#they are so cute and sweet and were very sentimental about how cool it is they get to do this now

[fallowtail]

went to see the crane wives last night and they had us howl at the moon when it came out to play into moon will sing and it was incredibly adorable i love them so much

[sweetkpopmusings]

how they feel before they know it's love with seventeen <3

a/n: i'm genuinely obsessed with "i don't understand but i luv u" like i have been listening nonstop since it dropped and i cannot get enough <333 i thought it'd be cute to do a lil post somewhat inspired by the song, so here it is !! i hope you find some comfort in the sweetness of these :,-) pics not mine~

content: fluff, sentimental and cute vibes only | wc: 2.6k | warnings: none really! | pairing: seventeen x gn!reader | requests: open

seungcheol♡‧₊˚

seungcheol, as a leader, knows how to step back and support his members, even when it comes to holding back what he wants to say to let the others continue the excited conversation. with you, it was an entirely different story. it’s not that he ever spoke over you–he would never dream of such a thing–but he talked with you nonstop. there was an effortless exuberance in your conversations because he knew that you’d always listen to him. anything, truly anything, that popped into seungcheol’s head was something he wanted to share with you. sometimes he worried that he was annoying you with his endless chatter, but speaking his mind to you was instinctive. he wanted to share every one of his thoughts and perspectives with you because he wanted you to have all of him. every word he said to you was filled with a deep desire to share himself with you. the vulnerability that flowed through each conversation with you convinced him that maybe, just maybe, there were some important words he had not said to you yet. 

jeonghan♡‧₊˚

jeonghan’s an extremely caring person. everyone knows that about him, but his thoughtfulness towards you went to a whole different level. he thought of you first for everything. everything. he could be on tour and trying a new drink, and the first thing that would pop into his head is “y/n would love this drink.” he did not care that you were hundreds of miles away from him; at that moment, all he would want to do is send you the drink in his hand, so you could try it and then tell him what you think about it. he never realized thought of you constantly until one of his members–probably joshua–pointed out how he always said your name in conversations or bought two of everything just in case. jeonghan would never intentionally try to bring you up, nor was he aware of how he ended up with duplicates of small items. in truth, your name was always on the tip of his tongue, and you were always on his mind. one day soon, something else would be on the tip of his tongue when he said your name. 

joshua♡‧₊˚

joshua tried to play it cool, but he was fascinated by you as soon as he laid eyes on you. the nuances of how you speak, the gestures you make when you’re telling a story, and the way your favorite songs exposed the most important parts of you–shua was obsessed with memorizing each of these things. when something about you was engraved in his mind, he would show you he knew it by teasing you. his imitations or remarks were always spot on, but they clearly came from a place of fondness and attention. he teased you effortlessly with a soft smile and a sparkle in his eyes, something that made you melt each time. he wasn’t aware of the look on his face or the tone of his voice because the adoration came out so naturally when he was with you. if other people were around when shua poked fun at you, it was completely obvious to them what he was actually saying when he flawlessly imitated your facial expressions while telling a funny story from when you two went to a coffee shop over the weekend. even before either of you could put words to it, you could clearly feel the love behind every teasing jab.

junhui♡‧₊˚

junhui is so very unique, and that shines through in the way he treats you. from the moment he met you, he felt a very intense urge to make you smile. he thought about you constantly, and, one day while shopping around in a random city the day before a show, he found a small figurine that reminded him of you. he was so excited to give it to you that he couldn’t stop smiling every time he looked at it. from that point forward, he collected small trinkets and keepsakes for you, as a way to bring you a little burst of joy, even when he was away. sometimes he bought them, and other times he would just hold onto a sticker from a music shop you went to together, giving it to you when he was proud of you for a specific accomplishment. to junhui, it only made sense to write you a little note with your favorite jokes and hide it in your bag for whenever you had a bad day and needed a pick-me-up. through each thoughtful gift, it became clear that he wanted to give you the world, and junhui most certainly would, one snowglobe and ticket stub at a time. 

soonyoung♡‧₊˚

soonyoung always felt strongly about you, so he never really stopped to put an exact word to it. how he felt about and with you was something special, something only shared between you two. it was just the world you lived in together, and, in his mind, there was no reason to analyze his natural state of existence when it felt as wonderful as life did with you in it. one thing, however, that made his head feel light and his stomach feel frenzied was a new habit he developed after he met you. whenever he said something funny, even the smallest comment that made someone else laugh, he immediately had to tell you. he’d call you, send you a voice message, or rush over to you from across the room, just to tell you the story and repeat his silly little joke. soonyoung, from the first time he ever heard you laugh, knew that he needed to see that smile on your face and hear that sound fall from your lips every chance he got. he wasn’t quite sure what to call that. soon enough though, he’d figure out how to express his deepest feeling for you with words that weren’t tied to a punchline.

wonwoo♡‧₊˚

wonwoo always excelled at observing everyone and everything around him. after he met you, however, most of what he saw, heard, tasted, smelled, and touched made him think of you. everywhere he went, something reminded him of you, and he’d always smile. the shoes a stranger on the subway was wearing could be similar to a pair he saw you in the other week. maybe, in the back of the restaurant he ate at with friends after a long day of work, there was someone who ordered a drink he’d ordered for you a hundred times. no matter where he was, what he was doing, or whom he was with, wonwoo found something in his surroundings that tied him back to you. even when you two were together, you’d catch him smiling in a quiet moment. he’d brush it off, say “it’s nothing; i’m just happy to be here,” but, really, he’d want to say “the sound of the car horn made me think of that movie we watched together a few weeks ago, and every time i think of you i feel so comforted and happy, like nothing could ever go wrong.” he’d stay quiet, pondering what it truly meant to always find you in his surroundings regardless of the distance between you, and he’d squeeze your hand a little tighter as he discovered the answer.

jihoon♡‧₊˚

it was extremely easy for jihoon to find inspiration for his music from you. what he didn’t realize was that you left an indelible mark on his taste in music. whenever you two spent time together, he would give you the aux (literal or proverbial) because he was interested in what music made you happy, sad, want to dance, relax, etc. he listened very intently, and it took almost no time at all for the songs you introduced to him to make their way onto his playlists. more than that, he would frequently hum the melodies of songs you showed him as he walked around his place and cleaned. no one would ever point it out to him because they had no way of knowing that the new songs he obsessed over were all tied to you, but, eventually, jihoon realized that all the songs he associated with you were the only ones he ever had stuck in his head now. memories of you permanently embedded songs into his mind, a playlist only for him to listen to in the quiet moments of life. as he wrote lyrics that expressed this occurrence, he understood that it all came down to the fact he could never, and would never, get you out of his head. 

seokmin♡‧₊˚

seokmin was so fond of you, and he naturally expressed that fondness by giving you at least one thing to smile about each day. it started as a way to break the ice during conversations when you first got to know each other. once you two didn’t need icebreakers, the habit stayed, and seokmin’s habit became one of the strongest aspects of your relationship. seokmin never relied on anything fancy; he would send you a wholesome meme in the morning, so you could start your day smiling, or he would show you a funny video clip when you met up for dinner, starting the night off with a hefty dose of laughter. there was a sparkle in his eye when he laughed with you, one that only showed up when he saw your smile. he would be particularly proud if he made you laugh until tears fell or you smiled so big your cheeks hurt. whenever that happened, he would boast to his members, showing them the picture or video while beaming with excitement as he recounted your reaction. alongside his excitement toward your joy existed the fact that he couldn’t rest easy until he knew you had at least a little bit of serotonin in your day. truthfully, he never felt more at peace than when he was the source of that happiness, and he wanted to feel that for as long as humanly possible. 

mingyu♡‧₊˚

mingyu has a real presence. from his height to his goofy personality, people know when mingyu is around. those charms were how he caught your eye, and he always got an energy boost when you were around. as he grew closer to you, more comfortable, mingyu’s behavior revealed an even sweeter side of him. whenever he spoke with you, his voice was soft and careful, every word meant for you only. his looks always held you gently as he soaked up every word that you shared with him. any times jokes or teasing comments wove their way into your conversations, he laughed hard but quietly, just loud enough for you to hear, even leaning closer to you, enclosing the both of you in the joy of the moment. if you had physical contact with each other, mingyu’s touches were as soft as everything else about him. it was never out of the belief that you were fragile. rather, tenderness radiated from mingyu whenever he felt you near, and it enveloped his entire being when he looked at you. mingyu was always caring, always considerate, but his loved ones often commented that they had never seen him so soft before. mingyu knew, without knowing how to explain it quite yet, that you were the difference.

minghao♡‧₊˚

minghao values peace and quiet. life is chaotic for most people, and this was especially true for someone in his line of work. he tried, as best as he could, to create pockets of calm whenever and wherever he could, through meditation or simply waking up to watch the sunrise by himself. searching for that peace grounded him in his toughest times, and he depended on that calmness to get through it all. as he got to know you, searching for that peace became easier. minghao was calmer, knowing you were there, and he instantly relaxed whenever you were beside him. there was not anything specific that you did; you could just look at him, and his whole body would relax, proving just how stressed he had been mere seconds before he laid eyes on you. to minghao, you were the ultimate source of serenity. he never wanted to lean into clichés, but it was true that, even in a crowded room, he would know you were there by the way his heartbeat relaxed into a natural, happy rhythm. it didn’t take long for minghao to notice that you had this effect on him. it also wouldn’t be long before he admitted this, and something just as meaningful, to you.  

seungkwan♡‧₊˚

everyone knows seungkwan is an entertainer through and through. when you two were introduced to each other, he performed as well as he could to keep you laughing, and, unbeknownst to himself, to impress you. as time passed, however, he realized didn’t have to perform in front of you. he felt comfortable enough to be his most authentic self, and he only ever wanted to be his most authentic self with you. he still loved to do bits around you and be dramatic when the moment called for it, but he wanted to show you other sides of him too. for seungkwan, he felt a connection with and appreciation for you that could only be expressed by him letting his guard down. what mattered more than entertaining you was showing you every part of himself as honestly as humanly possible. showing up exactly how he was whenever he was with you was all he could think of because he always wanted to meet you exactly where you were. it wasn’t long after he realized this that his truest feelings toward you came out. it wasn’t something he thought of before he said it; it was something that slipped out when you asked him, “how was your day?” 

hansol♡‧₊˚

hansol’s mind is expansive. his perspectives reflect his astute introspection and deep compassion, and he would never cease to amaze–or entertain–those around him with the thoughts inside his head. to hansol, however, your mind was the most fascinating. he was deeply curious about the things that made up who you are: your hyperfixations, the dreams you had at night, your favorite snack for each time of day, etc. he was endlessly entranced by everything that colored your life. he wanted nothing more than to color his life with them too. this genuine interest meant that hansol’s eyes were filled with childlike wonder whenever you shared something about yourself with him. he committed every minute detail to memory, and he often retold anecdotes from your life during conversations with his friends. even to them, it was endearing to see his delighted laughter as he recounted stories of small social faux pas in your adolescence that became inside jokes between you two now. it was during one of those conversations, while smiling at the thought of you, that hansol started to uncover what influenced his infatuation with all things you.   

chan♡‧₊˚

chan took to you immediately. your personality charmed him, regardless of how charming you thought yourself to be. he couldn’t get enough of the conversations shared between you two, existential or lighthearted. chan genuinely wanted to talk to you as much as humanly possible–without annoying you or taking you away from the other people you cared about–and that’s why he started calling you whenever he was done with his schedules for the day. it could be the hardest practice of the year, but chan, drenched in sweat and barely able to walk, would light up the second you started to say “hello” on the phone. the sound of your voice literally put a pep in his step. he developed a liking to walking home, just so he had an excuse to talk to you for a long time without any interruptions. neither of you needed convincing, however, because everything flowed so seamlessly between you. chan didn’t know exactly how to tell you this, but, with you, he was eager to say even the simplest things until his voice gave out, just so he could keep on talking to you.

[thrillered]

Couples Tattoos | Spencer Agnew x Reader Oneshot

Here's my little blurb about a tattoo I noticed during this vid and I'm obsessed with it. I know the pic is blurry asf but I had to screenshot it from the smosh mouth ep 😭

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"I think I want to get a tattoo.” you mentioned offhandedly while you were working on your laptop, sitting near Spencer. 

“You should, I think it’ll be cool.” Spencer agreed. 

“I just want it to be important I guess.” You remarked, scooting closer to Spencer. “At least for my first.” 

You didn’t have any tattoos. You always wanted to get one but felt nervous about putting something so permanent on your body. Your boyfriend, on the other hand, had many tattoos. He frequently got tattoos; he had gotten 4 since you got together. You adored his tattoos, you thought they were so nerdy and fun but made him extra attractive. 

“Can we get one together?” You asked.

“Seriously?” He asked, turning his whole body to face you, with a surprised face. “That’s a big commitment.” 

“Well I love you and I don’t plan on ever not being with you so..” 

Spencer couldn’t help but smile at this. The sentiment made him giddy and why not? You had been together for years and Spencer planned on marrying you one day. 

“Let’s do it.” Spencer agreed, wholeheartedly ready to make an appointment. 

“Really?” You asked, the widest smile on your face. 

“Fuck it man.” He laughed, both of your work long forgotten. “I’ve gotten tattoos of absolute bullshit, at least this would be meaningful.” 

—

You and Spencer had been brainstorming tattoo ideas for weeks, doing intense research on styles and artists. As excited as you both were, neither of you had any clue what to get. Spencer wanted to let you have the final decision since it was your first. 

You were laying in bed with Spencer, watching a movie. You flipped over, settling your head on his chest and laying your leg over his, straddling his side slightly. This was your favorite way to cuddle, it felt intimate. Spencer knew this about you. It was something he had noticed very early on in your relationship, and he loved it. Something about the way you loved being close to him brought him a lot of joy. You settled into Spencer, sighing when you found the perfect position. 

This was when Spencer had an idea. He didn’t want to wake you, as you were on the verge of sleep, but he immediately wrote his idea down on his phone. 

The next day when you both went into the office he made his way to the art department. “I need one of your guys' help.” He said, walking up to the group of desks. 

“Okay?” Erin Kushner asked, pulling her headphones off one ear. 

“I need a concept design for a tattoo, doesn't need to be anything crazy.” 

“Yeah sure, what's the tattoo?” Erin agreed. 

Spencer explained his idea, getting teased by Erin for how cute your relationship was. Erin quickly drew up a perfect picture for him. He was incredibly excited to show you it, knowing you would fall in love. 

—

He waited until you were home and settled. You were cuddled on the couch with him, watching as he scrolled through twitter. “I think I have the perfect tattoo for us.” Spencer said, pulling the paper out of his pocket. “I thought of it last night but wanted to get it drawn out to show you.” 

He showed you the drawing Erin did, noting the gasp that left your lips. It was a Keith Herring-esq drawing of two figures lying together, cuddled up in your favorite position. 

“Wait, I love it, that’s so cute.” 

“It's the way we always lay together.” He explained, even though you already knew, he was just excited to talk about it. 

“This is the sweetest thing ever, it’s perfect. I love you Spence.” You squealed, smiling into a sweet kiss you placed on his lips. “Wait! We can fill in the one that represents us.” You offered excitedly. 

“I love that.” Spencer smiled, his heart swelling at your excitement. “I’ll book an appointment tomorrow? We’ll probably get in within a few weeks.” 

You agreed, rambling about where you should get it. 

—

Three weeks had gone by and today was the day of your tattoo appointment. It wasn’t until yesterday that you decided your placement, you and Spencer both wanting to get it on your inner arm. 

Spencer got his tattoo first, showing you it would go just fine. It eased your nerves, calming you down before you got in the seat. 

He held your hand the entire time. You told him it was okay and the pain wasn’t awful but he insisted on holding it the whole time to “keep you calm”. 

When the appointment was over you and Spencer had the most beautiful couple tattoos. Your artist took some pictures for you and you both immediately posted them, excited to share it with the world. 

Even though everyone knew you and Spencer were in love, now you both had a depiction of your love immortalized forever.

[klutzyroses]

IkeVamp HCs: SO sleeptalking

How do they react to their s/o sleeptalking about them?

Suitors: Napoleon, Isaac, Dazai, Drake

Napoleon

On the very...very unlikely chance that he is awake when she is not, the heavy sleeper would already be very far from coherent to be fully aware of his surroundings for a bit.

But as they say...there is a first time for everything.

It was because of the sound of her voice pulling him out of an uncharacteristically light sleep. He glances to her, despite his drowsiness to check on her.

"Nunuche?"

Though his viridian eyes were on her, it took a minute for his mind to register that she is still asleep. And talking...?

He woke a bit more, under the impression she was having a nightmare.

People talked when they were having night terrors, right?

"Na...poleon..."

He frowned slightly, him? Was she dreaming of him? Curiosity tugged at him, soon replaced with affection at her next words.

"Napoleon, you're so...cool..."

A slight smirk crosses his lips as he shook his head fondly, glad that he woke up now to witness this cuteness.

He could tease her the following day. Or not. Let's see how he feels.

Isaac

Isaac doesn't have much experience with sleep talkers, apart from being told that he tends to act a bit rashly when he himself is very sleepy...though he blamed his fever at the time for his strange behaviour that one time.

He wasn't expecting that one night, when he was tinkering away at his desk while Y/N slept on his bed, for her to start mumbling. He turns away from his desk to face her, assuming she had woken up and was addressing him.

"Yes, Y/N, are you aw-"

He trailed off when he realized she indeed was still asleep, but muttering in her sleep.

"Isaac...."

He perked up, blinking multiple times in surprise.

"...Me?"

He murmured to himself and, unable to stop his curiosity, he got up and walked over to the bed, careful not to wake her and sat by her sleeping form curled up on the bed.

"Isaac...I've brought your sandwich...make sure...to eat it, please...made it with...love..."

If an apple could see him it would envy his red cheeks. Y/N...

He won't bring it up to her, but he will definitely eat the food she brings him with a lot more appreciation. She did make it with love, after all.

Dazai

The writer doesn't have a set time for when he sleeps, if at all. He just does it when the moment comes to him.

Sometimes his thoughts keep him wide awake, even when he does want to sleep.

Such was the case one night, while his beloved slept away on her futon. Absorbed in his melancholic pondering, he gazed out the window, alert only to the steady breathing of the woman he loves.

Well that is, until she called for him. Well he thought so until he noted she wasn't awake in the slightest.

"Dazai..."

"Hm? Yes, Y/N-san?"

When he knelt by the futon to observe her face, she seemed as content as could be as he waited to see if she would continue.

"L...love you...Shuji."

With those words, his eyes widened before closing again as an affectionate smile crossed his face, his chest warming with the sentiment.

The following morning when she wakes, he leans in close to her ear and whispers in it.

"I love you too, my beloved one.~"

In response to that, the drowsy young lady seemed confused but glad as she gives him a lovely, flushed smile.

Drake

Being the sleeper he was, one wouldn't expect him to be awake while his lover slept. But it happens more often than not that he tends to wake before she does.

Sometimes, he just liked watching her cute face as she slumbered, her pouty lips slightly parted and her lashes brushing her soft cheeks. She was a picture of sleeping bliss, truly, and the sailor could skip on a few more minutes of sleep if he can see her look so sweet like that.

One particular night however, as she slept in his arms, the pirate heard something other than her gentle breathing. It was slightly muffled so he looked down to find that the source was his fawn.

"Drake..."

She mumbled adorably before giggling ever so softly in response to whatever he- or rather, "dream" him was doing. Curious, he watched her to see if she will say anything else, which she does.

"Drake, that tickles! Hihi.."

He bit down on his lower lip, stifling his chuckles. She was so cute.

One can be sure that he will tease her the following morning, curious as to what she was dreaming.

"Sounds like you were having a fun dream, little fawn. Mind telling me about it?"

His aquamarine eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief as his lips curve into an easy smile when Y/N blushes a very pretty pink.

🌸

[hongmingoo]

I'm Going to Paint Your Heart Yellow!

Pairing: Lee Seokmin x f!Reader

Warnings: Going Ranger au, kindergarten teacher reader, fluff, toxic relationship, grumpy reader, sunshine seokmin, tiny bit angst.

Word count: 5.3k+

Summary: When a grumpy teacher meets a sweet ranger, an unlikely pair. What will happen when one fall in love with the other? Will they find their mutual standing?

“I’m going to paint your hearts yellow. Going Yellow!”

You simply did not expect this. How could you? This scene is straight out of the cartoons you watched during childhood. Who would have thought that power rangers are actually real living people and their headquarters are next door to your workplace.

You watched, in utter confusion as the six-man team stood before the class of 4 year olds, introducing themselves ‘enthusiastically’ without a hint of embarrassment coloring their faces. Oh, actually one person does looked ashamed of what he’s doing and wishes the ground would swallow him whole. His eyes met yours and the tip of his ears burnt brighter red as he looked away immediately. The secondhand embarrassment you’re getting from this is unreal.

“Seokminieeeee~” a girl cheered. The man who’s hair is dark orange, wearing the uniform jacket with yellow detailing smiled sweetly and waved at her. Oh, he’s cute. You noted.

“That is not Seokminie. That is Going Yellow!” a boy argued.

“Its Seokminie!” the girl argued.

“Going Yellow!”

The banter is going back and forth, it’s going to become chaos soon. The rangers were trying to calm them but they made it worse because more kids started to join the fights. You stood up straight, cleared your throat loud enough for the kids to hear. Immediately, the children went silent.

“Kids, the rangers made their time to come see you today. Are you going to fight? Should I ask them to leave so you could fight instead?” you asked, voice firm.

“No…” they chorused.

“Is everyone going to behave now? So that Mr. Rangers can continue?” you asked again.

“Yes, teacher,” they answered in unison.

“Good. Thank you” you calmly stated, aware that all eyes are on you but decided to just be cool about it despite panicking on the inside.

“Oh, This is Miss Kim Y/n. She’s our new teacher. But ever since she came it has been a lot easier to control the kids because she’s very strict but very kind at the same time” the principal, Madam Lee introduced you. You gave a slight bow to the men and they returned the gesture with an awed smile.

The rest of the day went well. The kids enjoyed the time they spent with the rangers and they seemed to share the same sentiment too. They went back to their office after lunch and the daycare quiet down since most of the kids had gone home with their family. It’s almost 7pm and one kid still hasn’t gone home yet. And you’re left alone with her after Madam Lee went home.

“Soojin-ah. Do you usually go home this late?” you asked as you began to pack up your things. The little girl who was coloring her book looked up at you and nodded.

“Usually, Madam Lee accompanies me because Seokminie gets off work at 8pm. Or sometimes it’s Teacher Seo who stayed behind. But there are days when mom came to pick me up earlier too. But now mom is on a business trip” she explained cutely, her hands flailing everywhere as if to emphasise her story.

“Seokminie?” you asked, sure that you heard that name before.

“My uncle. He is Going Yellow. He worked next door” she cheered. You smiled at her cuteness so you bend down to pat her head. You took a seat next to her to see her coloring book and was genuinely impressed to see it was so neat and tidy. Usually kids her age have a very messy art style.

“So today, I'll be the one to accompany you. Is that okay with you?”

“Okay!! But I’m super hungry right now hehe” she giggled cutely. You noticed she has the same smile as her uncle, it was very bright and innocent that they’re able to melt anyone’s misery right away.

“Oh no… That’s bad but I don’t have any food on me right now. Should we go to the convenience store nearby? It will be my treat. But we’ll have to let your uncle know first, in case he comes here to search for you” you suggested after you rummaged through your bag for any snack you could find.

“Is that really okay?” the girl asked again, she was very polite for her age, you could not help falling for her even more.

“Of course. But it will be our secret only okay?” you chuckled, holding out your pinky for her to hold. She beamed, immediately jumping to her feet to lock her tiny pinky with yours. You helped her to pack her things before locking up the school to head to the Ranger Headquarters next door, hand-in-hand with Soojin.

“Annyeonghasaeyoooo~” the little girl announced as soon as they stepped into the cold office. There was the pink ranger from earlier and he immediately beamed upon seeing the little girl.

“Aigoo, it's Soojinnie. Are you looking for Seokmin?” he asked, kneeling to be on the same eye-level as her. He gave you a polite nod and a smile, acknowledging your presence next to her.

“Eung. Is he here, Hao-samchon? I want to ask him if I can go to the convenience store with my teacher because I’m hungry” she pouted.

“Aigoo, why are you going to the convenience store if you’re hungry? Stay here, I’m cooking dinner right now” another voice piped in from behind you, startling you. The figure appeared, stopping next to the pink ranger, grinning at the girl before turning to look at you. He’s wearing the same jacket as ‘Hao’ as Soojin mentioned but you haven’t seen him before. He is super tall, towering over your frame, with long hair framing his attractive face with a box of groceries in his arms.

“Soojinnie? You’re here?” Seokmin’s voice called from behind you yet again. You both turned to look at him who also had a box of groceries in his arms.

“Seokminieeeee. I’m hungry. I wanna go to the convenience store with my teacher. May I?” she asked, giving him her cutest puppy eyes. Seokmin turned to look at you for confirmation and you nodded.

“I can even leave my things here if you’re wary of me,” you stated. He immediately looked guilty because his eyes went wide as saucers.

“No! It’s not that! Of course I trust you. You’re hired by her school after all” he panicked.

“Just eat here. We’re having dinner” the taller guy said.

“But I’m suuuuuupeeerrr hungryyyyy noooowwww” Soojin whined, enhancing her pout even more.

“How about we go buy some snacks first while you’re cooking then I’ll send her back here for dinner” you suggested.

“You’re staying for dinner too” all the other four stated in unison and you’re left speechless.

“Are you okay just going alone with your teacher? Because I need to go cook. What do Soojinnie want to eat?” Seokmin asked her niece.

“I’ll behave. I want to eat tteokbokki please?” she asked nicely. You almost coo, but held yourself back when the uncle coos at his niece first. He nodded, and let you take his niece away as the both of you trotted to the nearby Family Mart.

“I’ll introduce you again. We have 2 teams. Each teams consists of 6 people and there’s 2 doctors. This is my teammates in Division 1. Our leader, Red is Lee Chan, he’s the youngest by the way. White is Hong Jisoo, Blue is Choi Seungcheol, Pink Xu Minghao, Black Jeon Wonwoo and Yellow is me, Lee Seokmin. For Division 2, Red is Boo Seungkwan, Blue is Chwe Hansol, White is Yoon Jeonghan, Black is Kwon Soonyoung, Yellow is Wen Junhui and Pink is Kim Mingyu. This is our founder Dr. Woo or his real name, Lee Jihoon and his assistant, Hong Yeseung, Wonwoo’s girlfriend. Did you get it?” Seokmin explained as if he’s shooting a rapping bullet through your brain at dinner and you blinked nervously, not getting anything at all.

“She obviously doesn’t get anything with that kind of explanation” Dr. Woo commented.

“It’s okay. Let’s take time to get to know each other. We’re neighbours after all. We’ll see each other a lot” Chan nodded in assurance.

“Aigoo, look at you trying to be the leader” Seungkwan sassed. The rest of the team laughed at their banter and you chuckled, feeling strangely at ease with the lively bunch.

“What’s your name? Seokmin only tell you ours. But not yours. What should we call you?” the sole female, Yeseung asked kindly.

“Y/n. My name is Kim Y/n,” you replied.

“Nice to meet you, Y/n” she chuckled.

It actually doesn’t take long at all to get along really well with them all, considering your nightly routine to drop Soojin at the rangers’ office and staying over a bit to chat with Yeseung while babysitting the girl as she wait for her uncle to finish work. Your work hours are supposed to end at 6pm and it was supposed to be rotational to stay with other teachers but you offered to stay back with her everyday because the other teachers has their own family to tend to, and you’re the only single teacher plus you have a tiny weeny crush on the girl’s uncle but of course you weren’t going to admit that. It’s funny how hard you were trying to hide that but some of them already seemed to notice your crush on the yellow ranger, well except the man himself of course.

It was children day’s celebration, the school decided to work together with the rangers to organize a mini picnic day for the children. The event will be held at the Rangers’ training grounds because their spaces are bigger and can fit more people. Parents are invited to join the picnic but since it was held on a working day, not many could attend.

You were helping around when you noticed the red rangers bicker with each other which color of mats suits the theme the best. Hansol, the blue ranger from Division 2 was standing in between the both of them with a blank expression plastered across his face. In his hands, he was holding red and blue mats as he waited for them to decide which one he should lay on the grass for guests to sit on. You sigh, reaching for yellow mats silently and began laying them on the grass, leaving a bit space in between so that it will be easier to walk around. Hansol noticed what you were doing, and promptly leaving the two to help you lay more yellow mats in silence. He was slow on his actions but you didn’t mind because he was still helping nonetheless.

“We’re using yellow?” Seokmin’s voice was heard behind you, very loud and excited and you had to hold yourself from screaming in shock at his sudden appearance.

“Yellow? I thought we’re using red?!” Seungkwan questioned, looking shocked at how many mats you and Hansol had placed around the venue.

“We’ll be having this picnic next week if I let Hansol wait for your decision on which color to use. Plus, I’m hungry already” you stated, unamused. Seokmin snorted while Seungkwan scoffed at your audacity but he didn’t say anything and just gifted you with his bombastic side eye which you’d get on a daily basis already.

“You did’t have breakfast today?” Seokmin asked, ever the gentlest one– looking at you with his doe eyes. It was so hard to maintain a blank face when you just want to coo at his cuteness but, you’re a cool lady, so a facade is a must.

“I overslept and rushed here without my morning drip” you grunted a bit and he just chuckled at your respond.

“Come with me, there’s some of the meat that’s already cooked. You can eat that first. Jisoo made some coffee too,” he beamed, grasping your sleeve covered wrist and tugging you gently to follow him to the grill. You had to fight the blush that is trying to creep up your face at that intimate gesture but it certainly doesn’t help when you see the knowing looks your friends sent you. Mingyu was holding back his snicker by flaring his nose as he grilled the meat, Yeseung was hiding her grin behind the paper cup that she had been sipping on for the past 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Yoon Jeonghan doesn’t even bother to hide his smirk while his evil twin is beaming at you with his ‘angelic’ smile.

“Do you prefer beef or samgyeopsal?” Seokmin asked, letting go of your wrist only to pull a paper bowl to fill your food as he stared at you with those innocent eyes again.

“Beef” you mumbled and Jeonghan who was grilling the beef quickly placed some in the bowl as he giggled evilly, his eyebrows going crazy as he looked at you. You moved back to stand slightly behind Seokmin as you glared at him, mouthed ‘be quiet’ but the older guy only laughed more, happy to tease you. Seokmin was puzzled, to see his friend acting like that so he turned back to look at you, but you had your blank face on again.

“Why are you so happy?” he questioned innocently.

“Ah, no. I’m so happy that Teacher Y/n wants to eat my cooking~” he laughed evilly with his signature deep giggles.

“Of course she'd want to eat your cooking, you're the best at grilling beef!” Seokmin beamed and you almost threw away the bowl and kissed him stupid.

The picnic started soon after, parents and students filling up the venue, talking and playing with each other. You were just sitting by the coffee counter with Jisoo and Yeseung when a familiar child came running to you.

“Teacher! Come eat with me and my family. Mommy and granny want to meet you,” she beamed up at you while pointing towards where her family is seated. They were easy to spot, as there was a head of dark orange amongst the dark hair.

“Go ahead and join your family” Jisoo mused, his eyes gone as he beamed while his sister nodded along. Sometimes you didn't know if they were teasing you or genuinely happy for you but you had to remind yourself that the Hongs are the most mischievous among the bunch (plus Yoon Jeonghan) so you have to be careful not to be pulled away by them.

You let Soojin guide you to her family, her mother and grandma greeted you with a warm welcome and the man you've been crushing on silently is smiling so brightly it's almost blinding.

“You seemed awfully happy today. Did something good happen, Seokmin? Grandma Lee asked her youngest son.

“Jiwon is back from Canada. And she's coming today, I'm waiting for her right now. Hehe” he answered with a sheepish smile. You could see his sister and mother glancing at each other in concern before turning to look at their youngest again.

“Jiwon? Didn't you two break up already?” His sister asked.

“We did. But Jiwon texted me last week to fix our relationship. So, I agreed”

The atmosphere is tense and you could hear your ears ringing from the knowledge of Seokmin having a girlfriend and you might have been rejected before you even got the chance to confess.

Not longer than 15 minutes after that, Seokmin got up from his sitting position to fetch someone at the gate of the headquarters. He came back, a few minutes later with a woman probably in the same age range as you guys– hand in hand.

The girl took a seat next to you, who had Soojin resting on your lap. She eyed you suspiciously before turning to her boyfriend.

“Who's this? I haven't seen her before?” She questioned.

“Ah, this is Y/n, Soojin’s teacher. She's a close friend now considering she's always there to accompany Soojin while I get off work. Y/n, this is my girlfriend, Jiwon” Seokmin explained, the bright smile never leaving his handsome face.

“Hello, Jiwon,'' you greeted politely, only to receive a frown and half-hearted nod in response. You were quite taken aback by this behavior until you saw Seokmin's sister rolled her eyes in annoyance but didn't say anything else whilst mother only smiled at the new girl.

Jiwon is a brat, you noted.

For the whole day, the girl next to you has been clinging to her boyfriend as if to show off to you that he belongs to her and hers only. You got tired of it eventually and excused yourself to go back to your friends.

“How was it? Their family is nice, right?” Yeseung asked, when she noticed you're back– handing you a cup of iced coffee to soothe your thirst.

“Yeah. But someone isn't”

“Who?”

“Jiwon”

“That bitch came back?” Yeseung questioned, her eyes blazing now.

“You knew her?”

“Well yeah, I punched her in the face once because she was trying to take advantage of my Wonu,” she muttered and you gasped.

“What?! Holy hell, you punched her? What did she do?”

“Well… She sprained her ankle and I asked Wonu to help her because Seokmin wasn't around. And then, she started flirting with him suddenly, when Seokmin came back, she accused Wonu of trying to harass her. Yeah, and I did that”

“Damn… Did Seokmin get mad?” You inquired.

“He did. He was upset with me for hurting his girlfriend but he knew I wouldn't lie and Wonu wouldn't do that to her. So, yeah, he apologized the next day,” Yeseung sighed. You looked back at the couple who were laughing together and sigh.

The days after that passed by normally, you still stayed late to accompany Soojin as you always do, talking and joking around with the rangers including Seokmin occasionally. It was really a big change for you. Truthfully, when you learned that your crush has someone else you'd immediately cut things off with them and run away.

But you found yourself unable to do that to the Yellow Ranger. Not when you see how happy he is to be telling you how his days went by, how happy he looked when he said his girlfriend likes his cooking and how cheerful he is after she came back. Not that he wasn't cheerful before, it's just all of you could see how he's happier now, that he's bouncing in every step he takes.

You didn't know how you could see this even brighter side of him was due to someone else and not you. Maybe you overestimated yourself, because the world does not revolve around you and you absolutely do not have the power to make everyone happy. But a part of you did hope that this unrequited love would be requited anyways, what a wishful thinking.

You were surprised that you didn't run away this time, and you didn't feel as bitter as you did when you were rejected. Maybe your heart really was painted yellow by the ranger, and that is why you're still here, wishing him happiness with his girlfriend. And he'd look at you with his brightest smile, cheeks bunching cutely, eyes gone, nose scrunched as he thanked you.

But today, Seokmin wasn't at his office when you came over at tea time to pass the muffins that you and your class baked. Mingyu had told you he went out with a sullen look on his face earlier. It was raining heavily outside, and you were worried that he didn't have his umbrella with him.

You run around the neighborhood, only to see a familiar figure crouching down behind the concrete tunnel at the playground in the rain.

“Seokmin? What are you doing here? It's raining” you asked as you carefully came up to him. He was still crouching, eyes downcast as his hands held waterproof cardboard over a puppy lying down on the ground.

“This puppy, he's dead. I- I always feed him but I was a bit late today be-because–” he sobbed, still staring at the lifeless puppy below. You crouched next to him, covering his head with the umbrella you brought even though he's already drenched and your heart broke at the sight of him, face wet with tears and raindrops, a frown and pout decorating his handsome face.

It was the first time you saw him cry, because he's always the one who comforts others, always puts others before himself.

If he's the one who always offers his shoulders to anyone who's sad, who offers their shoulders to him when he's upset?

“Do you need a hug?” You offered silently, opening your arms for him. Seokmin pouted even more before nodding and slowly moving to bury his face in your shoulder, and wrapping his arms around your torso as he sobbed sadly. You patted him on his back in a comforting manner, just listening to him crying his heart out for who knows how long.

“Sorry, I've wetted your sweater with my tears…” he mumbled as pulled away from you after he calmed down a bit.

“It's fine. Are you feeling okay now?” You asked with a soft smile.

“Yeah, thanks. But you're all wet too now! I'm so sorry!” He panicked again upon seeing half of your body was wet from the rain too. Your skirt was drenched, same as your shoes and socks.

“Hey, it's fine. I have spare clothes back at school. You've been in the rain longer than I am. We should probably get inside now or else we'll be sick. Come on,” you stood up, offering your hand for him to take. He did, and you walked together to find a box to place the puppy so that he can bring him to the pet crematorium at the end of the block later.

You didn't ask anything to him, it wasn't your place to be nosy of his affairs even though you're dying to know why his members said he's so sullen today.

“I had a fight with Jiwon,” he said out of nowhere when you both were watching the process of the cremation of the little puppy.

“Ah, I see. No wonder Mingyu said you looked sullen today. It's okay you can always talk and fix–”

“She wanted me to quit my job as a ranger,” he added and cut you off. You gasped, but didn't say anything to let him continue.

“I mean, I was fine if she didn't want me to raise the puppy at my apartment because she's always there. But telling me to quit my job just because Yeseung and Wonu are there and you're next door is a bit overreacting, don't you think so?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, Jiwon knows we're close to each other. I told her that you're my closest friend next to my members and she didn't like it. She was mad and we argued. She should've known that I love my job very much and she should have just supported me even if she didn't like it but forcing her decision on me is unacceptable,” he complained but all you could hear was ‘you’re my closest friend next to my members’.

The way he rejected you whilst being so unaware about it was so unreal that it stopped being funny to you.

“Yeah, she should have respected your opinions instead of forcing her beliefs on you” you muttered weakly as a response. You both walked back to the headquarters in silence only to hear screaming on the foyer.

“Jiwon?” Seokmin called out. The woman turned towards where you both stood at the gate and she rushed towards you to push at your shoulders violently, making you stumbled back.

“You bitch! Why are you with him?! What did you do?!” she screamed at your face.

“Jiwon, why are you being like this? Y/n was just accompanying me to send off the puppy that I always fed” Seokmin explained, trying to get his girlfriend off of you.

“That damn dog again?! How many times do I have to tell you? It's disgusting!” Jiwon yelled. You grabbed her by the collar, irritated at her constant yelling.

“Shut your trap. You're making a scene” you warned, voice low and demanding.

“And who are you to tell me anything?! Oh, you're ashamed that people are gonna know you're an ugly bitch who's trying to steal someone's boyfriend?!”

“No one's ashamed of anything and no one's stealing anyone. Calm down, Jiwon. Listen to me, please” Seokmin pleaded, pulling his girlfriend away from your grasp.

“Why are you siding with her? Did you actually like her?!” Jiwon shouted.

“I am honestly stunned. How did a guy who's so nice like him ended up with someone crazy like you? Did you put a spell on him or something?” You sighed exasperatedly, before snickering at her in a mocking manner. You've lost your cool. Your anger is blazing right now.

“You called me crazy?! Who do you think you are!” She yelled yet again, splashing the cup of orange juice at your face in anger. The whole foyer was stunned, including Seokmin. No one dares to make a move or utter a thing.

“You should have been grateful that he's the nicest human being on earth, the purest and kindest to ever exist. You should have been kind and respectful towards him, treat him with care and so much love the way he treated his friends and you. The way he deserves. Honestly, he deserves so much better than a nasty piece of crap like you” you spat, venom lacing in your tone. Your eyes are glowering in rage, if looks could kill, the woman in front of you would have died more than a few times already.

“What? Do you think you're better than me? That you deserved him?!”

“I'm not. If I'm better than you, I wouldn't even be here entertaining your pathetic ass. I'd rather ignore your pitiful yapping and tend to him because right now, he needs comfort more than anything. But here I am, standing eye to eye with such an ungrateful bastard when my heart is burning with envy”

It was indirect confession, you realized it too late as you noticed Seokmin's eyes widening at your words. But, you'd rather tell him the truth now instead of seeing him getting hurt by this wench.

“You actually have feelings for him, you shameless bitch!” Jiwon screamed, lurching forward to give you a slap but you were faster. She staggered back, the sound of smack was deafening. All eyes landing on you.

“Stop trying to touch me with your filthy hands. It's disgusting” you spat, before walking away from the scene.

You didn't know how you ended up at Yeseung’s door after that, only staring mindlessly at Wonwoo who had a shocked expression seeing you there– drenched.

“Come on in, Yeseungie is inside” he ushered you in, closing the door behind him.

“Bub, Y/n is here. She needs you” the tall guy had said to his girlfriend who was inside the bedroom.

“Y/n?” Yeseung’s voice was heard before she emerges from the bedroom wearing matching headband and pajamas as her boyfriend.

“Oh my gosh you're drenched. You're gonna wet my floor. Off you go to wash up, I'll bring you a change of clothes” she huffed, pushing you off to the guest bathroom.

“Baby can you get us some snacks?” Yeseung said.

“Yeah, I'll leave them at the door later and I'll be at Soonyoung's place. Call me if you need me, okay? Love you, bub,”

“Wonu left. You can wash up and then we'll talk,”

You ended up crying the whole night, before running down with a fever. It was embarrassing, being heartbroken until you fell ill as if you're still in highschool. It was even more mortifying that your body decided to fall sick at Yeseung’s house– troubling the couple even more. But they didn't mind at all, nursing you back to health as if you're their child.

You saw Seokmin again the next school day and you tried your hardest not to just bolt away and listen to what he has to say instead. You guys decided to talk at a nearby cafe, with a cup of coffee and cakes.

“I broke up with Jiwon” he announced, capturing your attention. You didn't know what to respond to that, so he continues,

“Thank you for saying what you said that day. I was really thankful and grateful for that. What you said made me really happy. Knowing someone thinks highly of me is really comforting,”

“I wasn't the only one. All of us feel that way. All of us think very highly of you. You're the kind of person who deserves the whole world” you mumbled. Seokmin smiled warmly at your words, enough to make you flustered.

“And… I'm sorry I didn't realize that you've liked me for a long while already. Mingyu told me that I've been blind. It must've hurt a lot yeah? Listening to me talk about Jiwon all the time… I'm sorry…”

When his voice sounded sad, you whipped your head up to look at him, his smile gone with a pout decorating his handsome face.

“It's fine. You don't have to be sorry, I'm just glad to see you're happy is all”

“But I am upset that you said you didn't deserve me and you talked badly of yourself. Because to me, you are so caring and loving towards others even though your face is intimidating sometimes”

“I really like being around you, Y/n. You made me feel at ease and I know I can always be myself and count on you. So… will you please not run away and stay until… until I can learn to love you more than a friend does?” He asked, round eyes looking at you with hope. You looked away, trying to hide the blush that's creeping their way up your face but he took it the wrong way, immediately pleading.

“Did you not like me anymore, Y/n? Is it because of what Jiwon did to you last time? I'm sorry, please! I promise I'll learn my hardest even if I'm not the brightest student!” He panicked.

“Only for a short while. I'll stop liking you if you take too much time to learn” you muttered, still staring out of the window at the cats.

“I'll try my best!” He chirped excitedly. His smile came back, beaming at you brightly like the sun itself.

You lied. There's no way you would actually be able to stop liking him, because you're falling in love with him deeper every second you spend with this man. Because your heart has already been painted yellow by the ranger himself. Making you feel bright, easy going and fluttery ever since you met him.

I guess rangers do exist. And their powers actually work too. – you noted, staring at the man who was petting a cat rolling around on the pavement.

“Y/n, let's adopt him!” He quipped, looking up at you with thise shiny eyes again.

“You can adopt him, but why do you need my approval?” You asked.

“Are you not going to be my girlfriend later on? I'll need your approval if you're going to always come to my apartment,” he questioned.

“Have you taken your lesson seriously? I told you I'm not going to wait for long,” you sassed. He gasped, bouncing on his feet to stand up quickly with the cat in his arms. His brows furrowed as he stepped closer towards you with that cute pout again.

“I'm learning! I promise I am. Don't leave. You're not allowed to” Seokmin whined, his fingers curling around your wrist gently. You smiled.

“I'm kidding. I won't leave. You can paint my heart yellow again if I tried to,” you chuckled, pulling your hand away only to lace your fingers together with his.

It was his turn to blush now, even the tip of his ears burned bright red.

“I will! As many times as it takes!” He announced, squeezing your hands together. He looked so cute like this, it warms your heart. You both ended up laughing at your ridiculousness, walking hand-in-hand back to your workplace.

-Fin-

[soupbabe]

i'm feeling very squishy rn so i'd just like to ask for hcs about avdol, narancia, and speedwagon having a gn s/o who can sew well and makes little plushies. i've found a new hobby and i think it'd be a sweet prompt for some of my favorite characters y'know

JoJo Characters being Given a Handmade Plush!

Featuring: Muhammad Avdol, Narancia Ghirga, Robert EO Speedwagon

This is such a cute request idea!! Best choice of characters too for this omg

Muhammad Avdol

- Omg it's even better if it's made during the events of part 3

- He saw you hand sewing time to time during the journey, and of course he got curious about it

- Though you stayed aloof, only answering with yes and no's, or the answering in full when it wasn't about the project itself

- When you were done, you waited until you were alone with Muhammad in a hotel to gift him a plush of Magician's Red

- It was a bit awkward using what fabric you had with you and having to go off of memory, but his stand looked so huggable you just had to recreate it

- Muhammad is so greatful, he keeps the small plush in an inner pocket of his robe, right up next to him at all times

- He finds your craftsmanship impressive, your admiration of him and his stand is unforgettable!!

- You're sure to leave him breathless and flattered

Narancia Ghirga

- Ever since he found out you could sew plushies he's been asking for one

- "Please Y/n! Can you make me a dog!! A big one too!" "Okay, but it'll cost you." "Nevermind.."

- Yeah he's a little cheap and doesn't fully understand the time and money that goes into these

- But imagine surprising him with a big bulldog plush for his birthday!!

- He's looking back at you and the stuffed animal to see if you're pranking him. That this is a real, free, Y/n-made bulldog.

- Narancia is going to lunge out at you in a hug !! All you hear from him is a string of "thank yous" and "this is so cool"

- Maybe afterwards he might ask you to teach him your ways

- But that dream is killed when he got mad at not knowing how to thread the machine and rage quit

Robert EO Speedwagon

- Great idea: a teddy bear for a teddy bear of a man

- If you give him a hand sewn plush he's going to tear up

- Speedwagon is such a sentimental guy, seeing you spend so much labor on him he needs to put it on a special shelf in his home immediately

- If anything happened to it, he's going to take it personally

- Your gift means the world to him!!

- Brings him back to his own childhood, he didn't get a lot of toys growing up so he latches onto what he's been given

- It's in Speedwagon's nature to repay you in some way

- Whether he buys you a fancy dinner or he cleans your space, Robert refuses to "just accept" a gift. He wants to make you happy too

[writergirl3]

4 Town x Pregnant Reader

I can't remember who requested this, but thanks for the idea! Hope y'all like this💜

Warnings; Mentions of pregnancy (obviously) and discomfort/pain. Fem reader, not proofread.

Taglist; @takemichiluvr @jessexselinalover @aaronzsbiggestsuperfan @4townlove @magicbratt @4townenthusiast @local-she-wolf @4townn (If I missed you off the list, or you wanna be added, lemme know!)

Robaire;

As is the case with all the boys and their partners, Robaire would put you, and his unborn child, first. No questions asked. There's a big important meeting to sign new contract with the label? If you're not 100%, he will not be attending.

Ro is definitely the type to do that cute headphones-over-your-bump thing, playing music to your child. And he mostly chooses soothing French tunes like 'La Vie En Rose'. Although he did joke about recreating the 'Baby Got Back' scene from friends. If you hadn't refused, he for sure would've played it.

He's definitely cool, calm and collected. And it's not even an act. He has faith in you and your strength, and in whatever higher being that's up there. He sees your pregnancy as an obstacle-ridden journey, but he treasures the highs and the lows.

Jesse;

Definitely becomes an expert on pregnancy overnight. You're already at an advantage with him being a Dad of two already, and he has so much good advice. When it comes to pregnancy, though? He has quite a lot to learn. He'd already broken up with the mother of his two kids before they were born, so he's lacking in that area. But, fear not! There will be a mountain of pregnancy books on his side of the bed, and yes, he does read them all before you give birth.

Because of this, he's amazing at helping you through the hurdles. He has the magic remedy for morning sickness, cravings, and cramps. And if you find your anxiety spiralling, or mood up and down? He holds you close and gently coaxes you through the rough patches.

He's as responsible and caring as Robaire is calm, but secretly, Jesse is flapping on the inside. Please make sure that you check in with him too. He often worries about how the dynamic will change when you become a family of five, despite being so excited for it all. Remind him of that, and pregnancy with Jesse by your side will be a breeze.

Aaron T;

Oh Lord. I won't lie, he's pretty clueless in every respect. It took him a while to cotton on to what a period is, so the idea of a human baby growing inside your belly? Yeah, it freaks him out.

I feel like the pregnancy may not have been planned, too. So, he was a bit of a panicked mess when you broke the news to him. But, nevertheless, he's always wanted kids and couldn't imagine going into parenthood with anyone but you.

He definitely uses your pregnancy as an excuse for things. But in the best possible way! Like, if there's a press conference or something that he really couldn't care less about, he will be getting out of it because 'he has to be there for his baby mama'.

But he means well. You may have to talk things through with him, or be uber clear about what you need, but he'll take it all on board in a heartbeat. Because he cares so deeply for you, and treasures you and his unborn child above everything.

Aaron Z;

Right, so you know how Z is super overprotective over you and will literally bark down anyone who directs any negativity your way? Well, when you're pregnant, that increases tenfold.

He's definitely pretty anxious about it all, and that manifests into his usual perfectionism. Often, he'll have what you need ready before you even know you need it. You can thank his amazing observation skills, and general adoration for you, for that.

I feel like he'd be quite similar to Jesse, but just a little more stern about it. But not in a bad way! Like, if he notices you wincing when you reach down for something, he will insist on massaging your back right away. And no, he won't accept 'no' for an answer.

But he's also very sweet and sentimental. Sometimes you'll just catch him watching you, maybe while you're balancing a plate of food on your bump while you watch TV, and he'll just have so much love in his eyes. And it's all because you're carrying his child, and he can't wait for a lifetime of memories with you and his little one.

Tae Young;

He's for sure pretty anxious. Sometimes, it'll be you comforting him instead of the other way around. As is the case with T, I think your pregnancy would likely be unplanned, so he worries a lot about what his family and the label will say.

But once he realises what a gift your pregnancy is, he won't able to wipe the smile off of his face. He'll pepper your bump with kisses on a daily basis and spend his evenings off brainstorming names for you. I feel like he'd also start a scrapbook of your pregnancy so that you have it to look back on together.

Your pregnancy is a huge opportunity for growth and reflection for Tae. He knows that his parents probably won't approve, and being a father may not help his image as a boyband member, but he doesn't care. He's going to start a family with you and, in his eyes, that's one of the most precious of life's experiences. He vows to give your unborn child all the nurturing love that he needed when growing up. And he hopes that being parents will strengthen the love you share, too.

[mrszeoxin]

Cupid Parasite Sweet and Spicy Darling Review

This is the first time I’m playing a game as soon as it comes out! I’m super excited since I just finished the original game this week. I love fandiscs since I love fluff. This does have a new character though, so I’m curious to see what that’s like, but definitely more excited for the main guys.

Merenice

I decided to start with the new guy to get him out of the way. I typically don’t like new routes in these fandiscs, but I’m willing to give it a shot. From what I’ve read he can see people’s future, which is very cool. But kind of like Edward from Twilight, MC is the only person whose future he can’t see, which grabs his attention. I’m hoping this route will be fun.

Honestly I wanted to like this route, and I tried to have an open mind, but I couldn’t get into it. I just don’t like it when they introduce new characters you can romance that weren’t in the original game, and it just felt so rushed and out of place. HOWEVER, this gave us the closest we’ll ever get to an Owen route, and I’m through the roof with joy. The Owen Ending was so good, I love Owen 😭, it’s a crime they didn’t give him a full route in the original game or this one.

Gill

I decided to play the original guys in case order, so that means we start with Gill. Which works for me because I actually liked Gill in the original game (although I now know that not everyone shares my sentiment). Right away, I already noticed the music in this route is much better than the first one I did, which is kind of a relief. When I was playing Merenice’s route I thought the music was way worse than the first game, which made me depressed, but I’m starting to think maybe it was just a his route thing.

I love Gill. No surprise, I really enjoyed his route in this game too. I love how crazy he is, like the things he builds is so nerdy, and sweet, and insane, it’s just so great. I also got some good laughs from his route. Being in an Agape-Agape relationship irl, I really loved when they talked about how self-sacrificing love isn’t the same as straining/suffering for your love, rather it’s being willing to give up certain things mutually and it’s satisfying to love each other like that.

I did play all three endings since I wasn’t sure what to expect. But Sweet and Spicy = Best Ending, Sweet = Normal Ending, and Spicy = Bad Ending, based on what I saw. So I probably won’t do anymore Spicy Endings, as I tend to not like bad endings, but Gill’s Spicy End was very similar to the vibes from that popular Jumin Bad Ending and DLC.

I also really loved his short stories! I love getting to see the male lead’s perspective and thoughts in otome games and books. So it was super fun to get into Gill’s head again and see more of his past.

Shelby

Next up is Case 2, Mr. Shelby Snail himself. Unfortunately he was my least favorite in the original game, so I can’t say I’m super excited. But honestly, I still think his will be cute since at least they are already married. I just need him to not act like a wimp like last game lol.

Okay, this was actually surprisingly fun. As someone who Shelby is my least favorite love interest, I still had such a blast playing his route. It had so many funny scenes, and was just overall so fun to play. I love how real yet hilarious many of the situations in this route were. Like they had a fight, they had doubts, they had *cough* problems in the bedroom *cough*, and it was so funny and entertaining to play. I am a little bummed we didn’t get a SS Cupid joke, since new Cupid’s initials are also SS, but overall super fun to play. I’m pleasantly surprised!

Raul

Next up is Raul! I’m excited since I liked his original route a lot, and he’s about tied with Gill as far as me loving the character. I’m excited to see what we have in his route, I’m sure it’ll be extra fun since we have the whole him being a celebrity trope, plus he knows she’s Cupid. So I’m sure this will be super fun!

Oh my gosh I love Raul so much 😭💕. Raul and MC are just so cute together, and I love their dynamic so much. This route was just so fun. It had so many moments that had me laughing so hard, and others that had me tearing up because it was so sweet. Raul is so wholesome and sweet, which is so counter to the trope he plays. But I love him and his himbo golden retriever energy. I also think the plot for this one was so ridiculous and fun to play. Plus I love his reaction to meeting her dad. Everything was just so sweet.

Ryuki

Let’s go! It’s my favorite from the first game, I love Ryuki and his route so much 🥹💕. I’m so excited to get to play his route in the Fandisc! I hope we get to see him get all flustered again, but I also would love to see him be a little jealous again😅. He’s so cute, and I’m sure I’m going to love this route!

Ryuki is so cute, I can’t 😭💕. As I suspected I loved this route, Ryuki was just as cute as usual, and him and MC have such a cute and authentic “young love” vibe. It’s just so cute and sweet, it was so fun to play! Also when he dyed his hair back to its natural color, that really got to me, I can’t explain why but it got to me. He’s so amazing! Don’t even get me started on his bonus episodes 😭 ahhh I love him so much!!!

Allan

Unfortunately, I’m not super excited for this route. Given I didn’t like Allan that much in the original, I have a feeling I probably won’t love this route. However, I did enjoy Shelby’s in this game, so maybe if this route is funny I can at least enjoy that. I’d also enjoy if they gave MC a bigger change in appearance given she’s a demon now, because the original kinda felt like a cop-out, but I guess we’ll see.

So, I don’t like being a hater, especially since I know Allan is popular, so I’ll try to keep it short. I did not like this route at all. It was not enjoyable for me, I couldn’t get into it and it felt like it was dragging on forever. I just didn’t have any fun, the time skip makes it so we can’t see any of the characters we know in the game which is a bummer, and honestly them living forever just triggered my existential dread of dying. I’m glad she finally looked like a demon at some point, but honestly I just couldn’t get into it. If you like angsty stuff and love Allan you’d probably like it, but I just don’t. The Orpheus and Eurydice parallel also made me upset as someone who loves that myth, because Orpheus turns around BECAUSE his love is so strong, so I didn’t like the implication that somehow Allan’s love is so strong he wouldn’t turn around. Like that’s not the flex the writers think it is, I also didn’t like that Satan plot. They also did my boy Robin dirty in this route. I don’t know, maybe I’m alone here, but this just wasn’t it for me.

Peter

Last route! Let’s go! I’m excited for Peter’s route, he was my second favorite in the original game and so I think I’ll probably enjoy this route. I think it’ll be fun to get to see more of them being Jupiter and Juno, plus Peter is such a cutie I’m sure it’ll be good.

This was a good route! I didn’t love some of the later plot, but I love Peter and so it was enjoyable. He’s so sweet and I love his relationship with MC, it’s such a unique dynamic. I thought it was really enjoyable and fits well as a last route to play for the game.

Overall

I think I really enjoyed this fandisc for the most part. I liked pretty much all the routes, with two making me genuinely laugh a ton. A lot of the CGs were really good too, and it’s fun to see a more domestic life for the couples. However I didn’t like the music as much as the first game, it wasn’t bad, but the first game had such iconic songs that really captured each character and moment. I don’t feel like the music this game felt as special, and there was this sound and song that played that would get on my nerves so bad. But even with the music, I still think the game was super fun. I also loved Robin and his character a bunch. For some reason he reminded me of Yamato from My Forged Wedding, which is my first otome husband, so that made me like Robin even more. Honestly kind of wish we got a Robin or Owen route instead of Merenice. I think if you liked the first game and its humor you’ll probably love this game.

It was really fun getting to play a game when it released, and I’m glad I could post this but too long after. As of now I only played the Sweet and Spicy endings, if I go back and play the other endings later I’ll post an update! Next review will probably be a while until I post it since I’m going to be pretty busy soon.

But I’d love to hear your thoughts on this game if you’ve played it yet.

[esther-dot]

Idk how attractive jon is supposed to be but he has the stark look and sansa has a thing for the stark look, i mean look at waymar and loras, their descriptions match jon's exactly. Sansa's opinion at the end of the day>>>

I love Sansa’s Waymar and Loras crushes! So cute! I kinda think a good part of what attracts Sansa to any given guy is the romantic notions she can attach to them, not strictly their physical appearance? So while I certainly agree with the Jon and Waymar parallels and think martin intentionally wrote similarities between Jon and her crushes, I believe her romanticized view of knight was a factor as well. Personally, I wish Martin talked about Sansa’s body/ how beautiful she is a lot less, so this isn't a topic I enjoy discussing, but the convo kicked off because of a poll and here’s a screenshot of my totally unremarkable tags:

And here’s what an angry Jon fan posted because they didn’t like the tags on the poll:

They go on to criticize other tags by Sansa fans/Jonsas, but mine were based on specific lines from the books because the question wasn’t vibes but canonical beauty, and it so happens, these are lines I am very fond of because I love NedCat:

And was it really such a terrible thing, to want a pretty wife? She remembered her own childish disappointment, the first time she had laid eyes on Eddard Stark. She had pictured him as a younger version of his brother Brandon, but that was wrong. Ned was shorter and plainer of face, and so somber. He spoke courteously enough, but beneath the words she sensed a coolness that was all at odds with Brandon, whose mirths had been as wild as his rages. Even when he took her maidenhood, their love had more of duty to it than of passion. We made Robb that night, though; we made a king together. And after the war, at Winterfell, I had love enough for any woman, once I found the good sweet heart beneath Ned's solemn face. (ASOS, Catelyn V)

It’s a beautiful passage with a lovely sentiment, so I take exception to classifying this as petty fandom shit when there was nothing intentionally insulting behind what I said, I just think Cat's thoughts about a man she dearly loves were pertinent. Also, Jon’s Stark looks are a big R+L=J clue which is teased a lot in AGOT so it’s intentional and important:

The boy absorbed that all in silence. He had the Stark face if not the name: long, solemn, guarded, a face that gave nothing away. Whoever his mother had been, she had left little of herself in her son. "What are you reading about?" he asked. (AGOT, Tyrion II)

Martin described Jon’s face the same way he does Ned’s here, although the point was ha ha! he has the Stark look not because of his father but because of his mother, Lyanna.

Jon had their father's face, as she did. They were the only ones. Robb and Sansa and Bran and even little Rickon all took after the Tullys, with easy smiles and fire in their hair. (AGOT, Arya I)

Arya heard and whirled around, glaring. "I don't care what you say, I'm going out riding." Her long horsey face got the stubborn look that meant she was going to do something willful. (AGOT, Sansa I)

Sansa could never understand how two sisters, born only two years apart, could be so different. It would have been easier if Arya had been a bastard, like their half brother Jon. She even looked like Jon, with the long face and brown hair of the Starks, and nothing of their lady mother in her face or her coloring. (AGOT, Sansa I)

"Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her." (AGOT, Arya II)

Now, Ned goes on to say Lyanna is beautiful so a lot of fans really emphasize that and say it means Jon and Arya are/will be attractive, and maybe! It doesn't bother me for people to read it that way, but if you look at the other uses of long face in ASOIAF, or the Stark look, I think it indicates, it's not particularly attractive, and one might even say, it's unremarkable. I didn’t say ugly, its simply unexceptional imo. Obviously the horsey face/horse faced stuff is an insult so we don't have to take that to be a neutral assessment, but I don't think it actually means pretty either, not when you look at how it's used elsewhere.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if Jon is handsome or not because we all were supposed to have already learned that what matters is who he is, not his face. So, while I have no investment in how attractive/unattractive these characters are, I imagine that Jon being Jon is what will make Sansa fall for him, not how pretty he is. Something that might sound kinda like this:

I had love enough for any woman, once I found the good sweet heart beneath Ned's Jon's solemn face

[holdinbacksecrets]

hmm vacation with bf! jk!! 🥰

i wrote this while rewatching in the soop, so that’s the inspiration

♡the idea of flying somewhere is cute, but going on a road trip would be 🥺🥺

♡you pack the day before and ask jungkook to fold your t shirts because you still can’t figure out the sorcery he applies to their cotton. he chuckles at the sight of your awe

♡you baked the monster cookies your mother used to make for family road trips. the aroma filled your apartment and brought tears to your eyes. nearly two decades have passed since you last enjoyed them

♡you leave around 1am, drive through the night, and roll the window down to watch the stars. he ruffles your hair, cooing over your cuteness and love for the night sky

♡as 4am approaches, he tells you to sleep, but you’re worried “my job’s to keep you awake” “i’ll wake you up if i’m feeling tired. how does that sound?”

♡instead, you’re woken at 9am because he stopped for snacks, understandably so. your monster cookies are far from what he’s craving

♡you drive for a while so he can eat, and jungkook is quick to take control of the music. you miss his adoring smile while admiring you in the driver's seat and tracing the moles on your skin with his eyes. your entire body relaxes as his melodious voice fills your ear. “the first time you sang for me, i fell asleep in your living room.” “i remember that. knew i loved you then.”

♡talking about anything and everything. topics you never expected to land on come up, and your heart skips a beat when jungkook mentions engagement rings, wondering what diamond cut is your favorite, guessing correctly that you want a colored stone

♡the first week of your vacation will be spent in the countryside as jungkook has spoken so highly of his time there with his members. you naturally wanted to experience it too

♡after settling in and unpacking, the two of you walk to the small town to buy groceries for the week

♡you crouch down outside the shop to greet a cat with a reverberating purr. you could spend hours in that very position, admiring the furry friend with kind eyes and grey coloring, approaching a trance of comfort when jungkook calls your name

♡it rains that afternoon. the two of you sit out on the front porch; your head rests comfortably on jungkook’s shoulder. the serene quiet is interrupted when you ask what he’s thinking about. you’re curious what it’s like for him to be still. you’ve asked before, but the fascination finds you again. your curiosity lingers before blooming like floral spring

♡spreading a blanket out on the cool grass that evening after dinner, listening to the sounds of little critters drowned out by the city’s loudness and apartment living

♡falling asleep after a glass of wine— you’re a lightweight, but jungkook wakes you up because he knows how you feel about brushing your teeth before bed

♡jungkook wakes up so early, and you find him shirtless on the dock painting the view. you sit behind him and wrap your arms around his waist, resting your cheek against his bare back. his fingertips brush your hand. you kiss his skin

♡you brought ingredients for hot chocolate and start your day with its sweetness instead of your usual coffee while jungkook looks through the fridge and sings the options

♡going on walks together, loving the breeze and the way it collects the aromas of wildflowers, rich dirt, and the subtle notes of jungkook’s body wash

♡playing twenty questions and giggling whenever one of you catches a subtle lie from the other. eventually, one of you slips and misses a skewed detail “the only punishment i can think of is doing the dishes, but you love to.”

♡you brought your most prized possession: a vintage polaroid (and a new scrapbook). hours of the trip were spent creating a book of vacation memories with handwritten notes and cute stickers from the bottom of your bag

♡a sentimental conversation late at night, talking about recent battles with anxiety because sometimes reality crashes down on you so hard, but it’s damage is swallowed by the fast pace of life until you slow down again

♡tracing morning dew on the bedroom window while your opposite hand smooths the soft strands of his hair. jungkook’s cheek is pressed into the pillow. his lips are parted. you begin to hum as the rain starts again, feeling peaceful, hoping it stays, and knowing it will as long as he’s with you

♡watching movies in the living room you haven’t seen in ages, singing tunes, and playfully showing off remembered choreography from your youth choir’s performance of under the sea

♡packing your things. seven days passed in a blink, but the city you're soon to meet makes it easier to leave. "goodbye house. goodbye fireflies. goodbye clear sky. i'll see you again soon beyond the clouds."

[welcometoteyvat]

waterborne poetry reactions (belated) (long post)

XINGQIU GOT FUCKING SMASHED IN THIS EVENT. BULLYING XINGQIU HOURS I LOVE TO SEE IT (affectionate)

bro got roasted for his handwriting, is Baffled by the mondstadters, then spends an entire day missing out on [whatever that was] and STILL DOESNT HAVE A CLUE WHAT HAPPENED HAHAHA im sorry i love bullying him

please never tell xingqiu whats going on it's payback <3

CHONGYUN DIONA AND MIKA. i need to hold them omg,,,, i was using freminet to wander around so in my heart they r just 4 cryo kids in a terrarium what will they do!! that combo was quite cute

CHONGYUN YANG MODE?!?!?!?!?! ON SCREEN??????? WAAAAHHHHHHHHH

he was adorable ;;;;;___;;;;; his little eye sparkles and the jumping T_T also the near-rap speed that his lines were delivered in was hilarious (thank you kinsen for ur service)

my son.... please never feed him chilis again

CHONGYUN IMPACT. that's all

now full of unfounded hope that chongyun will someday get an event about his pure yang spirit since they mentioned it a fair few times here

give him the deep lore he deserves

also XIAOYUN?!?!?!?! (only seeing what i want to see) THEY TALKED!!!! IN PERSON ON SCREEN THEY TALKED AND XIAO WASNT DISPARAGING!!!! im sorry this is what a rarepair with no food does to a mf

xiaolumi so strong (or xiaother if u prefer)

oughguhguhg the rhyming couplets part was SOOOO CUTE!! idk they did good with the pacing of the banter i think 🥺

adding onto that the camera angles and cuts this event were actually really nice and creative i think. they made it more engaging (the quick pan from chongyun to xingqiu at the end of the 3rd act, hu tao popping out from behind venti's shoulders during the couplet exchange, etc) it was REALLY good really funny. added to the experience a lot <3

Also venti zhongli are truly the most archon old friends ever

that cutscene was actually so pretty. It's drawn in the same style as Lyney's: very textured lines, slightly reminscent of linocuts, quite a few handdrawn parts, especially where there's water/liquid movement present, etc. Maybe this is a Fontaine style animated cutscene, since the oceanids and lyney are both from there? anyways. i'm intrigued—I wanna see if there are regional cutscene styles or something (that'd be very impressive)

the "close ur eyes paimon/diona" line was so fucking funny. traveler's been the third wheel a bunch of times but never this explicitly

also ! for people icked out by the morality of kid finch's crush on the oceanid: it is Fiction with a capital F

on the one hand I agree with the above sentiment, but it's also just funny to think about. first canon monsterfucker ? /JJJJJJJJJJJJJ don't kill me for that joke

Real thoughts: I think it was actually really sweet how he fell in love with a fairytale. Someone said the oceanid could've been aromantic coded to make their love story more morally palatable; I agree, it would've been cool if she was aro, but I don't think their romantic relationship is like somehow terrible and gross either

overall ending was really mid tbh, I appreciate the character growth of everyone who was on screen but literally all the other characters just disappeared. It was really unsatisfying lol especially for an event that was supposed to be hte gathering/unison of mond and liyue

would've been better if the second day's rhyming couplets ended the event I think; you'd have to tweak it to fit the mood of the oceanid/finch reveal but literally anything works, the ending was so anticlimactic

overall event: 10/10 for giving me the character interactions I wanted, and those that I never knew I needed, 5/10 because the minigames are. not the best, I get the intentions but the execution could've been better. And then 5/10 for story arc (heavily influenced by how mid the ending was LMAO)

I want to go through all the poems and their english translations because I Know somethings gonna get screwed up and I'm also just curious as to how they translated it

[legacyshenanigans]

So here’s so of the loose sort of questions I have about what you imagine for Marvolo. Obviously I don’t expect an answer to all of them, but they are some of the loose thoughts I had. These are also the tip of the iceberg as well 😅 I tried to separate them by type. However I am really growing to love his character especially as it develops. Thanks for feeding us horny demons 💚 (Also I apologize if these overlap with posts I may have forgotten or missed!)

Physically:

Does he have any note worthy scars or perhaps a birth mark?

Man-bun Marvolo for the connivence, or is he a hack off the ends when it gets at an annoying length kind of guy? (Maintain the mid-length basically) And if it is the later I imagine the horror MC walked into with like a knife blade doing so poorly while frustrated 😅

Personality:

Tea or coffee fellow? Or neither? If so how’s he taking it? All the cream and sugar? Black and bitter? Secret sweet tooth?

Does he have any semi wholesome guilty pleasures? Such as enjoying watching thunderstorms from the window?

Miscellaneous:

He’s a very privately sentimental guy I would imagine, but would he keep anything for MC on his person when she’s not around to remind himself of her? A photo? A tattoo? Time accurate things like jewelry? Not sure what feels the most like him other than the fact I imagine he’d just sort of do it without telling her and she’d find it.

Does Ophelia have any really wholesome moments when he was still young she would only share in private with MC (bc we know he would riot)?

I'll answer them all! 😊 I adore expanding on my HC for himmmmm 🤣💚 so definitely go ahead with question 👉🏻👈🏻💚 always down to feed my Volo content 😘❤️

Physically:

As far as scars go, he doesn't have any visible ones, and any injuries that may have resulted in scars from combat were dealt with and seen to quickly with strong magic ointments to heal them and not leave scars. The only scar he wouldn't have obtained through combat would have been a small one above his lip (which again is completely non visible now). With the Gaunts being known for *ahem* their interbreeding...A number people born within the family were born with deformities, Marvolo (and Ominis) included, he was born with a cleft lip which was promptly repaired while he was still a baby.

Regarding his wild hair ( most of the time lol) he really doesn't care too much about it, if it gets a little too long for his liking, he'll happily just hack at the ends with a razor.

Personality:

Marvolo is more of a coffee person but will usually just have ONE in the morning. He takes it black and strong, and usually waits for it to cool, then downs it, rather than sipping on it. I know this wasn't part of the ask but when it comes to food he has a HUGE sweet tooth and definitely prefers sweet things to savoury things.

Regarding wholesome guilty pleasures, he does enjoy watching rain, also walking in it, when he was a kid, he use to love being outside in the rain, puddle jumping was one of his favourite things. Another guilty pleasure (that I've mentioned before and relates back to food) is REALLY enjoying cute little cakes, especially those that have pink strawberry frosting, but he enjoys them VERY privately and not usually around other people, because he feels like an idiot eating them and liking them so much. Another one I've also mentioned is sometimes sleeping, with Rerek coiled around him, it brings him huge comfort on nights where he finds himself not being able to sleep.

Miscellaneous:

He doesn't carry anything on his person regarding MC, but in his room he does have a pressed flower from their first proper date that he'd given her, she pressed one of the flowers and preserved it, giving it to him as a gift, he keeps it close to his bed, right next to one of Rereks sheds in a large bottle. Something from both, of the only two things he cares about.

A wholesome thing his mother told MC, was when he was a really small child (before darkness truly entered his life) he loved bunnies and called himself "King of the Bunnies" on account of his rather large two front teeth, Ophelia said they use to get alot of bunny rabbits out back in the gardens, and he would hop around with them.

[qrttt-takk]

Excella Gionne x F!Reader HC's

🏷️: SFW, WLW, Kinda problematic themes (she is evil afterall)

-Excella definitely made the first move, you were probably the desk lady at a very nice hotel she frequents and she thought you were really cute...she was very arrogant when she asked you out though, saying how you were extremely privileged to be given her phone number and how you'll regret it if you refused her advances...

You agreed to have a date with her out of fear

-Always pays for whatever you want, your first week of dating she took you out everyday to nice restaurants and even nicer hotels. If you're humble it just encouraged her to give you more, however if you were spoiled she worked harder to please you

-Excella is the type of woman that "dates to marry", she doesn't bother with flings or meaningless relationships as they often bore and frustrate her, she has better things to do with her time than entertaining someone she knows she won't have a meaningful relationship with

That said, once she gets to know you more and fully trusts you, she commits fully...Excella will pressure you to move in with her a few months into dating and will promise you the world with heartfelt words and gestures. Under her arrogant persona she has a caring and sweet personality, she is fully prepared to battle the world if it means to have you

-Is very snobby with food, claims that her palette is hard to please and will refuse to eat anything that's not to her standards/is of different variation, you call her a picky eater and happily eat what she won't

-When she's in different countries modeling Excella brings you nice and expensive souvenirs, she often gets sad that she can't bring you along with her but she makes up for it when she gets back home to you

-Sometimes she likes to bring you over to the Tricell company whenever she feels like it's gonna be a rough day, you're kinda like her emotional support person..

Excella drags you in conference rooms or her office and has you sitting in her lap, often stroking your hair or leaning against you for comfort. It gets kinda embarrassing when it's in the presence of other people but you get used to it, obviously nobody would dare to judge or question her or you

-Really enjoys celebrating holidays/birthdays/ect only with people she really cares about, she's really sentimental (the list of those said people is small)

-Generally untrusting of others, if you have friends she tends to judge them or have bad opinions of them, she's very loud about it too...it takes you forever to convince her that not everyone is awful

-She masks her feelings well if she doesn't want to stress or worry you, sometimes you have to pry information out of her for the sake of her wellbeing

-Excella has like a 20 step skincare routine, she showers at night so it takes her forever to finally be in bed ready to sleep, she encourages you to adopt one too

-If you're into make-up she likes to give you tips and do it for you, it makes her feel nice when she makes you look all cute and pretty

-She likes buying you a lot of clothes and shoes, sometimes making you outfits and laying them on your bed before you wake up.... LOVES to match, this woman will fawn over you if you decide to wear a dress that matches hers

-Admittedly it would take a lot but if you did something to make Excella mad she WILL let you know by either yelling or demeaning you, sometimes even going as far as saying just how utterly useless you are...

-Excella remembers the most insignificant and smallest details ever, like a certain towel she forgot to bring with her or why aren't you wearing the earrings she got you a month ago

Of course, she doesn't mean her cruel words and immediately goes to another room to cool down, apologizing later with gifts or your favorite snacks

-Loves to stroke your hair or pet you like a sweet little animal, she fusses over little things only because it gives her an excuse to have her hands all over you

-Most people with the type of money she has are usually tasteless, fortunately for you she's not. Excella has a natural eye for style and decorum, nothing she owns is bland or for the sake of a brand...she makes sure to have personalized things, she's more than happy to help you figure out your style if you do struggle with that

-Very confident in herself, Excella believes doubt only breeds incompetence...if she's wrong she'll try to convince you that she's right, could realistically become a lawyer.

Of course her stubbornness is a main argument point in your relationship

-She is well versed in the kitchen, it surprised you when she put on an apron and made you both a beautiful bowl of pasta. Wherever you both live, she does stay connected with her roots and makes a lot of Italian food, it gets to the point where you grow sick of it and beg her to either make something else or let you cook (she gets offended at the mere suggestions)

-Excella smells really nice, she has a cabinet specifically for her rare perfumes and lotions definitely costing well over thousands. Even when she gets back from a long day outside she will never smell bad

She often likes to make you wear the same scents as her so that way you'll always have her in mind, you find it a bit narcissistic but in the end you always find yourself sniffing your shirt or jacket when you miss her

-Very, VERY melodramatic. If you get even slightly annoyed at Excella she acts shocked and whines about your cruelty

"My dear how heartless you are to me....have you no compassion? I am mortal just like you yet you judge me so unfairly..."

"That has nothing to do with the fact you drank all of my frappe"

"I told you I'd buy a thousand more!"

With that being said she does take things to heart, if you do say something that hurts or criticizes her she'll pretend to not care but agonize over it for hours on end.

You can't be mean with jokes but if you are you'll have to reassure her that she's still perfect and beautiful no matter what

-The term "renaissance woman" fits her quite well, she's so incredibly talented in many different things sometimes it makes you jealous, however instead of gloating she likes impressing you instead

Excella would definitely learn any instrument if it meant you'll praise her and be in utter awe, she likes to see your genuine looks of admiration...it helps cement the idea that her hard work does indeed pay off beautifully

-If you really want to cheer her up or just express your gratefulness you often pretend to worship her like a Greek goddess, hand-feeding her grapes from a vine and praising her beauty and intelligence

It fuels her ego like crazy so you have to be careful with how far you go ♡⁠(⁠>⁠ ⁠ਊ⁠ ⁠<⁠)⁠♡

I love mean women with all my heart 💘, Shout-out to the 5 Excella enjoyers

[lem-argentum]

HIHI UM BEFORE I MAKE ANY DT POSTS here’s all of the commentary i had from doing the post-ew quests a few months ago :’>!!! JUST FOR CHRONOLOGICAL CONSISTENCY IN MY LIVEBLOG TAG….. THESE PATCHES WEREN’T MY FAVORITE BUT I HAD FUN 💛💛💛

I LOVE ZERO I LIKE HER SO MUCH AND SHE IS SO APLATONIC TO ME. 💛✨💛✨💛 even though they go the ‘ooo realizing the meaning of friendship~~’ route with her — she’s apl. i believe this in my heart. <33 (the line where a kid goes “you don’t know what a friend is???” and she goes “what. you Do?” <333)

this game honestly does fanservice so rarely that when the es.tinien working out scene came up i was likeWHAT????????????? . i feel like i dodged a bullet that they decided to do this with him instead of th.ancred or something because it would’ve been so over for me.

i enjoyed the ru.bicante and bar.bariccia fights a lot >:D!!!! ESPECIALLY THE LATTER I THOUGHT HER MECHANICS WERE REALLY FUN AND CHALLENGING, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD TO LOOK UP A VIDEO GUIDE BECAUSE THE TEXT ONES WERE TOO COMPLICATED HFNSKN. <33

^*WHO* GAVE HIM PERMISSION TO SAY THIS STUPID GAY SENTIMENTAL LINE. I WAS *NOT* PREPARED FOR HIM TO GIVE THAT ANSWER I WAS SO WHFKZHKEJFKD ??????!!?!/!/? !!!!!!!!!!

^AND THIS PART OF HIS CODEX ENTRY. OW!!!!!!!!!!!

THFNE QUESTS ON THE FIRST. AA HHHHHHHH .WAA AAHHHHH. WAAAAH (<-shadow.bringers fan.) so emotional about it. seeing everyone doing well and being excited to see me and talking about my friends and cheering us on :’). weh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THE R.YNE AND ZERO MOMENTS. AAHH TvT <333!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^THIS EXCHANGE. I COULD CRYYYYYY SHE’S SO CUTE. MY DAUGHTER. EHEHFKNWMW <333

i liked gol.bez’s story.. and v.rtra and az.daja were so sweet i felt for them. waugh. </3 void quests good!!!!!!

GAIA SHOWING UP MADE ME SMILE TOO. I ASSUME SHE’S ONLY THERE IF YOU’VE DONE THE EDEN RAIDS…?? IN WHICH CASE, YAY. I LOVE U EDEN <3 ^^

kr.ile’s pictomancer outfit is SOOO CUTE. I LOVE HER AND AM SO GLAD SHE’S GETTING STORY FOCUS. (and hashtag ff.vi win, relm mention) <3333

the themes raha represents touch me more than any other character and whenever she turns towards me to say something one-on-one i’m immediately like Okkkk you’re about to try to make me cry. okay. sure. thankyou. 💛

THAN & URI BEING MYSTERIOUS WHILE ALSO GOING TO THE SAME DESTINATION IS SO. HELP. because rudy would ABSOLUTELY ask if he could invite them along or at the VERY LEAST tell them about it + how much he’ll miss them, assuming him and than would be together by now. SO THEY’D HAVE TO EITHER LIE TO RUDY OR DELIBERATELY AVOID HIM WHICH ARE BOTH SO WNFKDJFKD. idk we’ll see where the canon writing goes later or whatever. <3

and non-story related thoughts from when i was playing:!!!!

i got rudy the cool pvp background for his reaper portrait and INSTANTLY when i did a roulette someone complimented it. immediate payoff. thank u red mage in bardam’s mettle <3

i had the sweetest leveling roulette experience in vanaspati where the healer + other dps were both new and i had only done it once, we all died on the second boss except for the paladin so we were all just cheering her on & emoting at her in the chat from outside the arena EHEDFN <33. and then on the third boss it was just me and her who survived so we did it together and ough :’). she kept casting clemency + cover on me to keep me alive and i made sure to keep her in crest of time returned-range and awwh it was so fun . we won and all cheered about it afterwards ehehe <)!!!!!!!!!! <3333

so many of the songs in this game use motifs from other ones and i’m only just now noticing most of them and i’m losing my mind about it . i swear every time i start humming along to one i go WAAAAIT A SECOND…………. (the tomorrow and tomorrow lyrics are in the background of the crystarium night theme. the sharlayan themes use stuff from flow. WHERE IN TIMEE ALL SHALL AS HOPEE BE REBORNNNN. AAHHHHH)

^on a similar note, i’ve been seeing the end.walker title screen this entire time and never thought anything of it but now whenever i open it i’m like TALES OF LOSSSSS AND FIIIIIIRE AND FAIIIIITHHHHHHH 🎶🎶🎶 <333

I LEVELED ASTROLOGIAN TO LVL80 SO I DID THE SHB HEALER ROLE QUESTS AND IM SO WWWAAAHHMFKDNFK. ARDBERTTTTTT. and GIOTT. IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE NPCS EVER NOW I KNEW I WOULD LIKE HER AND SHE IS SO AWESOME AND SHE SHOULD BE IN MORE QUESTS. THANKS. I MISS HER ALREADY. <3 THIS IS MY BELOVED DWARF WHO MAKES FUN OF ME AND HITS THINGS WITH HAMMERS <3333

i want to do all the shb role quests because AGHGH WARRIORS OF DARKNESS/!!!/!!!! but i do *not* want to level a tank class ever TwT. but that + magic dps i will do eventually….. for shadow.bringers………. 💛💛💛

[darpow]

MERROCK TASK #20 SOCIAL MEDIA

at what age did your character start using social media? It took Darrius a while to really get into social media, he picked it up towards the very end of high school, and then got active during the college years to stay in touch with people.

did their parents monitor their use, if they were young? No, Darrius's parents were actually super trustworthy, on account of how he was the baby and the perfect child, but they did ask to be friends with him on Facebook when he got one of those.

has your character ever had fake identities or accounts online? No.

no shame: do they remember myspace? did they use it? He did! Not very often, it was sort of one of those things where he had it, but he didn't spend a ton of time on it.

who would be in their top eight today? It would pretty much have to be all five of his siblings, and then maybe like, Chetan, Trey and Alec, more than likely?

what social media platforms do they use today? Facebook, Instagram, Threads... he occasionally browses TikTok, he tries out all the new 'twitter' replacements before they get uncool, or end up dying off, too.

do they have public profiles, or go private? Public, he posts a lot on them about history and sports things, so he likes to be able to engage with other people and reach a broader audience.

how about their following? are they pretty lowkey, or do they have a decent following? Somewhere in the middle! Definitely more than the average small town kind of person, but not anywhere near well known or anything of the sort.

do they tend to pick obvious usernames, ones with sentimental value, funny things? how do they decide? It's pretty much always 'darpow' since people have come to look for that nickname from him, and also he can remember it easily. Nerdy.

profile pictures: the same across all platforms? Yes and no, the ones attached to Meta just sort of change all at once, and then he forgets to change the other ones.

and just what profile pictures do they use? Normally some gym bro picture that he thought made him look cool.

what kind of bio writer are they? silly, cute, sweet, or just basic? Very basic, if there's any bio at all. It'll say something like, "history nerd, gym rat, dog dad."

how much time per day would you say that your character spends on social media? A decent chunk of time, but he doesn't think that he spends an unhealthy amount, or does anything that's detrimental to his health.

is there one platform that they visit more than others? Probably Instagram, but he watches Threads a lot, too.

if they have kids, do they use social media? how do they feel about that? if not, and they want kids, will they let them use it someday? Darrius does not have kids and doesn't plan to have kids, so he doesn't worry too much about it, but given the way the world is today, he would probably be cautious about allowing his kids to use it, at least freely.

be honest: have they ever created an account for something else, like a hobby, or… to try to make their cat internet famous? No, but he's been sorely tempted to make his dogs internet famous!

do they run any professional or business accounts? Nope.

have they ever left a social media platform (or more than one) for any specific reason? The Elon debacle made him give up on X/Twitter, and he's left a lot of the copycats either because they didn't live up to expectations or he just didn't like the vibes that they gave off, too.

do they plan on using social media into their older ages? Yeah, more than likely. He doesn't live near a lot of his family, so he feels like social media is a good chance to keep in touch with them. There shouldn't be an age-limit on that.

have they ever made any long-lasting friendships through social media? A few, actually! He makes friends pretty easily online, since he can talk for hours about sports or nerdy history fact, or compare stories about dogs.

or on the flip side, gotten into any big social media beef? He's gotten into a few arguments and heated debates about things! But not really big beef or anything, he'd probably just turn tail and run if it got super heated.

have they ever felt negatively impacted by social media as a user? Maybe here and there, running into people who just don't care about who they hurt or how they talk about people, admittedly.

who is their favorite person / account to follow on social media? The Bears, obviously.

would they say that social media has had an overall more positive or negative impact on the world? For the most part, Darrius would say positive, since his experience has been a wholly good one, but that doesn't mean that he can't admit that there's been some bad stuff thrown in there, too.

and finally: a/s/l? (and do they know what that means?) This was the one that used to stump him, because he never knew if he should be honest when asked, but... 36/M/ME.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up, Ep 5 Recap: Team Blue Sweater vs Team Beige Sport Coat

Hello and welcome back to the series that upwards of two people like: BPR Unnie’s Build Up recaps! In the previous one, we saw the cool kids take on the nerds and wrapped up episode 4. In this one, we’ll head into episode 5, where the editing gets a bit more frantic and where it looks like some terrible things might happen. But before we get to the 3x3 Death Matches we have a few more 2x2 Rival Missions. We’re going to start with Hong Sungwon x Taehwan from Vanner versus Lim Junhyeok (briefly of Day6) x Yeo One of Pentagon. Let’s do it!

Watch along if you like!

The episode begins with a recap and a preview of the next round, the triple death mission. I looked away and tried not to understand anything I heard for a bit. But almost immediately we dive into our next performance round.

As the two teams come out, accompanied by rock music, Choi Haram backstage is like, “Oh, yeah, Lim Junhyeok – I sent that guy to the low tier.” He’s grinning, but I think he’s uncomfortable.

LTR: Inhyuk, Haram, Euibin, and Joohee. Why would Inhyuk and Joohee be sitting so far apart when they were besties last round? We'll find out next round!

Interestingly, before we’ve even seen who the other team is, we jump straight into a flashback.

We’re reminded that Junhyeok was devastated to be put in the Low Tier. He wants to show what he can do.

The guys are in the rival match-up stage, and Hong Sungwon x Taehwan, aka Team Blue Sweater, approach Junhyeok’s team and suggest a sentimental x sentimental match.

“We want to compete with a matching team,” they all say – while of course they’re confident about the matchup.  

“I think my team will do better,” Taehwan interviews. “They’re my sunbaes but I think we’ll do better.”

We head right back into the rival match, where the teams are introducing themselves. Sungwon and Taehwan have combined their names in a way to make the word cheerful. Cute, and appropriate.

Junhyeok kind of messes up their intro thing, which is kind of funny.

Solar asks Taehwan about how he wanted to perform with Sungwon. Apparently, Taehwan liked Sungwon’s performance in the first round. I like Sungwon too – I don’t get why he isn’t doing well on the show because I loved his voice check performance (Desperado) and I think he’s just adorable. Apparently, Taehwan and Sungwon think each other are adorable, and they’re right!  They have so much in common – voices I like, cute smiles, and a love for blue sweaters. They’re asked how their practice went, and Taehwan says, “Just as expected. Our voices suited very well so we practiced without any problem.”

What was this smiley team like?

They’re just smiling all over the place like they’re on a first date with their biggest crush. “We got really close,” Sungwon says. “I really like him! Nomu numu nomu nomu!”

And that’s all we get for the background info montage package thing!

The song they’ve chosen is Play, originally by Lucy. If you’re not familiar with Lucy, they’re a K-boy-band and they named their band after a dog. They’re known for having a violist, which adds a sweet texture to their songs. My favorite song of theirs is called I Got You. My fella likes it too, for what it’s worth, so if you trust our shared tastes, maybe check it out! 

I hadn’t heard the song Play before, so I looked up the lyrics. It seems to be sort of about coming of age, something like that? Or nostalgia for being young…? Here are some of the lyrics:

“An image of an adult / that I thought when I was young/ is telling me that it was a mirage/ and like a broken clock hand, / I’m still living in childhood /as if I’m the same.

Although the sky is getting heavy / I used to play like I’m flying in the sky / even without knowing my knees hurt / I’m still the same, nothing had changed

… Please smile like you did back when we used to play / I’ll find again the days we left behind / Please smile like you did back when we used to play.”

The song is sweet, but I can’t imagine it performed as a purely vocal performance. So much of the charm of Lucy’s music is the texture provided by their violist and just the sort of, I don’t know, the cuteness of a band playing a song. It’s got has a complicated melody that is hard to grasp on a first listen, and while I think it would grow on you if you put the song on a mix and listened to it often as background music,  I’m not so sure how this will go as a one-and-done vocal performance. Also, there’s not as much opportunity for varied tones and powerful displays. I think its sweet, nostalgic tone isn’t the kind of thing the judges are likely to respond to. But let’s see!

The performance begins.

Full version without reactions.

My thoughts:

Oof, I don’t know.

I have to say for the record that I really like both these guys, even if they inexplicably decided not to wear sweaters for this performance. I think they’re both cute as humans, and they both have sweet voices that I really enjoy listening to. I just think that they chose the wrong song, for pretty much the reasons that I said before.

Sungwon’s voice is so pretty. It’s slightly textured, but not in an overwhelming way that say Kang Hayoon’s voice is. It’s a little sweet, but not all the way to say, Jay or Neon’s level. He’s not at all nasal and he It’s kind of just right to be able to start anywhere and sing anything. I don’t notice him doing the “musical actor” stuff that Kim Seohyung did in the previous battle. 

Taehwan is such a cutie pie -- I mean, just look at him--  but I really wish that he would work on his facial expressions when he’s singing.

He has a habit of scrunching up his face a lot, especially when he’s hitting higher notes, and I mean, when you’ve got a nuclear weapon smile, you should use it every chance you get. Just nuke us, baby. Nuke us good with that smile.

Ah yeah, that’s the stuff.

Anyway, Taehwan’s voice is actually quite similar to Sungwon’s, and I’m not sure if that ends up good or bad here. Maybe it made the performance a little dull, to have two similar voices dueting? I know that sometimes I like a duet between two really distinct voices, like Young by Baekhyun x Loco, or Don’t by Hwasa x Loco, or At Night by Simon Dominic x Loco. I’m sure there’s a duet I like that doesn’t involve Loco, but I can’t think of it right now.

But yeah, Taehwan’s voice is also light, sweet, slightly textured, well controlled, with a good upper mix and all those good things. It’s a little lighter, less sharp than Sungwon’s, but it’s a tiny bit more nasal, so I can’t really say if I prefer one to the other.  Taehwan does sound a tiny bit strained on the high note he hits right after the key change, but that’s such a minor thing. 

I even like the background they chose  with the stars falling like they’re in Howl’s Moving Castle.

So why is this performance so… not quite it? I just think it’s the song. That’s the whole problem. And that’s weird since the song is cute. It’s just not right.

In the MNET edit, the second that Sungwon starts singing, everyone reacts as if they never heard him before….

…. which is bizarre because he’s been great the whole time. Am I the only one who remembers his Desperado? We see Jaehwan nodding, and Wendy smiling. 

Backstage, the guys like to the way Sungwon and Taehwan interact on stage, and I do too.

They get the judges and the guys backstage all clapping. That’s something! 

Lee Minwook from Newkidd says, “This is therapeutic.”

The judges applaud sweetly when they’re done. Backstage the guys say it felt like an anime, that it made them smile. But the judges look a little uncertain about how to grade. 

Turns out that their high score is 87 high and their low is 75. Oh no!! Everyone seems surprised by how low the score is, even Dahee.

Sungwon and Taehwan nod and take deep breaths. 

Baekho gave the highest score, and VCG, who I am always surprised to find out is named Lee Seokhoon, gave the lowest score, which is also surprising. You’d think VCG would appreciate their excellent technique. 

VCG explains that the performance was difficult to evaluate because “you two aren’t bad singers. You’re good. And you didn’t choose a wrong song for your voices. It was a great song, but still…. It didn’t move me.” He says he liked the energy they showed in the last chorus, after the key change. But before that, it lacked energy, and that’s all he can say. He seems apologetic that he can’t better explain what was wrong. I think it’s difficult to explain an absence, right? A presence is easy. Too much salt, too much heat, too much pressure – understood, right? But when something is missing, what is it?

A melody?

A sweater?

Baekho, who I think is surprised to be giving the highest score, says, “There were some parts that were shaky. But more than that, I could feel that you were really into the song. You were talking about youth, and it was very pleasant.” VCG agrees with that.

Eunkwang asks Taehwan about his smile at the end – was it strategic? Ha! No one is immune to the smile! He answers, “I just tend to smile a lot.” At least his smile is top tier.

And… that’s all we get! The editors are exhausted from editing the other montages and just want to get it done at this point.

Next up is Lim Junhyeok, briefly of Day6, and Yeo One of Pentagon, who come out in almost matching beige blazers. 

Where. Are. The. Sweaters??

Team Pledis (Baekho and Seungkwan) talk a bit as the duo takes the stage. 

“This song is so hard,” Seungkwan says. 

Baekho says that Junhyeok is good at high notes but that his high notes in the Pre4 mission prevented him, Baekho, from being “immersed in the performance.” The notes were too loud, too powerful, the editors remind us via flashback. 

I think that the singing they’re highlighting in the flashback sounds really good, if maybe like 5% too shrill, so I don’t know what the big deal is. VCG says, and I have no idea what this means: “When it comes to breathing, it has to work like dominoes falling down in order. It was a bit disappointing to hear your strong modal voice.” Modal voice is your “normal” voice, for lack of a better term. I don’t know why a modal voice in particular is the problem. I think this technical discussion loses a lot in the translation.

Junhyeok interviews, “The last thing I wanted to hear was ‘my part sticks out too much’.” At least that much makes sense.

We jump back to the duo matching phase. Junhyeok is in Low Tier, but Yeo One heads straight towards him and just takes his hand. 

We’re reminded of how Yeo One kept his head down while the top tiers were choosing partners, and it was all because he wanted to work with no one else but Junhyeok. I did a bit of research and from what I can tell, Yeo One never trained at JYP with Junyheok, but there are apparently a lot of members of Pentagon who did train at JYP, including Hui, and a lot of these guys all know each other through one thing and another, so it’s not impossible that Yeo One and Junhyeok met before this.

Junhyeok is super relieved that someone wants to work with him, and Yeo One being arguably the most famous contestant on the show makes it a bit sweater, I’d imagine. Sorry, I meant, a bit sweeter. Although making things more sweater sounds great, too.

Junhyeok and Yeo One begin chatting as some of the other teams continue to match. Junhyeok says, kind of apologetically, “I’ll do my best to cater to you, but you will be pretty surprised by how loud I am.” He’s hyper aware that the judges feel that he sings too loudly or too harshly.

Yeo One interviews, “Like Junhyeok, the judges gave me a lot more criticism than I’d expected.” We see the judges telling him “I thought you should dig into the song in more detail” – whatever the heck that means.

Junhyeok says, “You have to push harder, and I have to pull back.” This is either a match made in heaven or in hell. I guess we’ll find out…

So, I should say this. I like Yeo One and Junhyeok. However, I’m not necessarily rooting for either of them to make the final lineup. I think Junhyeok would be a lot happier writing and performing his own songs, and I think Yeo One would be best as a soloist who continues to ride on, and build on, his Pentagon success. I hope that their exposure on the show gives them both a boost that allows their solo careers to really take off. They both have talents and charms that I think an audience might enjoy.

They agree that the song choice will be important -- glad they know that! -- and they decide on My Sea by I.U., which is a song that I know most from reality competition shows like this one. I like I.U. a lot; in case you’re not familiar with her, she’s basically the Korean Taylor Swift in that she’s admired for her voice, her looks, and her ability to capture the human experience – especially the experience of young women – in lyrical form. I think her song Lilac is absolutely brilliant. It’s all about how part of life is having your heart broken and how, in a weird way, it’s fun to experience a deep emotion, even a really sad one. I look back on this one summer fling I had with a French guy and think, “Wow, that was dumb, but isn’t it great that I had that happen? That I had some French guy break my heart? What an experience – a brightly colored patch to add to the quilt of my life.”

But we’re not here to talk about Lilac, or my French guy. We’re here to talk about My Sea, which is also pretty extraordinary. It’s hard to summarize its meaning, so I’d recommend clicking that link, which takes you to a really good lyrics video. Basically it’s about the feeling that as you grow up you lose touch with who you once were as a child, and how you can reconnect to that inner core of who you are and give yourself strength and the freedom to move on. 

Kind of interesting that both teams chose songs about the bittersweet reality of growing up, huh? Regardless, I think this is a really smart song choice. It’s beautiful and emotional in a way that affects me even though I don’t understand Korean (much). I can read the lyrics to many of the emotional ballads sung on this show so far without much effect, but this song makes me tear up just hearing it, and even more so if I read the lyrics as I listen. I think that’s what you want in a song for this show.

Once they’ve selected the song, they begin practicing. 

Just everything BUT a sweater at this point. 

They both feel a lot of regret about how things went with the first performance and don’t want that to happen again, which means they’re in a defensive mode, which isn’t ideal -- but at least they’re taking it super seriously. We see that they’re rehearsing with mics in their hands instead of water bottles -- nice choice!

Also there’s a fire extinguisher right there in case someone spontaneously combusts. You just never know when someone might spontaneously combust. 

The performance begins.

Full version without reactions.

My thoughts:

Oh, that was so pretty. The first time I listened, it sounded a little strange in a lower key, but once I settled into it, it was really stunning. I actually found myself tearing up a bit, so you know it worked. It’s on my playlist, which is a big compliment. Even so, I can’t say that either vocal performance was perfect. 

Yeo One starts things off with a soft, sweet tone. He really does have a nice vocal color, especially on lower notes,  but he seriously lacks breath control, and often runs out of breath at the end of a line. This means that right where he needs to make the tone grow, it fades off instead. Also, on a show where everyone is really good, Yeo One’s comparative lack of agility stands out -- he has an awkward transition from falsetto to chest voice. He’s also a bit more nasal than some of the other singers. 

Junhyeok, left, and Yeo One

Junhyeok’s performance here made me understand him as a vocalist, rather than just a songwriter and keyboardist who can also sing. His vocal color takes more getting used to than Yeo One’s does; there’s a slight shrillness to his voice that may be a matter of opinion, almost like blue cheese or olives. I am aware of its deficiencies -- it’s not as clean and smooth as say, Jay or Neon’s voices are, and it’s not hyper trained and resonant like some of the musical actors’ voices are. But I like blue cheese, and I like olives, and I like Junhyeok’s voice. 

During their harmonies, Junhyeok comes through louder of course, but you can still hear Yeo One, so all their practice worked out. I wonder if they recorded themselves singing into the mic to make sure that their voices blended properly, and adjusted from there?  I noticed Junhyeok holding his microphone almost at the end of his arm’s reach to make sure he wasn’t too loud on that one long note. I think they may both have made adjustments to make sure they both could be heard. And it was really worth it, because the harmonies were definitely the best part of the performance. 

I know that at least part of the reason that this was successful is that the song itself is so gangbusters, but they did it justice. It would have been even better if Yeo One had a bit more breath control to hold notes for just a second or two longer here or there, but no matter what, this was good. 

I'm editing this in later, because I wrote this recap over the course of several days while traveling for work -- pulling out my laptop on airplanes and in hotel rooms -- and I've had a few days to think about it, and the more times I listen to My Sea, the more I like it. I think you have to be in the mood to be moved, if that makes sense, but the song is so gorgeous and their performance of it is too. Picture me listening to it in my dumb rental car as I drive to my next appointment for work, not wanting to mess up my makeup but getting all teary. That's the power of this song.

In the MNET edit, we can see the judges nodding and the guys backstage smiling. 

Eunkwang in particular seems to be into it. He stays in this position for the whole second half of the song. 

When they’re done, there’s a thoughtful, almost stunned silence and then the judges start applauding. It’s hard to know what they’re thinking. 

Backstage, the guys are caught up in the emotion, and a few of them do the Korean throat clearing noise that’s roughly equivalent to “wow.” 

Choi Haram says, “My heart got really moist.” (He’s using the word that means your metaphorical heart, not your literal heart.)  One of their  “rivals”, sweet Taehwan, says “They did a good job,” and smiles, while Sungwon gulps down water nervously. Woong looks proud of his hyung from his JYP days and says “I think the score will be very high.”

Then Eunkwang turns to Wendy and says that it was good, better than he’d expected. Wendy asks about their first performances, the ones she missed, and Eunkwang says he was very disappointed in them but that today was much better, at least as far as he was concerned. 

It seems, however, that Team Pledis isn’t exactly in the same boat – they feel “vague” about it. Aww.

Backstage, Bitsaeon says “The atmosphere was good, but there were parts that I wasn’t satisfied with in terms of music.” I wonder if he’s talking more about Yeo One or Junhyeok? 

But there doesn’t seem to be a consensus among anyone, either the other guys or the judges, as to whether this was a good performance or not. Wendy says “I’m going crazy,” and Eunkwang grins at her. 

Eunkwang transforms into a goblin from this angle. I guess he hangs out in Canada. Where in Canada, you ask? You know, Canada Town, Canada. Where it is always early fall and everyone wears sweaters. 

The scores are revealed.

Team Pledis both gave 75s, while Eunkwang gave a 91. 

Seungkwan says, “I have liked these two vocalists enough to listen to them. But there were some points that bothered me a little bit. It felt like it was a little bit over the top.”

Baekho says, “The part that bothered me the most was when it was about to get emotional, the song died.” We get a flashback to the moment when the song builds up and then abruptly falls back to earth -- but that’s the SONG, dude. 

Backstage, the guys agree that this happened twice during the song, but THAT’S THE SONG! Tell me this song isn’t in your playlist without telling me, everyone!. Go and complain to IU. She’ll probably stare at you blankly and then calmly walk directly through you as if you were a ghost. And you were! Somehow, IU's glance would be so withering that you have become a ghost from Victorian England. On second thought, maybe don’t complain to IU.  

Eunkwang says, “To be honest, the two of you, compared to last time… I think you did a much better job. I think you worked hard to fix the things we told you about last time. You also reinterpreted the song a lot to suit you. I felt the sincerity of the performance, so I was happy about it. I want to say that you’ve worked hard. Keep fighting!” 

Dahee is ready to ask the next question when she suddenly notices that both guys are crying.

Aww, Dahee is the best. 

Junhyeok tries to just sort of look up at the ceiling to get rid of his tears, while Yeo One gives up and faces away. Soon Junyheok is facing away too, and all four of us are crying -- Junhyeok, Yeo One, me, and you. Also, I think maybe Wendy.

In a voice-over that must have been recorded later, Junhyeok says he thinks that the tears were tears of relief. I like that he says he thinks -- he isn’t sure. Yeo One says, “Eunkwang knows how I sing. I wanted to show him that I sing with sincerity.” We cut back and forth between the two guys as they agree that Eunkwang-sunbaenim gives honest, sharp, direct feedback, so essentially, getting appreciative feedback from him is deeply meaningful to them. 

I've noticed this before, that Eunkwang is the sunbae that all the guys are most interested in getting praise from. I think Eunkwang and Taeyeon from SNSD are roughly equivalent that way. Both are excellent vocalists, truly, but also are just sort of symbolic of second gen excellence. Up-and-coming singers tend to idolize them, even though it could be argued that there are third and fourth gen idols who are even better, like Chen, D.O., Wendy, and Lily. There's nothing like getting praise from your personal hero!

It’s time for both teams to come back up on stage to find out who won between the two of them. When the overall scores are revealed, everyone reacts really strongly.

And why?

Because only one point separates the group. Junhyeok and Yeo One take the match, 579 to 578.

(Just doing some math for you -- if you subtract out the highest and lowest scores and find the average of the remaining scores, Junhyeok and Yeo One have an average of 82.6 and and Taehwan and Sungwon have an average of 83.2, so it really was Eunkwang's high score of 91 that gave Junhyeok and Yeo One their victory.)

I really don’t know what’s worse -- losing by a point or losing by 100 points. If you lose by a point, that one point will haunt you. “If I had just smiled one more time, if I had just held that note a little longer…” But if you lose by 100 points, you were completely demolished. Not a good feeling either.

It reminds me of when you’re watching a Western competition show, like Top Chef or Project Runway or something, where one person goes home each week. It’s awful to be the first one who goes home, but it’s a different kind of awful to go home right before the finale. I guess in the end, losing or being eliminated is always not great, and it’s just different flavors of awful.

I’m bummed for Sungwon and Taehwan, in part because I like them and I like their singing voices, and in part because they have to deal with this weird situation of losing by one point.

The judges are still reeling from it. In some ways they can defer responsibility for who wins and loses because it was a group decision, but here, if any one of them had given two additional points to the first team, the result would have been the opposite, and the responsibility is probably settling heavily on their shoulders.

Dahee asks the winners how they feel. Junhyeok says he assumed that with a one point difference he would have lost, like that’s his luck, but he thinks they won because they prepared well together.

Taehwan smiles, but I think he’s overwhelmed. “I never thought I’d lose by a point,” he says. The judges and the other contestants agree that it must be really hard to lose by just one point. Taehwan goes on to compliment the other team, and Sungwon, who is obviously a bit upset, holds it together enough to give them the thumbs up too.

Everyone applauds and congratulates everyone for their hard work, and Sungwon and Taehwan walk off arm in arm.

“Weak-hearted baby judge” (that’s what the show calls him, not me) Seungkwan feels bad about the whole thing. “Who am I to make such a decision?” he asks. The other judges tease him about his 500 million in sales in his first week as a debuted idol. It's cute.

And that’s the end of this segment! 

There are six more performances to go -- I don’t know how the editors are going to fit them all in. I think that they’re going to have to skip a bunch! Oh no!

But I’ll see you in the next post, when I cover the Inhyuk and Joohee grudge match. Take care until then!