so separate from one another. truly a bittersweet reflection of Jade's feelings. they're as deep as the sea, but can't be encapsulated in the solar system because there is no room for him there (not when you're so in love with Floyd and have made him your entire world). orz

✧ the recurring mention of scent. I like the idea of merfolk being able to scent their partners so that it's easier to find them, but also so that they can make it known to others that that person is taken. >:) Jade claims he's been scenting you for fun, but the truth is that he fully intended to let everyone know that you are his. <3 Jade takes advantage of your limited knowledge on mer customs and culture hehe.

✧ all of the times in which Floyd (the real Floyd) is being sweet to you (buying you perfume or kissing you on the cheek)... those are just his ways of being much too friendly towards you. he never had any romantic attraction towards you to begin with, which is why it drove Jade so crazy because you were looking at and loving the wrong eel!!!! T_T

✧ the times in which phony Floyd is talking about Jade are actually Jade's true feelings and actions. he really did stay up late to learn new recipes for you. and he truly isn't very physical with others. jade just loves you too much and likes being near you, touching you, kissing you, etc. orz he had to say those things as floyd, otherwise he would have just said them outright and he's trying to have some tact. ;;;;

✧ the dinner date scene was Jade's attempt at having a genuine date with you, but because you're so Floyd-brained you mistook his gesture as being part of your arrangement. ^^;;;; in fact, most of the times in which Jade tries to be authentic, you either don't believe him or interrupt him to ramble about Floyd LOL. but the dinner date was the one time in which he was hoping to do something with you that wasn't part of your deal and instead just something between you and jade. >_< he's trying his best...

✧ the waltz you share with Jade is 100% courtship. reader refers to it as a "competition, not courtship," but she forgets Octavinelle is underwater and thus, as Jade noted, both of those things are indeed the same under the sea.

✧ when you ask Jade what the both of you will be after your tryst in the Coral Sea, he leaves the specifics up to you for your decision. he does this a lot in the fic (such as asking if you'd like the dinner date to qualify as such) because, though he appears mostly confident in his actions and words, he's too cowardly to clearly illustrate what the two of you are and doesn't want to do so when he knows you may not reciprocate. he also just wants to hear the words from your mouth because he hopes that, after all of these questions, you'll eventually say the thing he wants to be with you: lovers. :D

✧ alongside Jade and reader having a few similarities (one of which being the obsessive degrees they're willing to go to for their crush), there's significance in their feelings and how they handle them. reader's chasing someone who will never turn around to look at and love her. Jade's chasing someone who only looks at him when he's Floyd. though reader loves to extremes, she's scared of that love being reciprocated, which is partially why she doesn't let Jade say "I love you," whereas Jade just doesn't want to love in silence. they're both not the best at navigating love, and the ways they do it are,,,, questionable. orz but they both understand each other on that level because they're so obsessed. it's crazy to crazy communication. to quote Azul: "a match made in madness."

[yesloulou]

I mean if the rumours are true and he actually cut Michael off, I dont think Daniel would not do the same for Dax if he truly was unconfortable with his podcast or how much Dax talks about him. So maybe as with his relationship to Michael we don't really know if Dax is taking advantage of Daniel being a people pleaser.

Like I am all for babygirlyfing Daniel but he's been in the spotlight for a long time so I assume he knows where to draw a line when someone is taking advantage of him/his popularity.

re

anon i see where you're coming from! i also wouldn't say daniel is in a 'wanting to stand up for himself and say no to being taken advantage of but can't' situation, at all. for me their dynamics is more nuanced. (for mixing personal life with business). they're friends. on top of that dax obvi monetarily benefits from befriending daniel (views/publicity), and i think daniel has his reason to be there too (for starters the shepards are both well connected people). soo i too wouldn't say daniel is being taken advantage of, at least not like that

what i would say tho, (and this is my personal opinion although i do feel very strongly about it lol) is that daniel is the type of person who, when feeling uncomfortable/offended, he'd laugh even louder, appear even friendlier, as a disguise.

exhibit a: him on that god awful misogynistic podcast blake somehow okay'd exhibit b: on dax's podcast when he realized it was an erotic novel about himself exhibit c: that time crofty asked him a stupid question during press conference. max could be seen getting more and more annoyed by the second. meanwhile daniel smiled bigger and bigger. and when max interrupted to defend him daniel was NOT SURPRISED AT ALL even though he had appeared totally ok with the question up until that point. he just made a face like welp i tried to be civil but i do have a boyfriend max that will bite your face off

it might feel counter intuitive that someone would try to seem even friendlier when they're uncomfortable but imo it's the same as when he wasn't sure if dax was joking about the existence of that erotica book, he said 'im very gullible' instead of something more direct and inquisitive. to me daniel's way of conflict resolution is to show friendliness and harmlessness in hopes of the other party returning his good faith. (which is also why mclaren was able to take advantage of him like that imo)

anyways, this is why i rlly don't like seeing daniel interact with this particular kind of people (people who take other people's sincerity as a sign that they can push for more. for example apparently dax now thinks it's okay to read that daniel erotica book to daniel on his podcast). ik daniel has been in the spotlight for a long time and im not trying to babygirlify him when it comes to serious topics, but i do think he's vulnerable in this particular aspect

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Main Story S4CH4 ‘The One Without’ - Final

Part 2

Chapter 5 

-rehearsal room-

kasumi: Looks like Team B are going to continue as a team of four until the closing show.

mokuren: Yeah.

kasumi: Since there's guests that know about what happened to Heath last time, as expected a lot of unease is spreading.

zakuro: Although this wound is shallower than having to cancel their performances midway, I still feel a sizeable amount of guilt. If I had not taken Heath to the meeting that day, we may have arrived at a different outcome.

mokuren: ........

kasumi: About that... Why did you even bring Heath to the meeting? They were discussing what to do about Team B's solo performance right?

zakuro: Indeed. I had thought that it was most likely something Mizuki could not decide on his own. However there was no time before the show began, so there was no option to leisurely talk things through with Team B. So then, if Heath, who was the main cause of concern were there himself, I figured the discussion would be quicker. In order to persuade Mizuki, I brought Heath with me.

kasumi: I see...

zakuro: However it was not as though I wished for him to stand on stage despite his illness—

-mokuren grabs zakuro by the collar-

zakuro: Ngh...!

mokuren: Heath collapsed because he was weak. However the one who tempted him into making it happen was you. This is all the result of your pointless ulterior motives. Don't go saying this didn't all play out exactly to your expectations, Zakuro.

kasumi: Mokuren, calm down! Please let go of him!

zakuro: ...It's as you said, I did indeed predict a situation such as this may occur. However, all I did was gather the ingredients. Where does that leave Mizuki who decided to take to the stage regardless?

mokuren: He's just a stupid brat. It's true he's the one that must take responsibility for Team B. But don't go placing all the blame on that kid's shoulders.

zakuro: ...Understood.

-mokuren lets zakuro go-

mokuren: If you try and spew anymore useless excuses from that mouth of yours, I'll make it so you can never open it again.

-mokuren leaves-

kasumi: Zakuro. Regardless of the outcome, one sidedly taking advantage of someone for your own gain is considered 'evil' y’know.

zakuro: —Indeed, so it seems. I'm grateful for everyone's consideration, I shall proceed with caution from now on.

—end

-

Chapter 5 extra

-subway-

sotetsu: Yo, Nekome.

nekome: Oh, if it isn't Sotetsu. Are you going to Starless?

sotetsu. Yeah, more or less. You seem to be surprisingly cheerful despite the amount of people that are sniffing around for info on you.

nekome: Woah, that's a bit blunt of you. But well, it can't be helped can it? I'm one popular guy after all. You're quite eager yourself, you don't have a shift today right?

sotetsu: I guess. It's just with Team B and C making a big fuss, I'd be stupid not to move whilst they're acting as a nice distraction.

nekome: Hmm, I don't know what that’s about but you must be up to no good.

sotetsu: My reputation is that bad huh?

nekome: (suddenly serious) Sotetsu.

sotetsu: Hm?

nekome: I'll tell you this as an old friend, don't go looking into Zakuro too much. I doubt there's any dirt on him that would please you. That's just my hunch at least.

sotetsu: Oh? What are you trying to get at there? My goal, or Zakuro's background?

nekome: How would I know when I disappeared? I told you, it's all just a hunch.

sotetsu: Aw, that's no fun.

nekome: It's just, he makes my danger sensor go off, you know what I mean?

sotetsu: Zakuro huh... With his amnesia and the fact he's an acquaintance of Kei, he does seem pretty fishy. Hearing you say that actually makes me want to look into

him more y'know.

nekome: You're as twisted as ever. You should value my warning more.

sotetsu: It's just in my nature.

nekome: Well whatever. If you're going to chase him either way, just prepare yourself for the consequences.

—end

-

Chapter 5 SideA

-street, night-

saki: (I couldn't find Mizuki anywhere after B's show tonight, I hope he's ok...)

-saki spots mizuki-

saki: (Just now... Was that Mizuki-san? He went in a different direction than both the station and Starless... I'll follow him and try talk to him.)

-park, night-

saki: Mizuki-san!

mizuki: What?

saki: Woah!? What happened to you, you're injured!

mizuki: This is nothin'. It'll heal in its own.

saki: No way, we need to treat it. You have another show tomorrow, don't you?

mizuki: That doesn't matter.

saki: Yes it does! At least let me clean it.

-time pass-

saki: Here, I wet my handkerchief, I'm going to clean it now.

mizuki: Sigh... Do what you want.

-saki steps closer to wipe his face-

mizuki: Guh... It's so cold!

saki: Please endure it.

-saki steps back-

saki: There, I think the swelling has gone down at little. I'm done now, Mizuki-san.

mizuki: That was so freakin' cold, are you stupid? Even though it's already cold enough tonight.

saki: It was swelling, you couldn't just leave it alone... Did you get into a fight?

mizuki: It wasn't a fight… Not technically at least.

saki: But someone hit you.

mizuki: It's fine, who cares, this has nothing to do with you... Those who complain about every little thing are just weak.

saki: Huh?

mizuki: Those that are weak can't survive. The strong do whatever they want to them and no matter what they say they're made fun of and stolen from. Cause they're weak. That's why, we won't lose.

saki: (Mizuki-san...)

saki: But still, violence is bad. Injuries hurt and I worry about you.

mizuki: Shut up, I didn't lose so it's fine. Don't tell me what to do when you're just a weakling yourself.

-saki shoves the handkerchief back in his face-

mizuki: Ough!?

mizuki: Quit it, I told you that shit's cold! Handkerchief attacks are foul play!

saki: You told me not to tell you what to do.

mizuki: That doesn't mean you can attack me with your handkerchief! Ok fine whatever, you can speak so quit that. Jeez... I should've just run away from you to begin with.

—end

-

Chapter 5 SideA extra

-street, earlier that night-

mizuki: ...Hm?

-alleyway-

tout 1: —So? What were you saying about the police again?

salaryman: No um, that’s because what you’re doing is wrong.

tout 2: Oh is that so? But aren't you no better when you won't pay us what you owe?

salaryman: That's, um... Wasn't the price way too high? This is a scam, that price definitely was a scam.

tout 1: Shut it already, just cough up your wallet and smart phone, that'll be quicker.

salaryman: No, as I said, if you're not gong to listen then I'll call the police.

tout 2: Don't do that, that'll cause us issues. You're an adult just settle this yourself.

salaryman: Ah, please stop, please give that back!

-mizuki walks up-

mizuki: —Oi.

tout 1: What?

-mizuki punches him-

tout 1: Guh!

salaryman: (scared) !

tout 2: Who the fuck are you?

-mizuki pushes him aside-

mizuki: Hmph!

-mizuki steps on him-

tout 2: Ggh! Agh!

mizuki: Die! Shithead! Kick the bucket already!

-big punch-

tout 2: Ah.. Ngh...

salaryman: Y-young man, that's enough, stop.

tout 1: You asshole, damn brat!

-punches mizuki-

mizuki: ...Huh? What was that? You call that a punch? I didn't even feel it!

-punches tout back-

mizuki: Damn small fry, that wasn't even entertainin'. Oi, old guy, looks like you got pretty lucky huh.

salaryman: I-I suppose.

mizuki: Your phone's over there somewhere, go get it. Cya, fight for yourself next time.

salaryman: W-wait a moment! You can't be doing stuff like this, it'll get you in trouble.

mizuki: Huh?

salaryman: I'll call the police now, so just wait here.

mizuki: Sigh... And what exactly are the police gonna do?

salaryman: They'll... I mean... We should call them...

mizuki: ...Just get out of here already, before I punch your lights out as well.

salaryman: ! (runs away)

mizuki: (spits) Freakin’ gross.

—end

-

Chapter 5 SideB

-behind starless, night-

sin: .......

zakuro: My my, whatever could you have called me out here for, Sin? What a terrifying expression you have on your features. Is this what you'd call a fiery gaze?

sin: You're such a noisy man. Had you intended to use 'that' as a bargaining chip from the beginning?

zakuro: I'm not so sure about that. What if I were to say it was all just a coincidence? I only informed you of one possibility.

sin: You said it would heal him, didn't you?

zakuro: As expected of you, information finds its way to your ears hellishly fast.

sin: Is it the truth?

zakuro: I'd like to avoid having my tongue pulled out, so I keep in mind not to tell lies. From a legal perspective the truth may have been bent a little, however I'd say that's just how the world works.

sin: You’re really going to continue to feign ignorance?

zakuro: Aren't you lacking the amount of cards needed to reveal the forbidden secret?

sin: ........

sin: Your bad taste isn't new, however... Cease toying with Heath and the young lady.

zakuro: Fu... fufufu.

sin: What are you laughing for?

zakuro: You're just as bad yourself. To say that I'm toying with people, such a thing would require too much flair for a puppet without any stuffing like myself. If we were to weigh our sins on a scale, whose would be heavier between you and I? The one who is the most deceptive is obvious.

sin: .......

zakuro: Fufu, time is precious, so let us use each other as best we can. I shall take my leave now, farewell.

-zakuro leaves-

—end

-

Chapter 5 SideB extra

-starless office-

taiga: Oh, you're back. You're looking as sinister as ever.

sin: Taiga. What you gain from robbing a grave is not just treasure.

taiga: Uhh, is that a threat? You're telling me it has nothing to do with me so don't get involved, or something? It's not like I'm trying to get involved, sometimes things just catch your attention.

sin: All prisoners scream their own innocence. Nekome has returned, hasn't your objective already been achieved?

taiga: You said that purposefully didn't you. I want to know why it was that he disappeared. It's true he's back and one of my goals has been fulfilled, but I still don't understand anything.

sin: The light you acquire within the darkness is merely a guidepost that leads to an even deeper darkness. Withdraw now, or you shall lose your chance to.

taiga: Well, I'll do that if it comes to it. Right now I have no reason to withdraw. Cya.

-taiga leaves-

sin: If you kill god then judgement day shall become eternal. It is the act of a fool... Are the boundaries people draw such a fragile thing?

—end

-

Chapter 6

-backstage-

unei: Looks like everyone is here, then I will announce the results of the versus. The winner is... Team B! Congratulations, Mizuki-san!

mizuki: Phew... Naturally.

mokuren: ....... (annoyed)

haseyama: And? The results are all fine and dandy but what are you gonna do now, Team B? Heath is gone so you don't have any songs or a singer. 

mizuki: ....... (frown)

haseyama: Bout time you just threw in the towel and disbanded yeah? I'll interview each of you to decide whether or not to fire you individually.

mizuki: Shut up! Team B ain't disbanding!

-mizuki runs off-

kei: Halt, Mizuki!

haseyama: What, so he ran away? He really is just an immature brat. Well, whatever. The fact that B can't operate anymore hasn't changed. Which means they're officially dissolved.

-lico steps forward-

lico: Please wait a moment. 

haseyama: Excuse me?

saki: (Lico-san?)

haseyama: What is it, you want to start your interview right away do you? I guess in your case you do still have that debt to pay off from when you were a host.

lico: No, that's not what this is about... I'd like to express my gratitude for letting us perform as a group of four.

mokuren: ........

haseyama: Oh, well it's not like it matters anymore right? You got to make one last memory, how nice.

lico: Listen, Owner. We'll do something about the songs, so please don't disband Team B.

haseyama: What nonsense are you spouting? You think a Team B without Heath can make any money?

lico: ...We will, I swear it. We'll still make money, so please.

kei: You desire to prolong B's life?

lico: ...Look I know that I look pathetic right now but, I don't want to leave things unfinished and let us end here. I don't have anyone backing me, so all I can do is lower my head...

-lico bows to haseyama-

lico: Please, give us one more chance!

saki: (Lico-san...)

haseyama: Jeez, what a pain~ Fine, even if you end up being disbanded later it's not like you have any work to do right now. Do whatever you want. However, you never know when I might change my mind, make sure you remember that.

lico: Th...thank you so much!

haseyama: Looks like your debt has gotten even larger, huh? Let's go, Unei.

unei: Y-yes! Excuse us!

-haseyama and unei leave-

lico: (taking deep breaths) ...Thanks for staying here until the end too, Mokuren.

mokuren: Whatever, I didn't do it for your sake.

-mokuren leaves-

kei: We shall depart as well, Saki.

saki: O-ok. Goodbye, Lico.

-kei and saki leave-

lico: ...... (sighs)

—end

-

EX 1

-starless kitchen, table area-

ran: How did it go?

lico: Terribly. Mizuki has no interest whatsoever in having a singer or MC other than Heath.

ran: Sigh... Just what the heck is he thinkin'?

kongou: Well, I do understand how Mizuki feels.

ran: Well ya, even I do y'know? But this and that are completely different stories.

kongou: Ah... You're right.

ran: Hey Lico, how long is pops gonna wait for?

lico: I don't know. He could change his mind and kill us off whenever.

ran: Argh~ When's our next performance?

kongou: Um, if I remember correctly it's in March.

lico: I already told Unei-chan to skip us for that one. Which means... Our next should be in May.

ran: Nice one, Lico! In that case pops has to wait till then too!

kongou: We have about four months then... Finding someone new, having them get used to the team... I'm not sure it's enough time for that.

ran: Right? Plus, we might not only have to fill one spot.

kongou: Huh? What do you mean?

lico: He means that until Heath returns Mizuki probably won't stand on the stage.

ran: Yep.

kongou: What? But this is the team that Mizuki created? 

lico: Don't worry about it, we're just talking in hypotheticals here. But Team B won't be shutting down just yet. If we can't perform our next show, we're out. It's a freaking pain but we just have to do what we can right? Ah~ How dull.

ran: Oh, ya back to ya usual self, Lico~

lico: Shut up, I'm our number 2 I have no choice but to step up. My bad that I have to deal with such a hassle.

ran: I know, I know, I get it!

kongou: We're counting on you, Lico. Let's do our best.

—end

-

EX 2

-outside shrine, evening-

saki: (Without thinking about were I was walking I ended up here...)

-flashback-

heath: —Heath. That's the name that I go by now, Chiaki. 

heath: It's ok though, since I got to see a beautiful colour.

-flashback ends-

saki: (I hope Heath-san is ok...)

-zakuro walks up-

zakuro: My my, if it isn't the little bird of destiny.

saki: Oh, hello Zakuro-san.

zakuro: What a solemn look you have on your face, could it be that you came here searching for Heath?

saki: Even though I know he's in the hospital... My feet just brought me here before I realised it.

zakuro: I see, I see. So this would be what they call a spiritual place for you. When you're feeling down or your chest aches... It's a place that soothes one's restless heart. Is Heath fond of this place too? Maybe because the peaceful atmosphere brings comfort. Are you concerned about Heath's condition?

saki: Yes...

zakuro: Ah, excuse me. Considering your disposition the answer to what question was obvious. I had really thought it to be true though, that he had found his true desire... 

saki: True desire? You think that he wanted to collapse?

zakuro: No, him collapsing was merely the result of it. I tried to imagine it, what it would feel like to live each day not knowing what the next will bring. As if I were like a mayfly, I'm certain I'd want to accomplish as many things as possible. Even if you were to throw away your desires and be put on a life prolonging device, there is still no guarantee you'll live for much longer. Not to mention, we all need money to be able to survive. There may not have been any other options.

saki: .......

zakuro: Even a mere minute or second spent with someone dear to you feels so long. Up upon a stage where he can breathe for as long as he is able to. That is why I had thought Heath managed to achieve his long sought after desire.

saki: And so... Is that why you brought Heath-san along with you to that meeting?

zakuro: Indeed. Although there were unavoidable circumstances, I suppose I just can't help but feel sympathy for those that are suffering from the same illness. 

saki: What?

zakuro: Heath's life or Hari's plans for his future for example. The reasons all vary, but everybody has some sort of time limit. That of course includes myself as well. Every man’s true desire is to achieve what he must do in the finite time that we have on this earth.

saki: (So... What does he mean by that? Is he suffering from the same thing as Heath-san...?)

zakuro: —My apologies, I just remembered that I have a prior arrangement. My little rendezvous with you will have to end here. Please take care on your way home, Saki-sama.

—end

-

EX 3

-break room-

kei: Saki, could I borrow you for a moment.

saki: What is it, Kei-san?

kei: Heath has regained consciousness.

saki: Oh thank goodness! I'm so glad...

kei: However, the fact that he remains in a critical condition has not changed. At present, he isn't allowed out of his hospital room.

saki: I see... But I'm glad that his life isn't in danger anymore.

kei: Heath gave me a message pass on to you. He said, 'I'm sorry that I couldn't stand on the stage and sing until the final show'. That was all.

saki: (Heath-san...)

kei: It's not allowed for the time being, but once we can visit him I'll inform you of which hospital he's being kept at. When that time comes, go and check on him.

saki: Yes, I will. I hope he makes a swift recovery.

kei: Indeed. I hope so too.

—end

[toxic-ship-tournament]

ROUND 1 / SIDE B / POLL 5

13. Theodore Antonov x Cito Putnum ( @pixelpancake246 / @pixelsdoodles ) vs CEO x Arowana ( @owo-whats-bliss )

who makes up your ship?:

Theodore Antonov and Cito Putnum (OCs from my original story Coastal City Dudes)

why does your ship deserve to be considered the most toxic?:

Theo and Cito have been best friends for YEARS. Met when they were around 10/11, and have been by eachother's side since. Theo was raised in a cult, and the rest of his life wasn't much better. They certainly have. A Dynamic. So, they're best friends, as previously mentioned. Completely inseparable, both being in love with the other, leading to very unfortunate circumstances. Cito is very self-sacrificial in his love for Theo, often disregarding his own happiness and well-being to make sure Theo's happy. Theo on the other hand, is so deprived of love and affection that he clings onto and takes advantage of Cito's undying devotion to him. Both are aware of this on some level, but refuse to see it. Denying that there's anything wrong in the first place. There's a lot of little things with them. Cito is a recovering addict, having struggled with abusing alcohol and various other substances since high school. Despite this, Theo regularly does drugs around him and when he was still taking his medications, he wouldn't secure them, leading to Cito overdosing one afternoon. When drunk or high on drugs, Cito has a hard time controlling himself, which tends to manifest in reckless behavior and a hard time keeping his anger in check. Anger issues are something he's dealt with for forever but have repressed well for Theo's sake, rarely letting himself feel or show anything besides positive emotions around anyone. When he's not sober, Cito can get violent, usually towards Theo because of his deeply bottled up frustrations and pain with him. In high school, they were on complete ends of the social hierarchy. Cito was the star of their schools football team, he was insanely popular and liked by all, whereas Theo was a quiet, depressed, loser with no real friends besides Cito. He was constantly bullied, Severely. Often, Cito would stand in the way of this, standing up for Thei since they're best friends and people listen to him. But, he's worried and scared that if he lets up too much, he'll be next, so sometimes, occasionally enough, he lets them beat Theo up, sometimes right in front of him. In their 20's, Theo was dating and eventually engaged to a woman named Rita Barreau, which you can imagine broke Cito's heart because he's been madly in love with Theo for forever. A few months before their planned wedding date, Theo and Rita got into a brutal car accident where Rita died on impact and Theo barely survived, clinging on to what little of a life he had. Ironic really, that this guy who has been incredibly suicidal his whole life gets to live when his girlfriend who tended to act out of self-interest and preservation, dies. The accident didn't just end Rita's life, but changed Cito and Theo's irreparably. Theo became paranoid, secluded and lost in grief, while Cito did what he does best and bottled up his own grief. This is most explicitly shown through thow visibly and undeniably Theo's grief and depression (both extrapolated by the incident but also from before) has affected him, being decorated head to toe in gruesome scars of both an accidental and self-mutilating nature. The accident gave both of them PTSD, but it took almost two decades for Cito to be diagnosed because he had denied it over and over thinking he shouldn't have been that effected by it and that Theo had it much worse. I could go on and on, but I feel like this is already WAY long enough. I hope this gave a good idea on why I think they're perfect for this tournament!

ship tags/playlists/pinterest boards?:

I don't actually tag anything with their ship on Tumblr I believe, just both their names in whatever I post of them in the tags, but I do have a yt playlist! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjVZH50W2oJUVy-P6jXJobjPidG3MM0uW (PS unsure how to send multiple files through Google docs?? but I assure there's way more theocito art than the one piece I submitted)

****

Art by @eggldritchfish

who makes up your ship?:

CEO (human) and Arowana (the weird fish thing)

why does your ship deserve to be considered the most toxic?:

They do extremely unethical experiments on people together under the guise of saving them, but Arowana is just using them to eat the people while telling CEO that that was a last resort. CEO is hopelessly devoted to them, both romantically and religiously, and uses everything he has financially and emotionally to support whatever they do (even to him). Arowana is initially only using him, but falls in love and becomes unhealthily obsessed, threatening to harm those who look at him. CEO is a human, Arowana is a god, keeping him alive no matter what happens to him. (Also, Arowana does have a human form, they're just not in it 80% of the time.)

ship tags/playlists/pinterest boards?:

None of those, but I think about them to the songs "Hakidasu" by Mao Sasagawa and "god, please () me, a monster"

[slashingdisneypasta]

Hatchetfield anon here, and good to know it's fine to gush about them. (Had to Switch off from anonymous to send images :p)

The first one (and possibly less spoiler heavy) would probably be the diva, the queen bee-atch herself: Linda Monroe.

She's from Black Friday and she just scratches that part of my brain that's attracted to dommy rich ladies. She's important, her children are better than everyone else's, and though she thinks her husband is a sniveling fool, she appreciates his loyalty at least. She has a whole song about how she'll make everyone love her ("Adore Me". Quote: "You'll kneel before me, Kiss my toe"), and honestly? She's not wrong. Lot of people fell for the cult "exciting new little religion" that she started (me included. Lauren Lopez just eats her roles right the fuck up).

Then, of course, you have the cooky, reclusive, biology professor: Professor Hidgens.

Mad scientist mixed with theater kid vibes. Literally. He's as extra as you can imagine. And what I like best about him is that he's a "greater good" kind of villain. As soon as he realizes the alien hive mind that's turning the whole town into a musical (not the craziest part of this entire series, by far) could be humanity's last shot at world peace, he's all, "Okay. Yeah. Let's join the hive!", knocking out his allies, opening up the doors of his doomsday bunker, and attracting the hive zombies with his own, recently composed song, "Show Stopping Number" (quote: "it'll unify humanity, in a THUNDERING CHORUS! No exists from this Broadway venue~!"), which mixes in a except from the musical he wrote and was trying to get funding for called "Working Boys".

And finally, we have the most recent ones: Max Jagerman, and Grace Chastity.

Where do I start with Grace... She's a repressed Christian girl who thinks having no sexual thoughts until marriage is supposed to be the norm. Then she starts getting dirty thoughts, kills a man, gets her hands on a book full of rituals powered by eldritch beings and decides, "yeah. This is what I want to do with my life. Seducing pervy dudes and then, if they don't pass the vibe check, consume their soul in order to make me stronger..." One good day away from murder, really, as evidenced by her leading the songs "Bury the Bully" and "Dirty Dudes Must Die". Never really expected a character who has the canonical line "[after character A asks why character B would be in hell] -She's bisexual and dead, where else would she be?" to grow on me so strongly, and yet-

And finally we get to Max Jagerman. The unapologetically bastard of a jock with a God complex ("Don't need no one to tell me / High school will be my peak / So I'm willing to take advantage"). The way everyone paints him as this horrible monster in, well, "Literal Monster", and he doubles down on that when it becomes his turn to sing instead of the expected "I'm not *that* much of a monster, here's my redeeming qualities"... Even when his ghost is being sent to the shadow realm he reacts to it by literally saying "WORTH IT!". He's just hits all the right notes for me. The entirety of "Dirty Girl" was sung directly into my soul.

And i think that's about it for my rambling. Now I leave you with the knowledge that Grace and Max's most popular ship name (that I've seen) is "Holy Ghost/Spirit". Sorry for rambling and have a nice day!

THESE ALL SOUND SO GOOD! I definitely wanna watch these now, or at least just listen to the songs 😅😅😅

I don't even know where to start here! I cant even choose a favourite out of your descriptions!! Thank you so much!! Linda sounds completely like my type XD Oh- I have that same brain-part that makes you crave dommy rich ladies XD Especially if they're mean 😅 I'm happy to be a loyal spineless husband for a pretty woman with a sharp tongue XD Happy.

And Professor Hidgens looks promising too XD If you've been following my Callaghan meltdown you know I have a... Thing... for teachers ☠ And OH, just the way you've described him. 'knocking out his allies, opening up the doors of his doomsday bunker, and attracting the hive zombies with his own, recently composed song, "Show Stopping Number"'- Y E S. I'm all for this.

And- just- Grace and Max sound absolutely perfect XD She seems so gross and awful which I l o v e (When female villains get to be truly despicable and broken??? 👌👌👌), and him?? A villain being exactly (if not worse then) what everyone says??? Absolutely obsess-worthy.

[miss-rum-hee]

Hey Yazzy! I just wanted to mention and ask something, as a black woman talking to another black woman. There's this misinformation online that Elvis and British Invasion bands "stole" black music and "didn't credit" them. Here's an example of someone believing that:

There are other bad faith takes I've seen online, especially Twitter, and some Quora answers that are ignorant, I'm just sharing one. This is designed to slander the bands they mentioned.

The thing is.... most of the people who get accused of basically cultural appropriation have almost all acknowledged the original artists at some point, and they are very open when they talk about blues and jazz influences. And for every black person who makes an accusation, which people blindly believe because "of course black people can't be wrong", they're often very dubious or dumb lawsuits anyway, and many black celebrities loved these people. Elvis? He was open about his influence, and he grew up around black people and hung out with them. Then some fools decided he was a racist. In fact many parents who criticized him were not criticizing him being inappropriate, but "too black for comfort". Seriously. The Stones were popular with black people, Tina Turner loved the Stones. Paul McCartney wrote Blackbird as a metaphor for the race riots in America, the Beatles famously refused to play in segregated spots, the peace and love. Nothing was racist about the Beatles, how do you look at that and still think "Beatles are cultural appropriators and hate black people"?. The only questionable rock star from the top of my head was Eric Clapton because of his (albeit drunken but still) rant about how black people don't belong in Europe. Almost all these people played at the HEAVILY BLACK Woodstock, surrounded by black people. Very few musicians actually took advantage of black people. I'm sick of seeing anti-(insert rock star here) propaganda when they should be blaming radio stations for not playing the originals, but instead they blame the bands. Elvis and the British Invasion were not an attempt to "whitewash" or "butcher" black music, if anything they brought it into popularity and often these musicians would use their music to ADVOCATE for black people. By this logic, Kpop should be cancelled for "stealing" western American music without credit.

Sorry about this rant but I needed to get this off my chest. It's so easy to find racism accusations thrown at bands... when if anyone is the problem, the band is the LEAST of the problems, as said bands always turn out to be allies of black people and have a huge black following. Beatles? Black friendly. Who? Black friendly. Kinks? Black friendly. Stones? Black friendly. Animals? Black friendly. LZ? Black friendly. The Stairway to Heaven case was absolutely ridiculous. None of these people did anything wrong. None of these people are racist

https://www.elvis.com.au/presley/the-definitive-truth-about-elvis-presley-and-racism-according-to-b-b-king.shtml

Admittedly I'm not really into these bands so idrk much about em, but like, what's really the issue here if most of the bands have acknowledged the influences or whatnot?

[chim-chim1310]

I personally don't think you should dislike JK based on his perceived backstabbing of Jimin. We don't know what's the nature of their relationship behind the scenes, how much of the current trip is a professional enterprise and to what extent the other members are ok with JK. We simply don't know so I will not assume. Whether they are ok with it or whether they're not, we know BTS never really exposes any fractures to outsiders. Some people take the distance jikook have had during solo era as an indication of something, some people took his trip to NY as an indication of something else. That's why I'll say that without any real info, there's no way to know and we all know how private Jimin is so that info is probably not coming.

But I will dislike JK based on my personal standards. Not by what I assume but by what I can see and hear is happening. To some extent those standards came from being a BTS stan but I can't lie to myself about them just because they are the ones violating those standards today.

I don't agree with how he's conducted himself as an artist. I don't like the song, I don't like the fact that he's engaged in more payola than any other KPop artist ever, I don't like that he's sided himself with someone as vile as Scooter Braun, I don't like how his supposed debut song had no writing credits and no contributions from him, I don't like how even his debut is a collab, I don't like the fact that it's probably a collab because they're angling for a Grammy nom in the duo / groups category and because they thought an American artist would help for the Hot 100, I don't like the fact that he singlehandedly dismantled the legacy of BTS as an organic group, I don't like the thirst for western validation thats wafting off his promo schedule, I don't like the fact that an English album means he'll only have some token writing credits on it if any, I don't like how he's been given such an advantage over other members even though prior to solo era, Jimin's solo songs have consistently done better than JK's and Taehyung is more popular in numbers in most categories.

Hope that clears things up for anon.

I completely agree with all of this.

You're right. I'm also not hating on jungkook because he backstabbed jimin because we don't know jimin's reaction and we'll never know. I know jimin has good relationship with him but that doesn't mean that we will stop fighting for the way jimin was sabotaged and the way jk got everything. We can't forget all this just because jm f*cking smiled at jk.

They have known each other for 10 years. Situations like these must have come a lot in their life in such industry. But I don't think their friendship is that superficial that jm will drop him for that. But that's the case of their personal relationship. I don't care about that. I care about how jimin worked so hard but still got nothing and jk didn't contribute any creativity and still is getting everything.

I am mad about how he chose to play dirty tricks to get to the top. I mean he seriously listened to the song and was like "yeah this song spoke to me" Like it's a joke!

Wtf is monday, tuesday wednesday....... Is it a kids bop or something? He liked this song?! The lyrics were already trash at least they could've made it a bit more catchy. I didn't even listen to the song twice except for the fact that it's been shoved down my throat.

And just armies as usual are gobbling it up. "Oh my god jk talked about sex! A 26 year old man talked about sex! He said the word fuck, how hot is that!" Like what a bunch of idiots.

Jungkook himself said in his white day live said something like he knows that armies would support him even if he sometimes does bad, and that's where his confidence comes from. He said something like this. Like seriously?! If he was a sincere, hard working artist he would always give his all to give his fans a good song.

He chose to not work hard and use the easy way. Scooter is another b"tch like I despise that man. And yeah he needed a collab even for his debut song. Atleast that he should've done alone. God either he just doesn't trust his own talent or he's just not talented enough to carry it on his own.

But I don't think so. He released a song like 'Still with you'. Like come on. When he can release songs like that how come a song like seven spoke to him?!

Just shows that he knows this kind of song is perfect for the Western market and he just jumped on it and took everything scooter and bang pd gave him on a silver platter. How can someone respect him as an artist after this?

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

for a second I thought maybe the collabs are because (aside from him probably wanting them) he didn't nearly have enough time to do his own things but that doesn't make sense because

pretty sure a lot of those songs were already made, he just needed to sing them and create/learn the choreography &

yes they're all English and created by other people (not a criticism just an observation) but those could've still been solo songs? Like them being English singles doesn't mean they needed to be collabs

I'm not sure why I had that original thought lol.

I think maybe it's the label's influence (the American label). something to do with the marketing and introducing him to different audiences in America. Plus It's not like JK would be opposed to working with different artists he finds cool.

I am hesitant about his album though. The tracks might not all be collabs but at this point I don't think any of the songs are gonna feel like him at least the him prior to chapter 2. And I think they'll all be English (which isn't necessarily a bad thing because English songs can be meaningful, but I don't think they'll go for that. Hope I'm wrong)

I would've said differently before I discovered 3D and Seven were part of the album, but now I think this is the case.

They want his name out there and known across America as much as possible before military and before he'll literally be absent for almost 2 years.

But then that makes the whole thing so confusing!!

Well, collabs have the obvious advantage of getting fans of the other artists to listen to Jungkook's songs as well, and possibly becoming fans. I think it also helps Western audiences accept Jungkook, since he's already been "accepted" and "vouched for" by American artists. It gives him more credibility? If it was just Jungkook, maybe his solos would be regarded as side projects, and maybe his streams and records would be seen as the BTS fever effect. But with popular artists credited to his songs, I think that confers Jungkook a certain degree of legitimacy, and maybe shows he's interested in reaching a broader audience and in really building a name and career for himself. I can see the pros of the collabs. At the same time, those can quickly become cons if Jungkook just becomes the dude who only does collabs and can't succeed on his own. So far, all of his solos that charted well and had radio play have been collabs - L&R, Seven and 3D. Now that people know who he is he definitely needs to establish himself solo.

Regardless, he did a poor job choosing the collabs. It's obvious that the alternate version of 3D's better than the main one, and the reason why 3D isn't doing nearly as well as Seven is that, apart from Seven being his anticipated solo debut and having a trendier, and I'd say more tasteful, sound, even Armys didn't like Jack Harlow. The fandom itself isn't responding very well to the song. The MV was lackluster compared to Seven, which had made every Army's Y/N fantasy come true, and if the first song about sex shocks people, the second one is just more of the same. Worst of all though is probably Jack's feature. The lyrics are terrible and sexist, he's not a particularly liked rapper, many fans (like me) are only streaming the solo version and the solo and alternate versions doesn't even combine on Spotify. The way Big Hit lets BTS collab with problematic or not very well respected artists is insane. It's like they'll take anyone and don't even bother understanding what fans want. There are tons of respected, liked and very popular artists that would love to work with BTS and they chose Jack Harlow? They could've fucking asked Cardi B (who is problematic too but generally well liked), and she probably would've said yes. They could've brought back Megan.

The thing is that I don't think Jungkook even knows or understands that Jack Harlow ain't shit. He likes him, but not that many people seem to, which actually surprised me because I thought he was a big name. It's Big Hit's job to at least inform Jungkook of that or suggest other artists. With Latto the problem (aside from the racists tweets that I either misinterpreted or everyone chose to ignore) was more that no one knew who she was and he helped her career more than she helped his. However, since she's an up and coming rapper, it's a much more interesting feature, introducing him to a more specific type of audience and also showing that he's serious about music because he noticed her talent and chose to work with her even if she's less known.

The point is, people loved Seven, including Army, and mostly liked Latto, but the response to 3D has been very lackluster, and Jack is a big reason why. I wonder if Bad Decisions wouldn't have done better with different people, even if the song is Benny Blanco's.

I also think the 3D MV was a huge mistake. I saw someone on Reddit say Jack Harlow's parts give Blurred Lines and it tracks. I watched the MV yesterday and even Jungkook's parts aren't great though. The choreography is poorly shot and Jungkook's dancing doesn't look that good, the dance practice video is miles better. After Seven, which was a huge production, with a beautiful, famous actress and Jungkook being the goofy lover boy, the 3D MV is so low effort. It killed the hype for the song. And Jack dominates the track too much, it's ridiculous. I like the alternate version quite a bit, but Big Hit and Jungkook need to be smarter. I think Jungkook lacks self-confidence and is too humble to realize he's better on his own. He still has this mentality of "the more the merrier, I'll take anything", when he should've listened to the alternate version and realized the feature needed to, at least, be shorter.

As for collabs in other artists' tracks, those are an easy way of having more songs and getting his name out there, since he doesn't need to look for the songs or perform them. He just does a bit of work in the recording booth and that's it. Hybe doesn't even need to promote the songs much either, since that falls more on the main artist. However, again, it's not just about having more songs and exposure. His image matters, the kind of discography he cultivates matters. He needs to be choosier. He can't just take anyone, which at this point feels like what he's doing. It gives less "I'm a pop star" and more "I'm just a nobody from Korea who will take anyone who will help me and isn't big enough to attract more high profile names". I don't know how to express that in a non cruel way. This is really the vibe I'm starting to get, despite Jungkook carrying all of those songs and being so big already.

I don't know what to expect of his album, but 3D didn't help build up anticipation for it. I don't even know if 3D will debut on the top 10 of the Hot 100 and Army is way less excited about Golden now. At least Seven is still going strong. I remember when Seven dropped. 3D only had a week's notice which didn't help, but when Seven dropped the timeline was insane. The horniness was off the charts. The explicit version, as cheesy as it was, had everyone grabbing their hair. When 3D dropped, the reaction was much smaller, and a lot more negative. Visuals matter a lot, and 3D didn't have them. Jungkook also showed everything with Seven, so flashing his abs and talking about sex isn't going to shock people anymore.

Anyway, it's a shame, because I like the solo version of 3D a lot, the choreo is much better than Seven, the performance is better too, and I love Jungkook's vocals so much in the alternate version. I pray he does that high note live. I don't even mind the lyrics. 3D needed a much better MV and no Jack Harlow. I won't even complain about Latto anymore, since, in comparison, she fit Seven better, had less screen time and lines, and helped the song be better, and not worse, received. Maybe I'm biased because I only know what's happening in kpop spaces, but...

Thanks for the ask! Sorry for the rant...

[ectokelpeigh]

I’ve thought of a real simple AU only one thing is different but I feel like it could change a bit. Danny inherited Jacks’s build so he’d taller and thicker but his personality is mostly the same.

He’d probably A, be a bit more athletic and that might cause Dash and Kwan to be more his friends then bullies. And B, have a slightly easier time fighting ghost because he’d be a flying wall instead of a beanpole.

I’m not sure what else would change though. What do you think and do you got any ideas for this AU.

Ahh. Okay one of Danny's core traits for me is that he's a dweeb. Dweebs come in all shapes and sizes! But for A, I have a hard time seeing Danny fit in with the popular group and still being Danny. Unless you threw in some bigtime Imposter Syndrome or something? Like, he can be large and hang with the cool kids but he's gotta be a geek on the inside, at least.

Not that all large people are comfortable in their skin. I could see Danny being the "has no idea how to handle taking up so much space" flavor of Large Person. You know the shy tall kids who constantly look like they're hunched down?? I bet invisibility and intangibility would be a relief...

This isn't all to imply he's shy in canon per se. I'm mostly thinking of the beginning of the show, where he's dealing with all his new powers that he can't control, and now it's that much harder for him to hide. Being a little guy and a loser in canon is an advantage when it comes to keeping his identity a secret, you know? I guess being friends with Dash and Kwan would be helpful in this AU based on the amount of times he simply hid behind Tucker and/or Sam to go ghost in canon. Imagine Absolute Unit!Danny crouching behind Tucker

As for B.... I'm not quite with you. The fun of ghost powers (to me at least) is they don't rely on physical size. Wee lads can pack a punch against giant dragons. I hc that ghosts' powers are reflective of energy, whether it's spiritual, psychological, etc. Ghosts are everything that someone had within them in life without the physical bounds of a meatsuit. I think the most fun you can have in this scenario is having Danny, used to having imposing size and brute force as an advantage, being in for a surprise when Poindexter kicks his ass at first.

So I think Danny's fighting style could still be different! But only as different as his build shaped him. How has not being short and scrawny changed how he interacts with the world, and vice versa? If he's a big guy and he's friends with Dash and Kwan, are we assuming he plays/played football? Jack's built like a lineman, so Danny wouldn't be used to being the center of attention (at least on the field). He would be more used to using brute force, though, so maybe he sticks to hand-to-hand combat even when he discovers his more long-range abilities.

I do love post-canon stories where Danny's hit a crazy growth spurt. This is less because it reflects him growing into the larger than life he's become by the end of the show, more because I love a scenario where he's fiiiiiinally hit his stride with his powers and then oopsy! He's got to deal with this completely mundane clumsiness like so many ordinary humans. Thank god he can fly, because he's constantly tripping over these new stupid long legs.

[angelicsjn]

Hi hi! I remember reading your blog last year and I found you again!!

So, SHOWER THOUGHT!! I was wondering how would the yan deals with their fans sending hate comments/death threats to MC just because they are dating them?

- Like for Roman, his F1 fans, they don’t like MC being his WAGs (I learn that from my F1 ✨bestie✨, unless MC is gender neutral coz I actually don’t remember).

- For Jae, his delusional K-pop fans (just like the real life delulu fans), if the relationship is not revealed and the paparazzi somehow manage to take a pic of them dating at night outside and the fans go crazy abt it.

- Kaidan is his online fans, Joshua is his fellow church members???? I’m not sure for Lento (his past hook-up?) and Hayden coz they sweet as hell.

YOUR SEVEN YANDERES.

A N: I will write it differently for the non-famous ones!

A B O U T: They see you're getting hated on.

W A R N I N G S: Death threats and online hate.

— ROMAN BEAUREGARD.

Roman is livid. He sees it all just before a race, and the whole day he's steaming, but hey, he got pole!

He has never raced so viciously in his life, and damn, he was still steaming afterwards.

Just know that he kissed you extra hard in front of the cameras that day, as a massive, 'fuck you' to the idiots who are horrible.

He wouldn't directly make a post about it. He's media trained and knows how to look good to the masses, but he does show you off more as a silent way of telling the fans to get a life.

— LATEN REED.

Laten only sees it when it's affecting you, he doesnt realise that the women around you are mean due to you both dating. He's so happy with you that nothing else exists outside of your little bubble.

Maybe you suggest breaking up. You cry over the mean comments they make towards you. Maybe you flat out ignore him in public to save yourself the backlash.

Either way, he is devastated. He's so upset that 1. He didn't notice, and 2. You're upset over a bunch of idiots.

He would comfort you, pamper you, baby you. Make sure that you're happy with him because he genuinely would go crazy if he ever lost you.

Laten will catch them out and flash his pretty smile, "Leave them alone. It's none of your business." And they smile and giggle, and suddenly they all love you and have a fanclub for you... which is also annoying.

But at least they're not mean anymore!

— JAE 'NIKO' LEE.

Due to his job and the nature of it. There is nothing that he can do. He needs to keep a polite and positive front, he can't let people know the real him.

But he is seething. Seeing the death threats? The doxxing? He's angry.

He will use it as an excuse to pin you underneath his thumb and keep you in place, "it's too dangerous out there, darling."

Honestly, he uses it to his advantage for his selfish desires of keeping you where he wants you.

But he does seek them out and have them sorted out. Legally, of course.

— KAIDAN WOLFE.

Kaidan is so upset. Our delusional baby is so overwhelmed by the fact that your sadness is due to his popularity.

His entire fandom is created by people who want him, of course it's his fault you're getting hate.

He posts you more and makes sure that you feel loved and seen. That he doesn't listen to them, doesn't care.

Kaidan takes you out on private dates and hangs around with you 1:1 to make sure that the intimacy is there.

He wants you to know that he loves you and doesn't care about what they say, so neither should you.

— HAYDEN WEST.

I genuinely don't see anything like this happening. He's a very introverted person and not really ever noticed by others.

He thanks the world for bringing you so close into his grasp.

— JOSHUA WHITE.

The girls at the church can be vicious. Joshua is the perfect man. The perfect husband. The perfect father. Their dream man.

Taken by you? What in God's name?

He doesn't seem the sly remarks or the jabs made your way at first. He's so busy helping the community.

When he finally picks up on your behaviour as you slowly crawl into yourself due to their nastiness, he's over it.

He hates bullies. Those who are unkind. It goes against everything he believes in.

He makes sure to make it known in the church that its people will remain respectful and kind, to love thy neighbour, and to stop being judgmental idiots.

He also makes sure to make eye contact with those who make you uncomfortable, to really lay it on thick that he won't stand for any of it.

— BLAKE CROSS.

Blake picks up on it way before you do, and he stamps it out just as fast.

He's wealthy, from a wealthy family and knows what he wants and how to get it.

He got you, and he's not going to lose you because of a bunch of idiots.

Unlike the others, he has no social boundaries and will create a fuss.

"Shut up, I wouldn't even piss on you if you were on fire." He spits their way before dragging you away from them with a scowl and clenched jaw.

Honestly, it doesn't take long for him to get rid of idiots. He knows he can be a nasty person, and he will take advantage of it.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Dean Spunt Interview: An Archaic Piece of Gear

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Of No Age drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt's solo releases, the one that's wholly a demonstration of an obsolete Aughts-era synth is his most personal and accessible yet.

A couple years ago, Spunt stumbled across the E-mu Mo'Phatt, a module popular at the turn of the century for hip-hop and R&B production, and found one for $50 on OfferUp. Playing around with it, and not having performed live in years due to the pandemic, Spunt jumped at a friend's offer to play a show and decided to bring along this new piece of gear. One show turned into a few shows, and eventually, Spunt was intrigued enough by the instrument to record with it in 2023, taking advantage of the 64-voice E-MU modules within it. Orchestra stabs, vinyl scratches, and vocal samples may be well worn territory for producers, but not for Spunt. "I was intrigued by the ridiculousness of it all," he told me over the phone last week, "because I don't make music like that."

The result was Basic Editions, released in September on Drag City. Though the songs are much more abstract than the high wire art punk of No Age, they're also far from the musique concrete of Spunt's debut solo album EE Head and collaboration with John Wiese, The Echoing Shell. For one, on Basic Editions, Spunt didn't deviate much from the source material--he's described his process as "using sounds" rather than "making sounds"--recording the Mo'Phatt into a computer in order to be able to chop, segue, and delay. "This record is very much in the box," he said. Though one can change the BPM of the presets, add internal effects to them, and modulate each of the four layers within the preset, Spunt barely tweaked the presets themselves. It was less of an artistic choice than a necessary one: Spunt didn't really know how to work the machine. But there's undeniable artistry in his presentation. On "Critic in a Coma", bowls whoosh, gurgle, and bubble; it reminds me of the sound effect most often used to denote time passing in a movie. Indeed, the E-Mu module used on the song was meant for composers. "I liked being able to pick out the things that might feel corny," Spunt said, noting that when presenting them in context of an experimental record, "You're mind's able to think about them a little differently."

From the start, the Mo'Phatt felt like familiar territory for Spunt, even more than just recognizing its "eerily familiar" sounds from the music of the early 2000s. It actually reminded him of working at his mother's screen printing business when he was in high school. Just like one could purchase expansion cards for the Mo'Phatt, Spunt worked with clipart programs, books with CDs of extra images. "If someone wanted a balloon logo for their party shop, you'd type in 'balloon,' and there would be 350 different images of balloons," Spunt said. "[Working with the Mo'Phatt]...reminded me of that." Spunt pays further tribute to this connection with the album art, an image of a box that the orchestra card came in. "It also seems like it's probably clipart, which reminded me of my mom's shop," Spunt said. "I like that there's a score on there that I don't know."

Embracing what Spunt didn't know also meant that he had to learn how to play Basic Editions songs live. "When I first recorded the record, besides recording into my computer, I didn't save any of the patches because I didn't know how to," Spunt said. He figured out how to do so later and was able to recreate the songs for a performance, having to recreate them because you cannot add your own samples to a Mo'Phatt. To Spunt's credit, live, he runs two Mo'Phatts with a delay pedal. "I'm pretty versed in [the Mo'Phatt] now," he said. "I can get in there and change things around. To get inside and manipulate stuff live can be a challenge, so you have to do it quickly. I have a controller plugged in, and with a controller, you can change parameters around what you're triggering."

Spunt performs tomorrow night at Judson & Moore, and hopefully, it won't be the last time we see him come through with his trusty Mo'Phatts. He already has plans to record more with it in December. "[Basic Editions] is not a one-off thing," he said. "[The Mo'Phatt] feels like an instrument I want to learn and master. It's an archaic piece of gear, but so is the guitar."

[alarrytale]

Hi Marte. Have you heard of Ch.appell R.oan? She is out as queer and talks a lot about being attracted to women. She has songs about men and women. Her career is starting to take off and her recent album has done well considering she isn't mainstream yet. She was an opening act for Ol*via R*drigo and was recently at the Boston Calling festival and had a big audience. Recent articles say that she is going to become pop's next big thing. Which would be amazing considering she has sapphic songs. I really hope that if she becomes mainstream that she'll keep doing what she is doing and not change to suit a heterosexual mainstream audience. She's gaining so much popularity now and it is through her sapphic songs. It is why people like her, or they don't care about her identity and just enjoy her music. So I hope she doesn't change. It is what sets her apart from other female artists. I really hope she makes it mainstream. How amazing would it be to have more songs about same sex attraction. On twitter sapphic songs, movies, books etc are growing in popularity. I don't know if that transfers to 'real life'. I hope so. B*ygenius is growing in popularity too and there is a recent band of men and women who are all queer but I forgot who! It seems like more artists are CO now at the beginning of their career and they're being picked up by labels. I really hope this continues, that more and more out queer artists will make it mainstream. But where does this leave artists with established careers? They've got a fanbase who have probably been manipulated into thinking the artist is straight. It seems harder for established artists to CO when in the past it seemed harder for newer artists to CO. Billie CO is a step forward. She has a song about women and people seem to like it. I just worry about the likes of Harry being left behind. If he CO when he's 40+ it's not going to have any impact. If record labels invest in more queer artists it'll mean that closeted male artists will have to stay closeted to appeal to the straight women. It seems hard for them to CO. Will they be able to do it?

Hi, anon!

I love Chappell Roan! I've talked about her a bit before. So no need to star her out on this blog - i've got nothing but praise for her. She's currently my top played artist on spotify. She's such an interesting artist, banger songs and i really love her unique voice. I watched her Tiny Desk concert and her Coachella set a month or so ago, she's so good live too.

I heard Lunch by Billie followed by Good luck, babe by CR on the radio yesterday and i thought it was so queer. I love it. Queer mainstream artist are doing so well and i'm so proud of them.

I don't know how the closeted established artists will react to younger artists coming out, and out artists going mainstream. In a way it will get harder for them to come out because they have to compete. Being out and queer is a novelty now and a USP, but if many artists come out the novelty will wear off and they have to find another USP. Being queer can't be their whole personality. That's a good thing, because being queer will be more normalised, but the advantages of coming out won't be as great if you're not in the first wave and get to use it as a selling point or for attention.

I don't think it's impossible at all, but if you're the last one out, and everyone else has already paved the way for you, written all the queer songs and had all the same sex relationships then you have to find other ways to stand out and be original that will make people pay attention to you. And with so many new and upcoming talented out queer artist, that don't have baggage or aggressive homophobic denials on their shoulders, it's going to be hard to compete.

[itsvinzenzdarling]

B : BOUQUET. does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite? J : JEALOUSY. does your muse get jealous in a relationship? Y : YOURS. does your muse get protective easily?

Valentine's Day ask meme: accepting

B - Chrysanthemums, otherwise known as "mums," for a few reasons. 1. They're popular in the fall, and fall is his favorite season. He loves the arrangements people create when decorating their houses. More specifically, he likes the red and burgundy colors. I mean, that checks for him lolol; The color red, for mums, is supposed to mean a passionate love, which.....also checks out for him LMAO 2. In some European countries, the mum is used for funerary purposes. As in, many flower arrangements for funerals use mums, and given he's a macabre sonuvabitch, he likes the dark side of it too.

J - This one is tough. I'm compelled to say he's not the jealous type, because if he trusts his partner, he knows he doesn't have to worry about them running off with someone else. He'll show them off like the proud bitch he is, like "please, everyone look at my darling, look how beautiful they are." He likes to flaunt them and hype them up because they deserve it. However, if he doesn't trust, if they have a history of doing shit to get a rise out of their partner, or ya know, cheating, he's....more inclined to be jealous, and he's not a good kind of jealous. It'd come from a place of insecurity and anger, not the sexy kind of jealousy. I mean, if it happens once or twice, he'll do the whole thing of rocking their world to convince them not to leave him, but after that, it'd just be pissing him off. It might even depress him and lead him to leave them instead.

Y - GOD YES. I guess this can kinda go hand-in-hand with jealousy, but more so in a sense that....if he knows his partner is being targeted by unwanted attention, he steps in. He is 1000% the kind of person to take a bullet for someone. Being a vampire helps lmao but there are ways to kill him. Even if he knows they can handle themselves, he's still the one to intervene, I guess for two reasons. 1. He doesn't like to see his partner hurt or taken advantage of, and 2. It goes with his love language. Afraid of spiders and there's a spider in the house? He'll take care of it. Bad weather? He'll drive them wherever they need to go. Doing something incredibly dangerous? Absolutely not, he'll handle it.

[ironborealis]

I've been thinking about this and I'm pretty sure that Hell's youth slang and culture is at least 20+ years behind the human world.

1. Older people are more likely than younger people to die. Depending on Heaven's criteria, likely most younger people (under 18s) qualify for Heaven over Hell with few exceptions.

2. Survivorship bias -- Hell is a tough place with a lot of ways to get yourself killed, especially during Extermination days. The more life experience you have would be an advantage, and the longer you've survived Hell the better you get at staying alive, but you're also more likely to die just by the amount of risk you're exposed to.

3. Large scale war -- this also tips the scale so that certain generations are disproportionately represented -- from 1900 onward, the top 10 largest casualty wars (minimum 1 million reported deaths) have been:

A. WW2 (1939-45) 80 million dead

B. 2nd Sino-Japanese (1937-45) 20 million dead

C. WW1 (1914-18) 17 million dead

D. Chinese Civil War (1927-49) 8 million dead

E. Russian Civil War (1917-22) 7 million dead

F. 2nd Congo War (1998-2003) 2.5 million dead

G. Korean War (actively 1950-53) 1.5 million dead

H. Afghanistan Conflict (1978-present) 1.4 million dead

I. Vietnam War (1955-75) 1.3 million dead

J. 2nd Sudanese War (1983-2005) 1 million dead.

(I went with the lower end estimates when possible). We can see from the data that Hell has historically been disproportionately populated by those who died between 1914-1949, with 1930-1945 taking the lion's share.

Assuming that casualty rates between civilians and military are approximately equal in all wars, but since children don't typically go to Hell this tips the scale towards a slightly higher number of military deaths going to Hell over civilians. Assume prime military age is between 18-45. This means people born between 1900 and 1932 are most prevalent, which makes them predominantly the pre-Silent Generation (1900-28) and the early Silent Generation (1928-32)

4. Baby Boomers due to the sheer size of their generation have been slowly trickling in, so Hell's probably a Boomer and Silent Generation heavy place, with Gen X probably starting to start replacing the Silent Generation in the next 15-20 years.

Therefore, popular culture in Hell is likely heavily Baby Boomer influenced, likely taking influence from the 1960s to the 1990s, and skewing more 80s and 90s as time goes by. Youth culture probably skews more Gen X and Millennial due to one overlord -- Velvette.

Given what little we know about character ages and dates of death:

Zestial, Sir Pentious, and possibly Rosie and Alastor are all likely outliers for being born pre-1900. They're likely the few survivors of their Hell generation left.

Angel, Husk, Niffty, and Vox are all Silent Generation, who's generation is shrinking in size and influence.

Valentino is likely a Baby Boomer, but died earlier than the rest of his generation making him a former outlier whose generation is growing in strength, and since he's survived Hell this long, makes him fairly powerful in her own right amongst his generation.

Now Velvette we know the least about but given her social media savvy and the fact that she looks like a Bratz doll, I'm going to guess she's likely Gen X or Millennial -- she's a significant outlier because she's one of the few of her generation in Hell AND she has amassed power very quickly in that time and seems to have cultural power.

If I were power ranking characters, I'd say fear Zestial/Sir Pentious/Alastor/Rosie because they're battle-hardened survivors and Velvette because she's absolutely ruthless in her ambition and smart enough to succeed without getting killed

i know that canonically angel seems to keep up with all the latest trends (hell, he probably inspires a bunch of them), but i also really want. old man angel. angel who's mystified by the kids. potentially angel who gets confused by queer-as-on-earth terminology making its way properly into hell.