#or jumin has to suffer

[marshmallowprotection]

i'd love to hear your interpretation of the day 8 call ("You don't give up do you?") on Saeyoung's route! that has to be my favorite call, especially the end lolol

I mean, if anything, this is a representation that goes against the idea that Saeyoung "suddenly becomes a big meanie in his route and he's not playing games with me anymore, he's such a jerk! The time we've spent with him in the apartment is awful because he isn't the silly guy on the game previews!"

I really don't care for people who talk about him that way. If you only value him because he's silly, then you don't actually value him at all as a person. That's why you drive right into the bad ending, figuratively and literally. If you don't value his emotions and allow him to come to terms with what just happened to him, then you don't like Saeyoung.

Saeyoung just realized he sold his life away for NOTHING. Rika and V promised him that Saeran would be safe, and now he's just learned it was a lie. It was all a lie. His brother isn't safe, he's suffering in horrible ways that Saeyoung can't even begin to imagine because every time he closes his eyes, he wants throw up at the thought of Saeran being forced to learn how to hack and hurt others.

He traded his autonomy away to give his brother a chance at a free life, and not even a perfectly free life, a life that could be as free as he could have been given the circumstances. Saeyoung did it because thought the sacrifice would be worth it and threw away everything for nothing. It was for nothing because his brother has no nothing but misery. 

Can you imagine what it must feel like to sacrifice everything and realize it was for nothing? Do you think anybody in his position will be silly and goofy? No. That's not even the entirety of his being. He is not just some guy who likes to play pranks on people. The RFA is his family, and he’s accepted they’ll be the only family he’ll ever have because he can’t be with Saeran. So, he looks over them and does all kinds of things to lift their spirits. 

He got Yoosung into LOLOL. 

He runs Twitter bots for Zen. 

He hangs out with Jaehee and lets her vent about work. 

He’s aware that Elizabeth’s collar has SENSITIVE INFORMATION on it, and is constantly pressing Jumin to up his security. 

Sure, he plays around and pokes fun at everybody, and yes, that’s a part of who he is. But, if you only believe he's a silly prankster, then you have spent no time reflecting on why he's wearing a mask and settling it in the first place.

Saeyoung Choi is a multifaceted person and he isn’t just a joke. He's a compassionate man who will do anything and everything to take care of the people he loves, he loves going out for drives, he loves working on robotics, he can make up a story on the spot about the stars, he loves cosplay and cross-dressing, he loves so many things and he could spend three hours explaining his love of language and linguistics to you if you ASKED.

He is serious and if he's trying to piece together a plan, he's going to have a contingency ready for his contingency. He's ready for anything you throw at him. He can hold a conversation at length about any subject you throw at him and he will enjoy it far more than you think he will. 

He's stubborn to a fault. He can be clingy and paranoid at his worst. Sometimes his anger gets the better of him and he says things without thinking. But, that's what makes him human, with all his faults, flaws, and aspirations. There is so much more to him than being a jokester and if you don't understand that, you're not paying attention to what's happening during your time in the apartment. 

All of this is to say that it's not okay that he's mean to you in the apartment, but a lot of people tend to blow what he's doing out of proportion. If you are actively calling him throughout the day and listening to what he says, it is so obvious that he is lying through his teeth. He may be the best liar in the world when it comes to his work in the agency, but when it comes to you, he is the worst liar I have ever seen in my entire life.

He cannot hide how much he cares about you. When he thinks you're not eating he goes out of his way to make sure he orders every kind of sandwich imaginable just in case you have a picky palette. When you leave the apartment to get something for him, he gets upset with you, not because he's angry with you, but because he hates that you're not thinking of your safety when his brother could have really hurt you even if it hurts him to admit that. 

And, you know what happens in this phone call? He sees you crying and he immediately folds. It doesn't matter how frustrated he is with the fact that his life is built on a lie, he still wants to comfort you because you make him happy no matter how afraid he is to admit that.

When it comes down to it, he's just afraid of letting you into his life because the last time he had somebody close to him that he would do anything for, they suffered. He just watched what happened to his brother all because he cared about him and thought he could trust his brother with people who didn't give him a reason not to trust them. 

The only reason he tries to push you away is because he's afraid of you getting hurt like his brother. He can't stomach what happened to his brother as it is, but the thought of watching another person he loves suffering isn't something he can stand. If you work with him and give him the space he needs, then he'll apologize to you and realize that he can't live his life this way forever.

He can't deny himself happiness for the rest of his life just because he's afraid to make a leap. This call shows he can't lie about anything when it comes to you no matter how hard he tries. He could lie to the rest of the world but he could never lie to you. 

My favorite part is the way his voice trembles near the end of the phone call and he asks you if it's okay to Hold Your Hand despite everything. 

[crybabysunflower]

I am so fucking insane about kim yoosung. He has been my favourite mysme guy and he will always be. People who dislike him will always make me upset since i find most of them lacking compassion towards people dealing with grief and loss

But lately I find myself get very angry towards him. Especially after I played his route this April to get his Normal Ending and I happen to notice some things about him

Kim yoosung is a chronic people pleaser and that hurts my soul. It hurts me whenever I express my dislike towards some of the things he might enjoy and he decides to never touch that thing ever again...all because I said I dont like it. It hurts my soul because I dont want people to change themselves for me...and lose their individuality....I am someone who values individuality and seeing him lose himself for me is painful.

His tendency to self sacrifice and risk his life now makes me angry. My feelings towards the concept of sacrifice is very ambivalent. In my culture where women are always expected to put others before themselves I grew up feeling a sense of shame because I had been unable to do so. Yet this concept feels very toxic to me as I have watched mothers growing agitated and abusive towards their children when they dont feel like they have been "paid back" enough by them. From an early age I have learnt that self sacrifice often comes with strings attached and eventually becomes a tool of perpetuating abusive cycles.

I do believe Yoosung is not the type who would engage in hurting others for his self sacrificial tendencies- not in the way I talked about because he chose to be that way. Men are not really expected to do things Yoosung usually engages in (being a helping hand to your partner in domestic activities, cooking and putting himself and his own well being before your partners most of the time).

But it still does not stop feeling painful to me. He risks his life and loses an eye. In one bad ending he gets tortured and God knows what else happens and takes the abuse with pride. I cannot see my partner in so much pain. I dont want to be widowed within the first six months of marriage. It hurts me that he feels the need to constantly prove to deserve my love. It hurts that he will never see how much he means to me as much I mean to him. "I just wanted to protect you-" SHUT UP SHUT UP.

Going back to the point where I mentioned how he takes the abuse in his 3rd Bad Ending with a smile. Him being so vulnerable to get into abusive relationship and even being prone to tolerate abuse and romanticise the abuse he tolerates makes me so upset. The Bad Ending 1 is a clear proof of that and how much he easily forgives people who hurt him all the time albeit being well intentioned is also another proof. Zen himself says "yoosung is too nice to make jumin suffer the consequences of his actions".

This very much drives me insane. His overall tendency to neglect himself for a crumb of affection and his fear of being abandoned makes me so angry at him. It ignites an urge in me to protect this boy from every danger. Perhaps I am projecting a bit since I feel like being able to protect Yoosung or someone like him will heal my inner child (who has been failed by most adults around them).

Its past 2 am at night and I am crying over my beloved fictional boy.

[gureshinlover]

Ok Saeran AE good ending dump, here are some random thoughts

The president plot was ended really underwhelmingly, but I'm glad that although Saeran chose to forgive him, the writers are aware this isn't something anyone can do and let saeyoung continue hating him. Honestly, forgiving or not forgiving him aside, I just didn't like the way they made the president go 'ah.. you're right maybe I am a lonely bad guy' LIKE NO WAY THAT ASSHOLE CARES ABOUT THAT, I couldn't take any dialogues seriously

First of all. Why the fuck is jumin han a politician all of a sudden 😭 And like, forget being a politician, he is a candidate for presidency??????? Am I reading it right?? How exactly..???

Anyway I FORGOT ABOUT YOOSUNG AT PATISSIER AWWWW It's so nice to see him find himself even if this is saeran's route! You're doing so good love <3 I was gonna say it doesn't make sense that they made him chase his patissier dream when in his own route he thinks about why he wants to become a vet and decides to go that way, but I realized, since another story is 2 years before the casual one I guess he felt more free about leaving his medical studies 😭 he was able to change his path more easily because he just started school, and also he doesn't have a lover like mc in korea unlike his route so that might also affect his choices. But I think he's happy in either ending so I'm glad <33

They did well with Yoosung but. why didn't Jaehee get the same treatment. I don't get it. They were clever enough to remember other characters' goals and worries and made them happy in this AE, except for Jaehee. I wish they made her leave her position too, since Jumin Han is now involved with politics it could be the perfect excuse for Jaehee to stop being his assistant. I'm guessing that this is also because AS is 2 years earlier, which means Jaehee hasn't suffered in her job enough to leave yet, and she probably doesn't have the money to open a coffee shop anyway (she isn't even into coffee professionally yet although she said she was interested a bit) But idk I wish they left us a clue that Jaehee will also get to find her happiness in the future 😭😭

Another thing I'm confused about is that where the hell does saeran get money from 😭😭 how are we 'lovey dovey at some place romantic'😭 Saeyoung probably has more than enough money so he might have forced Saeran to have it all lol that's the only explanation I can think of. In the alternate ending Saeran has a greenhouse (considering that he said himself to be careful of people raising herbs in the wild I find this funny but well ofc it's the dream job for saeran) but I'm not sure what we're supposed to be doing in this ending lol

Like, apparently we're hippies now?? Feel love and peace~~

Saeran AE has its problems, but I still love it anyway and I'm not sure how they would be able to make a good ending differently, so I'll just take the good stuff and leave out the bad writing lol I remember going crazy about new illusts in 2020,,, can't believe it's been 3 years already. Happy new years btw I guess? 🌱 Idk how to end this post

[juminies]

Listen. I'm not saying that Jaehee doesn't work a lot, or that she should be super grateful for her position in C&R or whatever. I understand that she is suffering on some level and that within the vice that is capitalism it is not as simple as "well she would leave if he was that bad." But to constantly see people say Jumin horrifically overworks her or that he is a terrible abusive boss is sort of baffling to me? Sure he can be a bit of a control freak. He cares about his work a lot and so he wants everything to be done to the highest possible standard, and it can have negative repercussions for her. Sure she should get more holidays. He is definitely not the picture perfect dream corporate boss and I would not claim that that's the case. Ultimately though both of them are just... doing their jobs? Jaehee admits herself that Jumin works significantly more than she does. Jumin has other assistants that Jaehee delegates tasks between so it's not like she is doing everything herself. He pays her well and explicitly respects her efficiency and competency. In routes other than her own I feel as if she actually seems relatively content working for him 🤷🏻‍♀️

[sabineelectricheart]

The Silent Discovery over the Nature of Loving

Summary: Jihyun Kim did not believe in soulmates.

Rating: T - Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.

Words: 2300

Notes: So, I’m thinking this is a half-way Jihyun. The kind of who has let go of Rika, but hasn’t truly freed himself of the thought processes that had gotten him in that situation.

Jihyun Kim did not believe in soulmates.

It sounds rich coming from him, of all people, but he did not. It was always an idiosyncrasy in his friendship with Jumin that bitterly amused him: one, a free-spirited artist that was too much of a realist when it came to relationships, and the other, a cutthroat capitalist that nurtured romantic sensibilities.

Though, perhaps it is not properly a lack of faith or belief in soulmates, but rather a pragmatic view. He believed that love was not that world of rosy fairy tales and sunshine that everyone seemed to believe it was, but suffering and sacrifice. He thought that, with enough disposition, he could love just about anyone, so the notion of “fated one and only” seemed false. He did not see how one single person could complete a life. He believed that there was more to it than finding such a thing.

In Rika, he thought he found his version of a soulmate. After all, he loved her in that manner, she excited his senses and she made him suffer. They felt tethered to each other, like two stars rotating the same axis, destined to a collision of galactic proportions. It sounded a lot like how the discourse surrounding it all seemed to go.

He was wrong, of course, about Rika, though he still nurtured the underlying notion about love. Even now, after all he has been through, he still holds those beliefs, and his conviction does not seem to waver.

Then, there was her. MC.

A smile large enough to replace the sun and moon and all the stars in the sky. A soft glow in her eyes whenever she met his lingering stare. Crinkles framing them when her grin greeted her eyes. An angelic dusting of blush upon her cheek when she did.

That woman feels like she is truly the picture of beauty to him. So much so it almost hurt. Quickly, without he being none the wiser, she had slipped into his mind like a thief in the night, kicking out the old permanent tenant that once inhabited there. She has stolen his thoughts and taken his heart with it.

When it was all said and done, after he was discharged from his surgery, Jihyun wanted to leave. He wanted to be alone and heal himself away from everything and everyone, somewhere overseas, somewhere there was just nature and little to no human settlement. Alaska came to mind a few times.

MC, however, began talking to the hospital psychiatrist after having a minor panic attack while caring for him. He does not know what she said, and he is pretty sure that it was not her intention, but they put him under watch and had him take a few sessions of therapy.

Considering his situation, he agrees that he could stand to benefit from some professional help, so he went in open-minded. The doctor helped him to talk through some of his feelings and how they got where they were then, and put some things in perspective.

Mainly, how selfish was his plan of simply leaving the country with no date of return, waiting for others to clear up the mess he left on his stead.

It is not as if Jihyun did not know that, he did, but… Everybody else seemed to indulge him on it, saying that he should take care of himself first. When he expressed that desire, Jumin offered him tickets and MC insisted that he should do as he pleases. Why should he not believe their sincerity? Though, he must admit that he dismissed Yoosung’s sole dissenting voice on grounds of the animosity between them.

The doctor agreed that they must have meant what they said, but it does not mean that they were right in saying so. The demands of the sick take precedence, and they recognize it, even if it places an undue burden upon them, even if it is not the right choice for his own mental health. Besides, the professional points out, it is unfair of him to expect that MC waits for him on a flimsy promise. If he wants to leave, then he should make sure that she is free of any obligation towards him.

He soon found that this was not something he was willing to do.

Therefore, he was faced with a choice: either leave everything behind with no promises and no attachments, or stay and find some other way to get to mental health and self-appreciation. When put on those terms, moving to Alaska seemed quite a bit silly.

So, he stayed, and set himself disciplinarily on a path of healing, while guarding the target of his affections close to his heart. He knew what he felt was something like love. It felt natural and, like very few, he explored it willingly, even if restrictedly.

He did not push it down and stifle the feelings so desperate to sing out to her, he did not try to deny it or run away from it. He faced it for what it was, otherwise he knew they would explode at some point. However, he stopped short of a confession, settling himself on the role of a close friend, while working upon himself. He was content with them for now, thinking that he placed it all in its rightful place, keeping them a secret behind closed doors and wandering eyes.

Respectfully wandering, of course. Jihyun would never dream of seeing her in a light like that when he was not properly hers.

Which does not mean he had not struggled with his situation. What never failed to get him was her laugh. A hymn he would never grow tired of, one that stood out from the usual white noise. He believed she could bring down nations with that laugh of hers. How sweet and welcoming it was to him, playing his heartstrings like a harp and he relished in it.

The feeling close to love would bloom in the very bottom of his stomach, flowing to his chest and amusing it with emotions indescribable to him. Words could not even do justice to the overwhelming deep oceans of passion, admiration and respect that washed over him.

However, he is not drowning, he was finally breathing. For the first time in his life, he could finally slow down. There was clarity within him when sorting through things with her. Everything reminded him of her and her essence.

He had never met anyone else like MC. He does not want to meet anyone else like her. He can never believe something or someone as perfect and exact as her could exist more than once, as a dot in eternity. His love for her can quench any thirst, satiate any hunger and rest any fatigue. Yet, he was still left thirsty, starving and exhausted, longing for more of her lingering affections and advances on his ever-doting heart.

Perhaps he had it right all along. Love and pain go together. With enough effort and a good disposition, the heart grows fond. What truly changed between Rika and MC is that, while one seemed to latch upon him like a drowning woman dragging him down, the other seemed to rejoice in lifting him up.

This is exactly why Jihyun, a non-believer, held onto his feelings. He understands how it helped him being a better person, he sees how he needed to grasp onto it because something this wonderful could only come once in a lifetime, and they were too short to be wasted.

He never knew how truly wonderful it was to be loved back by someone, especially MC. Perfect, angelic MC.

Her lips invited him in but he hardly took a breath. She would lift his chin in soft kindness with her refined graces, cast a glaze upon his eyes, set his fluttering stomach at rest in the comfort of her. He would get on his knees and beg her to do it all. To have no mercy on his enthralled soul. 

With her lashes dusting his blushing cheeks, he is reminded of her other feather-light touches. Embracing him with her words, cradling his delicate and quivering lips.

He would let her, as his idol, treat him as she wishes. Let her abuse his advances on her love or tell him what he wished to hear and what he would never want to admit. Turn his words on him so he can see her listen. Let him drown in them. Let him look into her eyes once more before they parted ways and leave him searching for a part of himself that she is yet to touch.

The way she held his hand, how she cradled his lips with hers, contrasting rough with delicate. It was a movement that felt like religion, one he would devote his whole soul and being to. Her name was a mantra, a prayer on his lips that he would never grow tired of chanting softly to her. She is an altar, a temple of everything divine about life. He would idolize the ground she walked on every day for the rest of his life if he had to.

The way in which she embraces him with a warmth only for him. A warmth he held only for she too. It burned greater than any sacred fire within any hearth.

If MC wanted him to, he would do it all willingly.

At that very moment in time, it only just occurred to Jihyun why it is called being in love. He feels fully submerged and surrounded by her devotion to him. How did she do it all to him? Is she a magician?

One night, after almost a year’s worth of labour, he finally cracked.

She came to his house upon invitation, good-intentionally. The pretext had been a movie, he believes, but it did not matter: it was Friday, and they always met on Fridays. Either as a date somewhere, or at her home for whatever reason; this time, however, he would host, as he was finally proud of all the cleaning and Rika-banishing that he had done. Aside from the artwork, every single piece of furniture in there had been progressively changed and, when the new couch arrived earlier that week, he lived in a place completely devoid of her memory and her presence.

Fresh strawberries and white cream laid out perfectly on a gingham blanket to greet her. Soft silk woven into clothes that she drapes over her arms, shoulders and chest. The natural skipping of his heart that is synchronised to her breath and her breath only. Conversation ran long, and she had to ask to stay over.

To him, that is what he wanted to capture as bliss. Home is not where he is. Home is wherever she may be. When it finally became too much and she drifted off in that same new couch, marked with a new and bright memory, it broke his heart having to leave her to sleep. He knows that the end of this moment will come soon, but he resists.

He wants to take a picture, but he knows he cannot. Even if he could, it would be only a pale imitation of what he truly desired of it.

Jihyun always took a few moments to contemplate in something akin to prayer, held in a daze as he noticed the rise and fall of her chest form a steady pattern. He could recall it as he had committed it to memory the first time she had slept over. The quirk of her lip where a hum of a snore vibrated in her chest caught him out with a smile.

Love had been described to him in many ways by his mother and his father, always in different terms. Good thing so, as it taught that this is a personal idea and is one of the few things that humanity shall never conquer. Now, he would admit that a childish part of him found this belief naïve. As nothing but a sinner, a man, nothing more, looking upon her resting figure he feels nothing but love, and for such a significant emotion, he feels ignorant to have numbed it and reduce it to four letters. Well, that could not even do a fraction of justice to what he experienced with her.

Perfect ache. That is what he would attempt name it. The contradiction of love and how it wounds him into submission. His heart aching splendidly and tied down to her. Beating meekly but still beating for her. Time has often cut the time she shared together short and stolen the words unsaid from his starving mouth.

Still, as she leaves when the morning comes, he had an unwavering faith that every time was not a goodbye for good. It was a goodbye for now.

MC is everything to him, and he would never let that sense of belonging go. Not when he finally felt at home with his angel. His saviour. His divinity. Maybe he was crazy. Still, she is what made him sane in a deranged sort of way. She is what he saw in his past, present and future. Her company was heaven and without she was a hell no man should feel.

When the day comes and he does confess, when the day comes when Jihyun no longer knew the horror and sin he had seen as a cultist, he knows he will be finally free. He will finally know what it means to feel pain in love, and he will know satisfaction. He would determine what is worth his time and if he want to continue living in it.

Jihyun Kim did not believe in soulmates, but then he met MC.

*_*_*_*_*

Mystic Messenger Masterlist

[natasha-in-space]

Oooh you've probably talked about this before but what are your biggest grievances with V's after ending? 👀

(also hey hi howdy it's been a while since we chatted! I hope you're well!!)

Faye!! So lovely to see you in my inbox <3 This will be rather rambly because I'm feeling super sleepy and tired today, but I hope I'll make my point clear!

Honestly, I could go for the whole theme of forgiveness/judgement, and how V's ae butchers it with its rather linear structure, but... Thing is, I think everyone in the fandom agrees that it was very stupid and honestly gross of Cheritz to basically push the narrative of 'forgiveness is the one right path' on players. This topic has been talked about by many people in many different ways. I don't need to go over it again.

But I think nothing truly encapsulates all the flaws of V's after ending as perfectly as the judgement ending. I do understand why not nearly as many people discuss it. Out of everything Cheritz have put out for Mystic Messenger, it's pretty agreed upon that this was their worst addition yet. You can have your very valid grievances with Jumun's bad ending dlc, but it has brought out some additional depths to his character, AND it hasn't lost what the ending was about in the first place. Having reread it myself somewhat recently, the dlc doesn't shy away from displaying your dynamic with Jumin and its toxicity rather clearly. Is it perfect? God no. I think we all can agree on that.

!SA mention below cut!

But is it miles better than the judgement ending in V's ae? Oh absolutely.

There are so many things to dissect with all that is wrong with it. But I think the two main points I hate the most about it is:

a) the treatment of Rika's SA trauma (all of her trauma, honestly, but SA especially)

b) the blatant borderline 4th wall breaking shaming of the player's choices

The first point baffles and infuriates me the most, especially so when you compare the writing of the same event in the judgement ending to how it is described in Rika's behind story. Honestly, I would have loved to get some behind the scenes information on the development period between these two dlc. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if two different teams handled V's ae and Rika's behind story, with only some basic communication happening between them. Again, is Rika's behind story perfect in the way it handles its sensitive themes? Not by any means. But you don't see people getting upset and angry over the portrayal of Rika's trauma there, do you?

Rika's behind story is a very... specific story. It's not for everyone. I can tell that with 100% confidence. But the way it handles religious trauma, longterm effects of abuse and even SA - resonates with people who went through the same horrific experiences themselves. And I think that counts for something. The depiction and exploration of Rika's religious trauma (and all that it entails, including her SA by the Pastor) brings the same feelings of catharsis that Saeran's exploration of child abuse does. For me, it was Saeran, because his experiences are so painfully similar to what I went through growing up. But for a close friend of mine, it's Rika, as they grew up in a painfully similar environment to the one depicted in her Behind Story.

It's cathartic to see that you are not alone in your pain and trauma. That's why depictions of it are important. Shying away from the uncomfortable and grotesque can bring more harm than good, in my opinion.

Anyway, that long rant aside, take that depiction of Rika's trauma, INCLUDING her SA, and now make a mockery of it. That's what the judgement ending does. It makes a mockery of the same themes that Rika's behind story spends its entire runtime exploring, and it's baffling to see. Furthermore, it makes a mockery of her trauma to directly shame the player. As if it wasn't disgusting enough as it is.

'This is what you wanted, right? You wanted Rika to suffer, right? Shouldn't that make you happy? You chose this.' - is it any wonder people were left feeling angry, judged and shamed?

It's... so insensitive and morally disgusting, and I hate it with every fiber of my being. It may not appear as gross to you if you haven't played Rika's behind story, but if you did, them using Rika's sexual trauma as a way to shame the player is utterly insane to see.

But I think what's the most frustrating thing of all is that V's ae could have been amazing. V's ae is the only time we get to explore Saeyoung's grief and his codependency on his brother. But in the judgement ending, they use Saeyoung as a narrator to describe Rika's 'punishment'. They had a great character arc, and then butcher it like many other great potential story beats in this ae. V's ae does nothing with Jumin's grief, too. It eludes to it, but it does nothing with it. They don't show us V's reconciliation with Saeran. Sure, the one scene we got is nice, but I think it would be silly to say that it holds up to a potential story arc we could have gotten instead of some other ones we did end up getting.

They mess up Yoosung's and Zen's characterizations. Yes, I said it. I get why they did that, but it doesn't make it any more believable. With such a high emphasis on forgiveness vs judgement, they needed to have the theme laid out clearly to the player. Yoosung and Zen are two opposing sides in the ae. Yoosung with his anger and desire for justice, and Zen with his desire to just find peace and let go of all negative feelings that come with Rika. Thing is... with what we have of these two characters before that point, it should be the other way around. Yoosung is the more sympathetic, forgiving one. Zen is the righteous, hot-headed one. We see that time and time again, in many other routes.

But it wouldn't make sense for Zen to be all angry and hurt over Rika now, would it? They weren't that close. And they can't use Saeyoung for that, because Saeyoung already has a completely separate character arc to that. Jumin is too rational, he wouldn't be all extreme with his anger like they need. Jaehee wasn't close to Rika at all, nor is she very emotional. V is out of the picture. Vanderwoid is a complete stranger.

They basically wrote themselves into a corner with this.

So? They switch Zen and Yoosung places. Now Yoosung is the one demanding for justice, while Zen is willing to learn why Rika is the way she is.

And the funny thing is? This wouldn't be such a blatant issue if they set this up beforehand. But they didn't. There is no indication of Yoosung being angry with Rika in the route itself. And even in the good ending vn? He's heartbroken. Not angry.

Is it possible for us, as fans, to fill in the dots with our own ideas? Of course. But that doesn't make the canon any more cohesive, unfortunately.

In my opinion, V's ae shouldn't have been about 'forgiveness' in the first place. It should have been about grief, and exploration of it in all the different ways it can present itself. It should have been an emotionally taxing, but uplifting story about overcoming your grief and moving forward. And how it can look different for everyone.

Wouldn't that be a wonderful conclusion to V's route? A route that is, in its essence, is a story about self-love and acceptance?

But ultimately, V's ae is remembered as the infuriating experience that forces you to forgive Rika, a character that not many people liked in the first place. V's ae made the response to Rika's behind story utterly biased. And I don't blame anyone for feeling this way.

It's ironic, really. That by trying to humanize and explore Rika in a more meaningful way, they ultimately made even more people hate her. After V's ae release came the peak of Rika hate. It was miserable to be in the fandom. People would get harassed, bullied and belittled for liking her, or even tolerating her. The anger at Cheritz was directed at the fans. And I still hate remembering that period in our fandom.

Looking back on it all, I can't help but feel so utterly disappointed. V's ae could have been good. But, instead we have what we have. And I will still focus on the things in it that I do like.

This turned out way longer than I intended, but as you see, I have lots of feelings haha

On the more brighter note, how have you been Faye? I hope the Summer weather is not too hot wherever you are! And if it is, remember to stay hydrated and put on sunscreen! Summer heat is one nasty ordeal to deal with

[earlgarden-archived]

Hello. I see that you now have new fandoms. That's cool :D. Can I request Jumin Han with a reader that's like elegant. For example, she dresses really elegantly, she is a ballerina as a hobby. I've always like the idea of Jumin partnered up with someone like that.

Jumin Han x Elegant!reader

Outline: Jumin with a elegant wife.

Characters: Jumin Han

Warnings: Jumin and you are married, and this is only for female readers.

Had been a bit unmotivated lately, so I'm sorry if this is not what you wanted 😞

Part two link is below 👇

First impressions

The first time he met you, he was mesmerized by how elegant and polite you were. Your voice was soft and soothing to listen to, and your aura was just so gentle and warm. But as well, you had a mysterious vibe to you as well. You were a fairly private person, so it was quite hard to know what you liked and what you disliked.

When he got to know you...

As you two began hanging out, he slowly but surely fell in love with you. You were (and still are) amazing. You were kind to everyone, you were organized, you were polite, you were basically everything he wanted in a partner. He tried to observe your every move so he could see if you returned his feelings. Unfortunately, he could not tell since you showed no feelings of love to him. You were just so mysterious. But, that made him want to know more about you.

He confesses...

His feelings has been too much to hide inside. He likes you too much. Even if you don't like him back, "it's better to get your feelings out rather than suffering in silence", that's what you told him. So, he asked you to meet him at a fancy restaurant. He made sure to show up early so he can mentally prepare for his confession, for the first time he felt nervous. But he knew that even if you didn't return the feelings, you would still support him. Another thing he loves about you.

As he sees you arriving (on time like usual) be begins to straighten his posture, fix his hair, basically try to tidy himself up. When you enter, he is immediately captivated by your beauty. After you two have a quick chat, you begin to have your dinner.

While having dinner, Jumin couldn't help but keep thinking back to his confession, repeating the words he will be saying to you, so he doesn't stutter. After having dinner, he was going to take you for a walk in a beautiful garden, and confessing at a flower arch. He was nervous, but you could hardly tell with his stoic expression.

After eating dinner, you both had a walk around the garden as he planned. Occasionally stopping so you can admire the flowers. As you two approach the flower arch, he begins to recite his lines.

"y/n. If you don't mind, I would like to have a word with you."

You both stop right under the flower arch, just as he calculated. things are going well he thinks.

"Of course, what is it?"

Looking at your eyes, Jumin's eyes slightly soften.

"y/n, ever since I've met you, you've always had a mysterious aura surrounding you."

You cover your mouth as you slightly laugh at this statement. You always made sure to not reveal too much information, that's how to be elegant.

"but, that made me want to know more about you. So I spent more time with you, and the more time we spent together, the more I feel as if... I've fallen in love with you."

... silence... Your silence slightly worried Jumin, but he still continued.

"I don't know if you share the same feelings as me, but I just need to get my emotions out. Just like you've told me."

Now that he's finished his confession, he begins to study your face, to see any reaction. To his suprise, you seem... Suprised. Very surprised. It seems you've been caught off guard.

He widens his eyes even more when he sees a small blush on your face, no words were being said, but Jumin thinks he already knows the answer. And to clarify his prediction, you mumble,

"I like you too..."

Part two is here!!

[annbourbon]

💚✨ 💚 Yoosung Kim 💚 ✨💚

★A mirror of sadness: depression, grief & isolation★

After reading this post, I feel like I've been slapped lol he's really more than I gave him credit for, which is why I'm going to add something I learned while I was studying how to write better but whatever... let's get into it.

There's a thing called Foils, Simultaneous contrast and doppelgangers which I'm starting to study in Literature.

So, the thing with Yoosung is that he's there to allow the others shine too. As it's expressed by @yooseven-heaven , he's our mentor, but also, it is important to the whole game in a different way.

You'll see, foils are "opposite" characters. That are there to highlight others either by flaws or skills. So in a way, Yoosung is Jaehee foil. If he was hardworking (or if he lets us know he is hardworking) Jaehee suffer would never be as meaningful as it is, so in hindsight we would never understand Jaehee enough for us to point it out to Jumin. Because his behavior was quite deplorable with her.

But he is not Jumin either, if he was to be as skilled, rich or smooth as the others, the others wouldn't shine through. And also, it is thanks to him that we are told not to overwork ourselves. Several times during the whole game. So if you feel down you just have to look at him for some encouragement. And yes, Zen tells you that too. But he is one of those who doesn't do as its told. He drinks beer, doesn't even eat properly. Let me remind you it's Yoosung who actually eats better than Zen lol so, in a way, Yoosung existence helps Zen to tell us we should eat properly and sleep when its needed... or play games! Ironically I can see a bit of a parallel with these two though I have yet to acquire these endings (i'm too much of a coward lol)

Anyways Jaehee is so busy she can't actually say anything because of that. He also helps the player (at least it has helped me several times lol because I don't want to be like him and complain all day about stuff.) to get over everything faster.

Plus, if you look a bit into his past we are told that he was actually an excellent student, quite popular among girls too and he even rejected several girls under the impression that he would be able to date them in college. And then maybe he would but Rika's death happened. So he would definitely be a great boyfriend material at that time but not after that. What happened to him was basically, depression. But who wouldn't get depressed after all that? Even the song says it so: I miss Happy Rika

What if Happy Rika doesn't only refers to Rika but Yoosung itself?? Just a thought.

Now let's talk about Simultaneous Contrast. And because I suck with explaining these concepts i'm gonna leave a quote I heard from a great video analysis on Jane Austen characters, the video itself and an image where i'm summarizing everything up:

Quote:

Everything you see affects everything you see. So by nature we are always choosing the middle ground.

Image:

Video:

So on one side we have Jaehee, Zen and Jumin who are always working and on the other side we have Yoosung. In middle we have Seven. Who is really hardworking too, but also tends to lose a lot of time playing around. Now keep in mind that while I did say he was trying to mirror us (since we're the ones who are playing the game and so is he) he also has his own persona to add to this mix so it's not disappearing entirely under that mirror.

And this is why Yoosung is important as a character and can stand his own ground.

(Sorry I didn't went into a lot of detail with all the depression and mourning but those things are heavily triggering for me right now so I won't be able to fulfill it properly. Maybe I'll come back from time to time and add a line or two if I can gather my thoughts.)

[ermbabyel]

Hey!!! I was looking over your profile after I got your second request, so I wanted to shoot you my info and see your matchups!! I love reading other people's work! If you are too busy or swamped, though, you don't have to do mine!

I would like to be matched with Mystic Messanger ( I just got into this) and Obey Me!

Your name/nickname

Luna, course, you can also make it a Y/N for other people's enjoyment, I do not mind.

Age

23 in June! Gosh, I feel old, but I am not that old, lol

Sexuality

I am Pansexual; I love them all with no specific preference; I am currently dating a man, though.

Pronouns

She/Her

Preferred age range for your ship

No one under 18, and also for Obey Me, no Luke. I read him as a child so he is a child in my head I know he's an angel and probably hella old but no.

Likes/dislikes

I love to read and write. I am big into celeb gossip mainly cause I like to psycho-analyze everything. I graduated with my bachelor's in psychology and love the human mind. Due to this, though, I have been told I am very manipulative and read people too well, so I am off-putting. I like people who love to help others and be reasonable. I love an open mind.

Hobbies

Studying especially psychology or technology. Writing stories or reading romance novels. Nature walks, especially in national parks. Magic the gathering. FPS video games.

Love languages

My most extensive love language is Physical Touch

The second would be Words of Affirmation

Ideal type

I don't have a 'type'; I love people for their personalities. If I had to hammer down who I am drawn to, it would be mysterious people. I think they are fun to get to know, and I love to be an outlet for them to express themselves.

A summery of your personality

I am a big goofball; however, I am very serious when I need to be. I work first and play later 90% of the time. I do take breaks, though, to allow myself to fully relax and just be me. I have lived in my mother's shadow my whole life, so I work hard to make a name for myself outside of the name she gave me and her name. I am driven to succeed and help those around me. I tend to be so overly considerate that I end up being walked on, however if I realize I am being walked on I will psycho analyze which is where the rumors of me being manipulative and off putting come from.

astrology sign

Gemini, I know they have a bad wrap, but some are good. I at least hope I am not considered bad.

Aesthetic/style

I have shoulder-length brown hair, pale skin, and light blue eyes, but everyone in my family says they are gray. My style depends on where I am; if I am at work, I wear jeans, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes, and my hair is up in a bun. If I am at home, I wear boho clothes and have my hair down. If I am out on the town, I am super girly with heels, a skirt or dress, and full makeup with curled hair.

Anything else you can think of

I suffer from a speech impediment, and though I have managed to control it better with time and practice, I still lisp whenever I am angry or really, really tired. I also suffer from Dyslexia, so I have to use Grammarly to help with my spelling and grammar.

Thank you so much for your requests from me. I really appreciate them and love writing them. I hope to have your match-up within the next day or two!

Hello~! I’m so excited to do a match up for you as well! I hope you enjoy your matches :3 Also a fellow Gemini, how exciting! ♊️

Your Mystic Messenger Lover Is…Jumin Han~

You like mysterious people? Jumin is your man! Plus, Jumin is a libra and they are very compatible with Gemini’s. Jumin might be a hard nut to crack because of his upbringing and has been instructed to be the next heir to his father’s company since a young age. But, you are able to see through all of that, which might catch the CEO in line off guard…but he will definitely keep it calm and collected. No one has ever been able to crack right through him as easily as you have. And he’s impressed.

This intrigues you even more. It will take sometime, but little by little Jumin will feel much more secure with your presence around him. He feels confident in your ability to analyze situations and the human mind, which will come in handy when he needs consideration on a business venture/opportunity. “Luna, what do think about this new cat business I’ve been thinking about? I trust your judgment.”

Even though he seems cold and distant, this man gets attached very fast to most people’s surprise. And you’re not an exception. I get a sense of a calming presence while reading your description and I think that’s something Jumin would absolutely love about you. Being in charge of a company can be very grueling and draining at times. So, when he comes home to you after a long day he won’t say much but give you a sweet tired smile and gently lay his head on your welcoming shoulders. He just wants to feel your touch and presence.

I think you and Jumin are very similar too. He especially understands being in a parent’s shadow as well and would confide in you with that as well. I can see you two being each other’s support system.

Definitely the type to call you “Dear” and “Darling”…..”Darling, would you like to accompany me to a restaurant and wine for dinner this evening? I’ve had a long day and I just want to be in your presence.”

Jumin would also ask you to read him some of your stories you’ve been working on. Hearing your voice relaxes him so much to the point where it’s a nightly routine for you to read him to sleep~!

Jumin would find your speech impediment endearing and would be so loving and patient with you. He doesn’t want you to stress out about it and gives you all the time and support you need. Most of the time you think he reads your mind as well.

Also your biggest supporter. He think you are the most exquisite woman he’s every seen! He’ll even help you pick out your night on the town outfits. “Here Darling, I think this necklace will look stunning with your dress…you just look delectable tonight~.”

You’ll definitely be the one to loosen up Jumin with your bubbly, playful nature. He can help but crack a gentle smile when he see you and seven joking around with each other. The RFA are like a family to him are equally important as well. So seeing his love for his love and second family getting along with each other warms his heart~!

I love this pairing so much~! 😍

Your Obey Me Lover Is…Lucifer~

Honestly I was debating between Lucifer and Leviathan, since I think you and Levi share similar interests. So I think you can be a good match for him as well~

Another mysterious man for you. Lucifer is the eldest brother and with that comes with a sense of responsibility for his younger brothers. Because of that, he has to keep a stoic and harsh attitude when it comes to dealing with his brothers. Even though his brothers tend to be a pain in the ass and sometimes a burden, he still loves them with his whole heart and want to do his best to make sure his brothers are taken care of. But he only shows that side of himself to you~.

He’s also very shocked that a mere human is able to read right through him. It makes him feel puzzled, how were you able to do that? And in turn, that aspect of you intrigues him!

I can see you trying to convince Lucifer to show a little more warmth towards his brothers, but this man can be very stubborn! “I don’t have the time or interest of giving Mammon a cookie for getting a high score on his test, Luna”. But after sometime he comes around. With your help of course as being this vulnerable and sweet if very difficult for him.

He’ll be taken aback when you give him a hug for the first time or holding his hand on one of your many nature walks together. But Lucifer loves it, he’ll even gently reach for your hand when you least expect it and gingerly place a sweet kiss on said hand.

You are the only person in the whole entire Devildom to make this stoic man smile and laugh. And the brothers think you are some Devine creature because of it lol. They are SO perplexed and ask you what your tricks are to get him to smile. Truth is Lucifer just has a soft spot for you and can’t help but to smile when he gazes at you.

Definitely more of a private lover and prefers to show his love for you when others aren’t around. Only in private will he call you such sweet names like “Darling” and “My Love” being the main names for you.

I can see him being interested in a game you’re playing with Levi and wanted to try it out himself. I have a feeling Lucifer is very competitive and he started the game so confidently that he was going to win. But to his surprise, you were the only to beat him. He is DUMBFOUNDED LOL. He might even get a little pouty, you’ll just giggle and peck him on the lips and remind him to not be such a sore loser LOL.

He’s secretly super cuddly and will cuddle up with you in bed after a long day of babysitting his brothers lol. I can see him being passed out on your chest while you’re gingerly playing with his hair. Slowly lulling the most feared demon to sleep. Sure he’s the most powerful and dangerous demon, but in moments like this is when you fall in love with Lucifer even more~.

[ikemen-trifecta]

Ikémemes Masterlist 3

*Quotes and messages are from our friend group.

1, 2, 3📍, 4, 5

the Klein brothers and Wooper 7/13/2024

Alice's bottle rocket 7/14/2024

Ikemen Prince therapy tier list 7/15/2024

pouring dust down Gilbert's chimney 7/16/2024

Crown being gay and white 7/17/2024

Gilbert Blåhaj 7/18/2024

Clemence Airlines 7/19/2024

Licht's major 7/20/2024

Twilight but it's IkePri 7/21/2024

off-putting Satosugu 7/22/2024

neurodivergent Chevalier 7/23/2024

Gojo being supportive of questionable saving throws 7/24/2024

IkePri PP quotes 7/25/2024

Zen and Jumin as the cat point meme 7/26/2024

🎦Crown Member suffers plushie asphyxiation 7/27/2024

Yves's pancakes 7/28/2024

Clavis's prank idea 7/29/2024

Yves being Yves 7/30/2024

#JustKenjakuThings 7/31/2024

Five Nights at Satosugu's 8/1/2024

Satosugu Yippee 8/2/2024

Geto on JJK Cursed Clash 8/3/2024

Toji Fushiguro on capitalism 8/4/2024

Geto handling balls 8/5/2024

Chevalier with a Death Note 8/6/2024

Gojo never sleeped 8/7/2024

Kenjaku no Tengaku 8/8/2024

Mister Suguru Christ 8/9/2024

Geto has something in his throat 8/10/2024

Satosugu chemical reactor 8/11/2024

[bittcnneck]

NEW MUSE INCOMING.

Name: Jumin Han

age: 27

fandom: Mystic messanger

height: 184 cm (6'0 foot)

nationality: Korean

job: Executive Director of C&R International. Working under his father, he is to be the CEO of the company if anything were to happen to him.

description: Jumin Han is one of the Deep Story characters available in Mystic Messenger. He is the son of a wealthy family and the heir of the C&R International company. He is always on business trips and usually talks about work or mature topics, which is why he doesn't know about youth slang or commoner food. He does, however, sometimes speak eccentrically. Jumin loves to talk about his cat, Elizabeth the 3rd, and how beautiful she is and is very much a doting parent. However, because of past experiences, Jumin is emotionally closed off and is distrustful of women, having witnessed his father fall victim to many gold-diggers who never loved his father, only his money.

Personality: Jumin is a quiet, serious, and cautious man who, as the oldest, acts as the logical and pragmatic voice of the group, presenting himself as the most mature. Despite this, he is interested in young slang and loves to talk about cats, especially his own, Elizabeth 3rd. In fact, in his own way, his general cadence will give off that of a child's, often being innocently unaware of many things such as free bottles of soda given with takeaways. He also enjoys teasing Zen about his cat allergy in the chat room. He is often surrounded by rumors concerning his sexuality because of his complete lack of interest in women, leading the press and other members of the RFA to tease him for possibly being gay. He views situations objectively, and wants others to be like him. He is a workaholic, which is shown through how he works Jaehee Kang to the bone; however, Jaehee states that Jumin's workload is ever greater than hers. Jumin disregards others' opinions of him, so he lives his life how he thinks is right. Jumin does not care for romantic relationships because he thinks they aren't worth it, preferring to focus on his work and cat instead. This gives others the impression of Jumin being a cold man, with Jumin often referred to as being a 'robot'. He also keeps his work relationships strictly professional, believing that his employees will do anything as long as they are paid to. As Jumin has a high status, he lives luxuriously, but he hates people that only like him for his money. Jumin has his own sense of humor which most of the RFA members do not understand, and at most times, isn't very funny but he doesn't care. Despite his cold and objective perspective, Jumin treasures the members of RFA so much that when needed, he would use his authority to help them without hesitation. During Jumin's Route, it is revealed that he is not so cold and unfeeling as he portrays himself; instead, he is a man who feels far too much but, for the sake of efficiency, he pushes his feelings down, repressing them and using work and his cat to distract himself. This has led to Jumin to develop severe, crippling loneliness and he does not know how to work through it, viewing himself as a 'monster', thinking himself to be an ugly creature because of how lonely and paranoid he is. To cope, he projected this loneliness onto Elizabeth the 3rd and is overcome with despair when he admits that he knows their relationship is a lie, that she does not understand him and never will. Jumin refers to his complex emotions as "tangles" and believes that if anyone were to see them, they would be disgusted by him, thus causing Jumin to remain emotionally closed off and distant from other people, including the members of the RFA. As a result of ignoring his crippling loneliness that he has suffered with for the majority of his life, he has immense difficulty expressing his emotions and is seen being fearful that he will be perceived as being 'pathetic', showing that he is not entirely immune to caring about the perception other people have of him. Because of never having been in a romantic relationship before and being forced to repress his emotions, Jumin's relationship with the MC is rocky at first as he struggles with the intensity of his feelings coupled with his internal fears of being abandoned and rejected. However, with the MC's help, Jumin overcomes all his fear and anxiety and "untangles" his emotions that were knotted for many years.

[marshmallowprotection]

What do you think would be each character’s favorite flavor of cake?

You know what, this is a brilliant question, but I think I'm going to answer it based on vibes rather than trying to break down the semantics of why a character might enjoy a certain flavor over another.

Jaehee

Angel's Food Cake! You thought I was going to say that she would love coffee cake, didn't you? I feel like her favorite kind of dessert is one that is gentle on the tongue. You can't go wrong with fresh fruit and a gentle sponge. I imagine it might take her back to her childhood with her parents and what's better than that? It's nice to have a good memory. I know she makes a lot of different things for her cafe, but for whatever reason, I always think she enjoys the most gentle things.

Zen

Hotteok. Street Pancakes. He just isn't the kind of person who eats a lot of sweets, but I know he loves to visit different vendors because he has a lot of friends who have gotten out of gang life and end up making food for others. I think the closest you can get to him enjoying a suite is something he could pick up from a friend. They can be stuffed with different things, but I think brown sugar and cinnamon might be his go-to! I think they can add nuts too!

Yoosung

Funfetti Cake! I know what you're going to say, I can already hear you, why did I give him the flavor that would make him look like a kid who hasn't tried different things before? Well, I raise you the idea that sometimes people like what they like and it doesn't matter if it seems childish to you, he knows what he likes, and it happens to be sprinkles in his cake batter. You can't go wrong with it at the end of the day.

Jumin

Cheesecake! I just can't see him eating a cake for some reason. That's not to say that he doesn't like them, it's just that when I tried to imagine what he would like to enjoy, I came to the same conclusion. He wants a cheesecake slice and some coffee to go with it. He likes to indulge in the flavor now and again and I think that makes sense for him.

Saeyoung

Red Velvet. Again, I don't know what it is about him, but I feel like he really enjoys cream cheese frosting. The only thing that gets me with this is that in one of the folders that you can purchase from the marketplace, there's a birthday cake with blueberries and strawberries. Which implies to me that he likes blueberries, but there's no other evidence to back that up and there's nothing in the world that says he couldn't put blueberries on any cake so I've decided he's just going to put blueberries on red velvet cake.

Jihyun

Tiramisu! I feel like this makes sense and I don't even need to explain it because the people who get it—will get it and the people who won't—won't. There's just something about him sitting in the back of a cafe with a plate of tiramisu on one side and a scathing 10th grade essay on the other where he's going to argue up and down some sort of pretentious conclusion to an art piece. I'm going to say I support it because he's so goofy, but I can't unsee this.

Saeran

Strawberry Shortcake! The game points this out for me and I don't think I can argue with that. Although, I will say Unknown did have a drawing for his birthday where he had a big Black Forest cake. But, I don't know if that's his favorite, considering that there was a bottle of wine in the picture and I had a bad feeling about who set out a birthday display for him to begin with and why they picked what they picked. In any case, give this man some strawberry shortcake.

Rika

Devil's Food Cake! I didn't pick this because I thought it would be a funny joke. I picked this because she seems like somebody who likes to indulge. She decided she was going to unleash her devil and not let anybody stop her from enjoying herself, no matter what that meant for the people around her who suffered because of it, and tasting a very rich, dense chocolate cake is a representation of that sentiment.

Vanderwood

Carrot Cake! I don't even really have an explanation for this one other than it just feels right. I don't see them as somebody who enjoys a lot of sweets, but if they're going to have something, the most nostalgic thing they could think of would be something from their childhood, and I just think that's carrot cake.

[kusukixcrystal]

MM Classpecting: Saeran Part 1

Zen Classpect

Yoosung Classpect

Jaehee Classpect

Jumin Classpect

707 Classpect

V Classpect

This is the 7th addition to my very long string of posts, where I Homestuck classpect Mystic Messenger characters. I explained in my very first post with Zen how I go about doing this. For Saeran I will split it into 2 parts because... I have a lot to say. buckle up this is real long, even compared to the previous posts.

Personality/General Info:  Depends on which story we’re talking about. Generally: is a good hacker like his brother. Likes cooking and gardening. Weak constitution. Used to be sweet and gentle as a child, but grew up to become aggressive and rage-fueled.

Great ambition to get revenge against Saeyoung, believing that he abandoned him. As a child, saw him as his most precious companion. When Saeyoung left, it brought pain and grief. Rika manipulated him into believing that he abandoned him on purpose, causing Saeran to feel intense rage and hatred for his brother. Considers V a traitor for taking Saeyoung away. Everything they say to him is considered a lie. Saeran wants to inflict as much pain on Saeyoung as he could (killing or torturing MC in some BEs, though doing that is a last resort).

Saeran’s devotion to Mint Eye is great, to the point he is considered one of the most faithful followers. He even has a Mint Eye tattoo on his arm. In Deep/Casual, not only does his thirst for revenge blind him, but the anger towards the abuse he suffered at the hands of his own mother consumes him, and thus he'll easily abuse others to let out his anger even when he hasn't been part of Mint Eye for months (Yoosung's Bad End 3), or lash out violently when his plans aren't successful (Yoosung's route) to the point he blinds Yoosung's left eye when he stops him from detonating a bomb in MC's location with her in it.

Despite Mint Eye's manipulation having a hand in shaping his personality for the worse, he admits violence comforts him outside of the cult even after being weaned out of drugs, however, he's shown to have deep remorse over these bad actions after his anger subsides and is capable of improving to be a less harmful person, slowly becoming the warm person he used to be.

In the Secret Ending 2, Saeran begins to overcome his emotional trauma(s). After being rescued from Mint Eye following a major mental breakdown, Saeran's aggressiveness escalates and he refuses to trust anyone ever again due to his deep fear that he will be betrayed and abandoned again. Slowly and reluctantly, he begins to believe that Seven is being truthful and won't abandon him again, which makes his anger subside despite the path of recovery being a rocky one. By the end of 707's Secret Ending, Saeran is a lot stabler compared to how he was before and he joins the RFA, being its newest member now, thus marking his road to recovery and becoming his own person away from Mint Eye.

In Another Story there are 2 personalities: Ray and Saeran. The two personalities are aware of each other and seem to be able to communicate with one another.

Role in Narrative: Antagonist in main og story. Is important to main story, and is one of Saeyoung’s main character motivations. Most of his actions pertain to serving Mint Eye, but he also serves his own interests by taking revenge against Saeyoung. That was his main motivation: to serve Mint Eye for the sake of enacting revenge. He also genuinely believed in Mint Eye’s cause, but learns that it was all a lie. He must move past all of his pain and rage to live a better life with his brother and the RFA. Saeran kills V. He destroyed his life. He destroys Yoosung’s sight, psyche, etc. Tries to destroy the RFA.

Active or Passive: He could be passive (+) because he does things to benefit Mint Eye. But, he uses his position at Mint Eye to exact revenge against Saeyoung, which could be seen as active (-)...

I have multiple classpects that I'm considering for Saeran. He is a difficult character to parse, after all. So, I will split this into 2 posts, each focusing on 1 interpretation for his possible Classpect.

Classpect Interpretation 1:

Page of Heart (-) - One who serves Heart, or serves through Heart for themselves.

How this applies to Saeran: The description for Pages at their worst is how I would describe Unknown. Manipulative, selfish, and infuriating. Saeran created a persona as Unknown, hiding behind it. He doesn’t want to be the ‘weak’ Saeran, but the strong Unknown. Despite trying to be ‘strong’, Saeran was always gentle and innocent inside. He clings to the lie that Rika and Mint Eye presented to him, instead of believing Saeyoung when he says he didn’t abandon him. He clings to what he is used to. Pages can still be very perceptive though, but avoid unpleasant topics/truths behind their persona, and we see this with Saeran. In the SEs he starts having an internal conflict about his brother, if he really abandoned him or not. He retreats back to his Unknown persona, protecting himself, running away from reality. Other instances where he doesn’t take accountability and retreats to his persona is… killing V. When he sees Rika talking to V, he believes that she is being tricked by him. He aims a gun at him, showing his ‘strength’, and kills him. Saeran loses himself, constantly hiding behind Unknown, and being confused by all of the revelations happening around him. It causes him to become incredibly unstable.

Saeran can come off as mean due to the way he acts, but we see in his childhood how innocent he was. How he daydreamed about a better life. Loved watching the sky, ice cream, etc. His likes and interests were very childish.

A Page at their best is very charming, inspiring others to follow them, following their ideals, and people want to help them. We see the ‘inspiring others’ and ‘following their ideals’ part in Ray's After Ending, where Saeran is fully whole again, working with the RFA to save Saeyoung. He also wants to protect MC, not afraid of facing his father anymore. The RFA all looked up to Saeran for his earnest determination. You could say he is a fully realized Page in this ending, which was extremely difficult to achieve. The potential that Saeran displays is immense. Even his hacking skills are considered better than his brother’s, and who knows what else he can achieve if given the opportunity to live a normal life?

In the original main story, though, we see people who want to help Saeran. Of course, it's V and Rika. Saeran’s weak constitution is what made Rika want to ‘save’ him. V couldn’t help but want to help him (though, V has a compulsion to want to help everyone, but still).

In Homestuck, the Page class is known as the most difficult to master. As a result, the Pages we see in the comic, like Jake English, are viewed as ‘weak’ by the characters. Their discovery of their own self worth and true potential is extremely long, to the point that they may never reach the end of their journey. With Saeran, his past was stacked against him. A prime minister as a father who wants to kill him, an abusive mother that targets him for his weak constitution, being indoctrinated into a cult as soon as he left his old situation. In every turn he takes there is always something hampering his journey towards self-actualization. There are many bad endings in Another Story that show this, where he either becomes the cult leader of Mint Eye, dies, etc.

The development of a Page is considered slow too, needing help from others in order to mature. Because of Saeran’s childhood, he does need help in order to mature, lacking normal experiences that most would have had. V offers this help in the form of teaching him about photography and flowers. Rika seeks to help him ‘mature’ or ‘grow strong’ by indoctrinating him into Mint Eye. She believes that by doing this he will reach his full potential, and leave his ‘weak’ old self behind. (Bro this just sounds like Aranea Serket forcefully unlocking Jake English’s full potential, and then it ends up fucking up the entire story). The bonds that a Page has with people is a double-edged sword. Due to his nature, people want to help Saeran, badly, but if it's the wrong kind of people, like V and Rika, it could end up poorly.

This is what the Extended Hiveswap Zodiac had to say about the Heart Aspect:

(We did this before with Yoosung, but I'm putting it here just in case you didn't read that post)

“Those bound to the aspect of Heart are very concerned with their favorite subject: themselves. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call them 'self-obsessed’, but not necessarily in a negative way. They simply want to understand the one thing we all are stuck with for our entire lives, i.e. our own minds. Forging an identity is extremely important to the Heart-bound, and every decision and action goes toward building a coherent narrative of their own story. That isn’t to say Heart-bound don’t care deeply for their friends and allies; they just have a tendency to assume that everyone is as concerned with identity as they are. They are excellent at putting on and taking off masks as the situation calls for them. At their best, they are competent, imaginative, and steady. At their worst they can be overbearing, inflexible, and cold.”

How this applies to Saeran: Heart is Saeran’s Aspect. I’ve said in the Yoosung classpect post that I believe Heart represents romance, emotions, soul and identity. Saeran’s identity is little to none in the beginning of his story, unable to see the outside world due to his parents. Saeyoung was healthy enough to venture outside, to see the world and to form an identity of his own. Saeran was unable to, and as a result there’s only a handful of things that we know he likes for sure: the sky, flowers, and ice cream. You could say these are small parts of his Heart, but he only managed to gather a little.

The theme of identity is all around Saeran. In the main story his identity is decided by others: by Rika who wants him to be Mint Eye’s hacker, by Saeyoung who wants him to be the same little brother that he knows, by V. In Another Story we get a split-personality narrative, where his identity is literally split apart. This is a struggle seen in the Heart bond, trying to figure out who they are (as I’ve said before with Yoosung, but in his case his journey towards self-actualization is completely different).

A Page of Heart has Heart Served to them by others to benefit themselves. Rika, V and Saeyoung are Serving Heart to Saeran, exposing him to new things and shaping his identity. Saeyoung showed him the sky and ice cream. V showed him flowers and photography. Rika showed him… yeah. As I’ve said, letting other people gather Heart for him, help him in order to mature, does more harm than good. The only way Saeran could reach his ideal self is to access his Aspect himself. We see this clearly happen in Ray’s After Ending. Once he has access to Heart, then he is unstoppable. He not only knows exactly who he is (Ray and Saeran fusing into one personality), but we also see other parts of the Aspect of Heart shine through. Romance is a big part of Heart, and he gets that with MC. He is able to express his emotions, which were seen as ‘weak’ by Rika, and ultimately this results in him connecting with his father, making Saejoong actually feel remorse. Emotions aren’t weakness to him, they are his strength.

A Page of Heart can also call on Heart to protect themselves from hardship or unpleasant situations. You could argue he initially does this when he splits his personality between Ray and Saeran in Another Story. He protects himself from pain by making one personality take the brunt of it, even though in the grand scheme of things, he is only harming himself more by doing this.

So, how is Saeran a Page of Heart in the main story (Deep Story, 707 route, Secret Endings)? Well, I talked about Another Story and Ray After Ending a lot since I think we actually see him become a fully realized Page of Heart there, but in the main story that isn’t as obvious. He still has Heart pushed onto him by Saeyoung, V and especially Rika. He hides his true self behind the moniker of Unknown. He uses this identity to his benefit, even if its harmful towards his true self. As Unknown, he intimidates and terrorizes the RFA.

I will be honest, the Page of Heart suits the Saeran we see in Another Story and the role he plays within that narrative. In the main story of Mystic Messenger, his role is different from this. I wanted to cover this interpretation anyway, since it did resonate with me.

Similar to how I determined Jaehee's classpect, we must look at Deep Story, 707 route and the Secret Endings in order determine his classpect, since I believe classpects are determined by the role a character plays in the main narrative.

(Also I like the idea of the Choi twins having classes that are the direct opposite on the Active and Passive class dichotomy).

[ciaossu-imagines]

Moving right along! This is still based off the same fun prompt but for a different fandom! I've always loved Mystic Messenger, both playing it and writing for it and reading imagines for it so I couldn't resist! I hope you'll enjoy!

Put any character in my ask and I’ll try to find a song in my music that I think goes with them.

Jumin Han – I think I’ve answered this for another request I had done for Jumin, but Loneliness by Adrian von Ziegler, this really beautiful instrumental, always has been Jumin’s music for me. I can’t really fully put it into words why, which is an odd one for me, but it’s melancholic, somber, solemn, but still beautiful and hopeful and to me, that’s a play through Jumin’s life, who he was, who he is, and who he could become.

Zen – Again, another one where I think I mentioned this in a previous request I’d done for Zen, but I also think of Broadway and musicals when it comes to Zen, for obvious reasons, for both music I think he’d listen to and music that reminds me of him. Though it’s technically sung from a female point of view and is technically a love song, Satisfied from the Hamilton soundtrack always has strongly given me Zen vibes though. In something I imagine I’ll get a bit of flack for and a slightly unpopular read on his character, I do feel like Zen, while grateful and happy for the blessings he has, isn’t ever completely satisfied with himself, with his life, with what he’s doing. I do see him, just my read on him as a character, as someone who does have this almost hunger to him, this ambition and drive and need for goals and new things to reach.

707 – In a total flip from the fun, laughing 707 we see for a lot of the game and diving deep into Saeyoung Choi, my choice for him is always Bring on the Wonder by Susan Enan. Before he was 707, during his time as 707, and then back to being Saeyoung…this man has been through a lot. Through hell in some ways. He puts up this strong façade to hide it but he has. He copes through repression, through pushing things down…also, it strongly gives me vibes for his and Saeran’s connection.

Yoosung – Okay, I’m a dork but I always end up humming the World of Warcraft Main Theme playing through Yoosung’s route!

V – Any Other Name by Thomas Newman. Bar none, no other answer ever occurred to me. There’s something so sincere about the song, so solemn and almost bittersweet but warm and relaxing. V, for everything he did, is one of the most sincere men in the whole game. He is suffering, he truly is. The relationship with Rika…it’s all consuming. What he’s seen her do, what he knows about the truth of all the situations…it’s horrifying and sad and he bears it all on his shoulder, takes the blame all in his heart. But he still sees beauty, in her, in everyone she touched and changed, in the RFA, in the world he created with her, and that beauty makes the sadness just the barest hint sweeter for him.

Saeran – I heard his voice actor do a cover of A Whole New World from Aladdin and god, I fell in love and it’s still the song I always think of when I think of Saeran. Definitely worth a listen if you haven’t already!

Rika – Mogwai’s I Know You Are but What Am I has a real Rika vibe to me. It’s slightly off-putting, almost like two different songs are meshed together, in harmony but separate. It gives me goosebumps but is strangely beautiful and for someone like Rika…it fits to me. She’s charismatic, alluring and draws people to her. But it is almost, at times, like there are two separate Rika’s. There’s the Rika the RFA all knew and then there’s the Rika she feels in her head, the Rika she tried so hard to hide but that just threatens to swallow her whole and consume her completely.

Vanderwood – Just because it makes me laugh, I always hear Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers in my head whenever he shows up. That’s all you’re getting sadly, no big deep dive into why it fits or sums him up so much…it’s just honestly the song I associate with Vanderwood for my own dumb reasons!

[deadpiano]

Mystic Messenger headcanons here! Im using they/them for MC just because we know we all are MCs

- Zen is asexual.

"But how??" You might ask, "he's the least asexual of all characters!"

Look, Zen is very fond of his looks but we know he's very insecure in general. What if all the flirts and sex jokes were a way to deny himself from the truth: he doesn't like doing the do. And I'm not saying he's aromantic. In fact, Zen seems like the type of guy who falls in love deeply. And he is very scared because he might fall in love with MC but what if MC wants to go to bed together?? Besides, he's Zen, the actor, right? He feels like he shouldn't be anything but a straight male. I'm telling you, Zen has ace energy

- Yoosung has ADHD and suffers from gifted kid burnt out. If he decides to stay in college, it might take him a few extra years to get to the end. Jumin and V help him, which he hates at first but ends up appreciating.

- Jumin had it rough. He was slowly understanding he was in love with V when Rika appears in the scene. Things could have gone very wrong but here's what happened: he also falls in love with Rika. He may not fully comprehend it, but his feelings are there. They'd have been the bestest poly couple ever if Rika didn't start a cult and everything.

- contrary of what many may think, Jumin doesn't get in a relationship with Zen. They do become best friends. Zen is the only one who knows Jumins feelings, and Jumin is the only one to know Zen is ace (besides MC)

- MC is the glue that tie them together. As lovers or friends, the RFA lives again because of them. I can imagine, in canon, MC being with Jaehee or Zen.

- MC and Seven are best friends. That kinda friend who's always there. They joke, they cry, they shout together. When Saeran is rescued, he feels like he got two siblings.

- MC is autistic. It's about the vibe, the answers. They're autistic. Jumin soon appears with a ton of fidgeting toys, Zen and Yoosung keep awake at night to research autism videos. Jaehee and Seven already know a bit about the issue.

Okay i have many morebut its 1am i should sleep

[sabineelectricheart]

Failure to Launch

Summary: Jumin refuses to move out of his father’s home. He has good reason for that.

Rating: T - Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.

Words: 1200

Notes: Jumin’s mean. Jumin’s eeeeeeee-vil.

Even though Jumin Han was more than of age, he had not yet left his family’s main estate, in the outskirts of the city. He had been offered countless pieces of real estate, in Seoul, elsewhere in Korea and even abroad, but he doggedly insists in living with his father.

The older man chalks it up to filial piety. Jumin is a very conscientious boy, after all. He had always been so, and would not devolve into shameful behaviour now he is old enough to know better. No, this son, his only child, would not abandon his aging father like every other companion he ever kept, even if the aging father in question would, in fact, prefer to be left alone.

In truth, it is probably that Jumin does not trust his father’s life choices, especially the sort of woman that he contracts marriage with, and so would prefer to keep a close eye in the situation, rather than having unpleasant surprises whenever those fraught relationships implode on themselves. Chairman Han, in turn, would very much like some privacy with his brides, and now that the fruit of his unfortunate union with Caroline is well-set in life, he would prefer assuming a less involved parenting role from then on.

Be as it may, Chairman Han would not get his wish, and Jumin continued to live in the main house while he continued his life and his role as a corporate vigilante over the older man’s life.

He watched his father's life go on, looking at all the galas he attended, the women who surrounded Chairman Han each time, and each and every financial decision that would involve C&R International in any shape or form. The old coot could be many things, but he is a born social butterfly, always surrounded with friends and with a scheduled packed full of engagements, while the son… Not so much.

Jumin could not say that he was not jealous, per se. He would prefer a more vivid life, especially since his best friend V began seeing this girl named Rika. Their close friendship, already wounded after the passing of the latter’s mother, was suffering and the black-haired youth would not mind having someone else to fill the void. Nevertheless, he did not care that much, in so to do something about it.

Or so it was before the arrival of Min-ji Chang, the most recent of his father's girlfriends.

A young woman with beautiful hair, eyes that could attract anyone and a clear and unblemished skin. She was like an angel to Jumin's eyes, an angel that was not his but his father's.

For once, Chairman Han had picked a decent woman, probably out of the purest manifestation of the law of probability. To start, she was age-appropriate: still considerably younger than her boyfriend, but, clocking at thirty-something, not so much a fresh face. She was a once-divorced, primary school teacher with a kind demeanour and a quiet disposition.

She was not the kind of person who tried to be with him just for the money, she seemed genuinely interested, accepting his gifts on occasion, whenever they were reasonable and always telling him she does not need any of them. She would happily reciprocating affection in public, as well indulge in private kisses exchanges. It seemed that they were always having those little touches that would never go unnoticed by the young man.

At first, Jumin was highly suspicious of what seemed as too good to be true. A life too spotless, a countenance too moral. Aside from the divorce, contracted due to maltreatment, there seemed to lay no shame in that woman’s past, and that on itself was enough cause of concern.

He hired a hacker by the name of Luciel Choi, an acquaintance of V’s, to run a thorough background check on the woman’s life. While “thorough” might be an understatement, based on the amount of information he received, he was still disappointed. Nothing of terrible or accusing was ever found on Ms. Chang.

He continued to dig and observe until one morning when Min-ji knocked on his door, holding up a plate of pancakes decorated with strawberries. His father was out, coming back from an overseas trip, but his flight had been delayed due to the weather.

“I made these for your father, but since he’s going to be late, I thought that we could eat them together. What do you say?”

His first instinct would have been to shoot that woman down, coldly enough to make her understand never to try such a thing ever again, but then he paused for thought. Perhaps he could dig out some information straight from the source, maybe even catch some inconsistencies in her story.

“Yes. Of course, Ms. Chang. Let’s.”

Over tea and those begrudgingly delicious pancakes, they talked about everything he could think of. Slowly, as each one of her responses matched his intel, as she slowly and kindly pried upon his private matters, he began to answer sincerely, to respond to her gentle nudging. He might have even truly smiled.

It was then that the youth had realized: This woman is sincere in her intentions.

Which, then, brings up questions of its own. Why on Earth such a woman is dating his father? What she can possibly see on him? It is his father and Jumin loves him, but by God, he is a mess. He is way past his prime, in a physical sense. He is chronically uncapable of being faithful to a woman, he is always busy and absent, he is incapable of properly communicating his feelings without resorting to finance.

She deserves much, much better. She deserves someone like… Well, someone like himself.

For the first time in his life, Jumin wanted to have someone like Min-ji for himself, or rather he wanted Min-ji for himself. Women always disgusted him, but he had finally found a specimen that is redemption of her own gender, and he refused to accept the reality of fact, that she was to be his step-mother.

No, it won’t do. He wanted to be the one disturbing his father's sleep as he exchanged passionate kisses with the young woman while throwing his clothes around the room or the house before he reached a surface to finally start pleasuring HIS Min-ji, touching her body and having her touch his as he snapped his hips against hers hearing the loud angelic moans coming from her swollen lips from the kisses.

Jumin blinks, and he is back to the real world.

It was just what he craved while he gazed with his now all too famous expression at Chairman Han and his girlfriend cuddling on the couch as they watched a movie together.

If he was going to go so far as to have to call her mother, he would have done that for other reasons, not because she had become his father's official girlfriend, and he was sure about that. He would get his chance eventually, even if he has to make sure that this relationship is not to last.

Be as it must, take what it takes, Jumin is going to have Min-ji for himself.

*_*_*_*_*

Mystic Messenger Masterlist