#singaporean babes

[the-riirii]

Finally, a character reference of Singaporean Dude I created. Will do Singaporean versions of the other Dudes, the Bitch, his pet and RWS peeps (Mad Cow Mike J, postal babes etc.) in a few days or weeks.

I regained my liking for this ink brush I used in the past for my artworks, and I looked through some of my old artworks which have the cool red backgrounds.

WARNING FOR BELOW: BLOOD, FLAYED SKIN

[literaphobe]

random but if core four knew how to play mahjong they’d especially love singaporean style mahjong bc there’s animal power up tiles:

alya would get so offended whenever nino accidentally skipped her turn by pong-ing something. he’d say babe please i didn’t do it on purpose :( and she wouldn’t talk to him until she won

adrien gets SO happy whenever he gets the cat tile bc its HIM. meow meow power up!

marinette almost always dominates bc shes so terribly lucky. her wins consist of the most bizarre and interesting card combinations. she usually tries winning by rarer move sets to give the others a chance

on occasion when someone says ‘hu’ (they win) nino goes HU let the dogs out!! and apologizes if no one laughed -> they did the first time

sometimes adrien gets marinettes flower tile and when she goes NOOOOOOO WHY DIDNT I GET THAT FIRST :( he tries to give it to her secretly. he also does the same for alya and nino if he accidentally draws their flower tiles

adrien uses the flower tiles like they’re the roses he gives her (pretend this is post-reveal) to romance her in game and when he gets the cat tile and marinette gets the mouse tile he tells her this is why they’re Meant To Be -> she eats it up every time

nino and alya try doing the same w the other animal tiles but the rooster and worm just dont feel quite so fated soulmates vibes so to joke around they hold the wind direction tiles up to each other and say you BLEW me away 😍

whenever they invite kagami to play she gets very possessive of the hong zhong (red dragon tiles). she tries to pong them as hard as she can and if SOMEONE ELSE pongs the red dragons first she glares at them a bit

[kryativelogos]

Cinder's Racial Ambiguity Frustrates Me (Spoilers for The Lunar Chronicles)

Hi hello long time no post! I haven't had a chance to really consumed any media until just recently so I'm finally back with another review!

Today we're gonna talk about The Lunar Chronicles, written by Marissa Meyer, and published in 2012. I had read this novel back in 2015/2016 when Fairest and Winter were newly released and had the opportunity to reread it (albeit in audiobook form) these past few months. Buckle up babes, I have a lot to say.

I wanna just say right off the bat that in terms of world-building, plot, and even character design, this story still holds up quite well from when I read it the first time. From how each character gets their own time to shine and development, to how they all connect with one another, I loved seeing the major plot unfold and how it concluded so nicely.

But I do want to discuss something that has bothered me from the first time that I read this series and still does after reading it a second time: Cinder's race.

Now you may be wondering, why do we care what Cinder's race is? Well, I'm Asian, Singaporean to be specific. And it would be great if Cinder's race was Asian/Chinese as the website, as the author, and as most people in the fandom believe to be. However, I am skeptical for this to be the case at all.

We don't know what race(s) the Lunars are.

They're an "evolved" race of humans that have magical abilities. Even Meyer herself states that the ethnicities start to blend because it's so far in the future. It's already quite difficult to pinpoint specific ethnic groups just in the royal family.

Queen Channary had olive skin and dark brown hair which could be a myriad of ethnicities and races although I'm heavily inclined to believe that she is/was South/Southeast Asian due to her name being taken from the Khmer dialect found in Cambodia [evidently in the wiki]. Even Queen Jannali was described to have had tan skin and chestnut colored hair, which again, says nothing about her race, but her name was taken from the Aboriginal language [also found on the wiki] so that may count for,,, something. Essentially, following Cinder's lineage, we already have little evidence to support the idea that Cinder is Asian, let alone Chinese.

Cinder's description in the book did not help her case (and I believe Meyer attempted to retcon this later on, like, look at the new covers - she looks so [East] Asian, but then you read the description in the actual book??).

Her first description in Cinder was tan skin, angular body, and mousy brown hair. Mousy implies, light brown. Literally look up "mousy brown hair" online, you'll see a bunch of eurocentric, white women. No Asian that I know, naturally, has "mousy" brown hair unless you dye it or it is heavily sun-bleached (which has happened to me but still not light enough to be considered "mousy", I could have safely called it brown). Cinder was also told by the end of the book, that she was found in Europe. You can see that as someone who's been wanting an Asian MC would be disappointed with finding out that ah, she must be European (and later, more than likely, French). Even if Cinder was Wasian, I believe genetically, the dark hair would have been dominant. I can't say the same for the tan skin since she was outdoors a lot and Asian folks do tan quite easily in the sun and remains tanned for at least 6-8 months.

I would love for Cinder to be Asian, I really would, but all of this evidence just keeps her race too ambiguous personally. I can't seem to get over the "mousy brown hair". If not for this particular descriptor, I would 100% believe Cinder to be Asian. But because we don't even know Channary or Jannali's race with only their names as some kind of clue to Cinder's background, we will never know for sure.

I don't think it helps that a majority of fanart I see of Cinder has very eurocentric features, which draws me back to her thinking she's French/European. It also bothers me that while Winter and Iko get rather well-written descriptions of what they look like (aka black), we can't seem to get one good description, showing some form of Asian representation that I'm sure many of us are grasping at straws for, of the main character of the series. So many of us are still hoping that Cinder is Asian simply because she's living in New Beijing (which I will be making another post at some point about how I, personally believe, is a poorly designed/created city in terms of world-building) but she's literally adopted from Europe (Luna if you wanna get technical, see the first point).

I know my points are kind of moot and there wasn't much warrant for me to go on a tirade about a fictional character created in 2012. But this is important to me as a WOC, as an Asian girlie who so wants to connect to a character that looks like me, that was written to look like me; but I feel cheated and the ambiguity makes it hard for me to fully love Cinder as much as I love the other characters (if anyone is asking, my favorite characters are Winter and Scarlet). If anyone else has thoughts about this or has something to prove to me once and for all that Cinder is Asian. Please send it my way.

PS I wish I had a physical copy to directly quote the book, but again, my second reread was through audiobooks, so I can't reference pages at all atm. Sorry about that TuT Hopefully I can get my hands on a copy from the library soon so I can edit this post with direct lines.

[bobfloydsbabe]

don't know if im allowed to send another ask after just sharing my dog with you lol but I'm gonna do it anyway!

What is Abby's creation story like? I know at least for me all of my OCs go through several iterations of names and faceclaims and backstories. So I'm just curious if Abby (in regular universe or the mob universe! you pick!) had a different name at one point/different faceclaim/different backstory that you would like to share?

Love you babe 💗

You're absolutely allowed to send me another ask. In fact, you're allowed to send as many as you want to, and thank you for sharing your Bear with me. He's a cutie.

This is such an interesting question. Creating OCs is a complex process, and while some come easy, others do not. We know that Abby has two iterations–original and mob universe. Here's a few facts about both their creations.

ORIGINAL ABBY

➳ Abby's original name was Remi, and I actually posted two fics for her and Bob with this name before I changed it. It just didn't feel right for her character, so after going through a whole list of suggestions from friends, I decided on Abby and I haven't regretted that decision in the slightest.

➳ Her middle name is Kyomi. It's a Japanese name that her mother, Lauren, chose to represent their culture-ish. Her mother is technically of Singaporean-Chinese descent, but as a fuck you to her family for disowning her after she got pregnant at 17, she chose a Japanese middle name for her daughter.

➳ Abby doesn't know who her father is, and her mother has never told her. She doesn't really mind. In the planning stages, she did have a dad, but it didn't feel right for the story.

➳ I always pictured her as being Asian, but it took me a while to decide what area of Asia she was from. In the end, Jessica Henwick was the perfect face claim for Abby, and her ethnicity informed Abby's.

MOB ABBY

➳ I toyed around with the idea of creating a new OC for the mob au, but I decided against because I didn't think it was going to be as big as it is now. I was just going to post that one drabble and get it out of my system. That obviously didn't happen.

➳ Mob Abby's mother died when she was seven, and not knowing who her father is, she was taken in my Warlock. He raised her as his own, but still somewhat removed from the organization. No one knows she exists, which is how she's able to be Bob's secretary and not raise suspicion.

➳ I knew Abby had an adopted brother (Warlock's son) and I had the hardest time naming him. In true me fashion, I went to my bestie who's infinitely better at naming people/things than I am, and she suggested the name Uriah. It's biblical like Solomon, so it makes sense.

➳ I have no idea if Bob and Abby end up together in this universe. I like to think they do, but they have to build trust from the ground up.

[aleksaaa11]

Little Ironies "Taximan's Story by Catherine Lim

Diving into "The Taximan's Story by Catherine Lim's "Little Ironies" felt like stepping into a slice of Singaporean life. The story was all about a taxi driver who shares his thoughts with a passenger, called 'Madam'. He talks about his job driving tourists and social escorts, and how he dislikes the younger generation for their choices. But things take a twist when he reveals his own daughter was once a social escort, leaving him feeling ashamed and conflicted. We picked this story because it explores relatable themes such as the relationship and trust between parent and child, generational conflicts, and societal changes. The literariness of "The Taximan's Story"is evident as it is obviously made up of words and texts, and careful use of language. It is a short story that can be read artistically given that it was written in First Person's Point of View and open to interpretations.

Our goal is to help students really connect with literature. That's why we get creative with how we adapt this short story. Nowadays, students our age are now more engage with multimedia due to the advancement of technologies and now that we are more exposed in media. We use things like videos and cool digital platforms, like (Alternative Universe, also known as AU Stories), to make stories feel more real and personal. Text-chat videos are also on trend on TikTok recently. Using this fact to our advantage, we incorporate our chosen literature in a way students would enjoy watching and at the same time, learn this literature.

When it comes to any changes we make from the original text, it's all about giving readers a fresh perspective. Take, for example, shifting the point of view from the father to the daughter in "The Taximan's Story." In the original text, we only hear the father's side of the story, but by flipping the script, we open up a whole new world of interpretations.

We wanted to get everyone thinking. So, we asked questions like, "What else could this story mean?" and "How does it relate to us?" We believe understanding stories like "The Taximan's Story" isn't just about reading – it's about exploring and finding new ideas. And that's what we're all about.

leader: Antonio, Erika E.

members: Crisostomo, Shane Leanne C. Lectura, Joedahlia N. Maniago, Jenie Babe D. Marquez, Cianna P. Muñoz, Alexa Faith B. Quidor, Jana Andrea G. Tuyor, Jian Geile M.

[ginnsbaker]

omg hi babe i love your work... are u singaporean?

hi! Thank you :)

No I'm not :)

[lushlity]

IG: saffronsharpe

[lsmu]

Book 2 Chapter 10: Perfect World

'Sana-ssi, I've picked up Kim Yeoni-ssi and delivered your letter. We're on our way to Marina Bay Sands now.'

It was a text from Anish, the Singaporean driver that the IPG had entrusted to pick up Yeoni from the airport today. I smiled and texted back immediately.

'Thank you, Mr. Anish. Please drive safely.'

Somehow I felt giddy knowing that Yeoni had arrived in Singapore and that he was safe under Anish's care. I knew he'd stay with Jennie, and I might not even have a chance to spend time with him with all the busyness of the MAMA event today. But–I thought–waiting for your good friend to come was always nice, wasn't it?

"Shit, why do we have to get such an early schedule for the sound check?" complained Dahyun, checking herself in the mirror.

I looked up to her and giggled. She always complained. Jeongyeon entered the living room from our bedroom and slapped Dahyun's thick butt. The pale girl jolted.

"Ya! Don't complain so much! We're a large group... So it'll take more time for the crew to get us ready. We should be thankful that we're allowed to have lunch first!" she said while grinning.

Dahyun sighed, but she chuckled nonetheless. She looked around and saw that the three of us were ready to go, so she picked up her duffel bag and started walking to the door with us. We were just about to leave our suite when suddenly Dahyun looked down to her feet and gasped.

"What is it, Dubu?" I asked her. "I forgot to wear my comfy sneakers!" she said. "Eeh? You didn't give it to Minsoo yesterday for him to bring it to the stadium earlier?" I asked her in surprise.

Although most of our performance outfits were prepared by JYPE, all nine of us always wore something extra that belonged to ourselves. Most of the time it was accessory items such as our lucky bracelets or necklace, but some other times it was the sneakers or safety shorts we were most comfortable to perform in.

Before a big event such as MAMA today, we'd collect our specific personal items and give it to our manager to bring to the venue beforehand so that we won't forget it. Last night, I thought all nine of us had given everything to Minsoo, who left earlier this morning to the venue to prepare our dressing room, but evidently Dahyun had forgotten to do so.

"I thought I'd just wear it today, you know. So that I won't have to change again later!" she said, sounding disappointed at herself. Jeongyeon sighed. "It's alright, Dubu. Just wear it quickly! We'll wait for you," she said kindly. Dahyun shook her head. "No, no, Unnie, don't wait for me. I still need to find it in my luggage! I haven't worn it the whole time we're here. You two go down first and meet the others! I'll catch up!" she said as she ran back inside. "Don't take too long!" I exclaimed. "I won't! Don't worry!" I heard her reply from inside the suite.

Jeongyeon and I chuckled and closed the door, walking slowly to the lift lobby. Jeongyeon flung her long arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek. I squealed and kissed her back.

"Nervous?" she asked me gently. I shook my head. "Come on, Babe... Been doing this for twelve years already!" I said confidently. She laughed. "Why do I still feel nervous every time we're about to perform in an arena like this," she uttered.

I looked at my girlfriend. She'd beaten her anxiety problems a few years ago, and had recovered completely, but I understood what she meant. Performing in front of such a large audience was never easy, especially for introverted people like her. I hugged her waist and snuggled down by her side.

"Don't be nervous, Yoo Beep Beep. I'm here for you," I whispered lovingly. She chuckled and kissed the crown of my head gently. "I know you are," she whispered.

The lift came and we entered. It was empty, so we kept hugging each other inside. Jeongyeon seemed deep in thought, and I wanted to leave her to it, but suddenly she looked at me seriously.

"Sha, do you notice that Tzuyu's super quiet today?" she asked me. I raised an eyebrow. "She's always quiet, isn't she?" I asked back. "Yeah... But... I don't know... She looked a little... Sad? Angry?" she said tentatively.

I tried to remember how Tzuyu looked during breakfast earlier today. That girl was always so quiet, but she would still smile and joke around with us, and she would usually talk a lot with Nayeon or her fellow maknaes. I didn't remember her doing it today, to be honest, but I wasn't sure.

"I... Don't know, Jeongie. Wasn't really paying attention to her today," I said as I shook my head.

Jeongyeon considered my answer for a while, but then she shrugged.

"Hm... Maybe it's just my thought," Jeongyeon said eventually.

We arrived at the lobby and saw Minsoo sitting in the lobby lounge. Chaeyoung, Momo, and Mina were already there with him, sitting silently. I chuckled as I noticed their game faces. We might be crazy and weird every day, but before any performance, each of us would undertake our pre-game routine to get our heads in the zone.

"Hi, Minsoo!" I called him. Minsoo looked super nervous today, as this was his first time managing us during a big performance. "H–Hi, Sana! Hi Noona!" he greeted us. Jeongyeon gave him a high five. "Where's Jihyo? I thought she'd be here with you already," Jeongyeon asked him while looking around. "O–Oh... She was here, but she went back up to pick up some stuff from her room," Minsoo said. Jeongeon nodded and joined Momo, Mina, and Chaeng.

I sat next to him and punched him on the shoulder. He turned around.

"Minsoo-ya! Don't be nervous. You'll do great today!" I encouraged him. He chuckled nervously. "T–Thanks, Sana. Y–Yeah... I'm super nervous today," he said. "I just got back from the Indoor Stadium, and–and... Wow, it looked so big!" "Don't be nervous! Think of it just like any other performance," I told him. He nodded, but he still looked nervous. I chuckled and decided to let him get busy on his tablet.

"Oh, you girls are already here!"

I turned to see Nayeon walking towards us, looking stressed. This was so unlike her. She was usually one of the most relaxed people ever, including when we were about to perform. A few steps behind her walked Tzuyu, and now I understood what Jeongyeon meant; she did look downcast, or even angry? I stood up and approached Tzuyu.

"Tzu, are you okay?" I whispered as I walked beside her.

Tzuyu glanced at me, and I noticed that her eyes were red and a little swollen. What was happening?

"I'm... I'm fine, Unnie. Just... Tired, maybe," she uttered, forcing a smile. I knew she was hiding something. "Are you sure?" I pressed her gently.

She nodded and walked faster, sitting next to Chaeyoung, looking like she was trying to sit as far away as possible from Nayeon. What happened? Did they fight last night?

I exchanged worried looks with Jeongyeon and we both looked at Nayeon, asking her with our looks. She stared at us and–to my horror–tears started filling her beautiful eyes, but she shook her head, warning us not to talk about this. I understood her, and decided to not pursue this topic any longer for now. Fuck. This was awkward, and today was one of our most important performances of the year!

Jeongyeon and I exchanged concerned looks. She then cleared her throat and stood up.

"I–I'll... Go check on Dubu. What took her so long anyway...," she said awkwardly. I nodded, and she left.

I sat next to Nayeon, grabbing her hand gently. She looked down, and I noticed tears dripping from her eyes. Shit. This was not good. I looked up and noticed that Minsoo and the other girls seemed not to notice this, all busy getting in the zone.

I looked at Nayeon, and suddenly the usually super confident and loud unnie looked so frail. I wanted so badly to ask her what happened, but I knew she needed some space. As if reading my thoughts, she looked up and wiped her tears, before leaning to whisper to me.

"I'll tell you later," she whispered, her voice shaky. "Group stuff."

Group stuff? IPG stuff? What happened? Did Suzy-unnie tell her something? I looked at her curiously, but she had told me that she would tell me later, so I knew it was best not to press her any further, especially when she was in this state of mind.

I decided to flung my eyes around the lobby, and at that moment I noticed a familiar black Chrysler car stopping at the driveway in front of the lobby entrance, and from it, stepped out the handsome guy who had become one of my closest friends this past year. He took his wallet out, and I chuckled. I took out my phone and dialed his number, while still looking at his direction. He noticed his phone vibrating, and he took it out from his jacket pocket.

"We've got you covered, Oppa. No need to pay!" I told him while giggling. "How do you know I'm here?" Yeoni asked me in surprise. I chuckled. "Look inside," I said.

He looked up and immediately saw me. He smiled and nodded.

"Gomawo, Sha," he said tenderly.

I smiled and winked at him, then I hung up. Gosh, how I wished I could just run up to him and hug him, away from all this awkwardness that was happening around me right now. But at that moment, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Dahyun walked toward us from the lift lobby.

"Sorry, girls!" said Jihyo breathlessly. "Are we late?" "No, no. Don't worry Jihyo! I'll call the bus now if you guys are ready," said Minsoo.

The girls all nodded, and Minsoo called the JYPE bus to take us to the Indoor Stadium. A throng of fans and reporters had gathered around the lobby area, cheering and calling our names.

Somehow, almost automatically, I smiled cutely and waved to the hundreds of Once and reporters present, even when my mind was still burdened with whatever happened between Nayeon and Tzuyu. I glanced at the other eight, and I saw them doing the same; even Nayeon, who kindly did an aegyo for a group of cheering fans... Even Tzuyu, who elegantly smiled and took a selfie with a group of young fans waiting for her.

I chuckled as I boarded the bus. Twelve years in the industry had made us realise that the show and performance were never just when we were on stage or in front of a camera. It was everywhere, whenever we were in the public eye. It was tiring, but it was just what it takes to be an idol.

Minsoo and all nine of us boarded the bus, and soon it zoomed away. I sat silently next to Nayeon, who still looked dejected, looking out of the window without saying anything. I gently grabbed her hand again and she squeezed back, but she kept looking away.

I looked around the bus. Everyone was sitting silently, not talking to each other. This was a normal routine before every big show, but somehow today it felt a little different. I looked at Minsoo who was sitting next to Jihyo, clearly feeling uncomfortable with this silence. I chuckled and walked towards him, sitting at the empty chair next to Jeongyeon near him.

"You alright, Minsoo?" I asked him. He smiled and nodded. "Y–Yeah. It's just... You guys are unusually quiet today... Is something wrong?" he asked me in a hushed voice. Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and I chuckled. "No, Minsoo. It's normal," said Jihyo. "We usually stay quiet before a big performance, all of us trying to get in the zone," explained Jeongyeon. Minsoo's eyes widened. "A–ah! That's why! Okay... Sorry. I won't disturb you guys!" he said.

I chuckled and squeezed his shoulder, offering encouragement, before going back to my seat next to Nayeon. I looked outside the window, and saw the Singapore Indoor Stadium standing tall and proud on the horizon, looking almost like a futuristic starship out of the movies. I heard Chaeyoung and Dahyun let out an amazed gasp from the seat behind me, and everyone turned their attention to the towering building that we were about to perform in.

We arrived at the venue and were escorted to the artists' entrance. Minsoo led us to our changing room backstage, a large area with nine make-up stations. He then turned and smiled nervously.

"Alright, girls! Sound check first, then you can change into your outfits and do your make-ups. I'll call out the names to go out to the stage and do the sound check, the rest of you can sit here and relax for now," he explained masterfully.

I chuckled seeing how much he had improved in just two weeks. Minsoo checked his tablet and looked back up.

"First ones... Nayeon and Sana. Please follow me to the stage!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

I looked at Nayeon, who was looking at me. She nodded, and we followed Minsoo out of the changing room, walking side by side to the stage. Minsoo pulled open the curtain, and I was mesmerized by just how big the stage was, let alone the stadium. A sound crew approached us and gave us our headset microphones, before leading us to the center of the stage. The sound director called our names and asked us to try out the microphones.

We finished the sound check without problem and Minsoo led us back to the changing room, calling Jeongyeon and Jihyo next. My girlfriend looked at me as we walked past each other, but I shook my head, silently telling her that I hadn't spoken to Nayeon.

We settled into our booths and were soon swarmed by the costume and make-up crew. We slipped into our outfit and had our makeup done. While the others were interchangeably doing their sound checks and make-ups, Nayeon tapped my shoulder. I looked up and understood what she wanted to do, so I followed her to the backstage area. She found a secluded spot and stopped there, taking a deep breath.

"What is it, Nabong?" I asked her concernedly.

She looked up to me, and suddenly, tears flowed down from her eyes.

"Nabong, Nabong... What is it?" I whispered as I hugged her. She hugged back and cried. "It's... Tzuyu..." she sobbed. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

She sobbed for a few more moments, before pulling away and looking at me straight in the eyes.

"You know she's in love with Nam Chuyoung from YG, right?" she asked me.

I nodded, but felt confused at the same time. Was she jealous of him? Was she heartbroken because Tzuyu fell in love with a guy? I knew Nayeon was bisexual and she was always close with Tzuyu, but I never thought she liked Tzuyu that way!

"Nabong... I... I don't know you like her that way," I asked her in surprise and pity, but she shook her head. "No, no... It's not that. It's... Chuyoung... I... I think he's someone else," she whispered. This alarmed me. "What? What are you saying?" I asked her.

She continued sobbing for a while, but then she looked me straight in the eye. When she spoke, her voice was surprisingly bold.

"Remember... Remember the one YG executive... Who was part of Park Manse's gang of five from last year?" she asked me. I nodded. How could I forget? "I... I think Chuyoung... Might be... One of them," she said, with fear in her voice. My eyes widened in surprise. "What? B–But... I don't remember any of them named Chuyoung!" I said.

I tried to remember the five names. It was Park Manse, Kwak Jinyoung, Lee Chung Hee, Kim Tae Woo, and Kang Sung Ho, right? There was no Nam Chuyoung. I looked at Nayeon again, but she nodded rapidly.

"That's the thing! Do you remember what happened to them after you guys defeated them last year?" Nayeon asked me. I nodded. "Park Manse disappeared, the other three joined Naver, Samsung, and LG... and..." I listed, but then my heart stopped as I realised what happened.

My eyes were filled with terror. There was one executive who didn't resign, but we had not heard about him again this whole year. All I knew was that he was demoted to a lesser division and disappeared from public life. Could it be?

"Nabong... Are you saying...?" I asked her slowly. To my horror, she nodded. "I... I met him two weeks ago, right? From the first time I saw him, I thought I recognised him, but I wasn't sure because his name was different and I remembered Kwak Jinyoung to be... A little on the heavier side, while Chuyoung is thin. But... I don't know... There's something wrong about him," she said.

I didn't reply. I didn't know what to say. I kept staring at Nayeon, and she continued her story.

"I met him again a few days later after drinking with Chaeng and Mina and we talked while eating haejangguk. Honestly I was so drunk I didn't remember what happened that night, but Chaeng told me that... That..." she paused, looking really embarrassed. "I did... What I usually do when I'm drunk..."

I shook my head and sighed. Nayeon really needed to control her urges.

"Nabong, you really need to sober up..." I whispered. She nodded and started crying again. "I know... It's just... When Chaeng told me, at first I felt really, really bad because I knew how much Tzuyu liked the guy... But then, the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt because I'm starting to feel that he's indeed Kwak Jinyoung. That's why I told Tzuyu not to go yesterday, that's why I followed them the entire day yesterday," she said.

I stared at her, not believing my ears. She might actually have stepped out of a line here.

"You... Followed them the entire day yesterday?" I asked for clarification. She nodded. "I... I just want to keep Tzuyu safe, Sha. I have no other intentions. Believe me," she pleaded. "What happened yesterday?" I asked her again. She sighed. "Well... I... Nothing really. Chuyoung was nice, and he looked like he genuinely cared for Tzuyu too. He was courteous, he was respectful... And they had fun," she admitted.

I looked at her curiously. Something didn't add up.

"Then... Why does Tzuyu look so angry today?" I asked her again.

Nayeon looked down and closed her eyes, sobbing bitterly. I waited a few moments until she calmed herself down and looked up to me again.

"Because... I kept following them... To a hotel," she said slowly. "A hotel?" I asked in surprise. Nayeon nodded. "After their date... Tzuyu opened a room for Chuyoung in her family's hotel in Orchard Road, and... Well... When I followed them up... She... They... They were..."

Her words trailed off, but I knew what she meant. I understood completely. From Nayeon's point of view, with the knowledge and suspicion she had about Chuyoung, she did the right thing. She must have felt responsible for the safety of her favourite maknae, so she followed her around the entire day. However, Tzuyu could have mistaken Nayeon's care as her being nosy and overprotective.

"What did you do?" I asked her softly.

Nayeon wiped her tears, smearing her makeup, looking like a mess.

"I... I stopped them, and Tzuyu was angry... I ... I think... I made a mistake. I... I shouldn't be too nosy... Tzuyu's a big girl... She... But... What if he took advantage of that sweet girl? What if... I... I don't want... I can't..."

She broke down in tears and reached to hug me tightly. Her slender body shook violently as she bawled, gripping the back of my outfit so tightly I started fearing that it might tear. I stroked her hair, trying to calm her.

"I... I just... I just don't want anything bad to happen to her, Sha... I... I made a promise to you, right? I... I would never let any other girl experience... What we experienced... And Tzuyu... I just can't. Out of all the girls in the world... I... I can't imagine... Her..." she blurted through her sobs.

I hugged her tighter, and I felt tears started flooding my eyes too. I knew she was always a caring and compassionate woman despite her naughtiness, but to realize that she still carried the guilt she felt after I was violated by the bosses because of her and to know that that was the reason why she wanted to protect Tzuyu so much made me heart melted.

"I understand, Nabong..." I whispered truthfully. "I love her so much, Sha... I love her too much... I don't want anything bad to happen to her," she repeated over and over again as she cried.

I kept hugging Nayeon and stroking her hair. Her concern was valid, and as IPG members, I knew we needed to do something about this, and do it fast. Gently, I let go of her, and I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Are you sure that he's who you think he is?" I asked her. Nayeon nodded. "I think so... Should... Should we inform Suzy-unnie?" she asked me.

I thought for a moment, but then I shook my head.

"No. I think we need to inform IU-unnie," I said confidently.

IU was IPG's head of information, in charge of all the information gathering by any means necessary, including using her network of K-pop idols spies and even hacking. If anyone was going to find out the truth about Chuyoung and find it quickly, she was the one.

Nayeon looked at me for a while, then she nodded. She looked so frail right now, I was afraid that she might not be able to do the show later. She had the most parts as our center and lead vocalist, and in this condition, could she really carry the team?

"Are you okay, Nabong? Do you need me to bring you something... Or..." I asked, but she shook her head. "No, I'm fine now... I'm fine..." she said, sniffling and wiping her tears. "Just... Find out the truth. For Tzuyu..."

I squeezed her shoulders gently, affirming her.

"I will. Don't worry," I said.

Nayeon nodded and thanked me, then she chuckled.

"The make-up artist unnie is going to kill me," she mused.

I chuckled and hugged her again. She hugged back, tightly. I patted her back gently. At that moment, I saw Dahyun approaching us. Shit. She noticed Nayeon was crying, inevitably.

"Unnie...? Are you guys okay?" she asked us, sounding concerned. I nodded. "Yeah, we're fine...  Hey, Dubu-ya, can you help Nayeon-unnie to get a retouch from the make-up artist?" I asked her.

Dahyun looked at Nayeon and I worriedly, but to her credit, she didn't say anything. I knew I could trust Dahyun. She reached to hug Nayeon's arm gently.

"Come on, Unnie... Let's get you retouched," she uttered kindly. Nayeon smiled and nodded, following the pale girl back to our dressing room.

I heard Dahyun offered things to comfort Nayeon, starting from water to ice cream to tea to coffee to beer to soju to whiskey to samgyetang and bulgogi. Nayeon couldn't help but laugh hearing her silliness, and she slapped Dahyun's head. I smiled. I knew she would be okay.

I waited until they were both out of sight before walking towards the opposite direction. IU's dressing room must be somewhere nearer to the stage entrance, for she was a far more popular and senior idol. I walked past Taeyeon's, BTS', and a few other idols' dressing rooms before finding a door with the words 'IU' written on the sign.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door a few times. IU's manager opened the door, and when he looked at me, he knew that I was there on IPG business. He nodded and turned to call on the petite senior idol.

"Ji-eun. Sana's here," he said, calling her by her real name.

IU was a really small girl, but anyone who had heard her sing must have known that that small body packed a very powerful voice. For me, I also knew that she was one of the smartest and most well connected people in Korea at least, and the IPG was lucky enough to have her on our side.

She was sitting in her dressing room, a large and luxurious one, fitting for a legend like her. She turned to look at me and smiled.

"Sana-chan! How lovely! What is it?" she asked me. "I..."

I found myself struggling for words. I didn't know where to start. Looking at my expression, she understood the weight of the situation immediately and stood up. She gestured to her manager to leave us alone, and he nodded before going out of the room and stood guard outside.

IU held my hands and brought me to sit down on the sofa. She kept holding my hands while staring deeply into my eyes.

"What is it, Sana? Did something happen?" she asked me worriedly.

I took a deep breath and told her everything. About our contract situation, about Nam Chuyoung and how we knew Tzuyu had fallen for him, and how Nayeon was suspicious, thinking that he might be Kwak Jinyoung, the same Kwak Jinyoung who was part of Manse's gang from last year.

As I finished the story, IU stared at me, seemingly deep in thought.

"But... Are you guys sure that Chuyoung is Kwak Jinyoung?" she asked me. I thought for a while. "I had never seen him in person, Unnie. But Nayeon met him three times up close... So... She might be right," I said truthfully.

IU sighed and stood up.

"We can't do anything until we're completely 100% sure that they're the same guy," she concluded. I looked at her. "That's why I come to you, Unnie. You... You can find out, right?" I asked her.

To my relief, she nodded.

"Yes. But I'll need someone from YG to help me confirm his identity. I'll look around the web to find his pictures... Then I might need the Blackpink girls to help me," she said seriously. "He's here in Singapore," I said, thinking that it might help her. "Really? Then it might be easier for us! Will he be attending tonight?" she asked me. I shook my head. "No. I don't think so... So far only Tzuyu had seen him here in Singapore. Minsoo, our manager, and Ansel, the SM rep, had a... So-called competition between them to bring all nine of us on a date for one day each, but Chuyoung-ssi didn't show up for his day. He only asked Tzuyu out," I explained.

IU raised an eyebrow.

"Why only Tzuyu?" she asked me. I shrugged. "I guess he really does like her," I said. "Or he might be tasked to target her. You never know with these bad boys," she said. I nodded. She could be right.

IU picked up her phone and dialed a number. She waited for the person on the other end to pick up. A few seconds later, the person did.

"Rosie! Hi! Yeah. No. Listen. Do you know any Nam Chuyoung from YG?" she asked her.

I couldn't hear Rosé's answer, but IU nodded a few times while listening to her.

"Alright. Yeah. Yeah. Go look around for info. Yeah. We'll talk later. Okay. Good luck tonight!" she said, before hanging up.

Rosé was one of her spies, and even though she was still considered a new recruit within the IPG, she had worked really well these past few months. IU walked and sat on the sofa again.

"I've told Rosé to find out. In the meantime I'll also find information online. I'll update you if anything comes up," she said. I nodded. "W–What do we do now, Unnie?" I asked her. She smiled and shrugged. "Now, you go back to your dressing room, and when your time comes, light up the stage," she said.

I laughed. IU was always so practical. I nodded and grabbed her hand gently.

"Thanks, Unnie. You're the best," I said. The petite unnie smiled and nodded as we stood up. "Don't worry, Sha. I'll do what I can," she said reassuringly. I hugged her warmly, before leaving her dressing room. "Tell Nayeon to stay calm, hm?" she told me as I left. I nodded and waved my goodbye.

I went back to Twice's dressing room. Nayeon immediately looked at me when she saw me entered, and I nodded to tell her that I had told IU. She nodded and mouthed 'thanks', before getting her makeup redone by the annoyed looking makeup artist.

The event was starting soon, and Jihyo brought us to a huddle, like what we usually do before every event. I looked at my girls, and I saw that all of them–including Nayeon and Tzuyu–had pushed all other thoughts away, concentrating solely on the performance that we were about to do. I decided to follow suit.

"On three..." Jihyo said as she placed her hand in the center of the circle. We all joined her. "One, two, three..." she counted. I took a deep breath, then shouted together with my sisters.

"ONE IN A MILLION... TWICE!"

Minsoo clapped happily behind us, making us chuckle. With that, the Mnet Asia Music Awards started. Somewhere in this sea of fans, I knew Yeoni was sitting, watching the show.

Red Velvet performed first, and we watched them perform powerfully. Other groups performed next, starting from the fourth generation idols such as Aespa and Itzy, then our fellow third generation idols.

After a short break, I saw IU and Taeyeon walking towards the stage, two petite legends with powerful voices. IU performed first, then Taeyeon, but then a third petite legend walked up to the backstage, and I could hear the surprised gasps coming from everyone around when they saw her.

It was Han Seungyeon, IPG's head of idols welfare and a former K-pop superstar with KARA. She winked cutely towards me as she walked past me, and to my surprise, she joined IU and Taeyeon as a surprise guest star on stage to thunderous cheer and applause from the thousands watching in the stadium.

The trio performed their own energetic yet sweet rendition of the all-time favourite song 'Loveable' by Kim Jong Kook, who was one of the hosts, together. When they finished, the stadium thundered in applause and cheers, and I could see some wet eyes from the people around me. I found myself wishing that the fourth IPG leader had joined them as well, but I knew Suzy had her duty as the TWD director, so she must be sitting somewhere with JYP himself.

Awards were given to many performers for their achievements throughout the year, and I cheered with everyone backstage when Taeyeon was announced as the Best OST winner for a song of hers used in a popular Netflix drama and IU was announced as the Best Vocal Performance-Solo winner of the year. The cute petite IPG leader bowed and waved to the crowd, before thanking them in English, and the entire stadium erupted in cheers.

After that, it was time for the big names to perform. The handsome boys of BTS opened the segment, lighting up the stage with their performance, the first performance with complete members after Jungkook finished his military service. I found myself dancing together with the girls to their hits 'Butter', 'Permission to Dance', and 'Dynamite'. Even Nayeon and Tzuyu looked like they forgot their problems for a moment and danced happily. The stadium was apparently filled with BTS Army, and I felt like the ground shook when they roared after the performance ended.

A few other awards were handed out, and then our time to perform came. Minsoo rushed to our side and opened the curtain for us to step into the hydraulic platform that would send us up to the stage, wishing each of us luck as we stepped in. We got into our opening pose, and I felt my heart pounding faster in my chest. I always loved the pre-performance thrill. The platform rose up, and we were welcomed with thunderous cheer and fanchants. As soon as I stepped onto the stage and the music started, I felt all my worries disappear.

We opened our performance with 'Dance The Night Away', then a medley of our favourite songs 'What is Love', 'Signal', 'Yes or Yes', and 'Heart Shaker'. I giggled happily hearing the thousands of Once singing almost every lyric of our songs to perfection, and some of them even danced together with us during 'Alcohol Free'. We finished our performance with our all-time favourite song 'Cheer Up', and I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud when I heard them shouting 'Sha-sha-sha' together with me everytime my part came up.

After our performance, the bigger awards were announced, and to our surprise and delight, we almost did a clean-sweep of the awards, winning Best Female Group, Best Dance Performance Female Group, and Best Vocal Performance Female Group. With happy tears we hugged each other on stage as we received the awards and thanked the Once for their support, even Tzuyu looked happy and laughed together with us on stage.

Then, the closing performance everyone was waiting for: The four gorgeous ladies of Blackpink walked confidently on stage. I noticed that they strangely wore something different today: Matching loose t-shirts instead of the usual leather outfits. But they still managed to look cute and gorgeous anyway.

As I watched them perform their hit songs from across the years, I found myself smiling wide. These four girls had gone through so much these past eleven years, especially last year with everything that happened between them and the bosses. I watched Jisoo intently, and I somehow felt that she was glowing, even more than the other members. I guessed Jisoo did always have that star quality within her, it was just buried deep within her before this with all the pressure she had.

Blackpink performed perfectly, as usual, delivering hits after hits from their extended songbook with charisma, power, sexiness, and a little touch of cuteness, and the crowd went wild. No wonder they were the number one K-pop girl group in the world, I thought. At one point, Sandara Park, another IPG member and Blackpink's company senior with 2NE1, joined them to sing Selena Gomez's part for their hit single 'Ice Cream'. They ended their performance to an explosion of cheers and applause from the thousands of fans in the stadium, and they bowed before leaving the stage.

The hosts went back up, and announced that it was time for the final and biggest awards of the night: Song of the Year, Worldwide Icon of the Year, Album of The Year, and Artist of the Year. We were nominated in all categories, as were Blackpink, IU, Taeyeon, Itzy, and BTS. We lined up behind the entrance to the stage arm in arm, waiting anxiously for the announcement.

"Song of the Year goes to... BTS!" announced the hosts.

We cheered and clapped for those good looking boys, admitting gracefully that their new song was once again the most popular K-pop song in the world. The boys accepted their awards and thanked the Army, before leaving the stage. Another host went up the stage, about to announce the Worldwide Icon of the Year award.

"This year's worldwide icon is..." he said, before pausing for dramatic effect.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I looked at my sisters, and they all looked as nervous and anxious as I was. Both Nayeon and Tzuyu were closing their eyes, Chaeyoung put her hands on her ears, Dahyun stared intently at the host, while the others looked simply anxious. The host opened the envelope in his hands, and he gasped before announcing...

"TWICE!"

For a second, my ears seemed to ring from the sudden screams I heard from around me. I felt two sets of hands grabbing my shoulders and shaking me violently. I looked up and saw Jeongyeon and Dahyun doing just that. A second later, sounds came back to my ears, and I immediately joined the girls with a loud scream.

"WAAAAHHH!!!! WE WON! WE WON!! WE WOONN!!!" I screamed as loud as I could.

Momo, Mina, and Chaeyoung were dancing around like three silly little girls, while Jihyo, Nayeon, and Tzuyu's eyes were all wet with tears, grinning from ear to ear. I felt Jeongyeon hugging me and I hugged back, laughing out loud. Dahyun joined us, and soon the other six joined in our group hug.

An usher tapped Jihyo's back and politely asked her to bring us on stage. She nodded, still laughing and crying at the same time.

"Come on, girls!" she said.

We walked on stage, once again basking ourselves in the cheers and applause of the crowd. Jihyo accepted the award and took the microphone.

"ONCE! Thank you so much!" she said in English, her voice boomed through the speakers and echoed in the large arena.

The crowd clapped and cheered again. I felt tears of happiness starting to flood my eyes. Jeongyeon flung her arm across my shoulder, and I leaned in closer to her.

"We couldn't do this without your support! This means so much for us. Thank you!" she exclaimed again. She then passed the microphone to Nayeon, who already looked a mess with all the crying.

"I... We'd... Also, we'd like to thank everyone in JYPE... Our trainers and coaches, our producers, and directors..." she said, then she looked around the crowd, as if trying to find someone. "... And JYP Oppa! Salanghae!!" she exclaimed with overflowing aegyo, making us cringe but laugh at the same time. She then passed the mic to Jeongyeon who was standing next to her.

She looked at me, then looked at Jihyo, before smiling. Somehow, I knew who she was going to mention.

"Lastly, we'd like to thank our capable manager... Han Minsoo-ssi!" she exclaimed.

Jihyo and I cheered at the mention of our adorable manager, and to my surprise, the other girls also cheered for him. I imagined he would be blushing red right now as he heard this from backstage, and I chuckled at the thought. Jeongyeon passed back the microphone to Jihyo, and she took a deep breath.

"Thank you again, Once! We promise to make better music and to perform better for all of you next year! From the bottom of our hearts... Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed.

We stood side by side, and with Jihyo counting to three, we bowed deeply, thanking everyone. The crowd cheered and chanted our names as we waved and walked back to the backstage, finding Minsoo there waiting for us, tears flooding his face.

"Minsooo-yaaa!!!" exclaimed Momo, who ran and hugged our manager the fastest. "Momo! Girls! Congratulations!" he said with a trembling voice, still sobbing.

I laughed and joined Momo in hugging him, and soon Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Mina, and Nayeon also joined in. I peppered his cheek with kisses, and he immediately blushed red, but he was kinda used to it by now.

"Thank you for your hard work, Minsoo-ya!" Mina told him. We nodded in agreement, all thanking him. "Ah... It was nothing, Girls... I... I was only your manager for the past two weeks!" he said shyly.

Tzuyu walked in and hugged him shyly, saying thanks softly to him, before walking away, back to our dressing room. Nayeon looked like she was about to follow her, but I held her arm and shook my head, telling her to give the maknae some space. Nayeon nodded, understanding me.

Minsoo hugged Jeongyeon next, and I laughed as I saw them. They really looked like real-life siblings. Jeongyeon slapped Minsoo's back rapidly, and I bet it hurt, but Minsoo didn't seem to be bothered.

"You're doing great, Little Brother! You're doing really great!" she complimented him. Minsoo laughed. "Thank you, Noona... O–Ow... Thank you... Ow!" he said, winching as he took in blows after blows of Jeongyeon's hand to his back.

Jeongyeon let go of the poor manager eventually, and he stood awkwardly in front of Jihyo, who also looked like she was unsure of what to do. They acted as if they wanted to hug, but then they only laughed and shook each other's hands.

"C... Congrats, Jihyo..." uttered Minsoo shyly, face as red as a stop sign. "Gomawo... Minsoo..." uttered Jihyo.

Dahyun groaned exasperatedly.

"Oh my God, guys, seriously! Just kiss!" she exclaimed.

We all laughed, but to my surprise, Minsoo and Jihyo stared at each other's eyes deeply, grinning and chuckling shyly. Wait. Hang on! Were they really going to kiss now?

"The winner for this year's Artist of The Year and Album of The Year is..."

I gasped in surprise. In our happiness winning the award, we almost completely forgot about the two most coveted prizes of the night. The girls were startled too, and they all immediately turned towards the stage, including Jihyo and Minsoo. Wait. The announcers said 'is', so were the two awards about to be won by one singer or group?

The announcers looked at each other, before shouting together to the microphone.

"... BLACKPINK!"

The stadium erupted to the loudest cheer of the night. Backstage, I turned and saw the four Blackpink girls cheer and hug each other, and I noticed that all of them were crying happy tears. Slowly, I started clapping, followed by the other girls, and soon, genuine cheers left our mouths.

I looked at Nayeon and she nodded, understanding my thoughts. For all the things that these four girls had gone through, this felt deserving. They were probably the most hard working girl group of our generation, and winning the two biggest awards of the night was the fruit of their own resilience and sacrifice.

Taeyeon and IU both hugged Jisoo tightly, whispering something to her ears. The sweet Blackpink unnie laughed and nodded, her angelic face wet with tears of joy. She led Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa back to the stage, nodding to thank us as they walked past us, who kept cheering and clapping for them. They accepted the award and reached for the microphone. The crowd was chanting their names again and again, preventing them from speaking for a few moments, before Jennie shushed them all.

"Thank you, everyone! It's such a huge honor for us to win these awards!" Jennie was the first to speak in English, her voice boomed through the sound system. The crowd cheered again.

"We never expected to win this, because the other groups and singers are so magnificent this year!" said Rosé with her Australian accent. Again, the crowd cheered.

"We'd like to share this recognition with the other performers as well! You've all worked so hard to make this year a memorable one for K-pop!" Lisa said. The crowd replied with thunderous applause.

Lisa passed the microphone to Jisoo. She took it, smiled, and looked down for a while. I saw tears of joy streaming down from her eyes. When she spoke, her voice trembled.

"I–I just want to thank the girls for their hard work this year, as well as the decade before. I–I know many times... Things were tough, but... But we stick together and... And..."

She broke down in tears. The girls huddled around and hugged Jisoo tightly. The crowd responded with an 'Aaw...', then they cheered and clapped loudly, chanting Jisoo's name with love. I felt tears start to fill my eyes too.

Jisoo looked up. Her eyes were red, but she looked happy. She looked at Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The girls nodded approvingly, and slowly Jisoo smiled her angelic smile. She took the microphone back up.

"W–we... I think this is the perfect opportunity for us to... Make an announcement," she said.

I heard gasps from the crowd, as well as from everyone around me. I exchanged confused glances with Jeongyeon and Nayeon. What announcement?

"Are they... Are they disbanding?" I heard Dahyun asking the one thought I had in mind out loud.

Jisoo took a deep breath before saying her next words.

"We... We've been working so hard for eleven years, and many years too before that as trainees, almost non-stop," she said, looking at the crowd. "All four of us, we... We've missed so many precious moments with our family and loved ones over the years, and we've decided that we need to take a break."

The crowd gasped loudly. A break? What did she mean?

"So... Tonight, we're announcing that Blackpink will be taking an 18 month hiatus from the industry, to spend more time with our private lives, and to come back stronger a year and a half from now, to entertain you even better," concluded Jisoo.

Everyone backstage let out a surprise gasp, including myself. An 18 month hiatus? Were they serious? They were the number one girl group in the world... And... They decided to just take a break like that?

"Are they serious?" asked Momo in surprise. "18 months is a long time!"

I glanced at Taeyeon and IU, the two IPG leaders, and they met my gaze. They both nodded and smiled, so I knew that they were already informed about this and gave their approval. Did something happen to Blackpink? I must ask Suzy-unnie to tell me later.

Slowly, I heard a few fans start to clap, and before long more and more people joined them. Soon, the entire stadium was filled with applause and cheers from the fans, showing their appreciation towards Blackpink. Everyone backstage joined them, including us, who were evidently shell-shocked by the news.

"What if... This is a sign?" I heard Chaeyoung speak in a hushed voice. We all turned to look at her. "What do you mean?" asked Mina. "What sign?"

Chaeyoung stared at us, choosing her words carefully.

"What if... This is a sign that... We should join YG?" she asked tentatively. "What? Why?" asked Jihyo. Chaeyoung looked at the leader and spoke slowly. "I mean... With Blackpink going on hiatus for one and a half years... Don't you think it's a chance for us to take over their spot as the number one girl group?" she proposed.

We stared at her confusedly, not fully comprehending her words.

"But... We can still be the top girl group by staying in JYPE," said Nayeon. I nodded. "Or... SM?" offered Momo.

I turned to look at her incredulously. How could she be so calloused?

"Momo..." I said in protest, but she looked up at me in defiance. "I mean... Red Velvet is not really performing too, right? Imagine with all the wealth and resources that SM has, and our talent... It wouldn't take long for us to take over Blackpink, right?" she said.

I heard Jeongyeon groan loudly. She glared at Momo and Chaeyoung, clearly annoyed.

"Really, girls? Really? Is this really the time to talk about our contract situation? Blackpink had just announced their hiatus because they want to take better care of their health and private lives and all you could think about is how we can dethrone them as the top girl group?" she exclaimed, sounding offended.

Momo and Chaeyoung looked down, clearly feeling guilty. Jeongyeon groaned again in frustration and shook her head.

"Hey... Enough. Let's... Not talk about this for now, okay? This is not the right time," said Jihyo seriously, diffusing the tension.

Momo and Chaeyoung nodded, and Jeongyeon followed suit eventually. Shit. This was awkward.

"Girls, let's just... Wait for Blackpink to come back here, and congratulate them properly. Hm?" I proposed.

The girls nodded, and we waited for Blackpink to reenter backstage. When they did, us and everyone around applauded them, offering our support and admiration for their decade of work. The four girls smiled and nodded, saying thanks to everyone, but they walked swiftly to their dressing room, clearly still feeling sombre after making that huge announcement.

We walked back to our dressing room and changed to our evening gowns for the after party that we were about to attend tonight. Tzuyu had already changed and got retouched by the makeup artist, and she waited for us in silence. Chaeyoung and Dahyun told her the news about Blackpink, and she looked mildly surprised, but I knew something else was still occupying her mind. I wondered if Rosé had started working on finding out about Chuyoung's real identity.

After we changed, we heard a knock on our door. Jihyo opened the door and Minsoo was there, looking nervous again.

"Girls, um... You've got visitors," he said, before opening the door wider. When the two visitors entered, all of us immediately stood up from our seats.

It was Suzy-unnie, and behind her was the big boss himself: Park Jinyoung.

"Girls!" JYP exclaimed. "Congratulations! Worldwide Icon of the Year!" "Congratulations, everyone!" exclaimed Suzy, looking like a proud older sister.

We all clapped and cheered. Suzy-unnie smiled wide as she walked towards me and hugged me.

"Congrats, Sha. You deserve it," she whispered to my ears. "Thank you, Unnie..." I whispered back. She chuckled and nodded.

JYP cheered and clapped excitedly, and proceeded to shake our hands one by one, congratulating us. We were all quite close with him, as he oftentimes trained us himself for the choreographies and vocals, but Nayeon and Dahyun were the closest to him, so they hugged him tightly when he reached them.

"Thanks, Oppa," Nayeon said. "We're so happy!" said Dahyun. "Thank you for trusting us all these years!"

JYP chuckled, but when he let go of them his eyes looked concerned. He turned to face all of us, and I knew immediately that he was about to say something serious.

"Girls... I... All I can say is... I really wish we can continue working together like this, winning more and achieving more for the years to come," he said sincerely. He paused, before continuing.

"You are all like my own daughters. I've watched you grow up from little girls to strong women... And I really can't imagine how sad I will be if even one of you decides to leave the company," he said again.

"I know each one of you has your own dreams and plans for your future... And I'll respect your decision if one or all of you decide to leave and pursue different paths..." he said.

The big boss looked around the room, meeting each and every one's eyes, before taking a deep breath and continued speaking.

"But... If I may... Please, please stay. I promise we'll achieve more together, and I know that all of you want to stick together, whether in the company or not," he concluded his speech.

I looked around the room, and I saw that the girls were touched by his words. His last statement was entirely true: I knew that all of us wanted to stay together, whether in JYPE or not. I still believed all of us wanted that. Even Momo and Chaeyoung, even Tzuyu.

JYP clasped his hand and nodded.

"Right. That's all I have to say. I'll see you at the VIP lounge outside, and don't forget the after party tonight at the hotel!" he announced happily.

We bowed respectfully and thanked him, and he left with Suzy. Minsoo looked around the room and smiled.

"Shall we... Go outside now? Are you guys ready?" he asked us.

We nodded silently and followed him outside, walking towards the VIP lounge. Somehow, I felt the tension in the air among us. The girls were awfully quiet, even Dahyun and Chaeyoung who were usually noisy and bubbly walked in silence. Maybe JYP's words had sent all of us deep in thought. I felt Jeongyeon's hand slipping into mine gently.

"You okay, Sha?" she asked me. I nodded and smiled. "Yeah... But... The girls," I whispered. "I know... We need to resolve this situation quickly, don't we?" she replied, sounding concerned. "We really do," I answered her, but then I smiled. "What?" she asked me, smiling confusedly. "I don't know... Somehow I feel like everything will turn out okay in the end," I said. She chuckled. "You're always so positive," she uttered. I flung my arm around her waist. "That's why you love me, right?" I teased her cutely. She laughed and kissed my forehead.

We walked arm in arm towards the VIP lounge in silence. Honestly, I said those words only to calm my girlfriend, not wanting her to feel burdened by the situation, but inside, I felt really worried and uneasy.

Sure, we had just won a lot of awards and performed magnificently in one of the biggest shows of the year, but somehow I felt Twice was near a breaking point, each of us with our own selfish wants, growing further apart by the moment.

Nayeon and Tzuyu's conflict was definitely not a good thing, and I felt really anxious to find the truth about Chuyoung. What if he was indeed Kwak Jinyoung? How could Nayeon and I convince Tzuyu to trust us? Would she be even angrier? I also felt that Blackpink's announcement of their hiatus created a rift within us, with Momo wanting to go to SM and Chaeyoung to YG.

When was this going to end? I found myself secretly wishing for someone like Yeoni who could come up with a solution for us, just like he did last year for Blackpink, but I knew that that was only a fantasy of a perfect world. I sighed silently as Minsoo opened the doors to the VIP lounge. Time to put on another show.

[unmaskedagain]

Marinette: Crazy Rich

           So in this fic,. If you’ve seen Crazy Rich Asians, you’ll know why as the fic goes on. Also, I totally ripped a few lines from Girl Meets World; fans of the show will recognize them instantly!!!

 They met when they were young; younger than either of them remember. The first time, Marinette and Ali had both in babes in their cribs when their grandmothers’ introduced them. The second time, they just learn to walk and or run, and seemed love making a mess of everything; again not something they could remember but had plenty of pictures of.

The third time, and the one they both remembered, Marinette had been just six-years-old. Ali had been seven. They each were the apple of their grandmother’s eyes. Their grandmothers were best friends having known each other since they were little girls.

It had been a playdate at one of the Young family homes. Ali had worn a dapper grey suit that would look ridiculously expensive on an adult man, let alone a child that just barely learned to tie his shoes. Marinette had worn a darling silvery purple dress that was closer to a ball gown than any dress any other four-year-old girl would wear to a playdate.

           Both kids shyly hid their faces behind their grandmother’s skirts and had to be coaxed softly to greet each other.

Prince Ali bowed regally as he had been taught, “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Young.”  He was a handsome boy with dark-skin, olive-green eyes, and black hair. Ali always wore a charming smile on his face as expected of him. He was a Prince, and while it wasn’t easy, he did what of expected of him.

“It is an honor, Prince Ali,” Marinette curtseyed gracefully. She was a beautiful girl with long black hair and bluebell eyes. She was the essence of a perfect little lady. “We have a wonderful playroom that I would like to show you if you able?”

Prince Ali looked to his grandmother for an answered. She nodded silently, an amused smile on his face. The young prince grinned, “Yes, please.” He held his arm out for Marinette. She took it, a pink blush on her face, and they walked side by side out of the foyer, their perspective bodyguards trailing after them, while their grandmothers’ cooed in the background before departing to have tea.

           The playroom was larger than three apartments combined; it had specific areas dedicated to art, sports, video games, tea parties, a jungle gym built to look like a castle, and even an area just for snacks. In order to get around, there were trampoline paths.

           Prince Ali blinked in awe.

“You get used to it,” Marinette giggled. “Come on!” She grabbed his hand and ran across the trampoline path to the jungle gym. They jumped the entire way, their bodyguard watching from the distance ready to act if something went wrong.

“Call me Marinette,” Marinette said when they made it to the top. She pulled out two foams swords and handed him one. “Or Mari.

“Ali,” He said as he took the sword.

“I’m Pirate Captain Sparkle,” She yelled and pointed her sword. “And you my dreaded rival have come to steal my treasure… Captain.”

“Tiger Eye,” Ali nodded seriously. “Captain Tiger Eye. Engarde!”

           The two pirate captains dueled all over the jungle gym before teaming up to defeat the evil space monsters that came to steal all the ice cream and candy in the world.

           Ali laughed as he jumped into the foam ball pit after a giggling Marinette. They both laid there for a moment trying to catch their breaths as they stared at the ceiling painted to look like the night, each constellation connected.

“You’re not how I imagined,” Ali said.

           Marinette hummed, “Spoiled rotten, uptight, crazy rich brat who only like tea parties and princess things; who’d cry the second I don’t get what I want?”

“Well… yes.”

           She shrugged, “I get that a lot. I don’t know why. If I so much as considered for a moment of throwing a tantrum in public, my grandmother would have me shipped boarding school in Sweden. No matter what my parents said.”

           Ali nodded, “Same. Though, mine would be in Scotland. My mother has a strong fascination with Harry Potter.”

“You’re not what I imagined either.”

“Stuffy prince, that always had his nose in the air,” Prince Ali started, “So he can look down on everyone; that expects everyone to bow and cater to his every whim?”

“That about covers it.”

           He snorted, “My grandmother would have me scrubbing bedpans at one her hospitals the moment I ever said was better than anyone.”

           Both laughed.

“Do you ever get tired of it?” Ali suddenly asked. “Always been told to do this, or that you can’t do that. Always being on your best behavior because of what people would think. I never get to do anything I want.”

Ali was the first grandchild and took after his grandmother Queen Aishwarya with his kind, fun-loving nature, as well as his ability to recognize authenticity in people. Like Aishwarya, Ali would later become a philanthropist who dedicated his time to volunteering at and donating money to child hospitals and leading the go-green initiative in his country. He wasn’t allowed to behave like most kids; never allow himself to be as free as them.

“Shoulders back and stand up straight,” Marinette recited. “Mind your manners, smile for the cameras. Always be clean and orderly. It’s like I’m a trophy. Don’t make a mess. Watch what you say but never let anyone think you can’t say it. Sometimes it sucks. But what I can I do. Can I really cry about it? I’m a rich, only child that gets everything I want… as long as I behave. There are expectations of me, and if I stay, I get shut down.” Hard.

           Marinette spent her childhood split between France and Singapore.  In Paris, she was able to relax as Marinette Dupain-Cheng the daughter of a pair of rather well-known bakers. In Singapore, she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young or just Marinette Young for short; the granddaughter of Eleanor and Phillip Young, an heir of the wealthiest family in all of Singapore and most of the world. And people, her family mostly, and the paparazzi had expectations of Marinette Young.

           Marinette Young was a Singaporean child socialite. The media referred to her as “The Princess” for her beauty and the impeccable fashion sense she distributed from a young age. She followed her older cousin Astrid to all the fashions, taking her cues from her.

“Yeah…”

           Marinette lift her head to look at Ali, “What do you like to do?”

“I like to help people,” Ali murmured. “I like helping my grandmother at the hospitals and making sick kids feel better. Maybe be a doctor!”

“I like fashion, my cousin Astrid likes it too,” Marinette said. “So let’s make a deal. You help kids. I’ll work in fashion. That’s what we want to do so we’re going to do it. Okay?”

“Deal,” Ali nodded firmly and then looked thoughtful. “Are we friends?”

           Marinette smiled, “Best friends.”

           And so there were. Over the next few years, the two would meet up for playdates frequently. Eventually, Prince Ali would come to know Marinette Dupain-Cheng well too.

           When the playdate ended, Marinette waved goodbye sadly as her new friend left.

           That night, while her grandmother brushed her hair before bed, she asked. “Did you like Prince Ali?”

           Marinette nodded, “Yes. He was very polite and played pretend really well.” She left off the part where he was a dreaded pirate captain because of details.

“Aishwarya and I thought you would like each other,” Eleanor nodded. “I’m glad to see you get along well. Hopefully, you will grow closer as you get older.”

“Why?” Marinette asked curiously. Her grandmother had never cared about whether she would still be friends with her playdates in the future. Normally, the playdates were a way to have a business meeting with it being obvious to the outside world that it was, in fact, a business meeting.

           Eleanor smiled softly down at Marinette, looking less like the elegant scary Dragon-lady the media claimed she was, and more like any loving grandmother.

Eleanor knew she always favored Marinette, her first grandchild; even if she had severely frowned on her oldest daughter Sabine marrying a baker. Though she had frowned less once their bakery became a successful international chain, akin to Gordon Ramsey restaurants. Their headquarters in Singapore. In Eleanor’s defense, they came from a rather wealthy family and with roots of nobility. Who wouldn’t be a little upset if their heir and beloved daughter running off to marry a baker she met in France? Sabine had even gotten Nick and Astrid to help with her elopement.

It would be years before Eleanor manages to quell the snickers and rumors that persisted after Sabine’s departure, and just as long until she was willing to speak with her oldest child again. However, that was mostly because she learned Sabine was pregnant.

Eleanor was in France for the duration of the pregnancy and had loved Marinette instantly the second she was born. Her beautiful granddaughter with hair so black it looks blue in the right light, and bright blue eyes bluer than anyone could even imagine. It’s a wonder, Eleanor, ever let go of her. (But apparently, Tom had the right to hold his child too, or some nonsense like that.)

           Because of her grandmother, Marinette’s childhood was… odder than most. While her parents preferred a more modest lifestyle despite their wealth, her mother’s side of the family… did not.

“Do you know how your grandfather and I met?” The older woman asked. Marinette shook her head no. “We met when we were really young, about you and Prince Ali’s age. Our parents were business partners who believed marriage was the best solidify the partnership, and bring up both of our families statuses. So we were betrothed.”

           Marinette blinked, slowly understanding hit her. “It means engaged right?”

“In a way,” Eleanor nodded. “It meant we were promised to each other and that one day we would marry; uniting our families as one. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

“The playdate,” Marinette said. “It was a test to see if Ali and could get along. We are to be promised to each other.”

           Eleanor put the hairbrush down. “No. You are promised to each other. We finalized the arrangement today. The official betrothal will be announced after your thirteenth birthday. One day, you will marry Prince Ali. Prince Ali is the oldest child of Queen Aishwarya’s oldest son. Do you know what that means when you marry him?”

           Marinette nodded, not fully understand what being married meant. Or what being betrothed meant but knew it was important. She thought of Snow White and Cinderella, and what marry a prince meant for them. “If I marry Ali, it means one day, I’ll be Queen.”

“You’ll be a princess,” Eleanor correct gently. “Queen Aishwarya’s steps down, which will not be for quite some time, her son and heir will take her place, and then one day Prince Ali will take his father’s place. Then you will be Queen.”

           Marinette grew up dealing with the fact that she would one day be Queen the best way she could; she put it of mind. It wasn’t like her life changed all that much; she just attended more lessons than usual.  Heck, her life changed more when she became Ladybug. So she was engaged to be engaged, so what? All that meant was that she couldn’t date anyone seriously. She could date though, which was what counted.

           She and Prince Ali were still best friends and what girl didn’t want to marry her best friend?

           When Marinette was thirteen, Prince Ali had a surprise visit to Paris under the guise of visiting the local children’s hospital. It was the first time he came to visit without his grandmother with him. And it was the first time Marinette met him without her grandmother there.

           They met at a secluded rooftop restaurant. Prince Ali wore a dark suit. Marinette wore a stylish, elegant red dress, that coincidently matched Prince Ali’s tie. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. When they sat down for dinner and a violin started to play, it took Marinette all but five seconds to realize what was going down.

“This is quite romantic. You could’ve had just asked me on a date, you know?” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “I might’ve said yes.”

           Ali gave her a devilish smirk, “As if there was ever a chance you’d say no.”

           His bodyguard huffed a laugh, “He was too chicken to ask.”

“Really, Kalil! Really!” Prince Ali face-palmed in the face of Marinette’s giggles. “It’s not funny,” He told her.

“Yes, it is.”

           Ali sighed but gave a low chuckle, “It’s a little funny.”

           It went silent as each tried to think of what to say.

“I just wanted to-” Ali started.

“I know that this-” Marinette said at the same time.

           They both gave small laughs. Marinette nodded, “Please, go ahead.”

“We’re older now,” Ali swallowed hard. “You’re thirteen now. And I just wanted to… I wanted to know if it was still alright. If you were still open to marrying me?  If not, we should be mature about it. We should let our grandparents know before the announcement. Then we’ll go our separate ways and never talk or see each other again if you want.”

“Save yourselves and our families the embarrassment,” She nodded. Marinette fought now to glance down; to not show weakness, as her grandmother taught her, as her mother taught her like Astrid taught her. She was a Young. Youngs’ were not weak. “Do you want to marry me?”

“I asked you first!” Ali whined, making his bodyguard snort.

“How old are you? Six?”

           He stuck his tongue out, “Six and a half for your information.” Ali shook his head. “When we were little we made a deal. You’d go into fashion, and I’d help sick kids, help people all over the world because it’s what we wanted to do; not what anyone wants us to do. You’re a fashion designer. I’m a philanthropist. Pretty brave of us considering if Nick ever decides to run for the hills, you’d be shipped off to Harvard business school before you managed to make a protest. And if something, gods forbid, ever happen to my father; my grandmother would have me sworn in as the next king before I even buried him. Medical school or not. So let’s be brave again. Let’s only marry each other if that’s what we want. Deal.”

“Deal!” Marinette nodded. “So do you want to marry me?”

“Mari!” Ali groaned. “I asked first!”

“What point being?” Marinette said innocently. “Fine, let’s start with an easier question. Do you like me… like that?”

“Do you like me?”

           Marinette’s bodyguard, Torivana, snickered in the background. Marinette glared. “I… like you, Ali.” Other than Ali, she had only ever had a crush on two other guys; both crushes were short-lived. Adrien, who was regulated to being the brother she always wanted after she learned he was Chat Noir and her parents all but adopted him. And Luka, she realized quickly, with his dyed hair, rock band, and future tattoos was the type of guy her grandmother would have assassinated before she’d let Marinette seen in a romantic relationship with. Plus, it didn’t help that Luka asked her if Adrien was single.

Ali was different though. Marinette had set out in the very beginning to not like Ali romantically, figuring she could break off the promise between the families if it was seen that there was no romantic feeling between the two. However, the more she fought not to like-like her best friend, the more she did.

“It’s you I like, Ali,” Marinette admitted, her heart beating wildly.

           Ali looked at her for a moment, just really staring at her. “I like you too.” And he did. He fell for the blue-eyed badass that was his best friend. He’d known he liked her for the longest of times but was too afraid to tell her. “And I’d never want you to not be a part of my life. If you don’t know if you want to marry me, that’s fine. We can wait. I can wait. If you want to play the long game and see what happens. Okay. I’ll play the long game. Live your life, I'll live my life, I know you're out there... and I'm out there, too.

“That's your deal?”

“That's my deal.”

“Someday?”

“Someday.”

           Marinette leaned forward, “I have a counteroffer.”

“You are definitely Eleanor Young’s granddaughter.”

“That’s a compliment,” Marinette shrugged. She took a deep breath and said, “I want to marry you; not just because of our families but because of our friendship. I think we’d be good together. We are good together. Maybe, I’m not in love with you now but maybe after some dates, whenever you buck up and ask me on a real one, and being girlfriend and boyfriend for a while, maybe I will be. If sometime in the future, when we get older, we change our minds, we’ll figure it out then. You fight my grandma, I’ll take on yours.”

“I want to marry you too,” Ali admitted, a small smile on his face. “You know you can ask me out too, right?”

“I could,” She stressed the second word.

           They laughed and just looked at each other, olive-green eyes getting lost in blue and vice versa.

           It was the sound of a throat clearing that made them jump out of it. Each blushed red as the waiter looked at them expectantly with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face.

“We should order,” Marinette said, opening up her menu quickly.

“Totally!”

           They ignored their bodyguards chuckling in the background.

           Outside of the Marinette Young universe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng found it a lot harder to be nice and amicable all the time. For starters, Lila had come back to school. She didn’t mind most of the lies she told. They were annoying, however, after years of dealing with faux-faced people, she could ignore most of them. She could even ignore that al her so-called friends believed them.

           However, Marinette hated, absolutely hated when Lila lied about Prince Ali. The lies were utterly ridiculous but Marinette was overprotective and had half a mind to use every resource to have the Italian Embassy look into all of Lila’s travel claims. But she was better than that. She would not stoop to Lila’s level.

           …

           It took three months for Marinette to lose all her friends in class. They had simpered after Lila and her lies and believed Marinette to be a bully. They stopped hanging out with her, stopped inviting her places, and sent mean texts to her phone causing her to change her number. They openly declared they weren’t her friends anymore.

           Again, this wasn’t something Marinette batted a lie at.  She didn’t care what they did. Or said. As they long as they didn’t go too far, Marinette was fine with ignoring their existence. Should they step the line, Marinette would use everything in her power to destroy them.

           It was a good thing after all. Her mother, Grandmother, Nick, Astrid, and everyone else in her family always taught her to be wary of fame-seekers and gold diggers.

           It was clear that the class wasn’t really interested in what Lila did but the promises of what she could do for them. And if they had to toss aside a childhood friend to get into her good graces then so be it.

           The class was getting ready to depart for winter break.

“Prince Ali and I are going to winter in Switzerland, you know.” Lila lied, causing Marinette’s eyes to narrow. “Every year since we were children. It snows all the time in Zurich. And he just loves it.”

           First of all, Ali hated the cold. It was why Marinette insisted one of their playdates be in the Alps after he broke her favorite china doll; spite, pure spite. Second of all, it didn’t snow all the time in Zurich; barely at all.

           Anyone could fact check the second one. But no one bothers. Not even the journalist of the class, Alya.

“We go with the Young family,” Lila continued. “One of the richest families in the world. I am friends with Lady Eleanor’s granddaughter.”    

           Marinette nearly fell down laughing right then and there.

           At the end of class, her ex-best friend and the class’s new class president, stood up, “Don’t forget everyone, class party at my house,” Alya cast a quick glare at Marinette and Chloe who sat in the back. “At least for those of you invited.” Their other classmates snickered and threw vicious smiles at the girls.

“As if we’d want to go,” Chloe said. “We have plans for Winter break that doesn’t involve going to a last-minute, obviously poor planed party. That never happened in the last class president’s watch.”

           Marinette smirked. “She’s right. We have plans. Chloe’s coming with me to visit my grandmother in Singapore. My family can’t wait to meet my best friend. Luka and Adrien will be attending as well.

           Alya huffed at not getting the reaction she wanted. Also because she never got invited to go to Singapore with Marinette before, and they had been best friends for the longest time. Shows what kind of friend Marinette was! Lila would never do that to her.

           Chloe, Adrien, Luka, Kagami, Ondine, Aurore, Claude, Mirielle, Nathanial, and Marc would all join Marinette for Winter Break. They were surprised when Marinette had offered to pay. Even more so when it was on a private plane.

           Trust Chloe to be the first to say something.

“So you’re rich,” The blond asked.

           Marinette hummed as she reads her magazine, “We’re comfortable.”

“That is exactly what a super-rich person would say,” Claude laughed.

           When they got to Marinette’s home, that was less of a home and more of a palace, they realized just how right they were. Particularly when they saw the dolphins.

“So you’re crazy rich,” Claude correct.

           During Winter break, once they got to Singapore, Marinette officially introduced her best friend, Prince Ali, to her other friends. They got along well, though he was a bit wary of Chloe at first.

At the Young Family New Years’ Eve celebration; which was closer to a giant festival, it was announced that Prince Ali and Marinette Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young, the only grandchild of Phillip and Eleanor Young, would marry after Marinette’s 21st birthday. The new article was released shortly after; it was filled with pictures of them as children growing up together, depicting their friendship, each family’s wealth, and it told the agreed-upon lie that Prince Ali asked for her hand, as traditional in his country. The media went wild.

Marinette knew the moment it was announced and her picture was released that things would change. She wouldn’t just be Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of bakers. At least she couldn’t pretend anymore. Marinette would be a princess; people talking about her, Ali, and the future royal wedding for years to come.

Once the celebrations had died down, her friends ganged up on her.

“A prince!” Chloe shrieked. “You’re marrying Prince Ali. How could you not tell me! I get to be the maid of honor to a Princess!”

           Adrien glared, “Why are you the maid of honor. I’m practically her brother.”

“Exactly!” Chloe hissed. “Maid of Honor!”

“Oh, this is not over!”

           That night Marinette, with her grandmother’s blessing, gave Aurore the exclusive scoop on the engagement via an interview and an article. Overnight, her blog became internally famous. Magazines and newspapers citing her as a source.

           Returning to Paris had been wild. The moment they stepped off the plane, they were met with the flashes of cameras from the paparazzi; each one screaming her name.

“Marinette! How does it feel to be marrying Prince Ali?”

“DO you think you’re too young?”

“Are you ready to be a princess?”

           Marinette ignored them all as she got into the limousine with her friends. “So that was pleasant.”

“That was insane!” Aurore laughed. “Is it always this bad?”

“No, Singaporean paparazzi are a bit tamer.”

           The limo didn’t head to the bakery. Marinette nor her parents would be living there from then on. Instead, they bought the empty mansion across the street from Adrien’s home. They purchased it when her grandmother let them know the announcement would happen soon; giving them plenty of time to decorate. The gates were heavily lined with security.

“Oh we are so having our next sleepover here,” Mirielle said brightly when they got into the house.

“Are you going to miss living at the bakery?”

“Yes,” Both Marinette and Adrien said, causing Marinette to glare at her friend, “We talked about this; just because I had a bunk bed, did not make it your room too!”

           Adrien huffed but clearly looked like he disagreed.

           Luka chuckled and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Aww, babe. Did the mean girl hurt your feelings?”

“You were my friend first,” Marinette pinched her nose. “Where’s the loyalty?”

           When school started back up again,  Marinette’s limo literally went straight across the street to pick up Adrien.

           Gabriel opened the door before Marinette even had the chance to knock. “Miss Dupain-Cheng-Sung-Young, an honor.”

           Marinette eyed the man. He, while always polite, seemed nicer than she’d ever seen him before. Normally Marinette would fill the urge to fix her casual outfit. But today Marinette didn’t do casual. She wore a tan Cashmere sweater dress, stockings, with black Burberry heals, and a look of boredom on her face. Gone were the pigtails, instead Marinette’s hair flowed down her back. “Is Adrien ready for school, Mr. Agreste?”

“He will be down in one moment,” Gabriel answered. “Congratulations on your engagement. You and Prince Ali make a lovely couple.”

“Thank you.”

“I was unaware there was a Young in Paris,” Gabriel chimed. “I would have loved to arrange a few playdates between you and Adrien.”

           Marinette smiled coldly, “Adrien is one of my dearest friends now. And while an official date hasn’t been set, I do hope I can count your attendance at my wedding. Despite recent… difficulties.”

           Gabriel stiffened, “Difficulties? With Adrien?”

“With Lila Rossi,” Marinette corrected. “A model of yours. She has made several outlandish claims both towards the Young family, Prince Ali, as well as several celebrities. I fear the actions that would need to be taken to… rectify this. I sincerely hope the Agreste brand isn’t hurt in the process.”

           Despite the subtly of her words, the threat was loud and clear. Fix Lila, ditch Lila, or we’ll destroy you.

           Adrien came down the stairs in a rush, not noticing his father’s pale face. He and Marinette, and Gorilla left the older man still standing stunned.

           Gabriel called for Nathalie, “Fire Miss Rossi immediately. Sever all connections, now!”

           After Adrien, they picked up Kagami, whose mother was an old friend of Sabine’s as they had grown up together. Kagami had always known that Marinette was actually Marinette Young.

           The next stop was Chloe who seemed more at home in Marinette’s limo that Marinette did.

           When the got to school the paparazzi were still waiting. The bodyguards Gorilla and Torivana held guarded the children as they entered the school. Damocles was waiting at the door, a simpering smile on his face, and a greedy look in his eyes at the potential donations he could get from Marinette and her family.

           Marinette cut him off before he could even open his mouth, “You expelled me without a proper investigation. Or going through the proper channel because of an ambassador’s daughter threw a hissy fit. You’ll be hearing my lawyers.”

           The man paled so white Marinette thought he had died right then and there. Until she saw him shaking.

           The bodyguards escorted the kids through the halls, where students stopped to watch the future princess pass.

           When they got to class, they saw most of the students waiting.

           The four ignored them and joined Nathaniel in back where they had been sentenced for not believing Lila.

“Girl!” Alya yelled with a grin on her face. “I can’t believe you’re marrying a prince! You should’ve invited me to your family’s party. I’d have loved to come.”

           The others in class nodded. Though Rose did look a bit teary-eyed. That was when Marinette remembered her ex-friends crush on Ali.

“That party was dope, dudette!” Nino added. “How’d you get Beyonce to perform?”

           Marinette smiled, “Shouldn’t you be hanging of Lila’s coattails somewhere. Where is Miss Rossi anyway?”

           Alya shrugged, “She’s a liar, you were right. Best friends with the Young Heir, yeah right. You should’ve just told me you and Prince Ali were a thing, and I’d have believed you.”

“You should’ve fact-checked,” Chloe glared. “It was obvious she was a liar.”

“No one’s talking to you,” Alya glared from where she sat in her seat. “I’m talking to my bestie.”

“Again, Lila isn’t here,” Marinette said. “And last I checked we are not friends.”

           Alya rolled over what Marinette said, “How could you give Aurore the inside scoop? I totally needed that. Ladybug had been ignoring me for months.”

“Aurore’s my friend,” Marinette said easily. “Which is more than I can say for most of you. How was the class party by the way?”

           A few of the students had the grace to blush and look away. Alya wasn’t one of them, “I’m sorry, okay. I shouldn’t have believed Lila.” Alya shrugged. “You don’t have to sit back there anymore. Me and Nino can make room.”

Marinette blinked. How could she not be getting this? “I wouldn’t sit with you if that seat was only one in school not on fire.”

It was at that moment Bustier and Lila walked into class. Bustier seemed oblivious to the tension that seemed the classroom; though she did know all about Marinette being engaged to a prince.

To Lila’s credit, she didn’t blink at the few glares she received. Her eyes on Marinette, half full of greed, half full of jealously. She knew all about the Young family; insanely rich socialites who were the It family in all of Asia. She cursed herself for not researching into Marinette more before declaring the girl her enemy and doing her best to maker her life hell. And now Marinette was marrying a prince.

Lila frowned. No wonder the bluenette always glared at me, She thought, she knew first hand that I was lying.

“Marinette,” Lila said sweetly. “I was so happy and that you and Ali finally revealed your betrothal. I wish you would’ve told me.”

           Most of the class looked at the girl like she was crazy.

“I don’ t like you,” Marinette stated easily. “You do not know Ali. You were not childhood friends. You do not know the Young family. Astrid did not ever come to you for fashion advice. She does not know you exist. As Eleanor’s only grandchild, I can happily say that we are not friends. Leave alone.” She cast a cold look to the rest of the room. “That goes for the rest of you. You happily declared we weren’t friends anymore. Well, we’re not friends anymore.”

           Her declaration rang through the classroom.

           No one said anything to her for the rest of the morning, apart from her friends in class.

           When lunch came, just before the bell rang, there was a knock on the door. Prince Ali stood there, looking as regal and as handsome as ever. “It seemed, I am a bit too early.” He said with a polite smile, though he had been long aware of the inhabitants bullying way.

           The bell rang.

           Marinette smiled, “Just in time actually.” She got up and walked to the front of the class, most of the students too stunned to move.

           Lila jumped at her chance to actually meet the prince, “Oh Prince Ali; it’s wonderful to see you again. My mother spent some time in your country. She worked was an ambassador.”

“And you are?” Ali asked, causing Lila to flush red as another of her lies were exposed.          

           She knew she could’ve easily spun to the class that Marinette was just jealous of her. They’d believe anything. It was a lot harder with the prince there to deny everything.

           Neither him nor Marinette waited for a response.

           They long since vowed to only ever wait for each other.

[dear-indies]

Hi babe. Could you please help me find a suitable alt for Nathan parsons. Cause reasons. Thank you. (It's for a werewolf character)

Nick Bateman (1986) 

Penn Badgley (1986) 

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (1986) African-American. 

Hale Appleman (1986) Ashkenazi Jewish / Irish, English - queer.

Lewis Tan (1987) Singaporean [Chinese] / Irish, possibly English.

Casey Deidrick (1987) 

Matthew Daddario (1987) 

Jack Falahee (1989)

Caio Castro (1989) Brazilian.

Raymond Ablack (1989) Indo-Guyanese.

David Castañeda (1989) Mexican.

Laith Ashley (1989) Afro-Dominican - trans.

Jake Weary (1990) 

Trevante Rhodes (1990) African-American.

Alex Roe (1990)

Dev Patel (1990) Indian. 

Zeeko Zaki (1990) Egyptian. 

Shamier Anderson (1991) Afro-Jamaican.

Ozan Dolunay (1991) Turkish.

Berk Atan (1991) Turkish.

Avi Nash (1991) Indian.

Brock O’Hurn (1991)

Alperen Duymaz (1992) Turkish.

Sean Teale (1992) Venezuelan, Spanish, Welsh.

Alberto Rosende (1993) Cuban / Colombian.

Ronen Rubinstein (1993) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Kofi Siriboe (1994) Ghanian.

Berker Güven (1994) Turkish.

-C

[luna-flow]

Tarot Blog Tag Game!! tagged by @falling-abyss (thanks babe xx)

Name/ Nickname: Jaslyn/Jas/Luna

Gender Identity: She/her

Age: 24 turning 25

Nationality: Singaporean

Sun sign/ moon sign/ rising sign: Scorpio/Leo/Capricorn

Favourite Tarot Deck: Don’t really have THAT favourite deck but atm what stands out to me is Ethereal Visions

Favourite Oracle Deck: Moonology is my only oracle deck so I guess this is it?

How did you get into tarot: Came across it in a bookstore when I was 13 years old and fiddled with it for a short while, put it off until university when I finally felt ready to dive into it seriously 

Any other divination tools you use: Just cards at the moment

Do you follow a specific spiritual or religious path: I’m from a Buddhist family with mixture of Taoist practices but I’m not strict towards it

Do you know who your spirit guides are: I’m sure of one, but the rest come and go I guess

Do crystals resonate with you: Yeah! I’m sure my future home will have them in bigger pieces

Favourite place to read tarot: Bed!

Favourite tarot youtuber: Perhaps Mercury Minded and Charmed Intuition Tarot

Tips for aspiring readers: Don’t be afraid to practice constantly, always keep past readings/photos for future referencing, don’t ask the same question more than 3 times and don’t expect yourself to be 100% accurate right off the bat in your tarot journey

Have you tried automatic writing/channeled writing before: I did but it didn’t work out

Any other spiritual gifts: Not really?

Favourite tarot spread: 3 cards reading and celtic cross

Would you do tarot for a living/ main job/career if you could: I used to consider it but I’m sure I won’t choose this career path in the future

[goalkepa]

1️⃣1️⃣

my Singaporean babe 💖 I feel bad that we don't really talk much but I did appreciate every moment we had been through together. you have always been the nicest to your mutuals. your heart is so pure, so kind, always full of love and happiness. you bring so much joy to people around you. and those aesthetic posts, those beautiful flowers, cute cats and stuffs you reblog always make my heart exploded. all in all, your existence is too good to this world and I hope we could talk more about football and our lives 💙

[romcomathon2016]

Crazy Rich Asians (USA, 2018)

This week on Romcomathon, a special bonus edition! We saw Crazy Rich Asians last night. Enjoyed it very much. You should go. You should all go. Tonight. Tomorrow. The day after tomorrow. Heavy spoilers ahead.

Predictions: We predicted that everyone would be crazy, rich, and Asian! (We had both read the book.) Then we saw the trailer and further predicted that everyone would be good-looking, and indeed they were — though, this is a romcom, so we would have predicted that anyway.

Plot: Constance Wu is your above-average Chinese-American gal. You know, teaching game theory at NYU, chilling in cute coffee shops with her cute boyfriend, Henry Golding. Little does she know, her cute boyfriend (who loves to play basketball at a smelly YMCA) is actually the scion of a whole bunch of unbelievably wealthy Singaporeans. When Henry Golding invites her to attend his best friend Chris Pang’s wedding in Singapore, Constance Wu happily accepts, thinking, “No problem! I’ll just charm his family! It’s fine!” But oh no, Constance Wu, it’s not fine. As it turns out, Singaporean high-society gossip travels at the speed of light, and within a matter of seconds — literally seconds — everyone in Singapore above a certain income bracket knows that *GASP* Henry Golding, the most eligible bachelor in the world, is off the market.

No one is pleased is about this, but least pleased of all is Henry Golding’s ice-queen mother, Michelle Yeoh. Nonetheless, Henry Golding, bizarrely oblivious, whisks Constance Wu onto Singapore Airlines, into a phenomenally beautiful private first-class cabin, which...kind of forces him to admit that his family is financially “comfortable.” OKAY, HENRY GOLDING. JUST LIE DOWN ON YOUR AIRPLANE BED AND PUT ON YOUR SOFT FANCY AIRPLANE PAJAMAS BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY IS “COMFORTABLE.” (Weird, though, that he never brought this up during the two years they’ve been together. Did he not think that, at some point, maybe he should mention, “Hey babe, my family pretty much owns Singapore. You know, that really expensive place in Asia?”)

Constance Wu and Henry Golding arrive in Singapore; are greeted by Chris Pang and his fiancée, Sonoya Mizuno; and head off, a foursome, to chow down on some of the most amazing food we’ve ever seen in our lives. Just a normal delicious time between some normal friends, right?? WRONG. The next day, Constance Wu goes to visit her old college roommate Awkwafina, whose own family is not too shabby. They are living in a gold-plated house that her mother based off of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. So, you know, it’s very understated. During her lunch there, Constance Wu finds out from Awkwafina’s parents — by the way, her dad is Ken Jeong — that a) Chris Pang and Sonoya Mizuno’s wedding is basically the most important event of the season. Like an inauguration or the Royal Wedding. b) Henry Golding is so rich that Awkwafina’s family’s wealth pales in comparison. Compared to Henry Golding’s family, these knockoff-Versailles-house people are just barely making gold-plated ends meet.

Great! Now Constance Wu is even more nervous! (Nice job not preparing your girlfriend at all, Henry Golding, by the way.) She heads off to Henry Golding’s grandmother’s estate, where his grandmother Lisa Lu is just having “a few friends over,” AKA it’s a huge party at the biggest house we or Constance Wu have ever seen. There, Henry Golding finally introduces Constance Wu to the fam, who obviously see her as a gauche American peasant. Which...look, it’s all relative!!!! Michelle Yeoh, in particular, is Not Impressed and makes it very clear through her politeness how very Not Impressed she is. But it’s okay, guys! It’s Lisa Lu’s opinion that matters — and she seems to like Constance Wu! Yay!

Hold on, though. Before we can get further with Lisa Lu, Constance Wu must attend Sonoya Mizuno’s huge bachelorette party -- on a smaller island that Sonoya Mizuno’s family (literally) owns. Constance Wu feels out of place amidst all this opulence, but luckily she finds a kindred spirit in what turns out to be Henry Golding’s ex-girlfriend. SPOILER ALERT: EX-GF IS NOT A KINDRED SPIRIT. IT IS A TRAP. Everyone terrorizes Constance Wu at this horrible party, except for Sonoya Mizuno. And Gemma Chan, Henry Golding’s favorite cousin, who, besides being genuinely nice, is preoccupied with her husband’s affair.

Upon returning to Singapore, Constance Wu lays into Henry Golding for -- well, OBVIOUSLY. Henry Golding is very apologetic, but also, “We have to go make dumplings with the fam. That’s cool, right?” They go back to Lisa Lu’s manse, where things are going okay, until Constance Wu compliments Michelle Yeoh’s ENORMOUS emerald ring. It turns out that Michelle Yeoh was given this ring by her husband, Lisa Lu’s son, who had to have it custom-made because Lisa Lu wouldn’t give her son the family ring...because she though Michelle Yeoh was not good enough. Sound familiar? Yet somehow, this does not make Michelle Yeoh sympathetic. In fact, she tells Constance Wu all of this simply to preface her announcement that Constance Wu is definitely not marriage material.

HOO BOY. Constance Wu, a bit taken aback, gets a pep talk from Awkwafina, who, along with Nico Santos, gives her a Classic Romcom Makeover (TM) for the wedding. Constance Wu shows up to the wedding looking like Elsa from Frozen — but with flowers! Seriously, though, it’s a fab look. Everyone loves it. Except Michelle Yeoh. At the wedding reception, Constance Wu is feeling pret-ty good about herself...but come on, we know this can’t last!!!! Lisa Lu and Michelle Yeoh ambush her and Henry Golding with the news that Michelle Yeoh hired a private investigator to look into Constance Wu’s background. Surprise! Her father, who she had always believed was dead, is not so much, and Constance Wu is actually the result of an affair her mother had. Oh dear. Lisa Lu tells Henry Golding that he cannot possibly marry a girl like this (oh yeah, Henry Golding told Chris Pang earlier that he was planning to propose to Constance Wu). If he does, she will disown him. Constance Wu runs off in tears.

Sad times -- all is lost -- no amount of Henry Golding calling or coming by can repair this damage. Constance Wu just spends days and days moping at Awkwafina’s house until her mom, Tan Kheng Hua, shows up. Her mother admits to the affair and explains that she had an abusive husband. Constance Wu forgives her, uh, remarkably quickly for lying about this her whole life, which...is a bit odd, but you know, it’s a romcom. Who has time for subplots anyway?! Constance Wu agrees to meet up with Henry Golding one last time. He proposes to her, heedless of his family, but *GASP* she turns him down. Then meets up with Michelle Yeoh, secretively at a mahjong parlor, in order to make clear that she could have had him -- but walked away because she didn’t want him to lose his family, be estranged from his mother, blah blah blah. SUCK ON THAT, MICHELLE YEOH!!!! YOU’RE INDEBTED TO ME NOW!!!!!! ME, THE AMERICAN PEASANT. HA HA HA. HENRY GOLDING AND I WILL BOTH BE SAD, BUT MY HORSE IS MILES HIGH!!!!!!!! (...is what we imagine she feels.)

Satisfied, Constance Wu swaggers into economy class with her mom. But lo! Who should arrive but Henry Golding, chasing after her because Michelle Yeoh -- post-mahjong-showdown -- went to him and gave him the ring?! THE GIANT EMERALD RING!!!!!! OH EM GEE, YOU GUYS, IT’S SO SYMBOLIC!!!! This time, as he proposes in a crowded airplane aisle, Constance Wu says yes. Cut to their excessively opulent engagement party, where Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh share a Look, and Gemma Chan meets Harry Shum, Jr. (Not bad, for an extremely wealthy, recently jilted lass!)

Best Scene: So many good scenes, but probably our favorite is when Awkwafina drives Constance Wu to Lisa Lu’s estate and the two of them are met by two extremely severe Indian guards outside the gate. The guards are wielding bayonets. It’s very funny, as are all of Awkwafina’s scenes.

Worst Scene: ...Weeeell, Ken Jeong spends most of his time in this film creepin’ on Constance Wu, his daughter’s friend, which definitely made us uncomfortable. But, to be fair, we wanted an American romcom starring Asians, and no romcom would be complete without us being a little grossed out. :|

Best Line: There were many funny lines. Pretty much everything out of Awkwafina’s mouth was solid gold. Constance Wu also had some good zingers. Unfortunately, we’ve only seen the movie once so far and can’t quote directly.

Worst Line: Ken Jeong and his son both creep real hard on Constance Wu, so probably something one of them said.

Highlights of the Watching Experience: Well, there’s the obvious — that this is the first (hopefully not last!) Hollywood romcom we’ve ever seen starring even two Asian people, let alone an entirely Asian cast. Plus a fun, fantastic, mostly-Mandarin soundtrack. Some of us may have cried. (“It was not me,” says Alex.) Also, Michelle Yeoh looked FUCKING AMAZING. How old is that woman now? IMMORTAL, is the answer. Also, we, as Chinese-Americans, are obsessed with food, so we appreciated that that common cultural trait was well-demonstrated in this movie, particularly by Constance Wu.

How Many POC in the Film: EVERYONE! EVERYONE WAS A PERSON OF COLOR! There was even one black extra in the wedding scene. We sighted her in the corner and got VERY excited.

Alternate Scenes: ...N-none? Honestly, we thought this was an excellent movie adaptation -- and just an excellent movie, period, which is maybe even more impressive. Yaaaay! No joke, we have already purchased tickets to see it again.

Was the Poster Better or Worse than the Film: Worse. The poster is fine, but the movie is better, of course, because the movie was good! It was a good movie! We saw a good movie!

Score: 10 out of 10 crazy-rich-Asian smooches. We never pretended this blog was objective, okay? No, but actually -- it’s a great romcom. If you love seeing unrealistically beautiful people kissing in unrealistically beautiful locations, as we assume you all must if you are reading this blog, you will enjoy this film. Go see it! Support non-white and non-Netflix romcoms! Plz. <3

Ranking: 3, out of the 149 movies we’ve seen so far.

[stroud25finch-blog]

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[cerastes]

Does AK47 or M16 spend more of G&Ks budget on booze? I mean, ak definitely drinks more. But im pretty sure cheap unlabeled russian vodka is less expensive than Jack.

You make a good point, but you are missing a crucial aspect: The context of the drink.

Cheap vodka cannot stand up to a bottle of Jack Daniels in price... Unless you buy more, and I mean a ton more.

M16 is a hobby drinker. She kicks back with a bottle of the stuff in between naked knife fights with 416 or making ST AR-15 miserable. She sits by the bar with that sort of feral elegance unique to her, gracing glass after glass with her soft lips. She reminisces, she chuckles, she listens to the sweet jazz as the multicolored bottles behind the bartender form a neon rainbow known only to habitual drinkers, a collection of different shapes and labels making a visual symphony that makes drowning one’s sorrows or kicking back after a harsh day, or even a normal day, all the more nostalgic. Nostalgic for what? That depends on the drinker, see?

Meanwhile AK47 drinks because she goes balls to the walls with it. She’s the rowdy drunk, the bomb waiting to explode. And her type, see, doesn’t drink alone. Oh no no, you bet your left buttcheek that whenever AK gets her hands on some Vodka Money, she’s already texting Simonova like “BABE WANNA GET FUCKING SMASHED?” and not 12 seconds pass before Simonova has already replied with “AGAINST THE BEDPOST OR WITH VODKA” and AK replies with “YES” and BAM it’s on, but Simonova doesn’t go alone, oh no, because SVD and Mosin Nagant are close. “Ara,” the oldest rifle asks, “are you girls going to drink? Would you mind if I joined you? I’d like to unwind a little”, and not even Sangvis T-Dolls are so heartless so as to say no to Grandman Gun, so OF COURSE she is allowed to come. “Well, well, well! If it is a gathering of this caliber, then it is only right that I, too, assist!” boldly declares SVD, four bottles of vodka poking out of her satchel and her hand already doing the most secret and confidential of handshakes with Simonova. So long story short, the rifles arrive and they drink their brains out and it goes on for hours, and if you’ve EVER touched vodka, you KNOW the first round is never the last round. They go and get some more, and then some more, and then some more, about six more rounds, AK is shooting shit like Somalian guerrilas, Simonova is singing the Singaporean National Hymn off-key, Mosin Nagant is doing push ups, and SVD engages in a vigorous fistfight with a nearby chair. The seventh round comes, and their hardware just goes fritz, they black out, and the next thing they know, AK is buck naked surrounded by SVD and Simonova, also buck naked, and Mosin Nagant can be heard on the roof. AK smiles and closes her eyes again, basking in the sleepiness of a free Sunday morning for a bit more, ignorant to the fact that, at this very moment, Helian was currently stomping her way to the Russian dorms, vodka bill gripped tightly on her left hand, tire iron gripped tightly on her right hand, Kalina gripped tightly around her waist, trying to stop her while screaming “Ma’am! Please! Don’t murder them! It’s not worth it!” because seven rounds of vodka for four people minimum is hefty on the wallet and the liver. 

[randomingoftherandomness]

2, 8, 9 & 16

2. do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or travel abroad? - I answered this here

8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom? - For me, I think it’s a mix of being confused for other nationalities and ethnicities? To clarify, I am ethnically Chinese, but I’ve gotten confused for Indonesian, Baba Nyonya (which in fairness, I do have ancestry of), Pinoy, Indian, Bidayuh, Iban, Kenyah, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, amongst some. The people who usually get me confused are fellow Malaysians. Which is just… 😭

9. which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best? - Singapore. My maternal grandad is Singaporean, and in recent years, his dementia has pretty bad that he’s starting to forget a lot of things. Personally, I’ve only ever been there once before and I would love to take him there one last time before he can’t travel anymore. 

16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with? - Oh lord, what a loaded question! I suppose the stereotype that I hate AND agree with is more of a continental one whereby Asians always only stick with Asians. Which is, yeah. But also, sigh.

Thanks for asking babe!

I’m Not From the US. Ask Me Something.