#seo services please

[vynnyll]

Boyfriend material (ft. Gun Park)

Other characters in this series: Jake Kim | Samuel Seo | Goo Kim

— Featured: Gun Park x fem!reader — T.W: possessive actions (?) — A/N: Though I said that I hate him before, I still can't help falling for this walking red flag, lol. This is the consequence of thinking about him 24/7.

✮ Would be a great listener. Could definitely hear you rambling all day.

✮ As "nutrition is also important," you'll be pleased with a full stomach of homemade dishes from him daily.

✮ Would be overprotective towards you but still teach you some fundamental moves in order to defend yourself in case he is not around.

✮ Would love to have you in his arms at the end of the day.

✮ Would love to lay his head on your chest/belly/thighs.

✮ Would find it adorable to see your smaller figure overwhelmed by his large-sized shirt. He buys lots of such things just for you to wear (not for him, because he loves being half-naked when he's at home).

✮ Would love to buy you something revealing and see you wear it, but only for him to admire, not for other men to observe.

✮ Would leave love bites/hickeys on your exposed areas to mark you after your intimate time together. Conversely, he also loves to get his back scratched, a good way of showing he is taken.

✮ Would keep your relationship lowkey to protect you (although he is confident that you are the safest person in the world when you're with him).

✮ Wouldn't be able to spend time with you 24/7 (because he's busy with Charles Choi's shit) but always make sure that you get whatever you want.

✮ Wouldn't smoke when you are around.

✮ Wouldn't let you dress in anything inexpensive. Likes to buy you something from renowned designer brands or custom-made outfits.

✮ Wouldn't show much affection in public but is willing to hold your hand, carry your stuff, place his hand behind your back, etc.

✮ Wouldn't allow you to be out alone during the late hours.

✮ Acts-of-service type of man. Wouldn't be able to say he loves you on a daily basis but is willing to do anything for you.

✮ Also loves to devote quality time to being together. Wouldn't spend his days off without you.

✮ Wouldn't call you by pet names, but sometimes you might hear "princess" or "babe."

✮ Used to fool around, but once he stepped into a relationship, you're the one and only for him as he treasures loyalty.

[astraystayyh]

when you're feeling sad, changbin will do anything (being silly) to cheer you up!! fluff and comfort.

this was so fun to write, binnie is so iconic i wanna be his friend so bad. hope you'll enjoy <3 this won't make sense if u don't have some binnie references tho

"Baby, I'm home!" Changbin's voice echoes loudly through your apartment as soon as he opens the door. You bury your face in your pillow, turning around in your bed so he'd think you were asleep.

It's not that you didn't want your boyfriend to see you. But the day has been overwhelming, small mishaps piling up on you. And as trivial as it sounds, your last straw was not finding your favorite cereal in the cupboard.

You couldn't possibly tell him that you broke down crying for cereals.

Changbin comes into your room, tiptoeing to your side of the bed when he notices your seemingly sleeping figure. He stares at you fondly for a while, before leaning down to kiss your cheek. He frowns to himself, before repeating the action once, then twice.

So he wasn't dreaming- your skin is wet. He skims a finger tentatively down your cheek, and sure enough, he can feel the tears drying slowly on it.

"Baby," he calls out gently, and when you don't respond, he says it again, his tone a bit more urgent. "Baby!"

You open one eye to look at him, "what?"

"Were you crying?"

"No." your response is curt and Changbin stares at you pointedly. You huff, because he can read you like an open book. "Yes."

That's all it takes for him to slide into the bed next to you, placing his back against the headboard. He then easily manages to pull you over his lap- he's strong, and you are too tired to resist him.

"What's wrong?" he asks and you look up to the ceiling, avoiding his penetrating gaze.

"Nothing."

"Okay," he simply responds, grabbing strands of your hair in his hands. You watch silently as he braids them, or atleast attempt to, eyebrows furrowed in the utmost concentration.

"What are you doing?"

"Welcome to Changbin Salon," he grins, his voice suddenly high-pitched. You can't help the giggle that leaves your mouth at the absurdity of his words.

"Changbin Salon, you say? What other services do you offer?" you tease and he drops your hair, holding your hands instead.

"We can bring you food."

"Like what?" you smile a bit and he smirks mischievously at you.

"Chili chili crab crab."

"Not again," you whine, hiding your face in his broad chest. It took you three weeks to convince Changbin to not sing it anymore. And two additional weeks to get that silly song out of your mind.

"Say the truth. You just want an excuse to lay on my chest," he coos, hitting your back with his fists like a kitten.

"Binnie, you are insufferable," you laugh loudly, and his eyes soften at you. His teasing smile morphs into a genuine one, and you know that he's being this way just to cheer you up.

"Why were you crying?" he asks again, drawing soothing circles across your palm.

"Today was stressful, nothing seemed to work my way. And then, I got home and I was craving cereals. And there were no more cereals, so I started crying."

"So you were planning on sleeping hungry?! As if Seo Changbin isn't your boyfriend?!"

He's fully outraged as he picks you up, and your legs instinctively wrap around his waist, his warm hands holding your thighs with ease.

"But now we can eat together," you grin, bopping your nose with his and he nods, "what's my pretty baby craving?"

"You know, I think I really want to have that chili crab."

"Let's order it then," he smiles at you as he walks to the living room, "Should I do it singing?"

"Please," you giggle and he places a tender kiss on your forehead.

"Anything you want."

[unreleasedwrites]

Um hi I am kinda shy and can you please do a lookism men x black fem reader?

drabbling about lookism characters w a black woman

pov: lookism characters dating a black woman

character(s) included: multiple; Daniel Park, Zack Lee, Warren Chae, Euntae Lee, Jace Park, Jake Kim, Sinu Han, Jay Hong, Eli Jang, Kwak Brothers, Johan Seong, Gun Park, Samuel Seo, Goo Kim, Vin Jin, Yoojin, Yooseong, Baek Hangyeol, Baek Gyeol, Diego Kang/James Lee, Seongji Yook, Jaegyeon Na, Gitae Kim

cw: my opinion, tbh I wasn’t sure how to do this and I’d like to just state that I am not a black woman, but I did try my best to get this request done from what I know in social media and experiences of other black women that I know with their mans, although this can lowkey be seen as any person since i dont really know how to put ideas about them w a specific race, but i tried my best 😭, also wasn’t sure which character would do which so just imagine someone else if you’d like, in this scenarios— they all love you veryyyyyyyy much so if yiu imagine someone like yoojin doing all that for you, remember he is obsessed w you and they all are in these fics and drabbles ( im delusional ), also there are a lot of characters in each because i feel like they all could do that 😭😭

unwrapped on: Sunday Night, April 28 2024

wrapped up on: Saturday Night, May 11 2024

published on: Saturday Night, May 11 2024 (at around 9 PM)

Absolutely head over heels

Absolutely loves seeing you in FLASHY colors. He solely thinks that it highlights your skin tone incredibly well and he just loves matching with you whenever he can. He gets himself involved with all your hair appointments, even though they can take up to literal HOURS. He will literally and deliberately sit there and happily watch you without any complaints. Loves seeing your finished hairstyles, whether it’s any sort of braids, extensions, laid out edges, or new wigs that you had custom made— he is absolutely amazed with how it all turned out. This man tries to help you with your hair but really can’t figure it out so he ends up just watching you as per usual, patient and puppy dog eyed. Even if he isn’t used to it, he will try to do your makeup happily if you let him. If you do, he will be overjoyed and start off with your skincare products and the makeup is only after that. He clings onto you like a lost puppy whenever you just got back from shopping or an appointment because you just look, oh sooo pretty and he doesn’t know how to tell you that in words.

Daniel Park, Zack Lee, Warren Chae, Euntae Lee, Jace Park, Jake Kim, Sinu Han, Jay Hong, Eli Jang, Kwak Brothers, Johan Seong, Yooseong, Baek Hangyeol, Seongji Yook

If he wanted to he would (rich version)

Will rearrange his ENTIRE day to day schedule just for you. He will take you to get your hair done whenever and wherever you want. He comes around at the end of all your appointments to pay and smother you in compliments about how good you look, and if you don’t like what the stylist did, he’ll take care of it. He pays for everything, from your hair and lashes to your nails and makeup products. He doesn’t care about how much it all costs, as long as you’re happy with how it turned out and the service or products, he will never complain or even bring up having to pay for stuff because you can provide for yourself and actually don’t need him financially— but he insists. Of course, you find ways to make it up to him to which he is very happy with. Even if the stylist seemingly did a pretty bad job, he will never admit that even if it were true. He will make sure you feel secure and that it isn’t bad at all, and he immediately books and pays for your new appointment with your favorite stylist.

Gun Park, Samuel Seo, Goo Kim, Yoojin, Baek Hangyeol, Baek Gyeol, Diego Kang/James Lee

You’re just too perfect

Would love to try out the things you do normally but he’s never done before. Wearing bonnets? Count him in. Wanna do braids on / with him? He doesn’t mind. Cook him food he hasn’t tried before? He’ll love it as long as you made it. Also loves seeing GOLD on you. It just highlights your skin tone so well and he makes sure you’re always wearing what you’d like but he loves seeing you in shiny jewelry because it just compliments you so well. Loves all the hairstyles you do but one of the ones that baffles him the most is when you just unwrapped your silk press. He thinks its so satisfying and this man is also head over heels with every single aspect of your body. It doesn’t matter where or why, how small or how big, he is just absolutely obsessed with you. He will also specifically give you his clothes with the colors that he thinks suit you so insanely well.

i feel like all of them 😭😭: Daniel Park, Zack Lee, Warren Chae, Euntae Lee, Jace Park, Jake Kim, Sinu Han, Jay Hong, Eli Jang, Kwak Brothers, Johan Seong, Gun Park, Samuel Seo, Goo Kim, Vin Jin, Yoojin, Yooseong, Baek Hangyeol, Baek Gyeol, Diego Kang/James Lee, Seongji Yook, Jaegyeon Na, Gitae Kim

notes: some are in the cw (content warnings), but also im gonna be insanely busy for like the next 2 weeks but I will upload a masterlist (even though i dont have much works lol), plus an about me post so you can see info on requesting and what i write, i only wanted to post the about me since the masterlist is kinda empty, but in my about me post there is a supposed link that leads to the masterlist so yeah… Also if you look at my masterlist, you’ll be able to see what im currently writing in my drafts and some fics i may do soon!! andDDDDdddDd TYSM FOR 100 FOLLOWERS (107 to be exact) IM SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YALL AND I NEVER WOULDVE IMAGINE THAT I COULD GET HERE AND THATS ALSO WHY IM UPLOADING THE MASTERLIST AND ABOUT ME 😭😭 also because ill be busy my only post within the next week and about a half will just be the masterlist and about me post so im sorry abt that but after ill be back to writing !! 💝💝 thank you so much ❤️🤍

- With or without proper credits, please don't try to steal or claim any of my works as your own

I genuinely appreciate any feedback like comments, likes, reblogs, and requests

Once again, I hope this isn't too bad and I will be doing more of these drabbles so just feel free to request but try to specify if a drabble is actually what you’re looking for and not a one shot, thank you!! 💝

[wannaeatramyeon]

I love everything you write! Can I request some headcanons for Gun/Goo, crewheads, and the J-Highers? You can choose what you're comfortable writing about

Thanks anon! Just... hc? Ohh this is extremely wide-ranging, I'm panicking. Hope you don't mind if I go for a list with the tiniest sprinkling of hc.

Lookism Boys & Love Languages

Maxed out 2 per person. I feel like I need to explain myself for a few. Some are a vibe, some have an actual reason, some are just bullshit

Giving

Acts of service

Vin Jin: If he likes you, he will be running little errands and doing things for you. He'll grumble and beat himself up for being a simp as he does it, but he does do it.

Jibeom Kwak: Would do anything for his bros, and now that includes you too.

Gun Park: an absolute gentleman. Silently observing and anticipates your needs before you need to ask.

+ Daniel Park, Jay Hong, Zack Lee, Jake Kim, Samuel Seo, Jace Park, Warren Chae, Ryuhei Kuroda, Xiaolong

Physical Touch

Xiaolong: once he is used to you, then absolutely physical touch. This guy is so touch starved, when was the last time he even had an embrace where it wasn't riddled with guilt? Will never get over being able to just reach out and place his hand on your leg, or put his arm around his shoulders. Same reason why he likes to receive.

+ Vin Jin, Logan Lee, Ryuhei Kuroda.

Words of Affirmation

Warren Chae: He's so quiet usually, and never has been very vocal with Sally but she also didn't initially return his affections. Canonically, his sentences and speech got better with his confidence so once you're together? Warren really finds his voice and adores showering you in praises and telling you how much he loves you.

Jihan Kwak: Vibe that he is flirtatious as hell, muttering a lot of sweet nothings that will make you blush and your pulse race.

+ NOT Goo Kim: Honeyed words flow from his mouth to anyone and everyone. Don't bank on anything he says holding a grain of truth.

+ NOT Jake Kim: A bit like Goo Kim, a lot of shit runs from his mouth. Sorry Jake. Jokes, pick-up lines, flirtations, puns. You can't take him seriously half the time and he does it with pretty much everyone.

Quality Time

DG/James Lee: Time is extremely limited for this k-pop idol and one-time limb detacher. If he spends time with you, he must really like you.

Hudson Ahn: Very busy man training, keeping an eye on Ansan and his lackeys, eating snakes in the middle of nowhere with Taesoo. Doesn't give up his time and focus for just anyone.

+ Daniel Park, Zack Lee, Vasco Tabasco, Johan Seong, Gun Park, Goo Kim, Eli Jang, Eugene, Sinu Han, Jace Park

Gifts

Jay Hong: Hard one to place, act of service then split between Gifts and Quality Time but Jay likes traditional gift-giving. Also protects and looks after others with his money too. Will literally buy your way out of trouble. Our capitalist king.

Logan Lee: It's canon.

Johan Seong: To be honest, I imagine him a bit like an outdoor cat, going on adventures and bringing you back gifts that he thinks you'll like. A pair of shoes mysteriously in your size and a bit worn, or maybe just a random flower that was pretty. It was totally Eden and Miro that picked it, not him. Stop looking at him like that!

+Goo Kim, Samuel Seo

Receiving

Acts of service

Actions may speak louder than words, but more because these guys have god complexes and loves you doing things for them.

+ Vin Jin, Goo Kim, Samuel Seo

Physical Touch

Vasco Tabasco: once he's over how deviant touching one another is, he doesn't want you to keep your hands off him. He has a limit though, so please keep the touches quite innocent and pure. Hand holding? YES. Pinching his butt? OBSCENE! (but... maybe... that's ok too.)

DG/James Lee and Gun Park: Not ever on the receiving end of tender touches. Moreso that they're not going to let just anyone get their grubby mitts on them. Something as casual as you linking your arm through theirs? It's different. It's unusual. It's... Nice.

+ Johan Seong, Eugene, Jace Park, Warren Chae, Ryuhei Kuroda, Xiaolong, Hudson Ahn

Words of Affirmation

Daniel Park: Hangover from his childhood, where the only compliments are from his mom. Always nice for him to hear clearly and loudly your love for him. Actually praising his looks though, he can take it or leave it.

Jake Kim: As mentioned, he chats so much shit that he sometimes forgets that being on the receiving end of sincere, loving words can really be beautiful. Especially if they're from you. Genuine compliments and praise will make him blush.

Jibeom Kwak: Middle child syndrome for this and quality time love languages. Attention, please.

+ Zack Lee, Vasco Tabasco, Vin Jin, Jake Kim, Samuel Seo, Jace Park, Warren Chae

Quality Time

What's there to explain? They can't get enough of you. Even something as simple as sitting side by side, scrolling on your own phones. Just being in your presence is enough.

+ Daniel Park, Jay Hong, Zack Lee, Logan Lee, Johan Seong, Jake Kim, Gun Park, Eli Jang, Sinu Han, Ryuhei Kuroda, Jibeom Kwak

Gifts

Goo Kim: Here's a whole little drabble about this. He doesn't need expensive gifts, just tiny small things to show that he's on your mind. Yeah, almost as proof because he's an idiot like that.

Sinu Han: Can't you hear him giggling like a schoolgirl if you handed him a pretty leaf or something?

+ NOT Daniel Park: Jay gave him a wholeass designer wardrobe, and while he was grateful and was clueless about the cost, he didn't seem as fussed as someone who would truly appreciate it as a love language. Finds small things equally nice too.

[justalonelybitch]

Recommendation List!

~Aespa~

Call It What You Want by @perfectsunlight - Yoo Jimin

I'm Sorry by @goldennikko - Yoo Jimin

Best Friends by @perfectsunlight - Uchinaga Aeri

Sticky Note Love by @kimsohn - Kim Minjeong

Brave by @ddoxhan - Ning Yizhuo

~Dreamcatcher~

At Your Service by @let-them-read-fics - Kim Minji

Hoist the Colours High by @foolish-sparrow - Kim Bora

Take A Look by @flooffybits - Kim Yoohyeon & Lee Yubin

~Itzy~

Aftertastes by @seollenda - Hwang Yeji

Lost In Thoughts of You by @flooffybits - Choi Jisu

RUN2U by @panda-writes-kpop - Choi Jisu

Touch Ups by @seoltzuki - Shin Ryujin

~Le Sserafim~

Neglected by @k-comfyspace - Kim Chaewon & Kim Minju

Best Friends by @perfectsunlight - Huh Yunjin

YouTube Series by @jihyoruri - Huh Yunjin

~Loona~

In Your Face by @flooffybits - Jo Haseul

Breathless by @flooffybits - Ha Sooyoung

(Not Just) Friends by @flooffybits - Kim Jungeuen

Are You Done? by @seoltzuki - Kim Jungeun

That's Not The Case by @seoltzuki - Kim Jiwoo

This Suffocating Silence by @flooffybits - Park Chaewon

Bright Path by @k-comfyspace - Son Hyejoo

~Red Velvet~

First Kiss (Royalty AU Reaction) by @luxora - All Members

It's Not You I Want by @sodamvelvets - Bae Joohyun & Park Sooyoung

Dance For Me by @kpop-zone - Bae Joohyun

Trouble Maker by @luvlyrv - Kang Seulgi

Good Enough by @revelwrittenscenes - Park Sooyoung

Lights, Camera, Action by @kdyism - Kim Yerim

2.10am by @eunjidrabbles - Kim Yerim

~SNSD~

Past Tense And An Arms Length by @seollendaollenda - Kim Taeyeon

Apology by @girlgrouptrash101 - Jung Jessica

Figure My Heart Out by @gllitter-asian - Im Yoona

Ignore The Rumours by @multiphandomunnies - Im Yoona

Don't Keep Me In The Dark by @sarcasmmoo - Seo Joohyun

~Twice~

Wait For Me by @soulkeeper801 - Im Nayeon

Can you?? Ugh! by @seoltzuki - Im Nayeon

Mary Sue by @purecantarella - Hirai Momo

Something To Make Up For by @mashup-writing - Park Jihyo

What I Thought by @sarcasmmoo - Park Jihyo

Don't Call It Cliché by @seollenda - Park Jihyo

Maybe Less Blush? by @seoltzuki - Myoui Mina

~New Jeans~

Something There by @jigujellee - Kim Minji

Convinient For Who? by @rosiehrs - Kim Minji

Shades of Cool by @jiihu - Kim Minji

See Through by @jiihu - Pham Hanni

Please! (SMAU) by @mingkuri - Pham Hanni

~Nmixx~

Push & Pull by @the-roo-too - Lily Morrow

Say Something! (SMAU) by @the-roo-too - Oh Haewon

Real You by @the-roo-too - Seol Yoona

The One That Got Away by @silantryoo - Choi Yunjin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am definitely making another rec list in the future. There are so many groups and more amazing fics I wanted to include, but unfortunately it was too late before I realised Tumblr wouldn't let me add anymore links :(((((

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Google makes millions on paid abortion disinformation

Google’s search quality has been in steady decline for years, and Google assures us that they’re working on it, though the most visible effort is replacing links to webpages with lengthy, florid paragraphs written by a confident habitual liar chatbot:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/16/tweedledumber/#easily-spooked

The internet is increasingly full of garbage, much of it written by other confident habitual liar chatbots, which are now extruding plausible sentences at enormous scale. Future confident habitual liar chatbots will be trained on the output of these confident liar chatbots, producing Jathan Sadowski’s “Habsburg AI”:

https://twitter.com/jathansadowski/status/1625245803211272194

But the declining quality of Google Search isn’t merely a function of chatbot overload. For many years, Google’s local business listings have been terrible. Anyone who’s tried to find a handyman, a locksmith, an emergency tow, or other small businessperson has discovered that Google is worse than useless for this. Try to search for that locksmith on the corner that you pass every day? You won’t find them — but you will find a fake locksmith service that will dispatch an unqualified, fumble-fingered guy with a drill and a knockoff lock, who will drill out your lock, replace it with one made of bubblegum and spit, and charge you 400% the going rate (and then maybe come back to rob you):

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/business/fake-online-locksmiths-may-be-out-to-pick-your-pocket-too.html

Google is clearly losing the fraud/spam wars, which is pretty awful, given that they have spent billions to put every other search engine out of business. They spend $45b every year to secure exclusivity deals that prevent people from discovering or using rivals — that’s like buying a whole Twitter every year, just so they don’t have to compete:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/how-a-google-antitrust-case-could/

But there’s an even worse form of fraudulent listing on Google, one they could do something about, but choose not to: ad-fraud. For all the money and energy thrown into “dark SEO” to trick Google into putting your shitty, scammy website at the top of the listings, there’s a much simpler method. All you need to do is pay Google — buy an ad, and your obviously fraudulent site will be right there, at the top of the search results.

There are so many top searches that go to fraud or malware sites. Tech support is a favorite. It’s not uncommon to search for tech support for Google products and be served a fake tech-support website where a scammer will try to trick you into installing a remote-access trojan and then steal everything you have, and/or take blackmail photos of you with your webcam:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-search-ads-infiltrated-again-by-tech-support-scams/

This is true even when Google has a trivial means of reliably detecting fraud. Take the restaurant monster-in-the-middle scam: a scammer clones the menu of a restaurant, marking up their prices by 15%, and then buys the top ad slot for searches for that restaurant. Search for the restaurant, click the top link, and land on a lookalike site. The scammer collects your order, bills your card, then places the same order, in your name, with the restaurant.

The thing is, Google runs these ads even for restaurants that are verified merchants — Google mails the restaurant a postcard with a unique number on it, and the restaurant owner keys that number in to verify that they are who they say they are. It would not be hard for Google to check whether an ad for a business matches one of its verified merchants, and, if so, whether the email address is a different one from the verified one on file. If so, Google could just email the verified address with a “Please confirm that you’re trying to buy an ad for a website other than the one we have on file” message:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

Google doesn’t do this. Instead, they accept — and make a fortune from — paid disinformation, across every category.

But not all categories of paid disinformation are equally bad: it’s one thing to pay a 15% surcharge on a takeout meal, but there’s a whole universe of paid medical disinformation that Google knows about and has an official policy of tolerating.

This paid medical disinformation comes from “crisis pregnancy centers”: these are fake abortion clinics that raise huge sums from religious fanatics to buy ads that show up for people seeking information about procuring an abortion. If they are duped by one of these ads, they are directed to a Big Con-style storefront staffed by people who pretend that they perform abortions, but who bombard their marks with falsehoods about health complications.

These con artists try to trick their marks into consenting to sexual assault — a transvaginal ultrasound. This is a prelude to another fraud, in which the “sporadic electrical impulses” generated by an early fetal structure is a “heartbeat” (early fetuses do not have hearts, so they cannot produce heartbeats):

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/heartbeat-bills-called-fetal-heartbeat-six-weeks-pregnancy-rcna24435

If the victim still insists on getting an abortion, the fraudsters will use deceptive tactics to draw out the process until they run out the clock for a legal abortion, procuring a forced birth through deceit.

It is hard to imagine a less ethical course of conduct. Google’s policy of accepting “crisis pregnancy center” ads is the moral equivalent of taking money from fake oncologists who counsel people with cancer to forego chemotherapy in favor of juice-cleanses.

There is no ambiguity here: the purpose of a “crisis prengancy center” is to deceive people seeking abortions into thinking they are dealing with an abortion clinic, and then further deceive them into foregoing the abortion, by means of lies, sexually invasive and unnecessary medical procedures, and delaying tactics.

Now, a new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate finds that Google made $10m last year on ads from “crisis pregnancy centers”:

https://www.wired.com/story/google-made-millions-from-ads-for-fake-abortion-clinics/

Many of these “crisis pregnancy centers” are also registered 501(c)3 charities, which makes them eligible for Google’s ad grants, which provide free ads to nonprofits. Marketers who cater to “crisis pregnancy center” advertise that they can help their clients qualify for these grants. In 2019, Google was caught giving tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of free ads to “crisis pregnancy centers”:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/12/google-advertising-abortion-obria

The keywords that “crisis pregnancy centers” bid up include “Planned Parenthood” — meaning that if actual Planned Parenthood clinics want to appear at the top of the search for “planned parenthood,” they have to outbid the fraudsters seeking to deceive Planned Parenthood patients.

Google has an official policy of requiring customers that pay for ads matching abortion-related search terms to label their ads to state whether or not they provide abortions, but the report documents failures to enforce this policy. The labels themselves are confusing: for example, abortion travel funds have to be labeled as “not providing abortions.”

Google isn’t afraid to ban whole categories of advertising: for example, Google has banned Plan C, a nonprofit that provides information about medication abortions. The company erroneously classes Plan C as an “unauthorized pharmacy.” But Google continues to offer paid disinformation on behalf of forced birth groups that claim there is such a thing as “abortion reversal” (there isn’t — but the “abortion reversal” drug cocktail is potentially lethal).

This is inexcusable, but it’s not unique — and it’s not even that profitable. $10m is a drop in the bucket for a company like Google. When you’re lighting $45b/year on fire just to prevent competition, $10m is chump change. A better way to understand Google’s relationship to paid disinformation can be found by studying Facebook’s own paid disinformation problem.

Facebook has a well-documented problem with paid political disinformation — unambiguous, illegal materials, like paid notices advising people to remember to vote on November 6th (when election day falls on November 5th). The company eventually promised to put political ads in a repository where they could be inspected by all parties to track its progress in blocking paid disinformation.

Facebook did a terrible job at this, with huge slices of its political ads never landing in its transparency portal. We know this because independent researchers at NYU’s engineering school built an independent, crowdsourced tracker called Ad Observer, which scraped all the ads volunteers saw and uploaded them to a portal called Ad Observatory.

Facebook viciously attacked the NYU project, falsely smearing it as a privacy risk (the plugin was open source and was independently audited by Mozilla researchers, who confirmed that it didn’t collect any personal information). When that didn’t work, they sent a stream of legal threats, claiming that NYU was trafficking in a “circumvention device” as defined by Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a felony carrying a five-year prison sentence and a $500k fine — for a first offense.

Eventually, NYU folded the project. Facebook, meanwhile, has fired or reassigned most of the staff who work on political ad transparency:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/06/get-you-coming-and-going/#potemkin-research-program

What are we to make of this? Facebook claims that it doesn’t need or want political ad revenue, which are a drop in the bucket and cause all kinds of headaches. That’s likely true — but Facebook’s aversion to blocking political ads doesn’t extend to spending a lot of money to keep paid political disinfo off the platform.

The company could turn up the sensitivity on its blocking algorithm, which would generate more false positives, in which nonpolitical ads are misidentified and have to be reviewed by humans. This is expensive, and it’s an expense Facebook can avoid if it can suppress information about its failures to block paid political disinformation. It’s cheaper to silence critics than it is to address their criticism.

I don’t think Google gives a shit about the $10m it gets from predatory fake abortion clinics. But I think the company believes that the PR trouble it would get into for blocking them — and the expense it would incur in trying to catch and block fake abortion clinic ads — are real liabilities. In other words, it’s not about the $10m it would lose by blocking the ads — Google wants to avoid the political heat it would take from forced birth fanatics and cost of the human reviewers who would have to double-check rejected ads.

In other words, Google doesn’t abet fraudulent abortion clinics because they share the depraved sadism of the people who run these clinics. Rather, Google teams up with these sadists out of cowardice and greed.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/15/paid-medical-disinformation/#crisis-pregnancy-centers

[Image ID: A ruined streetscene. Atop a pile of rubble sits a dilapidated shack. In front of the shack is a letterboard with the word ABORTIONS set off-center and crooked. In the foreground is a carny barker at a podium, gesturing at the sign and the shack. The barker's head and face have been replaced with the Google logo. Within the barker's podium is a heap of US$100 bills.]

Image: Flying Logos (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Over_$1,000,000_dollars_in_USD_$100_bill_stacks.png

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[sigynpenniman]

is anyone else haunted by the feeling that everything has gotten bad. 90% of movies are visually identical and designed by committee to be the next Summer Blockbuster. Every AAA game releases half-baked and doesn’t actually start working until after 6 months of patches. Even the nicest most luxury clothes and accessories are falling apart. The whole internet is like 80% SEO farm slop and every service wants you to subscribe for just $8 a month or Keep Your Eyeballs On The Ad, please. If you zone out a little every song on the Apple Music new pop playlist sounds identical to every other. Every service that exists slowly gets worse the longer it does. Disney World keeps replacing beautiful dusty colorful retrofuturistic cheesy old stuff with bland white sterile beige parent empty spaces and DVC lounges & getting rid of every free perk they possibly can. I’m not even a pessimistic person at ALL I want to believe in hope and joy and optimism but I’m struggling. something’s gotta give eventually right like every single thing on earth at every level of luxury can’t all continuously get worse and worse forever. can it? why are the only things that are any good anymore indie games and podcasts

[kdramaspace]

🔁 please consider reblogging to increase our sample size

as always, if you’d like to submit a potential POTW question, you may send in your submissions here.

[waitmyturtles]

In the annals of “HOW THE FUCK DID I NOT KNOW THIS”:

1) I did not know that in 2011, that Seo In-guk (SEO IN-GUKKKKKKKKKK) did a music video for an artist named K. Will, for a song called “Please Don’t.”

I repeat, I had no idea.

2) BL Update on IG, today, posts that Seo In-guk and K. Will had a reunion!

I’m like, uhhhh, k! Huh? Why is BLU posting this.

3) I watch the video and promptly scream. Seo In-guk was in a piece with a queer storyline. A music video, not a drama, but CRUMBS BABY, CRUMBS.

So yeah! WE NEED SEO IN-GUK IN A BL. Oh My Ghost, Doom At Your Service, Cafe Minamdang, blah blah blah. HOW DID I NOT KNOW WE HAD THESE BL CRUMBS?!?!

[love-me-a-lotta-whump]

You may have mentioned this before. If so, pardon! But I'm curious to know your most recommended shows? Both amongst the current lineup but also your all time faves! - Noah

Noah, my friend, I am SO HAPPY you asked. I have no self control whatsoever so I will be answering this with a thoroughness nobody wants or needs. (also I will answer this question over and over for many reasons: 2 being that A- my tastes/favorites change on a damn-near hourly basis and C- I love dramas so much that I'll always be willing to talk about them!)

Side note: If you take a look at my Whump List Library, you'll see that links are highlighted in purple if it's a favorite (or one I simply really liked) It's safe to assume I recommend all of them but I'll go ahead and list my best of the best!

PLEASE NOTE: If you don't use any of the streaming services these dramas are on, I suggest DramaCool and KissAsian. There are other free services you can use but these two tend to work best for people.

UNDER THE CUT

Vigilante (MDL) - This is by far my favorite drama right now. Like- above all of the other ones that have ever existed. (That's saying something believe me) I'm not exaggerating when I say I watch it every single day. Every single day. I'm mak,ing a whump list for this one and I may have fanfics in progress.

Synopsis: After Kim Ji Yong (pictured above on both sides) witnesses his mother's brutal murder and her attacker's light prison sentence, he begins living two entirely different lives as an adult. On weekdays, he's a model student at the police university (left). During the weekends, he punishes criminals who'd received light sentences and continue to commit criminal acts with the name Vigilante (right). (MDL)

Fuujinshi (MDL) (Whump List) - If I had to choose a favorite Japanese drama, Fuujinshi would be my pick. Like, it's not even close. By a long shot. This drama was recommended to me to make a whump list for and I remain eternally grateful. This is one I rewatch a lot.

Synopsis: Osagami Kakeru is a blade master who is tasked with the mission of sealing the ''blades of filth'' called Kegareyaiba. These blades are born from the dark sides of people's hearts and make those corrupted by that filth murderers. However, with every blade sealed, the filth also affects Kakeru... (MDL)

Healer (MDL) (Whump List) - This is another one of my favorites! It was actually my favorite Korean drama before Vigilante came around. They're definitely similar but I will say that Healer is not nearly as dark as Vigilante. They do, however share some cast members!

Synopsis: Seo Jung Hoo is a special kind of night courier, known only as "Healer" by his clients. For the right price and with the help of a genius hacker, he gets his clients whatever they want, as long as it doesn't involve murder. His latest job leads him to a second-rate tabloid writer, Chae Young Shin, and the successful reporter, Kim Moon Ho. He begins to uncover the mystery of his own shared past with the two reporters, thus putting them all in danger. Can this errand-boy-turned-vigilante save everyone? (MDL)

Duel (MDL) (Whump List) - Another big favorite of mine! This drama has almost every trope you can think of, it's wild. This one has been one I've suggested to people since day one. If Duel has no more fans it's because I'm dead.

Synopsis: Jang Deuk Cheon, a hardened detective cop whose daughter is kidnapped, begins a chase against great odds to solve the mystery of his situation and find his child before it is too late. He starts to hunt down the suspect using the one clue he has: Two men with the same face were at the crime scene.

The Untamed (MDL) (Whump List) - If you know me at all, you know how much I absolutely ADORE this drama. It's my favorite Chinese drama ever and yes, it's another drama I watch over again a lot.

Synopsis: Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji, two talented disciples of respected clans, meet during cultivation training and accidentally discover a secret carefully hidden for many years. Taking on the legacy of their ancestors, they decide to rid the world of the ominous threat. But in a dramatic turn of events, Wei Wu Xian dies. Sixteen years later, Wei Wu Xian is brought back to life through a self-sacrificing ritual. He conceals himself behind a mask and assumes the identity of his summoner. Soon, Wei Wu Xian reunites with Lan Wang Ji and they start working together to solve the mysteries of the present and unravel the truth behind the events in the past. (MDL)

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

Honorable Mentions:

Flower of Evil - (MDL) (Whump List)

He is Psychometric - (MDL) (Whump List)

Sweet Home - (MDL) (Whump List)

The K2 - (MDL) (Whump List)

Semantic Error - (MDL) (Whump List)

(I'm gonna stop here cus I could keep going.)

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT SEO & MARKETING NEWS FOR ECOMMERCE, AUGUST 2024

Hello, and welcome to my very last Marketing News update here on Tumblr.

After today, these reports will now be found at least twice a week on my Patreon, available to all paid members. See more about this change here on my website blog: https://www.cindylouwho2.com/blog/2024/8/12/a-new-way-to-get-ecommerce-news-and-help-welcome-to-my-patreon-page

Don't worry! I will still be posting some short pieces here on Tumblr (as well as some free pieces on my Patreon, plus longer posts on my website blog). However, the news updates and some other posts will be moving to Patreon permanently.

Please follow me there! https://www.patreon.com/CindyLouWho2

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

A US court ruled that Google is a monopoly, and has broken antitrust laws. This decision will be appealed, but in the meantime, could affect similar cases against large tech giants. 

Did you violate a Facebook policy? Meta is now offering a “training course” in lieu of having the page’s reach limited for Professional Mode users. 

Google Ads shown in Canada will have a 2.5% surcharge applied as of October 1, due to new Canadian tax laws.

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Search Engine Roundtable’s Google report for July is out; we’re still waiting for the next core update. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

Meta’s latest legal development: a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over facial recognition and privacy.  

Instagram

Instagram is highlighting “Views” in its metrics in an attempt to get creators to focus on reach instead of follower numbers. 

Pinterest

Pinterest is testing outside ads on the site. The ad auction system would include revenue sharing. 

Reddit

Reddit confirmed that anyone who wants to use Reddit posts for AI training and other data collection will need to pay for them, just as Google and OpenAI did. 

Second quarter 2024 was great for Reddit, with revenue growth of 54%. Like almost every other platform, they are planning on using AI in their search results, perhaps to summarize content. 

Threads

Threads now claims over 200 million active users.

TikTok

TikTok is now adding group chats, which can include up to 32 people.

TikTok is being sued by the US Federal Trade Commission, for allowing children under 13 to sign up and have their data harvested. 

Twitter

Twitter seems to be working on the payments option Musk promised last year. Tweets by users in the EU will at least temporarily be pulled from the AI-training for “Grok”, in line with EU law.

CONTENT MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Email software Mad Mimi is shutting down as of August 30. Owner GoDaddy is hoping to move users to its GoDaddy Digital Marketing setup. 

Content ideas for September include National Dog Week. 

You can now post on Substack without having an actual newsletter, as the platform tries to become more like a social media site. 

As of November, Patreon memberships started in the iOS app will be subject to a 30% surcharge from Apple. Patreon is giving creators the ability to add that charge to the member's bill, or pay it themselves.

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Google worked with Meta to break the search engine’s rules on advertising to children through a loophole that showed ads for Instagram to YouTube viewers in the 13-17 year old demographic. Google says they have stopped the campaign, and that “We prohibit ads being personalized to people under-18, period”.

Google’s Performance Max ads now have new tools, including some with AI. 

Microsoft’s search and news advertising revenue was up 19% in the second quarter, a very good result for them. 

One of the interesting tidbits from the recent Google antitrust decision is that Amazon sells more advertising than either Google or Meta’s slice of retail ads. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

More than half of Gen Z claim to have bought items while spending time on social media in the past half year, higher than other generations. 

Shopify’s president claimed that Christmas shopping started in July on their millions of sites, with holiday decor and ornament sales doubling, and advent calendar sales going up a whopping 4,463%.

[lookismaddict]

hi again 🤪 so far, we have knowledge that gun, goo, johan, samuel, & jake can drive a car. we got ryuhei and jay for motorcycles. eli for... bicycle lmaooo

MY QUESTION IS!! who would make the best & worst uber drivers? 🤔 who gets the ★★★★★

OK, THIS TIME. I SWEAR, I MANAGED TO HIT THE “Save as draft” BUTTON. 💀 IF THIS GETS DELETED AGAIN, I WILL LITERALLY SMACK MYSELF. 😤🥲 (Also I’m sorry Jann, this is such a late reply. I hope you’ve been doing well. And ty for the ask!! 😭💕)

Gun Park: ★★☆☆☆

Gun would successfully drive people to their destinations sometimes. But if he gets a text from Crystal or Chairman Choi while he’s out, he has no choice but to literally pull over to the side of the road and tell that customer to immediately get out.

Anon. Review: This driver made me get off on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, when I’m basically tired and just got out from a party that my co-workers held! When I told him, “Why do I have to get off from here?! I don’t even know where we are!” All he said to me was, “Pity. Not my problem. Step out now, or I’ll drag you out.” He was OUTRAGEOUS!!! 🤬

Goo Kim: ★☆☆☆☆ (Worst)

Goo is a fun driver to be with, until… he accidentally crashes into a car in front of him. He usually talks a lot while driving his customers, but gets distracted most of the time while driving. However, he’ll dismiss the damages as if it’s nothing.

Anon. Review: This guy… Whew, let me tell you. One time, this driver picked me up from my house since I called an Uber to drop me off at a karaoke place to meet up with a friend. When I left my house, I saw that he was parked in between two cars on the side of my street. One in front, and one behind him. When I got inside his car, he greeted himself and he asked me to confirm my destination to the karaoke place. He then started talking about his experiences in karaoke. It was quite an… interesting topic. I wasn’t sure if I heard him right, but I think he mentioned something about having to beat up people…? Couldn’t entirely remember. But while he was trying to get out from in between the two cars, he looked behind me to talk. I noticed that the car was still moving forward since he forgot to hit the brakes, and I did say, “SIR, THE CAR IS STILL MOVING!!!” Next thing you know it, he accidentally hit the back of my neighbor’s car. All he said after that was, “It’s fine! It’s not a big deal!” Well it is for me, you b******. I had to pay for the repercussions because you wouldn’t. AND WHO OVERCHARGES THEIR OWN CUSTOMERS WHEN IT’S THEIR FAULT WHO SMASHED INTO ANOTHER CAR’S REAR??? 😭

Johan Seong: ★★★☆☆

Johan is a nice driver. He makes sure passengers are all buckled up and ready to go, but his driving can be scary at times since he usually drives really fast while on the road.

Anon. Review: Johan is so considerate towards his passengers right when you enter his car. Even though he’s a young driver, he made sure safety is key before hitting the road. But when he started driving… the kid was a menace. While he was driving me to work, HE BEAT THREE STOP LIGHTS IN ONE GO!!! I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DIE!!! Despite the speeding, I made it right on the dot thanks to him. That’s why, in my opinion, he deserves 3 stars. (If you see this kid, thanks for getting me to work on time. But please drive more safely next time.)

Samuel Seo: ★★★★☆

Samuel is a gentleman when it comes to being an Uber driver. He is a responsible man who gets the job done. His service is excellent, down to the last objective. But when it comes to driving, he has a flaw with patience.

Anon. Review: Oh my, this handsome man was such a good driver! Samuel picked me up from the airport and he managed to drive me to the right hotel. While driving out of the airport, however, he can be a little impatient. We were stuck in a line full of cars, just to leave the pick-up/drop-off area in about 45 minutes. Every few minutes, he would roll down the window and yell at other drivers to move whenever he saw that there’s room. The road-rage was a bit scary, but he was kinda hot while doing it ngl… 😳 But he was still very polite, since he apologized for his pushy behavior. Once we got out of the airport’s vicinity, he was very careful. He followed the rules of the road and he was very helpful when we arrived at the hotel. This man assisted me by unloading my luggage bags from the trunk too! He’s so nice. AHHHHH I wish I get this hunk again to drive me to other places!!!

Jake Kim: ★★★★★ (Best)

Jake as a driver is like the life of a party. Not only is he a polite and charming driver, but he also offers good additional service. This includes giving out free water to his customers and asking what type of music they’d be interested in listening to while he drives.

Anon. Review: Oh my god, I love this guy! He’s the coolest driver who I’ve ever encountered. Right when I hopped into his car, he was so sweet! He asked how was my day, and made sure I was comfortable in his car. Afterwards, he asked if it was too hot or too cold in the backseat, and what type of music do I want to listen to. I had a VERY interesting chat with him, that is mainly focused on the topic of his butt. That was…fun. He’s even good at driving! I’ve never felt so relaxed while speaking to an Uber driver AND while riding in an Uber car before. When he dropped me off at the right destination, he gave me a refreshment before I left. Even if it’s just a bottle of water, he really made my day. His kindness towards me amazed me, and that’s why Jake deserves 5 stars from me!

Again, I’m sorry this was really late! I decided to create these reviews because I just imagined different kinds of people who’d meet these guys if they’d ordered an Uber. I can’t help but write these silly reviews. LMAAOOO And thank you for resending the question because of my dumbass mistake. 😅 I hope you have a good rest of your day!! 😊💗

[noonaishere]

Music of the Heart [J.YH] - forty-seven | surprise modu girip baksu

“...Your solo work is Hearts Awakened Live Alive? You’re HALA?!”

Hongjoong looked at you for a second, expression changing from confusion over the change in topic, surprise that he had been found out so easily, and finally to a smile that indicated you were right. “In the flesh.”

How would you possibly explain HALA to another person?

Something about the moment you found them was so Proustian that you still remembered it clearly years later: It was the year you had moved to Seoul and you were perusing a music forum one day, clicking link after link of new and underground music. You had just exhausted the links people left in one forum - finding a few artists you felt you liked - and closed the tab, moving onto the next forum ready to scour it for new songs to listen to and new artists to explore. You opened the next forum, “Underground Artists,” and started opening links. 

One poster wrote “This artist is INSANE. Their music is like Seo Taiji on steroids. If you listen to any of these links today, please make it this one!” You eyeballed their comment for a few seconds and right-clicked, opening it in a new tab before scrolling to see how people responded to it.

>Low key, ur comment made me wonder if this was going to be shit, but it’s really good! >How old is this person, this is the mixing of a veteran! >Is this one person or a group? >>I don’t think they say. >Is this a man or a woman? >>Does it matter? >Fair >WHO is this? They sound like their from one of the big companies >>*they’re >Is this really just some basement musician??? >Do you think they’ll tour?

Intrigued and a little confused by the conversation, you opened the tab. It was a bandcamp link. The background and the album cover were all black, with all of the text in red. The person or group was called HALA. You snorted. What the fuck does HALA mean? You sort of hated when bands or groups just made up words for things. Like, sure, you can but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. You supposed you could give them a fair shake though, it would be hypocritical of you to be judgemental about someone else’s music when you had done so much to enjoy the music you wanted to enjoy.

You scrolled and looked for the title track, “HALA - Hearts Awakened, Live Alive” - so that was what it meant - and clicked.

So how the hell would you possibly explain HALA to another person?

HALA was like if the weird genre-jumping artistry of Bjork and Mitski somehow had a three-way baby with the confessional-style lyrics of Nine Inch Nails and the combined socio-political anger of Seo Taiji and the Boys and Rage Against the Machine. HALA flawlessly integrated any genre, any sound, any instrument into their overall makeup, like the first cell to consume another cell and end up with a mitochondria.

And what a powerhouse that turned out to be. Every instrumental decision made in service to the song, flawlessly executing thematic concepts like isolation, the struggle against power, the grief of being small in a world where institutions are so big they can crush you instantly, and the euphoric beauty of life itself in something as small as a new sprout. HALA took epic themes and made them accessible and relatable, and took small nuances and turned them into epics. 

You had been an instant fan upon listening to their first song and continued to be; as the subject and tone shifted, as they explored new styles, and as they weaved stories the likes of which were only seen in epic poetry from ancient peoples.

And the lore discussions, the lore discussions.

>Rev#9 was anti-communist and against North Korea. >>Then why was the album and the page RED, dipshit? >>>No name calling, please. >Rev#9 was anti-capitalist. HALA started with a black album (the color of anarchy), and the newest album is red (the color of communism). All of the lyrics are either anarchist or anarcho-communist (black and red), WHY would this album be *against* communism? Read theory and then get back to me >>The teaser for the newest album used soviet architecture as an inspiration. >That was an almost one-to-one of one of the posters for the movie Metropolis: that’s Bauhaus-style architecture. I can see how you’d confuse it with Brutalist architecture because they look similar and I can also see how you’d think it was a soviet invention, but Brutalism started in the UK in the 1950s and was used all across the world as corporate architecture by the 1980s. So you’re actually thinking of capitalism and capitalism again. >>…I guess I can take an L when I see it >Good on you >>So what happens in Metropolis? >I’m glad you asked 😈😈😈

You had to admit you’d seen few online arguments that actually ended with someone acquiescing. Maybe HALA just brought that out of people. You supposed it was probably hard to like someone who preached kindness and humbleness - especially as a contrast to how harsh the systems we lived in are - without subconsciously taking in at least a little bit of that message. HALA was something you desperately needed, the polar opposite of your own upbringing when it came to the worldview your parents tried to instill: where they wanted authoritarian order and control, HALA advocated for community and togetherness; where they felt that only certain kinds of music and culture were valuable, HALA felt that all kinds were valuable as all were proof of human creativity; where they felt that only the upper class was worth associating with, HALA felt that all people were worthy of attention and love.

No fucking wonder.

And now here he was, sitting in front of you, the man behind the curtain himself.

Your mouth opened in shock and you pointed at him. You couldn’t believe it. You started crying.

“Are you okay?” Maddox asked as he sat up and rushed to your side and helped you sit. 

“I don’t know, I think I'm overwhelmed? Don’t meet your heroes, because you’ll end up crying like an idiot in front of them,” you laughed through your tears.

Hongjoong laughed gently and rolled over to you, putting his hand on yours.

“Is it just you?” You asked.

Hongjoong nodded. “I hire musicians for the performances.”

You nodded. Of course: he was a Korean Trent Reznor. 

Who would have thought you would one day be sitting in front of your favorite artist, and that now he was going to train you?

“Wait, hold on… Wait, hold on… You’re my favorite artist.”

He laughed.

“Don’t laugh! You’re my favorite artist. I can’t believe-- I can’t fucking--” Brain unable to comprehend this outrageous information, you cried harder.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Hongjoong chuckled as he gently tried to pull your hands away from your face by the wrists.

You didn’t let him. You shook your head.

“What? Are you upset?”

“I wish I had known… you don’t even release under Wonderland.”

“I never have,” he smiled.

You let him pull your hands away, and he grabbed a tissue from the box on the desk and handed it to you. You wiped the tears away. 

“I don’t know why I got so emotional.”

He shook his head. “You just realized you’ve been working with your favorite artist for weeks without knowing. I think I’d feel the same way.”

“Flex.” Maddox said. 

Hongjoong kicked his foot. You laughed.

He turned back to you. “I think I’d feel the same way if I ever met... Seo Taiji. Or  Zack de la Rocha or something.”

You nodded. “Yeah, but you’d be able to know it was them. I got fucking blindsided.”

He laughed awkwardly.

“Why hide your identity?”

He shrugged. “Some of the music I make is very experimental. I want to play in every kind of genre of music, and I can't really do that if, you know, I have fans who can harass me for not making something like what they were expecting because of the label I’m associated with.”

You nodded again and blew your nose. “K-music fans can be really unforgiving like that.”

He grabbed another tissue, and gave it to you.

“Thanks.”

He nodded. “I’m like you, I’m really just here to make music. It’s the thing that makes me get up in the morning and the thing that makes me want to keep living.” He shrugged, “It’s the thing that makes me love my life.”

You looked at him for a moment and nodded again.

He got it. You always, always knew that HALA got it.

“Umm… am I allowed to ask you questions about your music?”

He thought for a moment. “Mmm… yes. But you can NOT tell anyone that I’m HALA. We can only talk about it when it’s just us. Only the CEO, Maddox, and now you, know. The musicians I hire had to sign NDAs.”

You nodded vigorously. “Of course. I would never. I’m amazing at keeping secrets. I kept a whole-ass bass guitar from my tyrant mother for months before Yunho sold me out by accident.”

He smiled and nodded.

“I have… a lot of questions though.”

He chuckled. “You can ask me questions… once a week. So write down whatever you have during the week and I’ll answer them at the end of the week.”

You nodded excitedly. You immediately thought of a question and opened up your notes app to write it down. Seeing you were now alright, Maddox went back to laying on the couch and draped his arm over his face again. Hongjoong chuckled at the both of you and closed the window of the music production program.

Someone knocked at the door and you looked at each other, shaking your head that it couldn’t be for you.

“Come in?” Hongjoong said.

A hand pushed the door open and Jongho peeked his head in. “Hi.”

“Ahh, Jongho. What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to record today.”

“I just did an audition and since I was around I thought I would tell you in person--” he presented his foot, still in the post-cast boot. “It can come off soon.”

“Oh, really?” You asked. “That’s great!”

“Yeah, that’s great news.” Hongjoong agreed.

Jongho smiled. It dropped. He looked at your face carefully. “Why are you crying? Are you okay?” And to Hongjoong, “Hyung, did you make my friend cry?”

You thought quickly and shook your head. “Hongjoong asked me if I wanted to join the production team for the year-end music remixes for award shows and I got a little emotional.”

Jongho’s eyebrows ticked up. “Really? I didn’t know you know how to remix.” He pulled one of the chairs over and sat.

“I’ve been making mashups for my youtube channel since before I was hired.”

“Way before.” Hongjoong added. “She’s really good.”

You turned to Hongjoong to protest but his expression - the raised eyebrows of a proud papa trying to urge their child to show off their talents - made you rethink that idea.

“You should show him.”

You turned to Jongho.

“Of course, noona. I’d love to hear it.”

You pulled your phone out with a shy laugh and opened your channel. You found one of the remixes you made a while ago of just artists from Wonderland and played it, putting your phone on the desk so he could see. Jongho watched the mashup of music videos your editor made for you as he nodded his head as he listened to the song, the occasional ‘ooh’ said as he liked a particular transition or moment. You turned to Hongjoong and he smiled like a proud parent; the kind of smile that said ‘you should be proud of yourself.’

The song ended.

“Noona, that’s really good.”

You smiled and nodded as you picked your phone back up.

“Can you send me the link? I want to watch the other ones.”

“Oh-- sure.”

He nodded as you exchanged numbers and you sent him the link to your channel. He scrolled for a few seconds before his brow furrowed.

“Noona… you don’t have any with me?”

You opened your mouth to answer and then looked at him indignantly. “That’s why you wanted the link? To see if I mashed up one of your songs?” You turned to Hongjoong and looked at him with the same face. “This guy,” you pointed at Jongho.

Hongjong laughed loudly. “I have to admit, Jongho, that was pretty cold.”

“Nonono!” He waved his hands, panicked. “I just meant that you don’t have any ballad mashups, only midtempo and high tempo songs.”

Maddox - who, if he didn’t keep adding his comments you would have thought had fallen asleep at some point - scoffed. “Nice cover.”

“And how are you doing with your music, hyung?” Jongho asked.

Maddox took his arm off his face and sat up. “Doing okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm,” he nodded. “Doing okay. Okay. Okey. Okey dokey.”

“That’s great.”

“Mhm.” He nodded again. “Amazing, nice, nice. Is that true? Okey dokey, okey dokey, okey dokey, yo.” He put his head in his hands and fake sobbed before getting up and leaving the room.

“What was that about?” You asked.

“Mmm… he gets like that when he’s having a hard time writing for his personal project.” Hongjoong answered.

“Ah…”

He nodded.

“There’s a rubix cube under the couch by the way.” You pointed to where it had rolled.

Jongho stood and lifted the corner of the couch with one hand and retrieved the cube.

“Okay, just show off, why don’t you.” You said flatly as he sat back down.

He smiled and put the cube on the desk.

“You were busy justifying yourself?” Hongjoong asked.

Jongho nodded. “I simply meant that you didn’t have any slow songs. I didn’t mean to make that about myself.”

You nodded. “I mean, it is sort of a blind spot if someone is looking at my channel expecting to see the gamut of genres and styles.”

He cocked an eyebrow and looked at you.

“But if someone isn’t, it doesn’t matter.”

He smiled, bested. “I see.”

You raised your eyebrows playfully and he laughed awkwardly. “Food for thought, perhaps.” 

He laughed. “Perhaps.”

You thought to yourself. Actually, he had a point. Good thing you were always hungry.

Hongjoong chuckled to himself and you turned to look at him.

“I can see the wheels turning already.”

  previous | main cast | masterlist | next

Send an ask or leave a comment if you want to be added to the tag list! 🎵

luvvvx • iamthehotdemon • hrts4hanniehae • rachs-words •

[wannaeatramyeon]

Samuel Seo x Reader: Colleagues to Lovers

Your new boss incenses you

"This isn't good enough."

You're two months into working under your new boss and seriously considering quitting. Nothing seems to please Samuel Seo.

Faults are constantly found in your work, that you consider pedantic and fussy at worst, but you bite back your retorts.

He is difficult, demanding and infuriating. Often, you leave his office on the verge of hot, angry tears when he berates you with sharp words and cutting remarks.

It's another late night with just the two of you on the office floor. You're correcting yet another report he found flaws with and has had the audacity to mark like he's grading an errant student.

Finally, you finish - double, triple-checking before emailing it to him. Under any other boss, even with the most exacting standards, your work would be considered flawless. Goddamn this man.

No doubt he would be reading and scanning through your email as soon as he receives it, you sip on your now stone-cold coffee for a moment of calm before the storm.

You knock on his office door, and wait for a response before entering.

Samuel doesn't acknowledge your presence as you stride in, his face scanning the screen and lit up by the harsh bluelight.

"This will do for now," you release a breath you didn't know you were holding, "but I want to make some changes tomorrow morning."

Fuck. You could have pulled your hair out in exasperation, but with restraint you didn't know you possessed, you give a small bow instead and call it a night.

"Y/N, before you go-"

You were so close. You turn back around to see what he could possibly want.

" ...Do you really think your attire is appropriate for the workplace?"

What? Your cheeks flush with shame. "Excuse me?"

"I can almost see through your shirt, and your skirt is too short. Do we operate an escort service here?"

He's one to talk about tight and indecent clothing. The bastard. Tears prick your eyes.

"I'm surprised you lasted this long," Samuel says as he gets up from his desk and approaches you. A smirk dances on his lips as he leans into your personal space.

"Do you want to cry? Do I frustrate you? Infuriate you? Do you complain to your little friends about me?" He moves closer with each question, and you see his eyes flash with malicious glee.

"Do you feeling like I provoke you for no reason? Find issues in your work when there is none?" He notes the hate in your eyes and your clenched fists.

"Do you want to hit me? Or..." his eyes rake over your body, "Do you want to kiss me?"

This fucking asshole.

"Fuck you," you hiss as your lips crash into his, pouring your resentment and anger. Samuel returns your kiss with equal heat and hostility. You bite his lip and draw blood.

Fuck you, you wanted it to hurt.

[salanaii]

Learn Korean with me - Week 27

Day 1 - 3: Let's Speak Korean Ch 8 - Visa & Immigration (1 - 30)

** Don't forget your journals and of course Netflix.

어떤일로오셨나요?

Eo tteon il lo o syeoss nay o

(Literal) What kind of matter did you come (here) for? = How may I help you?

비자를갱신하려고요.

Bi ja reul gaeng sin ha ryeo go yo

I’d like to get (my) visa renewed.

비자가만기되었어요.

Bi ja ga man gi doe eoss eo yo

(My/Your) visa has expired.

어떤비자를갖고계시죠?

Eo tteon bi ja reul gaj go gye si jyo

What kind of visa do you have? = What’s your visa status?

관광/투자/학생비자입니다.

Gwan gwang/tu ja/ hag saeng bi ja ib ni da

It’s a tourist/investor/student visa.

영주줜자인가요?

Yeong ju jwon ja in ga yo

Are you a premanent resident?

어느나라국적이시죠?

Eo neu na rag ug jeog I si jyo

(Literal) What country nationality are you? = What’s your nationality?

신청서를작성해주세요.

Sin cheong seo reul jag seong hae ju se yo

Please fill out the application.

서류가부족합니다.

Seo ryu ga bu jug hab ni da

(Literal) Documents are insufficient. = You are missing some documents.

서류가빠진것같아요.

Seo ryu ga bba jin geos gad a yo

It seems like documents are missing.

신청서가통과되지못했습니다.

Sin cheong seo ga tong gwa doe ji mos haess seub ni da

(Your) application didn’t go through.

신청서가통과되었습니다.

Sin cheong seo ga tong gwa doe eoss seub ni da

(Your) application did go through.

다시작성해주세요.

Da si jag seong hae ju se yo

Please fill it out again.

담당자가자리에없습니다.

Dam dang ja ga ja ri e eobs seub ni da

(Literal) The person in charge isn’t in (his) seat. = The person in charge is away.

어디한번볼까요?

Eo di han beon bur gga yo

Shall we take a look.

빠진게없는지확인해보세요.

Bba jin ge eobs neun ji hwag in hae bu se yo

Please check of there isn’t anything missing.

이렇게작성하면되나요?

I reoh ge jag seong ha myeon doe nay o

(Literal)Is this okay if I fill out like this? = Can I fill it out like this?

어떻게작성해야하나요?

Eo tteoh ge jag seong hae ya ha nay o

How should I fill it out?

이부분이잘이잘이해가안됩니다.

I bu bun I jar I jar I hae ga an deob ni da

I don’t quite understand this part.

필요한서류는무엇인가요?

Pir yo han seo ryu neun mu eos in ga yo

What are the necessary/requited documents?

어느부서로가면될까요?

Eo neu bu seo ro ga myeon doer gga yo

Which department should I go to?

오늘종로처리될까요?

O neur jong ro cheo ri doer gga yo

Will it be processed within today?

택배로보내주세요.

Taeg bae ro bo nae ju se yo

Please send (it) by courier service.

자리에서대기해주세요.

Ja ri e seo dae gi hae ju se yo

Please wait from (=at) (your) seat.

번호표를뽑아주세요.

Beon ho pyo reur bbob a ju se yo

Please pick (=take) a number ticket.

아직차례가아닙니다.

A jig cha ryega a nib ni da

It’s not (your) turn yet.

온라인으로도신청가능합니다.

On ra in eu ro do sin cheong ga neung hab ni da

(Literal) It’s possible to submit it by online as well. =You can submit it online as well.

내일다시오세요.

Nae ir da si o se yo

Please come again tomorrow.

며칠정도걸릴까요?

Myeo chir Jeong do geor rir gga yo

About how many days (=long) would it take?

통역이있나요?

Tong yeog I iss nay o

Do you have an interpreter?

[thefinalcinderella]

Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 2 - Rainbow-Colored (Part 2)

Not much to say about this one except the headache it gave me

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. First flush refers to the “the very first plucking of a tea plant's harvest season. It’s said to yield the purest and freshest cup of tea

2. Imina is the real name of a deceased person or a noble

3. An interpretation of imina as a combination of inochi and na (life and name)

4. 妥協 (dakyou) is the word for compromise using kanji, while  折り合い (oriai) is a more “Japanese” way of writing it

5. Buji Kaeru or “Safety Frogs” are frog-shaped charms hung from children’s backpacks to pray for a safe return home

6. The ge (餉) in asage (breakfast,  朝餉) and yuuge (dinner,  夕餉) means “boiled rice.” Gekare is written with the characters 餉枯れ which means “withered rice”

7. Inko means “parakeet”

8. Kaito says “ぴーちくぱーちく” which means the chirping of small birds or the high pitched sounds of people talking

9. Greensleeves’ lyrics are in the original English in the novel but there was also a Japanese translation after this that included another fifth line so I just pasted the corresponding line in English there

10. These people are saying Edo era slang. Teyandee means “what the hell are you saying”

11. Edo shigusa refers to the system of behavior and manners for Edo merchants

12. Shihan-Mato archery is a more casual activity than kyudo. The archer uses a short bow and shoots sitting on the ground.

13. The etymology of Himiko’s name is debated but the hi in Himiko can mean “sun” and “miko” can mean priestess or just child

Previous | Next

The café restaurant near the highway was popular for its abundant use of vintage-feeling wood, which gave the restaurant a nostalgic and warm atmosphere.

The Kazemai and Kirisaki kyudo clubs jointly held a work experience event. Since many people quit kyudo after high school, the aim was to deepen friendships in places other than kyudo and to seek a way of living where everyone could continue to do kyudo even after graduation.

Tommy-sensei stroked his chin.

“In the restaurant industry, not only individual skills are required, but also coordination between each area, such as procurement, cooking, customer service, and accounting. The restaurant has kindly allowed us to fully book the location to perform a simulation.”

Everyone rushed to their roles. They put on waiter’s aprons. Hanazawa, Shiragiku, Seo, and Masa-san acted as the customers.

“Welcome.”

Minato went to take their order. Upon getting there, the long apron tied around his waist fell to the floor.

Masa-san spat out his coffee.

“W-W-What happened?”

“Sorry. I was in such a hurry that I didn’t tie the ribbon tightly enough.”

As Minato was putting on his apron again, Shiragiku frowned.

“Doesn’t it smell like something is burning?”

In the kitchen, Kaito had immediately burned the hamburgers.

Nanao dealt with it with a smile.

“My deepest apologies, but please wait a little longer. That Kacchan, he’s totally hopeless.”

Nanao started preparing dessert. Next to him, Seiya was trying to pick ingredients from the shelf at his feet. It happened when Nanao was about to peel off the plastic wrap.

“Ah!”

“…This is the first time in my life that I’ve had pudding on my head.”

“Sorry, Seiya!”

“It’s fine. I was just thinking of trying a new hair treatment anyway.”

Nanao could practically see a menacing demon behind Seiya.

“I’m really sorry! Don’t get angry!”

“Don’t they say that life has valleys and valleys?”

“Isn’t that just valleys—and anyways, don’t make me do such a cliched comedy skit!”

After the meal was finished and the bill was paid, Ryouhei said, “Thank you very much. The three girls playing the role of customers said, “It was a delicious meal,” and clutched their stomachs.

Meanwhile, there were those who watched the members of the Kazemai High School Kyudo Club, who seemed like they were performing a corny gag.

“What are those guys doing?”

“That’s why you can’t expect anything from amateurs.”

The twins were totally calm and collected.

Senichi and Manji’s father was the founder of a restaurant chain. Under the corporate philosophy of “Sincerity” and “Do things right away,” he focused on offering a comfortable space and a healthy menu, as well as reducing food waste and excessive packaging. Saying that those who didn’t know the field were useless, the twins, who had experience in the kitchen and the dining area, were in charge.

Shuu was drinking black tea with a cool expression on his face.

“It smells good. Is this first flush?” (1)

“It’s nice, isn’t it? We secretly prepared it for you, Shuu.”

The actual owner of the restaurant’s voice echoed.

“Who made this chocolate parfait? It’s mixture with mango jam added in. We don’t have something like this on our menu.”

“Crap.”

Senichi and Manji were scolded by the owner.

After the completing the work experience, the members of Kazemai and Kirisaki sat around the same table.

Ryouhei was talking animatedly in front of Shuu.

“Whoo, it was so fun. I’ve started to keep a hand-tamed Java sparrow. I don’t know what to name it, though.”

“Ryouhei, don’t ask Seiya about that no matter what,” Kaito said, and Seiya answered immediately.

“Bunta, Bunko, Bunzaemon.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, so stop it.”

Minato asked Nanao, “How was Lucy’s name chosen?”

“It was decided at a dinner party at the Onogi house. My mom did a homestay in Australia, and her host family’s cat was named Lucy. According to her, the cat loved people and climbed into everyone’s lap.”

“Is that so,” Upon hearing that, Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo murmured.

Shuu put down the cup in his hand.

“When Captain Cook found a peculiar animal on his first visit to Australia, he asked the natives what the animal’s name was, and they replied in their language, ‘We don’t understand what you’re saying,’ which sounded like ‘kangaroo.’ Nowadays, it’s widely believed that it’s a fictional story.”

This was the first time Senichi and Manji were hearing of this.

“You mean that’s a lie?”

“Kangaroo was the original name. Who first told this story, was it a joke, or was there ridicule in it? Or was this story a hoax?”

Masa-san took over the conversation.

“This isn’t a made-up story, but I have a similar anecdote. In the old days, babies were given ugly names on purpose to protect them from illness and accidents. When they grew up, they changed their names, but when the family registration system was introduced in the Meiji era, there were many unfortunate Ainu people whose childhood names were recorded as is.”

“Names are important things,” Minato said.

“Because a name is the greatest gift from the gods. In ancient times, telling someone your real name meant giving your life to them. They are called imina.” (2)

“——As in ‘name of life’, maybe?” (3)

After endless uninterrupted conversation, Tommy-sensei called it a day.

It was decided that once Ryouhei had decided on a name for his sparrow, he was to let everyone know.

After the Kazemai and Kirisaki joint work experience event ended, the club members were busy practicing at the Kazemai kyudojo. Although the event was only for the second-years, the new members had grown more comfortable with the place, and here and there one could see easygoing conversations between seniors and juniors. These days, all the first-years referred to Coach Takigawa as Masa-san.

Kanbayashi said, “Narumiya-senpai, I don’t get this part.”

“Oh, about that…”

“Narumiya-senpai, I’m going to buy replacement strings later. Can you help me choose some?”

“Yeah, sure. I was just thinking about going to the store too.”

Yes.

He secretly made a fist.

Kazemai first-year, Kanbayashi Hikaru, was Narumiya Minato’s fan. Of course, no one knew about this. If President Takehaya were to find out, he wouldn’t be able to take a single step closer to Minato, so he was being extremely careful.

Kanbayashi blinked a lot. Not only during tournaments, but also during practice, his nervousness increased even if there were just people in the stands. In kyudo, the moment when the bow was drawn and the archer remained still was the highlight, so if you blinked a lot, it would be very noticeable. He couldn’t fix it no matter how many times he was warned about it. However, there was an advantage. Even when he stared at Minato, he wasn’t found out because he blinked so much on a daily basis.

Kanbayashi complained in his mind.

I never thought I’d become a regular. Huh? Is that decision really the right call? Does everyone really understand? I’m Kanbayashi with the blinking eyes, you know? Someone who visibly shows how freaked out he is, something an archer shouldn’t be?

That day, he immediately went to Tommy-sensei to give up his position.

“This position is too much for me. Today was a fluke. It’s proven that I can’t do tournaments.”

“Ho ho, let things happen the way they happen.”

He was flatly refused.

Even if this school got second place at last year’s Inter-High, aren’t they being too generous, or rather, bold, or maybe just careless? This definitely isn’t normal. Everyone here’s crazy.

He started kyudo in middle school because he thought that since kyudo was an individual sport, even if he wasn’t good at it, he wouldn’t get in the way of others and could learn slowly at his own pace. He hadn’t expected group tournaments, and he keenly realized how poorly he had done his homework and how unimaginative he was.

Minato really loved kyudo. He had experienced target panic in the past and was still working on preventing a recurrence. He was extremely straightforward, hardworking, and somewhat of an airhead. Kanbayashi had never met such a pure person, or rather, someone who didn’t seem like he was of this world. He worried if Minato could survive in this troubled world with such defenselessness, but it seemed that he would be fine as long as the president was by his side.

Kanbayashi sometimes fell into a strange state when he looked at Minato.

I’m a wicked person. I’m sorry. I’ll reflect on myself. Before he knew it, he found himself repenting. And then, for no apparent reason, he’d end up smiling. He didn’t know if this was the right way to describe it, but it was similar to the feeling he got when a baby was staring at him.

There was reality in Minato’s words. His daily actions proved that there were no lies or falsehoods in them. Above all, Kanbayashi could tell that he really cared about other people without asking for anything in return at all. And even if the problem wasn’t solved at all, you’d feel, Well, it’s okay. I feel like this person understands me, and that I’ve been pardoned.

But if someone with such clear eyes sympathized with you, the sullied ones might bite back, unable to accept the facts.

There was a period when Minato and Masa-san didn’t talk to each other at all. He wondered what happened between them, but before he knew it, they were back to normal.

“Masa-san, I found the not-for-sale book you told me about before, but it was too expensive.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s buried somewhere in my apartment. Do you want to come over to find it?”

“To your apartment? …No, it sounds like a pain.”

“Don’t think you can get fish without working for it.”

“I like meat better than fish.”

“Isn’t being vegetarian the trend these days?”

“The Narumiya family has always been meat eaters. In the first place, Masa-san, you’re a generation behind.”

As the conversation between Minato and Masa-san continued, with topics flowing endlessly from one to another, Kanbayashi couldn’t help but think, Ah, I’m so lucky to be able to spend time with these people. Perhaps Kanbayashi was broken as well.

On the way home after practice, first-year Keyaki, second-year Kaito and Seiya, and Masa-san often engaged in a kind of debate. Keyaki and Kaito had completely different appearances, but they shared the same views on many things, so they often worked together as a tag team.

Keyaki was serious and earnest. He was diligent, hated unreasonableness, and was most likely not wrong in what he said. However, the strong sense of purpose in his eyes and overbearingness were intense.

Damn it, telling women and children to shut up? I won’t accept defeat, and I won’t tolerate being underestimated!

His intensity was so overpowering that it exhausted them as well. If you approached someone belligerently, the other person would also be on guard. Even when he tells him to relax more, he knew that it wasn’t easy to do so. Kanbayashi also couldn’t stop blinking even when he’s told to stop.

Masa-san said that Keyaki’s enemy was society. The society was a large discarnate entity that operated according to a fiction that was created by someone. It was like a religious organization with strict commandments, and any violation of these prohibitions would result in strict judgment. Peaceful conversations were necessary for compromise. It seemed that compromise, or as they said in native Japanese terms, “coming to terms,” (4) was more important than making distinctions about whether or not something was black or white.

Kazemai’s strength was trust. Everyone caring for each other. He thought that such things were platitudes and didn’t exist in reality, but he couldn’t hide his surprise when he was confronted with them before his eyes.

Kanbayashi was addicted to crane games. This was the only area he was confident in. He didn’t really want it, but he happened to find a stuffed “Yomigaeru” toy with a halo on its back in an easy-to-get spot, so he got it.

As thanks for allowing him to touch “Minahead,” he decided to give it to Nanao.

Around that time, Ryouhei was alone in front of the bus stop.

Elementary school students were passing by while singing the Frog Song. The Buji Kaeru (5) charms tied to the sides of their backpacks bounced to the rhythm of their walk. It made him happy that the elementary schoolers of today also sang nursery rhymes.

When the bus arrived, he sat at the window seat in the very back. Looking out the bus window, he saw many yellow hats neatly lined up and moving away from him. Were those children with matching bags sisters?

My sister works people hard.

She would say things like, “Ryouhei, go buy mom and dad a present for their wedding anniversary. I’ll shell out two-thirds of the money.”

She’s very energetic, and she eats well, sleeps well, and laughs often every day. Even now, she’s humming a poem that she learned in reading practice in elementary school.

This happened a long time ago.

I woke up in the middle of the night, hearing something that sounded like a scream. It must have been my imagination. Well, I fell sleep right away.

About a month later, Nee-chan suddenly started throwing out stuff from her room. Not just books and clothes, but also all of her precious drawings she kept.

Another month later, she said that she was going crazy. There was a haze in her head, she couldn’t retain anything she read or saw online, and when she shopped, she really didn’t know how much she was spending. If she went down an unfamiliar road, she couldn’t go back to where she was before and got lost. They say it’s as though she had dementia, but from my point of view, there wasn’t anything outwardly unusual about her.

She spent hours replying to a text from a friend and only sent two lines. She would feel nauseous and run to the toilet, but had nothing to vomit. At some point, she holed herself up in her room on the second floor and only came down to eat. She was startled by even the slightest sound and would find herself crouching on the floor. She said that she had trouble breathing and she couldn’t move her head and limbs because they were numb.

Dad took her out to various places, saying that she shouldn’t be cooped up at home, and Mom showed her therapy books, but they only made her feel worse and had no effect. Nee-chan hardly speaks at all, and the only words that come out now and then are “I’m sorry.” When we took her to the hospital, they told us that if she lost any more weight, she would catch pneumonia and die, so she was given an IV drip and prescribed many medicines.

Mom and Dad had a heated battle over whether to continue giving her the medicine or not. Neither side would give an inch, both saying that I’m right and you’re wrong.

Nee-san asked to be admitted to the hospital because she was going to be a burden, but our parents refused. Nee-chan couldn’t touch her phone, computer, or the home phone, and she was even too afraid to write, so she couldn’t do it herself. Mom wondered if this was all an act.

She had no desire to do anything. She couldn’t take baths and complained that even brushing her teeth is hard work. She couldn’t get up from bed at all. The only time she went out was to go to the hospital. Dad lamented that his daughter was so weak-minded, and Mom cried and wondered why she couldn’t get better. I rubbed my sister’s back when she curled up, unable to breathe. Everything was so painful that I cried.

Nee-chan was found to have an internal disease and had to undergo surgery. I don’t know the name of the disease. Tired of taking care of her, Dad would sigh loudly, and Mom began to mumble to herself. Our meals were almost always convenience store bentos. The plants in our house were dying, and the vacuum cleaner and dryer wouldn’t turn on.

Our family was at its breaking point. I was making plans to live on my own.

After being discharged from the hospital, Nee-chan was taken to Grandma’s house. I was relieved.

Nee-chan returned a month later, but as expected, she didn’t return to how she was before. She barely spoke, moved, slept, and spent most of her days wrapped up in her futon.

After an extraordinary amount of time passed, I returned to Dad’s hometown to go to high school. I reunited with Minato and Seiya there. Nee-chan would get in a good mood when I talked about them.

After that, I would visit Nee-chan’s bedroom when she was sleeping and end up just talking about club activities. Nee-chan just listened to me with a smile, but I felt kind of relieved. When I was going to be away from home for a few days, she told me to call her, so I did.

Five years had passed since that voiceless scream.

Before I knew it, Nee-san was cured.

The days where she would be eating at the dining table like before after waking up continued, and she was able to go outside. Apparently it’s called remission, not complete recovery, but we don’t know the exact reason why. Grandma calls it the “medicine of time.”

What was said and done to her at her new school? I couldn’t ask or find out. I was too scared and didn’t want to know.

I heard something from Masa-san. “Kegare” in Japanese is transformed from the word “gekare” from the words asage and yuuge, (6) and it seemed that it originally referred to the state of not being able to eat. They moved those who were too weak to eat to a remote house and kept them away so that they themselves would not be dragged to the realm of the dead.

Masa-san is a knowledgeable adult and always smiling. Minato and Kaito looks up to him as their master, and are devoted to kyudo. Seiya and Nanao support the two of them, and I’m rooting for everyone.

Shuu-kun is cute, and Senichi and Manji are playful. Tommy-sensei is Kazemai’s captain, Hanazawa-san, Shiragiku-san, and Seo-san are charming and pretty. Keyaki-kun has a strong gaze and always talks about complicated things. Kanbayashi-kun is always standing next to him and smiling, and Himuro-kun is, um, er, sorry, I don’t really have a strong impression of him.

There are several small flowerpots lined up in our yard. Nee-chan planted acorns she picked up in the mountains in them, and now there are adorable leaves opening. Today, I planted some seeds brought by birds.

Nee-chan has resumed her studies. She wants to go to university after graduating from high school and study Japanese literature, biology, and physics. I think she’s being too greedy.

I started keeping a hand-tamed Java sparrow. I named it “Inko” after Seiya recommended it to me. (7)

People, birds, animals, mountains, sea, sky, and the sun. I love them all. I hate bugs, but I’m fine as long as I don’t touch them.

I’m invincible because I got everything I love.

When they got off from the minivan, they heard the sound of dogs barking.

The seven members of the Kazemai kyudo club boys’ team and their coach had arrived at “Wan-Nyan Land.”

As the name suggested, it was a theme park where you could play with dogs and cats. It was divided into small dog, large dog, and cat areas, and there was an open space for enjoying shows.

“I’m really excited. But is it okay for just us eight to come here?” Minato asked Seiya.

“This is our mission from Tommy-sensei to ‘secrete the comfort hormone oxytocin,’ and it’s an eight-passenger car. Don’t worry, I explained it to Keyaki.”

When the eight reached the entrance, Masa-san widened his eyes. Familiar faces were lining up in front of the entrance.

“Masa-san!”

“Keyaki!?”

“When I heard that the boys’ team was coming here, I invited everyone here as well. Please let us join you as well.”

Including the three second-year girls and the first-years, there was a total of sixteen people. While Masa-san was busy with the group visit procedures, Seiya briskly gave instructions.

“Okay, everyone, let’s pause. Now then, Masa-san, please accompany the first-years. You have the responsibility as the adult in charge, right? Don’t worry, the second-years will be looked after by me, the president.”

“Seiya, you…”

Masa-san took Keyaki, who had a big smile on his face, another first-year boy, a blinking Kanbayashi, an expressionless Himuro, and the three first-year girls with him and headed for the Wan-Nyan Show.

“Wan-Nyan? More like Squeak-Squawk,” Kaito said. (8)

“Kacchan, you act like an old man. Baby birds are cute,” Nanao said.

“I wonder if Masa-san will be alright. He was walking with Keyaki hanging from his neck,” Minato said.

“He’ll be fine, he’s an adult,” Seiya said.

“Everyone, let’s go!” At Ryouhei’s call, the eight second-years moved out.

Minato and Ryouhei ran to the corner at the very front. Puppies were running around energetically in a circular area with a roof. The two of them charged at the frolicking mass and started petting all of them. Even Nanao couldn’t speak as the puppies approached them curiously.

Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo opened the double doors to the neighbouring circle. This was where the trained dogs were, and people could hold them in their arms. Someone who seemed to be a regular visitor picked up a running dog from behind and sat down in the corner of the fence. The three girls also managed to sit down with dogs in their arms.

Seo’s cheeks flushed red.

“You really can’t beat the real thing.”

Her hobby was watching animal videos. Shiragiku’s heart fluttered at the sight of Seo petting the dog with an unaccustomed hand, and the lens of Hanazawa’s phone was locked onto her.

Meanwhile, Seiya and Kaito were heading to the dog park for large dogs.

The large grounds were bathed in sunlight and the grass underfoot was tinged with heat. One dog approached them and sniffed at Seiya’s blue-striped shoes and Kaito’s red shoes. Perhaps not interested in either of them, it moved away before they could hold out their hands.

Seiya approached a dog lying down and stroked its chin. The dog got up and entrusted its whole body to him. Kaito watched the two of them out of the corner of his eye as though he was the one who wanted to be spoiled.

“It’s clingy. Isn’t it heavy?”

“I’m used to big dogs. But I have to take a shower before I go home. If its scent is left on me, Kuma will know that I’ve been playing with another dog.”

“Where are you going to take a shower?”

“Minato’s house. I’m going to enter from the back door so Kuma doesn’t see me.”

“They’ll think you’re a thief.”

“There’s no problem, I do this all the time.”

Somebody whistled.

The dog slunk up and went under the small hut.

The name of the song was “Greensleeves.”

Alas, my love, you do me wrong.

Greensleeves was all my joy.

Greensleeves was my delight.

For I have loved you well and long

Delighting in your company. (9)

Nostalgia brought to mind scenes that they may or may not want to remember. The two went into the shade of a tree to avoid the sun.

A heat haze shimmered on the grass.

“I recently learned that the Bernese Mountain Dog is one of the most short-lived dogs. According to a Swiss proverb, ‘Three years a young dog, three years a good dog, and three years an old dog...all else is a gift from God.’ The Ainu call bears kamuy—gods. I named my short-lived dog God and placed him by my side. Ignorance is a scary thing.”

“There’s not really a problem there, is it? It’s just an elementary school kid giving his dog a name that sounds strong. The Ainu people saw the bear as a god. Isn’t that all there is to it? Unlike in the past, medical care is now more advanced. You’re seeing too many connections that aren’t there, Seiya.”

“Fu, you have a point. –Hey, Kaito.”

“Hm?”

“Ah…it’s almost lunch time. Let’s go back to the meeting place.”

The red shoes followed the blue shoes in the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

People who had many secrets to hide, who made it unsure whether or not you should catch up with them.

Was it selfish of me to want to know what you’re carrying, or to ask you to entrust some of your burdens with me?

Before they knew it, a cool breeze blew by them as they walked side by side.

After lunch, the eight who came by the minivan plus Keyaki moved out. Minato and the others headed for the cat corner, where they first changed into rental kimonos. The moment they set foot in there, they were transported to another world.

The name of this space was “EDO.”

In the reconstructed Edo streetscape, kimono-clad townspeople, samurai, and cats passed by. The concept was to interact with the cats that lived in this town, all of which were former rescued cats. It was run by a non-profit organization, and the idea was conceived by a local high school student.

The cats roamed freely in the town and slept next to old ladies on porches. There were no Sakura cats there. A fight immediately broke out over Kaito.

In a slightly secluded area, the neighborhood was filled with Edo specialties such as wind chimes, Edo faceted glass, and glass beads against a checkered background. People dressed in happi coats and zori sandals were saying things like, “Teyandee! Damn it! I’m a trueborn Edoite!” (10) and “Oh, my God! I need to hurry up. It’s starting.” They were fake Edoites in every way, but real Edoites didn’t care about such details. In response to the women performing the “Edo shigusa” of tilting their umbrellas as they passed by each other, they said, “Hey, that’s so stylish!” (11)

Kaito touched the obi wrapped around his waist.

“Masa-san, kimono really suits you. It feels like you’re used to wearing them.”

“You’re looking handsome too, Kaito.”

“R-Really? This place is pretty intricate. Hey, what’s that?”

“Oh, that’s called ‘Shihan-Mato archery.’” (12)

Kaito was pointing to a group of people sitting on their soles on old tatami mats laid out on the ground, aiming at targets with long arrows. The origin of the name Shihan-Mato came from the fact that the distance of the target area was 4.5 ken, the bow and arrow used were both 4.5 shaku, the diameter of the targets were 4.5 sun. Everything was four and a half, and its long arrows were what made it distinctive.

Himuro and Keyaki decided to take on the challenge. Himuro hit the target so often that it was his first time, and Keyaki had a look of desperation on his face. While Kanbayashi was waiting for his turn, two boys were standing behind him.

“He’s hitting a lot. Film this.”

One of the boys had pinkish-red hair, and the other had blond hair in a ponytail. The redhead put his hand in the cuff of his happi coat and folded his arms, while Blond Ponytail had a camera in his hands.

Nanao clapped his hands together.

“Oh, I know you guys. You’re the Yotubers Asahina and Eddie, right? I watched ‘Shooting targets in the dark.’ It was a shame.”

Redhead was the one who answered. “You watched it? Yeah, I couldn’t see the target at all, so I couldn’t align the arrow to the height. Eddie hit the curtain, you know. Hmm? What’s with all the familiar faces?”

Redhead and Blond Ponytail looked at Minato.

“Are you guys from Kazemai High School? You’re Narumiya, right? I saw the live broadcast of last year’s Inter-High finals.”

“Yes, that’s me. Thank you for watching.”

“It was a great tournament, really nice to watch. I’m Asahina You, and this is Eddie Fox. We’re second-years from Haneina High School. Nice to meet you! So you’re the fated rival of that famous Young Prince?”

Seiya took a step forward towards Asahina, who was a true extrovert with a brilliant smile.

“Is this live?”

“No, we’re going to edit it later.”

“We came here as part of our club activities. You need our school’s permission to upload this on the internet.”

“Got it. Stop filming.”

Eddie put down the camera at Asahina’s instruction.

“We came here to film because we can see genuine Yumihiki Douji here. Although, those dolls apparently weren’t made in the Edo period, but Heisei era facsimiles.”

Eddie made a strange pose that was reminiscent of a flamboyant gesture in kabuki.

“I am one who is quite learned on all things Japanese. Karate Karaoke Kyudo. Miso Senpai Karoushi. Kawaii Mottainai Hentai.”

Kaito scratched his head.

“Is that good or bad?”

Seiya wore a complacent smile.

“If you like Japanese things, there’s a real Shinto priest here.”

“Oh, my, God. May I visit next day? Which temple do you preside over?”

Eddie seemed to have mixed up temples and shrines, but even Japanese people didn’t distinguish between the two. When visiting a shrine, one would often hear people ask, “Is it okay to clap my hands here?” (13)

Masa-san answered politely, as one would expect from one of his profession.

“Please come visit. I’m often asked this by foreigners. ‘Kami-sama’ is the one enshrined at ‘Yata Jinja.’ God is the name of the god in monotheistic religions such as Christianity and Judaism, and if you translate that as ‘Here is God,’ you’d receive questioning looks like, ‘What is this guy talking about?’ The term Shinto deity isn’t a name, but a description.”

Hearing that, Minato said, “It’s like mistaking Satou-san for Smith-san? I read somewhere that when you say ‘shrine’ in English, it refers to a quiet place for pilgrims and people like them and has nothing to do with Shinto at all, while ‘temple’ refers to a noisy place where people gather to pray.”

“The way of calling and writing proper nouns is surprisingly difficult. Himiko is probably ‘the miko of the Sun’ or ‘child of the Sun.’ (13) In a place where people worshipped eight million gods, Buddha arrived, and the Shinto and Buddhist traditions were combined. In order to counter monotheism during the world war, State Shinto was created and the kami and Buddha were once again separated. State Shinto and ancient Shinto are two completely different things, and Shinto is a prehistoric nature religion.”

“Ooh, I found a heart cat!”

Everyone turned around at Ryouhei’s voice.

“Fare thee well!” Asahina and Eddie ran away, chasing after the calico cat with a heart mark.

Kanbayashi lowered his brows. “Those people sure are lively, Narumiya-senpai.”

“They are. Sorry, we kinda got sidetracked.”

“That’s not true. The teacher-student dialogue was fun!”

Afterwards, Minato and the others enjoyed themselves with the Shihan-Mato Archery, sent a group photo to Tommy-sensei, and headed home.

Previous | Next