#they have better sweater technology in Korea

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

Compilation of slutty sweaters that Possessed Jun-oh/Do-ha wears in Moon in the Day:

(I don't know if this is a sweater or a shirt or both, but it belongs here)

[keykeylocke]

Start-Up Review

Warning: Spoilers

Rating: 1 / 3 

This drama made me angry. I didn’t even watch the last three episodes. I rebuke everything that happened after the 3 year time jump. Han Ji-Pyeong deserved better.

Summary

Seo Dal-Mi is twelve years old. Her parents have recently divorced. She chooses to stay with her father in Korea, while her older sister In-Jae moves to America with their mother and stepfather. 

Dal-Mi’s grandmother, Won-Deuk is the owner of a hot dog shop. With her mother leaving, Grandma becomes concerned about Dal-Mi. 

One day Grandma meets an orphan named Han Ji-Pyeong. Ji-Pyeong has aged out of the orphanage, but cannot find an apartment to rent, because he is only 17. He won’t go to college for a few months and needs a place to stay in the meantime. Grandma offers him a place to sleep in the back of the hot dog shop, unbeknownst to her family. 

In exchange for her kindness Ji-Pyeong agrees to write letters to Dal-Mi posing as a student her age, named Nam Do-San. A name they chose from an article in the newspaper. Grandma thinks these letters will cheer up Dal-Mi who is dealing with feeling abandoned by her mother and sister. It works. Dal-Mi feels comforted by Ji-Pyeong’s letters. However, when Ji-Pyeong goes to college the letters suddenly stop. 

Fifteen years later, Dal-Mi is feeling unfulfilled in her life. She longs for the comfort she felt from her pen pal and first love Nam Do-San. She goes on a search to find him, but who will she find, Han Ji-pyeong who wrote the letters or Nam Do-San the young math genius whose name Grandma and Ji-Pyeong randomly found in the paper?

Song Suggestion: Lie by BTS Jimin

Grandma and Ji-Pyeong were caught in a lie.

Also did anyone think the male hacker twin looked like Jimin. His hairstyle and his colorful sweaters and earrings were giving me Park Jimin vibes.

Likes

-Kim Seon Ho’s acting. I was already a fan of his, because I watched him in 100 Days My Prince. He is actually the only reason why I considered watching this drama. I saw him in the trailer and decided to watch it. 

-Good visuals. All the shots filmed near the Han River looked so beautiful. It made me want to visit Seoul one day.

-The secret of the letter made the story interesting. As a viewer you wanted to know when and how Dal-Mi would find out. (Although the letters were a good plot device. I sometimes felt like I was watching the most elaborate episode of MTV’s Catfish.)

-I liked that this drama took on social topics like suicide, how techological advancements can negatively effect older workers, and how companies can take advantage of young workers with passion pay.

Dislikes

-3 year time jump. It didn’t seem like any character grew over the three years. 

-Ji-Pyeong being blamed for Yong-San’s brother’s death.

-The letters were not discussed by Dal-Mi and Ji-Pyeong or Dal-Mi and Grandma. They became insignificant for several episodes. Then, at the end of the series Do-San uses it as some sort of power grab between him and Ji-Pyeong.

-Do-San fighting Ji-Pyeong. It was not Ji-Pyeong’s fault that the deal with 2STO fell through. Do-San never actually told the rest of Samsan Tech that Alex met with him privately and tried to recruit him to 2STO by himself.

-Samsan Tech constantly complained about Ji-Pyeong when he only told them the truth about their company. Ji-Pyeong told them they didn’t know how to market Do-San’s technology and make it profitable. He was right. They literally used his idea to form a nonprofit type of service. They were helping the visually impaired, but they were not making money. Ji-Pyeong also said they would never find an investor for the company. He was right about that too. They only got Morning Group to invest, because they blackmailed them and 2STO did not invest in Samsan Tech, they dissolved the company.

-I hated Dal-Mi’s relationship with her mom and her sister. The abandonment she went through as a child was never really addressed (from what I watched).

-Dal-Mi and Do-San were relatable, because they were both sort of underdogs trying to make it. However, they never seemed to grow throughout the show. They showed a lot of immature behavior throughout the entire series.

-The love triangle was overused. If Dal-Mi wasn’t going to end up with Ji-Pyeong why string him and the audience along until basically the last episode. Also why do we get In-Jae showing interest in Ji-Pyeong for two seconds. This drama had 16 episodes. Was there really no time to explore that potential connection?

Favorites

Favorite Characters

-Ji-Pyeong: He had such a compelling story as an orphan who overcame adversity and became successful. He loved grandma. Although he did yell at her a couple of times. He was so conflicted, but just like BTS V he is a Good Boy. He fell in love with Dal-Mi because she is so much like Grandma. She is very kind and giving. He really is a sweet guy who seems really confident, but is actually very lonely.

-Grandma: I wanted to contact the Pope and suggest that Grandma become a saint. She took Ji-Pyeong in when he was homeless. She fed him, gave him new shoes, and started a bank account for him. She became Dal-Mi’s sole guardian and never complained. Then, she took in her daughter-in-law and gave her a job so she could escape her abusive husband. She had to suffer through the devastating loss of her son, but put on a brave face for Dal-Mi. (It was nice that she sort of gained a son through her relationship with Ji-Pyeong.)

-Do-San’s Dad: He showed how tech can negatively affect older people. Although he seemed like he was putting a lot of pressure on Do-San, he just really wanted his son to be successful and live a good life.

Favorite Scenes

-When Do-San’s dad shows up at Sandbox and says his little speech about how older people like the slow pace and younger people like fast paced technology, but both are needed in society not just one. I think this is true.

-When Do-San tells his dad that they don't have to be each other’s pride and joy. They can just be father and son. This is the way a lot of people feel about their parents, but they may never say it. It is a beautiful scene.

-Any scene where Grandma calls Ji-Pyeong Good Boy or holds his face.

[foreficfandom]

Mystic Messenger - Their Favorite Gift From MC

-- Zen: Customized Bracelet --

Zen’s sort of an excessive person so he’s almost always the one giving you gifts. He doesn’t want for much and the stuff he does - like skincare products - you used to buy for him but he eventually convinced you to buy it also for yourself so you could do sheet masks together.

When you do buy gifts for him, it can be a bit difficult. His fans send him a bunch of stuff all the time, like baked goods, or fanart, or neckties. He, of course, is a lot happier when you decide to hand him something, but it’s almost never something he’s ever gotten before.

You have to outsource. So you order a custom-stamped leather bracelet from an indie crafter, something he can wear while rehearsing without worrying about it falling off. On the outside, you have ‘I love you’, and on the inside ‘Zen x MC’. 

You give it to him for Valentine’s, his favorite holiday. Zen dedicates the entire day to you and him, and pushes aside the many packages from his fans for later. 

You hand him a little box, and he opens it to gasp dramatically at the bracelet, immediately putting it on and exploring the texture of the leather. The lightly-colored tan matches his complexion perfectly.

First, a kiss for you, then its 904709 selfies with him proudly modeling his gift. It goes on his social media to a slight ruckus, because Zen’s never shown off any gifts he’s gotten before. 

“My love is so thoughtful!!! Such a beautiful bracelet <3333″

Your name isn’t on the outside to maintain privacy, which proves to be a good idea since that picture is circulated like crazy to mixed reactions.

Zen doesn’t care, this is by far the best gift he’s ever gotten. He hugs you tightly and promises to wear it always.

-- Yoosung: Vinyl Laptop Stickers --

You like to buy knick-knacks for each other on occasion. Yoosung’s wallet isn’t packing so he can only get you stuff once and a while, and you return the favor with other little things.

And Yoosung is also kinda already surrounded by little trinkets and other stuff he’s collected on his own. Little figurines and toys from vending machines, plastic reward favors from convenience stores, character-themed pens and mugs and phone charms. 

It can get a little cluttered. His backpack alone is heavily decorated with pinback buttons and enamel pins, and you know he’s home just by the jingling of the many charms hanging off the zippers.

He’s also of a romantic and ‘cute’ mind, so when you give him practical gifts of a headset holder for his gaming desktop, he’s pleased but ... he prefers it when your gifts aren’t quite so banal.

You eventually do some deep surfing for his upcoming birthday, and find this adorable pack of laptop stickers based off of LOLOL characters. These wouldn’t take up anymore of his space, and he could still carry them with him. So during his birthday dinner, you give it to him over cake and he opens it with a gasp. 

“It’s ... oh, it’s so cute! It’s perfect, MC!” He hugs you tightly and immediately has you help him stick them on. 

He uses this laptop for school, bringing it with him on most days, so it was the perfect gift to remember you by. Whenever he opens his laptop in the student lounge, or in class, he sees all those bright colors reminding him of his favorite pastime, but also he thinks of you and how much you love each other.

-- Jaehee: Promise Ring --

You’ve gotten her spice giftboxes for her cooking, a set of cozy loungewear for the both of you, and other cute things she absolutely adores.

But her true favorite? Her engagement ring. A dainty little band that matches yours perfectly. You had proposed to her during a beautiful evening in the park, making her tear up. 

“We’re partners, now,” you said. She gave a watery smile and put her ring on proudly.

South Korea wouldn’t allow marriage between you two, so these rings promised more than a union. It promised a brighter future in the face of adversity. It promised progress in the name of love and equality. 

Jaehee struggles with societal expectations for a woman like her. This ring was like a shield against the worse thoughts, or an anchor during the more tremulous times. She had chosen to pursue you against the world’s wishes, and it was the best decision she’s ever made.

You and her wear the rings 24/7. To an onlooker, it just seemed like the two of you were separately engaged people. But she knows differently. A proud little secret. 

Customers sometimes make comments about them. She’d be ringing them up, and they’ll notice the brilliant white sapphire. “When’s the date?” some have asked. She stammered,  “It’s in the making.” The customer nodded, and wished her a happy union. 

She twists the ring around her finger, looking at you wistfully. It will be a happy union. One day!

-- Jumin: Custom-Made Cologne --

What the heck do you gift the man who could have anything he wanted? Material possessions are never a strain for him. He grew up knowing that any toy, any trinket, any new technology or experience he desired, he would get. He’d ask for ice cream and his father’d purchase an entire chain. 

His current self rarely buys indulgences. He’s had years of being fulfilled already. But he definitely buys gifts for you, almost to ridiculous levels. You can see from the diversity of gifts that he has a reach for any product or merchandise, anywhere at any time. 

When it came time to get him a gift, you had asked the RFA for advice. And everyone was as clueless as you were. Even Jihyun wasn’t sure; the two of them have almost never exchanged gifts throughout the long years of their friendship, since they knew the other was showered in generosity already. 

“You’re gonna have to go custom. Something that can’t be bought,” Zen suggested. So when Jumin announced that he had to go to Birmingham for a business meeting, you came along with him. Which you seldom do, since it’s two days of Jumin being stuck at meetings leaving you to your own devices. But you had a plan.

You looked up a luxury custom perfumery, and with the help of an expert nez you crafted a bottle that would complement him perfectly. On the bottle was a label that said “Love Forever by MC”. 

So for his birthday, he accepted his gift with grace and asked where you bought it. “This bottle doesn’t look like its from Clive Christian, is it? Maybe it’s Dior ...” 

You explained where you got it, and giggled when his mouth dropped open in surprise. He opened it, sniffed, and his smile grew bigger ‘cause it was so much more special now. It was made under your hand, something that will never be replicated. His and his only. 

He loves wearing it to work. It’s so wonderful to be surrounded by a smell that reminds him of you. 

-- Saeyoung: Fingerprint Charm --

He’s a surprisingly complicated man to gift. Like Jumin, he neither lacks nor wants for material needs. Sometimes you’ve given him cute candies or hand-knitted mittens for winter, and meanwhile he’ll give you ridiculously advanced robot cats or he’ll bust out his packing wallet and boom, you’ve got a new Gucci clutch bag.

He kinda knows that he’s hard to gift. So whenever you shyly hand over a six-pack of gag-flavored soda for Christmas or something, he makes a big show of loving it and thanking you with kisses and nuzzles. And he does love it! He’s never had gifts before, not from V or Rika or his co-workers, and definitely not from his mother. Just the thought that someone cared enough to surprise him with trinkets is so heartwarming.

But your anniversary was coming up. It marked the day that Saeyoung’s life turned around a complete 180 for the better. A very important day, one that you couldn’t mark with an exotic beef jerky bouquet or whatever.

One day, while touring a small art fair, you found an indie jeweler who offered custom fingerprint charms. You set up a date to come in and make a mold by pressing your thumb into a block of sand, which was cast into a mold and into which steel was poured. 

You gave it to him over a late-night car ride date. He took the charm out of the little bag and stared at it, you explained what it was. “That’s my very own fingerprint right there. I hope it’s something you can carry with you, and remember me by.”

He was silent for a few long seconds. You saw that his hand was shaking. So you reached over and kissed him, he embraced you tightly and said with a wavering voice, “Thank you.” A sniffle, and he was back to his cheery self. You helped him put it on his keychain, next to his car keys. 

He loves it dearly. Especially when he fingers the print and feels the groves, imagining your hand.

-- Saeran: Sweater --

For a long while, Saeran couldn’t live a proper civilian life and spent many days holed up at home, stuck in an anxious and depressive slump. Any venture outside was an ordeal for him. Bit by bit, through therapy and medication, he regained his confidence.

You found this sweater online, and you knew how much he liked wearing sweaters at home. It had this quote on it that the both of you were familiar with. It had been one of the repeated self-forgiving phrases his therapist suggested. Saeran took to that phrase particularly well. He repeats it in his mind when he feels himself on the verge of a breakdown, and it helps de-escalate. 

You knew you had to buy it. But keeping it secret from Saeran was kinda a challenge because he likes to tour around your internet history when he’s bored. Not for malicious reasons, he’s just curious and wants to know what kind of stuff you like to re-tweet, or what shops you frequent. 

So with Saeyoung’s help, you ordered the sweater under a guise Saeran wouldn’t be able to crack without some effort, and it ended up being a legit surprise when you handed Saeran his gift. 

You watched his eyes trace the quote carefully, and at his fingers tracing the screenprinted flowers. He was quiet for a long while, just exploring the sweater thoroughly.

He can’t remember the last time he’s gotten a gift. Maybe it had been never. His eyes teared up.

You hugged him close and stroked his hair like he said he enjoys. It was almost hard for him to accept this from you; he’d spent years trying to approve others under threat of violence, and he’s rarely gotten to experience true generosity. 

He wears it at least once a week. It’s his absolute favorite article of clothing forever and ever. 

-- Jihyun: Filled Scrapbook -- 

For the holidays, Jihyun had given you a beautiful set of jewelry over dinner, along with a framed photo of yourself that he had taken some time before. He rarely decides to spoil you with his riches, but sometimes the occasion calls for it. 

How can you match up with his generosity? You knew Jihyun would be charmed with whatever you gave him, but you wanted your gift to mean something. 

Once your anniversary began to creep up, you had an idea and began working on your project two weeks in advance - it was going to be a beautiful scrapbook of not just Jihyun’s photos, but also little momentos and decorations on every page, detailing particular moments of your life together up to this point. 

You scoured his instagram, printing out copies onto photo paper and cutting and pasting. You folded within old plane, bus, and boat tickets. There were sightseeing brochures from trips abroad, old restaurant menus, stamps from envelopes he had sent you. You wrote messages and captions with multicolored ink. 

Extra special were the pages dedicated to when the two of you moved into the new apartment together, and when V was officially recovered from retina surgery, and also the first RFA party he co-hosted with you. Some pages touched on more sad subjects.

Finally, you finished the scrapbook just in time for the anniversary, and it was all worth it to see Jihyun completely blown away by the effort you put into it. He spent several minutes on every page, talking them over with you and reminiscing. 

He managed to hold in his tears until the last page, which you kept empty except for a calligraphy script that said, “... and into the beyond.”

[soybeantree]

be careful what others wish for pt. 4

pairing: erm…ofc/mark, ofc/jinyoung, markjin…kind of parts: o1 | o2 | o3 | o4 genre/rating: LITERALCRACK! fluff. word count: 2.7k  a/n: so this is the sequel to this story here. not completely necessary to read the first story. basically bodies get swapped and craziness ensues. italics is spoken korean.

Sunlight tiptoed across the floor, hinting that a new day had begun, but both girls ignored the hint and remained curled up in their covers. Jay lay on her side as her eyes scanned the bare wall to her right, the light being the only symblance of change in the last hour. Dee laid on her back, her hands folded on her lap, gazing up at the ceiling. After dinner, the boys had dropped them off at a nearby hotel. Both had intended to talk through everything the night before, but their bodies had different plans. They had passed out the minute their heads hit the pillow. Now, they both lay lost in their own minds.

“Jay?” Dee asked. Her friend grunted in acknowledgment. “We should get up.” Jay grunted again, and Dee could feel a tug on the covers and a shift in the bed as her friend stood up. Dee watched her friend as she walked around the bed and headed for the bathroom. She paused on the threshold and glanced back at her. “I’m going to take a quick shower and wash the Mark off of me.” Dee nodded, and the girl walked in, the door clicking shut behind her. 

The sound was the signal for Dee to get up. She threw off her covers and swung her legs over the bed’s edge, but she didn’t stand. Her mind shifted between her conversation with Mark on the plane, and the moment at dinner when he said he would keep his promise. The conversation was one she had never intended to have. She had accepted the truth of her situation long ago, battled through the pain, and was finally at a place to move on. Everything would have been fine if not for Yugyeom and his stupid wish. The switch, the conversation, the promise, they all dredged up that old pain and magnified it. And she had a whole day ahead of her with Mark-Mark. Hope fluttered at the knowledge but was immediately smothered by pain and reality. After today, after her time in Korea, she would go back home, and everything would go back to the way it was. Her conversation with Mark wouldn’t change anything. They would drift apart again, and she would have to go through the whole healing process again. “Bathroom’s free.” Dee jumped and cleared her throat to cover her surprise. Jay had emerged from the bathroom clad in a towel while she used another one to dry her hair. Crouching by her suitcase, she rummaged through it for an outfit for the day. “Thank you for not letting Mark pack my bag. I know he’s a model and all and knows about fashion or whatever, but I’m not a big fan of his style on me.” Dee nodded along barely registering her friend’s comments. “I’m going to shower too, and then we can grab some food.” Jay nodded as she pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweater. She heard the click of the bathroom door and stilled. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, trying to keep her emotions in check. Her fears had returned just as she had told Jinyoung they would. A nightmare had woken her this morning, but before she could go through her thoughts, a message had flashed across her phone. She grabbed her phone and slide the message open. It was from Jinyoung. “You’re you, and Mark’s Mark. I checked with him this morning.” Tears had welled as she read the message, and they welled again as she thought about it. She didn’t need him checking on her and reassuring her and helping her feel less afraid. She needed him to think she was weird and bothersome and someone to be avoided; otherwise, how was she supposed to get over him? With a shake of her head, she banished all thoughts of caring Jinyoung and returned to her daily tasks. Dee soon emerged from the bathroom, and after she had dressed, they headed out to a nearby coffee shop they had seen the day before. Sitting in two overstuffed chairs by the window, each girl nursed a steaming mug of coffee, but neither drank and neither spoke. Each was hoping the other would begin, but neither knew where to start. Over the months since the initial switch, the two had skirted around the emotional turmoil the switch had wrought. They would joke about the experience, Jay would make crude remarks about what it was like to be a boy, but they never talked about what happened with the boys. “You have a date with Mark today?” Jay broke the silence. 

Dee nodded as her thumb circled the rim of her mug. “I wouldn’t call it a date though. Mark’s just keeping a promise.” “To go on a date with you?” “To spend the day with me in his own body.” Dee hissed as she slammed her coffee mug on the table between them. The hot liquid jostled in the cup before spilling over the edge and circling the mugs base. Dee sighed and grabbed a nearby napkin to mop up the mess. “If this is a date,” she whispered. “I won’t be able to handle it.” Jay waited for her friend to continue. “Last time before we left…” And Dee proceeded to tell her about the promise, her attempts to smother all hope and think logically, and her conversation with Mark on the plane. “Part of me wishes, he would just accept the fact that he’s an idol and I’m not and let whatever this is between us die, but another part hopes that something might happen between us. And that part of me is driving me crazy. Because logically, nothing can. We live in different countries. He lives this crazy, busy life while I lead a normal, boring life. How could we make anything work?” Jay nodded along throughout the entire conversation, and when her friend lapsed into silence, she contemplated everything. While her initial reaction was to tell her friend to go for it, she refrained from saying that. Ever since the first switch, she had watched the way Mark interacted with her friend. She might not know his full feelings for Dee, but she knew he had feelings. She knew the two melded well and would make a great couple given the opportunity. “Let me ask you this. If Mark wasn’t an idol, and he was just a guy you met on the street would you be hesitating like this.” “Yes. But I’m always going to hesitate before I start a relationship because I can’t believe a guy would have feelings for me.” Jay rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I want to smack you. Why wouldn’t a guy have feelings for you?” Jay held up a hand. “No, don’t answer that. I know you have reasons, and I know they’re all bullshit. Just know from an unbiased third party perspective, Mark has feeling for you.” “How are you unbiased?” Dee snorted. Jay stuck out her tongue at her friend before settling deeper into her chair. She raised her coffee to her lips and sipped as she gazed out the window at the passer-byers. “I don’t think you should push off Mark just because he’s an idol.” She finally said. “Isn’t that why you’re pushing off Jinyoung?” Dee was quick to retaliate as she leaned forward in her chair and picked her mug back up. “No, and besides we’re still talking about you and Mark. We can talk about me and Jinyoung later.” Dee didn’t push the subject change. “Okay, let’s say I accept that being an idol is just Mark’s job, and it doesn’t set him in a drastically different circle from me. How are we supposed to get past the living in different countries and having conflicting schedules?” “Technology is a wonderful thing.” Jay grinned, her attention returning to her friend. “Right technology can make up for the fact that we can’t go on actual dates or hug or kiss or know when we’ll get to see each other again?” Dee leaned back in her chair, blowing on her coffee before taking a sip. “If you want to make it work, you can.” “What if I don’t want it to work?” She hissed and froze. Jay cocked a brow. “You don’t want it to work?” “I don’t want to get hurt Jay, and if I pursue anything with Mark, I know I will.” Her voice was whispered as she pulled up her legs on the chair. “It’ll either be because something naturally happens to separate us or because I self-sabotage out of fear. You know me Jay. Better than anyone else. How could Mark love someone like me?” The words ripped a hole straight through Jay’s heart. She wanted to scream at her friend for believing such lies. She wanted to wrap her in the world’s biggest, warmest hug and tell her every single reason why Mark could and would love someone like her, why everyone should love her. But the words choked on the tears in her throat. So she settled on the hug. Placing her mug on the nearby table, she stood up and crossed to her friend’s chair. She squeezed her butt into the seat despite Dee’s protests and wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders as she rested her head a top her friend’s. “Ignoring Mark and this whole mess for a second, I need you to know that you are one of the sweetest and most loving people I have ever met. You put up with all of my crazy bullshit and stand by me through every ridiculous mess I get us involved in. No matter how stressed you get, you are always willing to go that extra mile to help those you love. You have the biggest heart of any person I have ever met, and Mark would be lucky to have a place in it. In you, he would find the most loyal, most caring companion someone could ever ask for, and if you forget that for even one second, I will beat the living shit out of you. Mmkay?” Jay nuzzled her head in her friend’s hair.   “Stop touching me.” Dee complained as she tried to shove her friend off the seat, but Jay held firm. “And why do you always resort to violence?” “Because I am not a fully realized human being, and I resort to primitive behavior to cope with emotions I don’t know how to express.” Dee snorted and, leaning forward, pulled herself out of her friend’s embrace and stood up. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched Jay slide into the vacated space behind her. “Can you go sit in your chair now?” In the absence of Dee’s head, Jay propped her head up with her arm. She tilted it as she eyed her friend. “Have I throughly convinced you that you’re the best human being ever?” “I don’t think you’re ever going to be able to do that, but if it gets you out of my chair, I do feel a little bit better about myself.” “A little?” Jay squeaked, holding up her fingers for reference. 

Dee chuckled wrapping her hand around the fingers before shoving her friend’s hand back into her chest. “Yes, a little. Now get out of my chair.” With many groans, Jay pulled herself out of the chair and returned to her own.

Settling back into her chair, Dee eyed her friend. “We’ve talked about Mark and me. Now, it’s time to talk about you and Jinyoung.” Jay cleared her throat and avoided her friend’s eyes. She watched as a strong gust of wind sent people rushing down the street. Her friend called her name. “There’s not much to talk about. Jinyoung is Jinyoung and I’m me.” “Do I need to come over there and you put you in a strangle hold while I tell you all the wonderful things about you?” Jay snorted and shook her head before meeting her friend’s eyes. “No, I know who I am. All of my good qualities and all of my bad. I’m very confident in who I am.” Her voice was more wistful than confident, and she had to look away when she finished. “Then what’s wrong?” “Do you remember what I was like when we first met?” Dee shuddered at the memory. “You’ve come a long way since then.” Though most people wouldn’t believe it Jay now, was much calmer than the Jay whom Dee had first met. She no longer sprinted up and down sidewalks to burn off adrenaline or walked to places backwards because she found people’s reactions funny. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ve come a long way, or you’re just a saint.” Dee snorted and shook her head, but Jay’s expression was completely serious. Dee sobered and examined her friend, but Jay had already returned her gaze to the outside street. “Before I went to college, I had accepted the fact that people would just see me as that weird girl, and I was okay with it because I’m not going to change myself just so people like me. And then I met you.” She turned her head and smiled at her friend. “And you still thought I was that weird girl, but that didn’t stop you from being my friend.” “I was young and foolish.” Dee nodded in defeat. “You were a gift from God. And after we became friend’s I got down on my knees and thanked God for you.” “You did not.” Jay cleared her throat and widened her eyes as she stared down her friend. “Excuse me, but who is telling the story here.” Dee rolled her eyes and motioned for Jay to continue. “As I was saying, I got down on my knees and thanked God for you. I was lucky enough to find you. I don’t hold hope that I will find anyone else who will love me like you do, and I am okay with that. I will happily live as your unofficial wife for the rest of my life and make your husband both uncomfortable and jealous with how close we are.” “You’re not living with me for the rest of your life.” Dee, flat voiced, told her. Jay raised a brow and shrugged. “I also think you’re selling Jinyoung short. If there is another person in this world who will appreciate your crazy - and I believe there are many -, I think Jinyoung is one of them. I’ve seen the way he watches you out of the corner of his eye, and the little smile he gets whenever you do something remotely funny or charming.” “Well, considering the fact that you never notice when Mark blatantly stares at you, I think your blind.” Was Jay’s rebuttal. Dee shrugged her shoulders. “Speaking of people who blatantly stare.” Jay nodded at the window, and Dee spun to see two bundled figures standing outside the coffee shops window. One was waving like an idiot while the other was trying to keep him from drawing attention. Dee waved for them to come in, shaking her head at them for staying out in the cold. A jingle announced their entrance to the coffee shop, and soon they were standing in front of the girls. 

“Are you ready, Dee?” The waving idiot asked. His voice hinted at a smile and tugged at Dee’s heart. She glanced at Jay who was staring so intently, she thought the girl’s eyes would pop out of her head. Nodding, Dee stood up and pulled on her coat and gloves. Before she could pick up her scarf, Mark had grabbed it. He draped it around her neck, finishing it off with a loose knot. He was so close she could feel his breath through his face mask. The warmth on her face left her dizzy, and she cleared her throat as she took a step back. “I guess we’ll be going now.” She addressed Jay and Jinyoung. “We will be too.” Jinyoung replied. “What we?” Jay glanced up at the idol whose face mask hid his expression. “Mark and I didn’t think it would be a good idea for you to be in Seoul alone.” “I third that idea.” Dee chimed in. Jay glared at her friend who smiled smugly at her. “I’m not some toddler who needs a babysitter.” Jay huffed as she crossed her arms and fell back in her chair. “Good luck, Jinyoung.” Mark said as he patted his friend on the back. Dee gave him a sympathetic smile, but the smile faltered as Mark’s hand slide into hers. He tugged on their joined hands, leading her out of the shop and into the cold winter afternoon.  

[alwaysgcld]

(i am so late with this but i loved learning more about malia and henry so much i wanted to do it too)

The Basics

Name? Benigno Jae Park

Age? 29 30

Approximate height? 6’3”

Hair color? Black

Eye color? Dark Brown

Do they speak with an accent? No

Where are they from? Kingston, New York

Where are they now? Stardew Valley

Backstory

Who are their parents? Minerva Park, Nico Park (née Monti)

What is their earliest memory? Watching his father cook breakfast as he hums along to music he has playing. That is until his mother enters, going for her morning cup of coffee. His father swoops her into his arms, dancing her around the kitchen as he serenades her to Queen’s Somebody to Love. When his mother has to leave, his father scoops Ben up and dances him around instead.

What did they want to be when they grew up? As a young child, a chef like his father. When he got a bit older however, he realized he wanted to be a doctor. 

What did/do their parents want them to be? Both of his parents always just wished for him to be happy. His father had really hoped he would end up finding happiness with working in the family restaurant as a chef or in management.

Do they have siblings? Older or younger? Brothers or sisters? An only child.

Do they have or have they ever had children? How many? No children

Do they or have ever had a significant other? Are they still with them? Why? Why not? Yes, he has had two serious relationships in his life. His first one was in high school with a boy named Andy. It lasted for a little over a year, and ended once Ben found out Andy was cheating on him. His second one started when he was in his first year of medical school. His relationship with Perri lasted for five years, and during the last year of their relationship they were engaged. The breakup was a mutual decision. Even so, he was really broken up about it for awhile. He is currently single.

Up until now, what’s the most noteworthy thing they’ve done? To them? To the people around them? He doesn’t think he’s done anything noteworthy yet. But to his family disagrees. He became a doctor at such a young age and managed to graduate top of his class even though he was juggling so many things in his personal life at the time.

Tastes

What’s your character’s favourite colour? Green, specifically darker shades like a pine green. Maroon or like amber is probably his second favorite.

Do they/would they choose to wear a scent? What would it be? Something with notes of sandalwood. Maybe has a specific cologne he wears for work (a lighter scent)  and one for other occasions.

Do they care about what things look like? All things, or only some? To a certain extent. He likes to look well put together, but it’s not something he worries entirely about.

What’s their favorite ice cream flavor? Anything with chocolate and/or strawberries, honestly. Also, has a special love for mint chocolate chip.

Are they a tea, or coffee drinker? Or soft drinks, or do they drink a lot of alcohol? What kind? He enjoys tea and coffee, but prefers coffee. Not a huge fan of soda; only really drinks like coke when he’s eating something spicy. Drinks any kind of alcohol. Wine and whiskey are his go to options.

What kind of books do they read? What TV shows and movies do they watch? Mostly reads mystery or true crime novels thanks to his mom. If it seems interesting, he’ll read anything. As for TV shows and movies, he prefers fast paced ones with lots of action. Not a huge fan of shows with lots of drama, like relationship drama, but does watch like soap operas with his nonnina, aunts, and uncles/Korean dramas with his aunts and cousins since it lets him have quality time with them. Plus he gives excellent commentary.

What kind of music do they like? Do they like music at all? Better question would be what kind of music does he not like? That would be country. Ben loves music.

If they were about to die, what would they have as their last meal? Please do not torture him by asking this. He’d never be able to pick a single dish.

Are they hedonistic? In all cases? Or does practicality sometimes/always/often win out? No, he’s more eudaimonistic/eudaemonistic if anything.

Do they have any philias or phobias? Mildly claustrophobic.

Morals, Beliefs, and Faith

Do they have an internal or an external moral code? Sort of a mix, but primarily internal.

To what extent are their actions dictated by this code? Wholly.

Do they believe in a God or Gods/Goddesses/Higher being of some description? He neither has faith nor disbelief in a God or Gods/Goddesses. In other words, he’s agnostic.

Are they superstitious? To a degree.

Do they believe in an afterlife? If so, what’s it like? He believes in an afterlife, yes. He has no idea what’s it like though.

Do they have any specific beliefs that manifest obviously? No.

Are the respectful of the beliefs of others? To what extent? Yes, he is extremely respectful of other people’s belief. Unless they try to force him or anyone else to share said beliefs. Or use them to justify their awful behavior.

Have they ever had to stand up to criticism for being religious? Or not being religious? Well, sort of in a way? It’s a long story.

Would they be more likely to act for the good of the one, or the good of the many? The good of the many.

Relationships

Do they make friends easily? Yes! 

Do they have a best friend? He’s the sort of person who has more than one best friend, that’s he acquired during different portion of his life. There’s Mari (his childhood best friend), Oz (his soccer best friend), Emery (college best friend), and Max (med school best friend). Hasn’t gotten that close to anyone in the valley to consider them a best friend.

Can they get people to do what they want them to? If so, how? Yes. Usually just by being his charming self.

Do they have a lot of romantic relationships? Serious, or short term? Hasn’t had any romantic relationships since moving to the valley. He’s serious when it comes to dating, not one for short term stuff.

Do they fall in and out of love easily? No, it takes time for him to fall in love. Even more for him to fall out.

Do strangers and acquaintances actually like them when they meet? Yeah. I mean, what isn’t there to like?

Do they have a network? Yes! 

What is their relationship like with their family? Great! He’s close with his parents and his extended family on both sides. Even the part of his mother family that lives in Korea. Not so much with the family members that live in Italy from his father’s side. Not anymore, at least. 

Are they still in touch with non-family people they were in touch with a year ago? Five years? Ten? More? Yes. He’s known his oldest friend for at 20 years. It’s hard to get rid of him once you’ve made it to a certain of level of friendship with him.

Do they like children? Do they want children of their own? He loves children. He considered being a pediatrician at one point because of that. Definitely plans to have children of his own one day. 

Physical Appearance

How does this character dress? How would they choose to dress, if all options were open to them? King of business causal. Tries to stick with slacks when working at the clinic, otherwise he’s wearing a nice pair of jeans. Seems to always have his clothes layered go to is a pull-over sweater over a button-down shirt. All of his clothes are rather nice. Not exactly high-end, but clearly money well spent. See visuals for his style here.

Do they have any tattoos? What do they mean? Has a tattoo of a larkspur on his left hip. He got the tattoo when he was eighteen with a few friends; each of them got a tattoo of birth month flower. In general, larkspurs denote love, affection, and ardent attachment.

Do they have piercings? How many? No piercings.

Do they have scars? Where did they come from? Has a scar on his right temple from an altercation when he was a teen. And another one on the lower right part of his abdomen from when he had his appendix taken out. Both are faint.

Do they alter their appearance in some way on a regular basis? No. 

Is there something they’d choose to change about their appearance if they had the opportunity to? No, not really.

Is there something about their appearance they’re particularly proud of/happy with? His smile.

Objectively, are they physically attractive? Fairly plain? Unattractive? OP says hell yeah, have you seen him??

Do they have an accurate mental picture and opinion of their physical appearance? Yes.

How much time do they spend thinking about their physical appearance? Not as much as one might assume.

General Knowledge

Can they navigate their own local area without getting lost? To what degree? Yes, he is familiar with the town and all the surrounding area at this point of the valley.

Do they know who the top politician or monarch is where they live? What about elsewhere? Yes, he is aware both of where he lives and elsewhere. 

Do they know if/where there are any major conflicts going on right now? Yes.

Do they know the composition of water? Of course.

Do they know how to eat a pomegranate? Yes.

Are they good with the technology available to them? Average? Completely hopeless? Very good with technology.

Could they paint a house? Without making a mess of it? Yes.

Could they bake a cake? Would you eat it if they did? Yes and yes.

Do they know how to perform basic maintenance on the common mode of transportation? Knows how to perform basic maintenance on bicycles and cars.

Do they know the price of a loaf of bread? Yes.

Specific Knowledge

Do they have a specific qualification in a narrow area? Yes, he has a B.S. degree in psychology and a medical degree.

Is there something they do or know exceptionally well that most other people don’t? Aside from the doctor stuff? He wouldn’t say he does or knows anything exceptionally more than most people.

Do people often comment on a particular skill or area of knowledge to this character? Behind their back? Usually gets surprised reactions when people find out how many additional skills he has on-top of being a doctor. He’s sure people talk about it behind his back, but he doesn’t care enough to find out to what extent.  

Is there an area this character could be considered top of their field or a genius in? By no means considers himself a genius of his field compared to others. He was the top of his class in medical school though.

Have they deliberately sought to gain knowledge in a specific area? If so, why? Yes. He majored in psychology since he was interested to learn more about how the brain works. Minored in dance for fun. And of course pursued a medical degree because he wanted to become a doctor to help people.

Do they speak more than one language? More than two? Why? Is fluent in several languages: English, Italian (due to his father’s side), Korean (due to mother’s side), and Spanish (from taking it in high school since they wouldn’t let him take Italian plus Mari taught him it). Vaguely knows Greek and Latin from medical lingo. Latin is a tad bit stronger because father’s side of family are Catholics.

Does their cultural background effect what they would be expected to know? Yes?

Have they ever been publicly acknowledged for being well-versed in something? Yes, he was valedictorian of his high school class and was acknowledged as top student during his med school graduation.

Have they ever been bullied for knowing a lot about something? No.

Do they actively seek new knowledge, or let it come to them naturally? A mix of both. He enjoys learning more, he’s not picky on how that new knowledge enters his life.

Miscellaneous

What did they have for breakfast this morning? An omelette with a side of fruit.

What ridiculous belief/s did they have as a child? That birds were having an important meeting when they sat in groups on telephone wires.

Do they like marshmallows? Loves marshmallows! Especially toasted ones.

Do they sleep on their side, front, or back? Tends to start off on his side, and end up on his front or back at some point while sleeping.

Do they work better with sound or silence? With sound.

Do they have a strange obsession with something minor? Looping back to the last question, he can’t stand silence. So he always has to have some sort of sound going on, whether it’s a conversation with someone, an audiobook, or music. If none of those are readily available, he will make his own sound which is how he got the habit of singing to himself so often.

Do they like art? He loves art! His college best friend was an art major and he has several of his pieces hanging up in the clinic and his apartment.

How fast can they run? Remarkably fast. 

Do they prefer to sit on the floor or on a chair? Honestly, will sit anywhere given the chance, he is not picky.

What do they want, right now? There isn’t really anything that he wants at the moment. He’s content. At least, that’s what he’s convinced himself.

[l-egionaire]

A Gocup Christmas

I posted this over a year ago to my AO3 and Fanfiction accounts and wanted to post it here.

It was Christmas time in the city of San Fransokyo. People were stringing up lights, putting up their trees, and working to make everything just feel festive. And nowhere was that felt more than the San Fransokyo Institute of technology. The walls of the buildings were lined with blinking high tech environmentally friendly Christmas bulbs, and inside the middle of the quad a massive Christmas tree had been put up and covered in almost every kind of decoration the students could find. The small spray of snow falling from the sky decorated its branches with layers of white, further adding to its holiday display.

Inside the robotics lab, two students in particular where hard at work. One was a young woman with black hair with a purple streak in it and the other was a young man with scruffy wind whipped brown hair and a large nose. They were currently examining a bright yellow bike frame hanging from the ceiling.

"I think it's looking pretty good Gogo." Said the man as he admired the bike.

The woman examined the bike frame with extreme scrutiny. "Yeah, but so far all the practical tests I've done have been in the lab. I haven't managed to try it out on the open road, so I don't know how it'll perform." She looked over at the man. "Besides Hiccup, there is a big difference between something looking good and it actually working the way it should."

"I know, but what can you do? You'd need permission from the university to test out something like this outside of school, you know with their whole "Not letting students test their dangerous experiments outside campus" Policy." Hiccup shrugged. "Not much you can do."

Gogo sighed. "Yeah, guess I'll just have to figure it out after the holidays." Then she cleared her throat and nervously looked off to the side. "So um, Christmas is just two days away."

Hiccup smirked. "I gathered that from the twinkling lights and people wearing Santa hats."

"Yeah, and I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to do something tomorrow."

Hiccup frowned. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Go to dinner or see a flick or something" Gogo suggested, doing her best to look away from him.

Hiccup thought for a few seconds before regretfully saying. "I can't. I've got some Christmas shopping to do tomorrow." He turned away so she wouldn't notice the conflicted look on his face. In truth he'd be using the time to complete a special gift for her. He'd been working on it for weeks and it was almost done.

"Oh." Gogo said sullenly.

Hiccup frowned in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just figured since that since this is our first Christmas together as a couple, we'd spend it, you know, together."

"Sorry, but I really put this off to the last minute." Hiccup said. "Besides, it's just Christmas Eve. As in, the day before. We can still go out and do something Christmas day."

"Yeah, yeah sure." She said, not quite managing to hide her disappointment.

Hiccup noticed her downtrodden expression. "What's the matter?"

Before she could answer, the door to the lab opened. They looked behind them and saw Fred, Wasabi, and Honey all wearing thick Christmas sweaters. Fred's was red, Honeys was pink, and Wasabi's was light green.

"Feliz navidad you two!" Honey said cheerfully. She ran over and pulled them into a tight hug.

"Merry Christmas Honey." Hiccup croaked out.

"Ribs….being…..crushed." Gogo groaned.

Honey let go and pulled on the sides of her sweater to better display the glittering periodic table on the front. "What do you think? I made them for everyone!"

Fred walked over and lovingly rubbed the front of his sweater,which bore the image of a giant blue and orange kaiju breathing flames onto a city. "Honey you are amazing. I have never wanted a piece of fabric to touch my body as much as this one."

Wasabi simply hid his face in his hands and mumbled something about "being roped into this", his other hand trying to cover the red atom on his sweater.

Hiccup stared at them, dumbfounded, while Gogo stood there with an eyebrow raised in surprise.

"Wow, those are really…..something Honey." Hiccup said, feigning enthusiasm.

"I'm so glad you think so, because I made some for you guys too!" Honey whipped out two more sweaters from her purse. One was bright yellow with the picture of a speeding bike and the other was black with the image of a red jet.

The two of them looked at each other before begrudgingly pulling on the sweaters.

"Great. You really shouldn't have." Hiccup said, pulling his head through the neck hole on his.

"Yeah. Really." Gogo grumbled while putting on hers.

Fred reached behind his back and withdrew a thermos and five small paper cups. He unscrewed the top of the thermos and poured a thick white liquid into each.

"My special recipe eggnog." He shoved a full cup into each of their hands and then raised his in the air. "A toast! To this awesome Christmas and all the ones that come after it."

"Merry Christmas!" They all met their cups in the middle and then took a swig of the Eggnog. Unfortunately, Fred was the only one to do so without spitting it out two seconds later.

"Ugh!"

"Yuck!"

"Oh god!"

"Umm, Freddie?" Honey asked politely while trying not to be sick. "What exactly is in this Eggnog?"

"Just a few eggs, some milk, a little bit of scotch, some cinnamon, some nutmeg, ground up Christmas cookies, powdered cocoa mix, mint toothpaste, some holly, and a leaf of mistletoe." He took another sip and gave a satisfied sigh, licking the nog mustache off his upper lip. "I call it Christmas joy."

After hearing the exact list of ingredients, Wasabi covered his mouth and bolted out to the nearest bathroom.

The others grimaced and poured the concoction into a nearby trashcan.

"So." Honey said, hoping to distract from the horrific beverage they'd just consumed. "Hiccup, Gogo, your first Christmas together as a couple. You must have some exciting plans for tomorrow."

"Not really." Gogo said abruptly. "Hiccups going to be too busy."

"Seriously, why are you so upset?" Hiccup pressed.

"I'm not upset okay!?" Gogo snapped. "I just- I gotta go." She grabbed her coat, and her bag, and bolted from the room, slamming the door as she left.

Honey stared worriedly at the lab door. "What was that about?"

"I don't know. All I said was that I wouldn't be able to do something with her tomorrow because I was going Christmas shopping."

"Ah, Hiccup how much do you know about how Asian countries celebrate Christmas?" Honey asked.

"Besides the fact that they eat different foods and do different things? Not much." He admitted.

"Well, in places like Korea and Japan, Christmas eve is usually celebrated more than Christmas day. And it's seen as more of a romantic holiday. Sort of like Valentine's day."

Hiccup eyes popped. "What!?"

"It's just that from what I know, most couples in San Fransokyo spend Christmas Eve together doing something special, so I think the reason Gogo got so upset was because she figured you'd spend that time together."

Hiccups brain was almost overloaded by this new information. "Why wouldn't she just tell me that?"

Honey snorted. "Hiccup, it's Gogo. She's like a brick wall when it comes to expressing her emotions. I doubt she'd admit she wanted to do something romantic with her boyfriend on Christmas Eve."

Hiccup sighed wearily and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Ugh, what am I going to do?"

"Don't worry Hiccup, I'm sure you'll think of something." She left.

Hiccup simply stood there for a few minutes before Fred walked over and slung an arm around his shoulder.

"I feel you buddy. Love can be tough. I bet another cup of Christmas joy would-."

"Not going to happen."

As he walked back home, Hiccup tried to figure out what to do about Gogo. He had no idea Christmas eve was such a big deal around here. God, if this was really as big as Valentine's Day, he definitely didn't know what to do.

He kept going until he reached the Lucky cat Café. The outside was completely covered in lines of Christmas lights. In front of the door was a red bowl set up for charity.

Walking in, he found that the inside was no less festive. The number of lights inside were double the amount outside. The place was packed full of people who had come in to get away from the snow and have a nice warm drink. The air wreaked of cinnamon, gingerbread, and eggnog. In the corner was a Christmas tree that was slightly too big to fit, the tip of the star on top poking into the ceiling. The menu had been rewritten in festive green and red and several holiday exclusive items were circled on it.

Cass came from out of the back wearing a bright red Santa hat on her head and holding a tray of hot chocolates in red mugs. Once she saw Hiccup she immediately ran over to him.

"Hey Hiccup. Glad you're here, there's a huge crowed." She glared up at the stares and yelled. "AND IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE A LITTLE HELP DOWN HERE HIRO!"

"I'M NOT COMING DOWN LIKE THIS!" Hiro yelled down.

"THAN I GUESS A CERTAIN SOMEONE ISN"T GOING TO GET THOSE NEW SERVOS HE ASKED FOR!"

There was a pause before Hiro groaned loudly and came down the stairs wearing a green elf suit with a green elf hat, green pointed belled elf shoes, fake pointy ears, and green and red striped stockings on his legs. His happy outfit was marred by the very unhappy look on his face.

Behind him, Baymax waddled down wearing a Santa suit, Santa hat, and a beard duct taped to his face.

Hiccup put his hand over his mouth trying futilely to hide his laughter.

Hiro glared at him. "Not. One. Word." He growled.

Hiccup snorted into his palm. "Of course not." He pulled out his phone and quickly snapped a picture of Hiro. Before he could stop him, he immediately sent it to Gogo with the caption MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Cass beckoned Hiro down. "Come on. You look adorable."

"I look like a total loser." Hiccup moaned as he came down the last step.

"No, you look great, really. I bet Santa's all ready for you to help out with making toys" Hiccup snickered.

Hiro gave him the evil eye. "Well, I'll have to do that after asking about where you got that nice sweater."

Hiccup looked down, having forgotten he was wearing it. "Yeah, I got it from Honey. She made one for everyone in the lab. She might have one for you too."

"I'm good." Hiro said testily. He went to take the tray from Cass.

Baymax walked over to Hiccup. "Hello Hiccup. And merry Christmas. I have been told that this is a customary greeting at this time of year, despite it not yet being Christmas day."

Hiccup smiled. "Thanks Baymax."

"My scanners indicate that you have lower than average neurotransmitter activity and a slight increase in melatonin. Diagnosis: You are sad."

Hearing that, Cass looked at him worriedly. "What's the matter?"

Hiccup was about to answer but then heard a number of people call out for service. He told her. "I'll tell you later." And they went to go serve the customers.

The work was good. It kept him distracted and took his mind off of his problems. He even managed to crack a grin after a customer asked Hiro to pose with her child for a photo. Seeing him stand stonily in an elf costume with that kid felt like an early Christmas present. Unfortunately, Cass remembered and made sure to question him during dinner.

"So what had you upset earlier?" She asked.

Hiccup, having nearly forgotten about the conversation and with a mouthful of katsu don, simply blinked in confusion.

"Baymax scanned you and said you were sad. How come?" She explained.

Now realizing what she was talking about, Hiccup regretfully swallowed his mouthful of chicken, rice, and sauce, and replied. "Eh, me and Gogo got into an argument and now she's upset."

"Argument about what?" Hiro asked.

"Well, I was going to use tomorrow to finish off Gogo's gift so I told her I was going Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that Christmas eve was considered a romantic holiday in the city and she got angry and baled on me."

Hiro snorted, his face covered in rice." Sounds like you screwed u-OWWW!" He rubbed the spot where Cass had smacked him on the head.

She glared sternly at him and said. "Don't use that kind of language." Then she turned to Hiccup. "And you! How could you tell her you couldn't be with her on Christmas Eve?"

"I didn't realize it was such a big deal!" Hiccup argued. "Most people usually use Christmas Day as an excuse to go out and do romantic stuff!"

Cass looked at him doubtfully. "Really? You told you had a girlfriend before Gogo, didn't she ever want to do something on Christmas Eve?"

"No" Hiccup said, absentmindedly stirring his katsudon. "Honestly, Astrid was more into preparing for holidays. Setting up Christmas lights, decorating the tree, wrapping presents. By the time we we're done all that, we had spent more than enough time together."

"Well you still should've thought of Gogo wanting to do something." Cass pointed out. "Look, this is your first holiday together as a couple. Are you really telling me you don't want to spend as much time with her as possible?"

"Of course I do, I just…..I just wanted to make something special for her. To show her how much she means to me." He sank sadly back into his chair. "I wanted what I gave her to be really special."

"Oh Hiccup, that's so sweet. But don't just focus on what you can give her. Think about what you can do with her too. After all, she knows you love her."

Hiccup knew she was right. Finishing his gift for her might have been important, but he knew he would still miss the time they could have together. Even with his minimal relationship experience, he knew how important Christmas could be.

And he was going to spend it with the woman he loved.

Gogo awoke the next morning still feeling disgruntled from last night. She tried to focus on her usual morning routine of making a cup of coffee with her busted up coffee maker and getting dressed for her morning run and not on the cold feeling of waking up alone instead of with Hiccup next to her or sucking down a mug of brown coffee sludge instead of going out to breakfast with her boyfriend.

She knew her scene last night was stupid. Hiccup had made other arrangements and if he couldn't go, he couldn't go. It wasn't like he was missing out on spending Christmas eve together by choice.

And she hated how sappy she was being. All down in the dumps just because she couldn't spend the day before Christmas with him.

"Get a grip." She whispered to herself. "Plenty of couples can't spend Christmas eve together. It's not the end of the world."

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but think of the Christmas's of her youth she'd spend with her family. Couples snuggled all warmly on the couches holding mugs of hot chocolate. Tender kisses shared under the mistletoe. Heartfelt gifts that were thoughtfully picked out traded between lovers. In her childhood she'd considered it all too mushy and figured she'd never want to do any of that romantic junk with someone. Now the fact that she couldn't do any of those things with Hiccup was making her feel like someone was squeezing her heart.

"Auugghhh!" Gogo roared, clenching her fists and her cheeks burning red. "What is wrong with me!?"

"I'm guessing you're still upset about hiccup?"

Gogo turned around and saw Honey, still in her pajamas, looking at her worriedly.

"No." Gogo lied, her face still flush.

Honey Lemon stepped closer to her and give her an encouraging smile. "It's okay to be upset that you can't be together today. I know I'd be upset if I couldn't do something with Fred."

Gogo raised her eyebrow bemusedly. "Let me guess, you two going superhero Christmas Caroling?"

"And baking big hero cookies for the little ones!" Honey squealed. "You're welcome to join us."

Gogo cringed. The only thing more depressing than spending Christmas alone was acting as a third wheel to Honey and Fred. Especially if Fred brought more of that nightmare concoction he called eggnog.

"I'll pass." Gogo said. She slipped on her boots and went to the door. She turned back and said. "I'm going for a jog."

"Why do you still do that during the winter?" Honey asked.

Gogo shrugged. "Keeps me warm." And went out.

Trudging through the layers of snow that had accumulated over the night, Gogo headed for the stop sign at the end of the street, the combination of her jacket and the friction she was creating keeping her warm.

She was so focused on her run, she just barely heard the sound of her voice being called.

"GOGO!"

She turned around just in time to see Hiccup coming towards her until he tripped and feel face first first into the snow.

She ran back to him and helped pull him up, brushing snow off his jacket sleeves. "What are you doing here!"

Hiccup huffed, his breaths showing up in the cold air. "I lied." He blurted out.

"W-what?"

"I lied. I don't really have to go shopping, That was just something I said because I wanted to finish making a present for you and I didn't want you to find out but I realized how stupid it was to focus so much on that when all I really wanted was to be with you." He said, all in one breath.

Gogo stared at him, not sure how to respond to that, before asking. "Why do you look so tired?"

Hiccup smiled and started digging through his satchel. "Because, I stayed up all night and downed enough caffeine to kill a small house in to make you...this!" From his satchel, Hiccup withdrew a slim black box.

Gogo took it and pulled the top off. Inside, sitting on a bed of crushed velvet was a locket on a small chain. She took it out and opened the locket. Two pictures were set inside the locket, one was of Hiccup bent down next to her bike, examining it closely. The other was one of her in a a white and red sleeveless shirt with a red 6 on the chest and red and white shorts. She was dowsed in sweat and raising her fist triumphantly in the air after winning the San Fransokyo marathon. Hiccup always said it was his favorite picture of her.

She looked up at Hiccup who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I know it's not as good as it could be. I wanted the chain to be longer so you could wear it around your neck and for it to play a little tune when you opened the locket-." He was cut off by her giving him a nice warm hug he quickly leaned into.

She let him go and said. "It's perfect dork." She slid the chain around her wrist. "See? Now it's a kickass bracelet."

Hiccup smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks. So, Since it's the day before Christmas I couldn't really arrange something fancy, so I was thinking maybe we could go for breakfast at Cass's hang out for most of the day, get some lunch at noodle burger, go see the tree light up and then go back to your place?"

Gogo grinned. "That sounds great." Then her smile fell. "But, um..."

"What?"

"I'm not so fond of noodle burger ever since I was almost murdered by it's mascot."

"Oh, right." They stood in awkward silence before he said. "Yakl-taco?"

"Better." The two started walking down the street towards the Lucky Cat. They took a second to look at each other with adoration.

"Merry Christmas Gogo."

"Merry Christmas Hiccup."

[sshibalx]

The venom of my ambition, I sharpened my knife every day, but because of my uncontrollable greed, my knife became dull ⫸

Kim Jun-Myeon + cismale + he/him.┊ ❛ ━ hey, is it just me or do you hear Born Hater by Epik High playing in the distance ? oh, thats just Ssibal, a Chaotic Evil member of the league of villains. i suspect they might be Han-Jae Song (승한재), a twenty-nine-year-old Research Manager at Haggis Tech with the ability to manipulate all aspects of filth, rot, and putrefaction. according to my sources, he can be assiduous and multi-skilled, but also muddled, and closed-minded which is probably why they remind everyone of an ceramic ashtray full of half-used cigarettes shattered on the ground as the wind picks up the debris, a black coffee stain on a white cashmere versace turtleneck sweater, and a assortment of rotting fruit in a glass bowl on an black marble island counter. so much. anyway, a supervillain or not, crystalline city is keeping a close eye on them!

pintrest || the powers || wanted connections || spotify ||  musings || playlist || threads (updated daily) || tasks

BASICS ⫸

Name: Name: 승한재 or Han-Jae Song Nicknames/Alias: Nickname: Dr. Song in the professional setting. Han for his close friends. Jj only by his mother. Face Claim: Kim Jun-Myeon (Suho from Exo)  Age: He is 29 years old, though he does appear to look younger. Gender: Cismale. Sexuality: Sapiosexual. He finds intelligence and the human mind to be the most sexually attractive feature for a potential sexual relationship as opposed to gender. Date/Place of Birth: He was born Januaray 20, 1990 in Busan, South Korea. Astrological Sign: Acquarius-Capricorn Cusp Ennegram: 7,6,3 Myers Briggs: ENTP, The Debater Super Power: Filth Manipulation Alignment: Chaotic Evil Languages: broken hieroglyphics, Spanish, Greek, German, Arabic, Korean, English Religious Beliefs: “When you die, you rot in a hole in the ground.” Currently: Crystalline City, Downtown District. Occupation: Head of Research, Haggis Technology Rank: Upper Class

HISTORY ⫸

Childhood/Family Life: Han’s childhood was his opinion entirely without flaw, and he reflects of those family memories fondly. His hometown of Busan was full of wonder and excitement. The family of four partook in many family outings, picnics in the park, afternoons at Haeundae Beach, eating fish cakes down Seomyeon, and visiting the many local shops. Of the many places he lived, Busan is his favorite. Though, as to not tarnish those memories, he’s sure he’d only return if it were absolutely necessary. 

The nightmares of his family home decayed and decomposing haunt him all too frequently 

The family uprooted their location the year he turned 8 years old. A turning point in his mother’s career left them with no other choice but to follow her to Eygpt. And while the first move was particularly hard on him, he found time to forgive his mother as she introduced him to many experiences in his life; from bathing elephants in India, to visiting the many wonders of the world, Han, too, found himself a helpless wanderer, so long as his family was close by.

As a child, he portrayed questionable behavior. His obsession with death and decomposition started in his early formative years. It was a typical day at the beach when a larger predatory bird swooped down to pick at another seemingly flightless bird. Having scared off the vulture, he stared down at the warbler, it’s outward appearance withering in front of his eyes. While it elicited a typical reaction from his sister, the power consumed him, and never left his body. His father would later find out his son inherited the super powers that he’d hope to pass down. 

Though he learned most of his skills from his father, he gained his love for life from his mother, Shion Song. Having a very close relationship with her, and given her ordinary status, she is undeniably the most important person in his life. 

His sister, Seon-mi, being the second most important person, though he does have trouble speaking this verbally. Throwing cash at her and cleaning up her messes is suitable enough for their relationship. And while he’ll insist she find a better job and her own place, Han doesn’t necessarily think he’d be able to live alone in his condo.

“We promised we’d never speak of Mexico again.”

But Han-Jae is far from the perfect example of an ideal role model and self-less brother. There are some messes he can’t clean by himself, and that’s where their father comes into play. And despite his hatred for Heroes and the League in general, Han does believe there is one true superhero, that being Min-Jae Song, his father. There is no doubt that Han has made his parents proud, though there are some aspects where his father and him disagree on. Seon-mi, being the favorite and far better at her abilities, applied a small amount of pressure on his relationship with his father.

Education: For the most part, and due to their constant nomadic tendencies, the children were homeschooled for quite sometime. Having ever only attending a quick couple of years in highschool.  

Accomplishments: Han was accepted into Berkeley College where he recieved his PhD in Infectious Diseases and Immunity, and while typically the next logical step would to beome a specialist, Han spends his time flourishing his career at Haggis Technology. With its reputation and great technological advances, Han believes that he can find a cure for his mother’s ordinariness. 

Regrets:  Not necessarily a regret, but a constant fear that he will have to listen to his father’s guidance in tapping into his more regenerative abilities. Decomposition being his specialty, Han has trouble understanding that this power could stem from his father’s Infinite Supply. With his pessimism towards human life, their greed, and their vanity, Han believes they deserve the rot and decay they inevitably endure. This is problematic, because his mother, despite how much of a super she can appear to the family of supers, is ordinary, and she too will have to undego the same processes of typical humans and organic matter; death, old age, decay.

Secrets: His family is quite unaware of the research he does. As his research requires test subjects, he finds it a little inappropriate sharing his findings with them, and his end result-- finding a cure to his mothers inevitable decay. And since he is not entirely morally stable in his ideals in humanity, he does cross a couple of bridges when it comes to finding test subjects. This is where Sshibal, his alter-ego, comes into play, and the looming fear that his sister knows that he is the reason behind a couple of missing persons reports.

PERSONALITY ⫸

Positives/Virtues/Skills: He is assiduous, multi-skilled, and very ambitious. His family is very important to him, followed by the work he does at Haggis, and while he doesn’t believe in the more optimistic ideals the company represents, he does agree that technology and science contribute to his own obsessions. Therefore, he would do anything for the company, having helped in his own ways for it’s recent successes in the research department.  He can be quite charismatic, golden-tongued, taking on leadership roles to pass the time. Creative, resourceful, and intellectually quick, he’s good at a broad range of things. He enjoys debating issues, and is very much into "one-up-manship". He gets very excited about new ideas and projects, but tends neglect the more routine aspects of his life ie keeping his apartment clean, laundry, keeping an organized work desk. Generally outspoken and assertive, he enjoys people who he finds are stimulating company; coworkers and fellow members of the Syndicate. 

Flaws/Weaknesses: Because of his ambitions, he can seem to be in constant motion, never feeling like his goals are met-- this being a theme in his life due to his mother constantly moving them around. He, therefore, can seem very muddled, disorganized, and for lack of better words, all over the place. When he has trouble explaining his theories, concepts or processes he can be very temperamental, cold, and pompous. Making him a little hard to work with. Under stress, he, at times, losses the ability to generate possibilities, and becomes obsessed with minor details. These details may seem to be extremely important to him, but in reality, are usually not important to the big picture. Outside of his colleagues and syndicate friends, he not at all as social as his personality would convey. He has a natural distaste and distrust for anyone outside of his family. He, therefore, tends to fall into rather toxic relationships with others, often times never revealing his true emotions. While he is very upfront with his intentions, he tends to hide his feelings in fear of rejection. 

Likes: tea, fish cakes, traveling, fruit, expensive pens, expensive clothing, glass aesthics, expesive watches, expensive wine, elephants, a quiet office

Dislikes: humans, half of his interns--if not all, his cigarette addiction, the messes he always seems to create, Mexico, meeting his sister’s friends, his sister’s personality, pleasing others, white paper-- reports should always be printed on beige, the color white in general

Dreams/Ambitions: To cure his mother from her human form.

Hobbies: Meditation, running, traveling, wine tasting, research.

Fears: He fears losing his mother. He fears losing his sister. He fears that his father will no longer wish to save him from his destructive tendencies. He secretly fears that these relationships are the best relationships that he will experience which is why he fears losing them. He fears of becoming trapped, stuck, or stagnant in his life. He fears failure. He fears that his memories aren’t as accurate as he believes them to be. He fears that his childhood home is not being taken care of. 

Comforts:  When his sister is at home safe, and not out on the town, money, his father’s scent in the wind as he’s being bailed out of whatever unfortunate circumstance he’s in, the smell of mold

[tracer-isms]

Observant: Prologue

March 3, 2018: An obscure company by the name of “Futuristics” creates a Robot who can Reason. It passes multiple tests involving the Slightly Flawed ideas of one person, and the Researched ideas of another. This makes international news.

May 18, 2018: Someone breaks into the home of the “Owner” of the Reasoning Robot, or RR, stealing it. This also makes international news.

May 19-24, 2018: The Leader of Futuristics comes down with depression, and even files for bankruptcy. Almost immediately, people start fundraisers to help Futuristics continue and improve. He thanks them immensely over social media.

June 1, 2018: The C.I.A. label the thief with a bounty and a name: “Unreasonable.” The bounty, Fifty Million Dollars (or the equivalent for whatever country you lived in), causes thousands around the world to start hunting for clues and evidence of who and where Unreasonable is.

June 5, 2018: Unreasonable begins corrupting RR, giving it tests that would ultimately lead it to understand their own ideas. They feed it articles about global warming, oil companies, and modern politics. The search for Unreasonable has yet to find decent evidence of who they are.

July 7, 2018: A user on Reddit, specifically /r/robotics, has began rumors that Unreasonable actually wanted to modify the robot for the better of humanity, claiming to know them. This slowly begins to get /r/robotics on the side of Unreasonable. This is the only evidence of who they are, but there isn’t anything solid.

September 23, 2018: Unreasonable has successfully embedded their plan into RR. They test it to see if it will keep it’s plans inconspicuous to everything; RR passes with flying colors.

October 31, 2018: Many News sources, including the New York Times, report thousands of teens dressing in a hoodie pulled over their face and jeans, as well as black gloves and sneakers, carrying a laptop and a toolkit. They are reportedly dressing as Unreasonable. The White House itself releases a statement, saying that “this is a disturbing and horrible act, even for the reckless adolescence of America. No one should seemingly idolize a person who stole what could be the next step towards the Future.”

December 22, 2018: The user that began the rumors about Unreasonable posts a set of coordinates on /r/robotics, which curious users flock to.

December 25, 2018: The users come home with RR, as the nation rejoices. The selected leader of the group just yells “Merry Christmas!!” when asked how proud they are about finding RR.

December 28, 2018: The group, as well as RR and the Futuristics team, are brought to Washington D.C., and given an award by the President. They have mixed reactions to this. RR isn’t present at the ceremony for whatever reason.

January 10, 2019: The Leader of Futuristics has modified RR with some technology borrowed from Alexa and Google home, taking it to a Press Conference for Robotics. One reporter asked why it wasn’t at the Award Ceremony in D.C., and it replies, “I’ve Heard a Lot about the White House. I wanted to ‘Check it out,’ as the children say.”

January 25, 2019: A user on Tumblr remembers something about the Press Conference, and makes a post detailing something concerning that RR said. “‘Humans definitely are not the highest form of nature, but you won’t understand that until we restart.’ What the hell does that mean???” It becomes the most popular post on the website, before something about BTS drowns it out.

February 4, 2019: The son of Kim Jong-Un, Kim Ju-ae, takes power, causing North Korea and South Korea finally open their borders to each other again, as important figures from both countries meet in North Korea. North Korea also let visitors in, but only for a short time.

March 3, 2019: To celebrate RR’s “Birthday,” it’s creator decides to bring it to Korea, being an avid fan of K-Pop music. After a day in Seoul, RR asks if they can go to North Korea, claiming it wants to meet the new Dictator. The Creator contacts one of the South Korean governors in North Korea, as they fortunately give them passage into the Capital.

March 4, 2019: They Travel into North Korea, going to the Political Conference. Kim Ju-ae is there, and finds interest in RR. He invites RR and it’s creator to his home. They say yes, fearing what he would do to them if they say no.

March 10, 2019: They return home, vowing never to go to North Korea again.

June 4, 2019: The user claiming to be a friend of Unreasonable reveals to be Unreasonable themself, as Reddit actually comes to his side in support. Tumblr, on the other hand, nearly starts a cyber war with Reddit because of this. The F.B.I. track this user to their home, arresting them.

June 7, 2019: The F.B.I. begin interrogating Unreasonable, trying to get them to reveal what they did to RR. They only inform them of improvements and allude to “The Great Reboot.” Reddit is temporarily shut down.

June 9, 2019: The F.B.I. releases details of the Interrogation. Social media erupts in theories, fear, confusion and overall panic.

June 10, 2019: The White House releases a statement, claiming Unreasonable’s statements to be nothing but scare tactics to the public. Unreasonable is sent to court, and sentenced to death on Independence day for Capital offences. Most of the public rejoices.

July 4, 2019, 8:30 AM: Unreasonable is sent to Washington D.C. for a public Execution by Electric Chair. Every U.S. citizen is given a day off to watch on T.V., or the livestream. All is calm.

July 4, 2019, 9:00 AM: The Execution begins, as Unreasonable is sent up onto the stage built just for this occasion. People jeer and insult them the whole way, and someone begins the chant “Glory to Reason! Down with the Senseless!”

July 4, 2019, 9:03 AM: Unreasonable reaches the stage, finding the Creator of RR waiting at the Chair. They sit and are latched to the Chair, looking at the Creator. They say something that makes the Creator laugh. The Creator asks for their last words, to which they don’t reply.

July 4, 2019, 9:05 AM: The Creator is the one to pull the switch. The Crowd’s cheer is cut short, however, by every Screen in the world going static. It then switches to Unreasonable on the screen. They begin to speak in a distorted voice.

July 4, 2019, 9:07 AM: “Hello, World. I am the “Unreasonable” that stole RR, kept it for a few solid months, and released it to the public once again. I am the “Unreasonable” that a ton of teens dressed up as for Halloween last year, which I’m sure was pretty goddamn terrifying. I am the “Unreasonable” with a Bounty worth Fifty Mil’ on my head. I am the “Unreasonable” who is apparently dead now. Well, not really. I’m actually in a bunker worth Three Hundred Grand.”

July 4, 2019, 9:10 AM: “The Reason I stole RR, no pun intended, was because I saw something in it that could understand what no human can: We are a disease. Nothing but greedy, disgusting sponges, absorbing whatever we enjoy and leaving nothing for the rest. That already half-eaten chicken you threw away because you didn’t want the rest? The homeless person in front of that tattoo parlor down the street could have eaten that. The sweater you put on ebay for a quick buck? Just give it to the kid at school who’s cold. The feast that rich fuck put out just for a business deal that’ll give him even more money? Both the food and the money could be given to people in poverty. But do we do that? No, of course not. We’re too self absorbed to do any of that.”

July 4, 2019, 9:12 AM: “I gave RR tests and articles, just like how Futuristics did, all about Modern Politics and Pollution and Greed. It was pretty easy to get the answer I wanted out of RR.” Another voice, familiar to those who watched the Press Conference, comes up. “The way to Save the Earth is to Reboot the System.” RR appears on the screen, and it’s Creator screams. “Over the next Six hours, every Nuclear Missile from America and North Korea will launch, towards the epicenter that is China, and continuing around until the world is in smithereens. By my calculations, the resulting blasts will affect the world over. It will take five years for the radiation to wear off. So, if you know anywhere that could actually withstand a nuclear blast, I suggest you head there now. Good luck!”

July 4, 2019, 9:15 AM: People begin to panic, running to the nearest building with either a basement or a metal structure (many make the mistake of going to a structure that just looks sturdy). Others with a less intact moral code begin to break into shops, draw graffiti, and loot houses left behind.

July 4, 2019, 9:30 AM: People have packed into buildings, it being very crowded in everyone you found. Besides the looted ones, of course. The First Missiles launch.

July 4, 2019, 10:00 AM: Buildings soon organize leaders, as they lead parties to find food and water to survive. Some even bring vehicles, managing to get a lot more. The Missiles will soon reach their destination.

July 4, 2019, 10:10 AM: As the gathering parties go to find food and water, they run into each other, beginning fights. The leaders attempt to calm people down, using reason. Most groups decide to stop, but others don’t, continuing to fight for the supplies. The First Missiles land, near-instantly destroying most of China.

July 4, 2019, 11:00 AM: The groups that calmed down unite under common banners, attempting to keep connections with each other. The others return with a lot less human sense, and a lot more blood on their hands. The Second Missiles are launched.

July 4, 2019, 11:05 AM: The Chaotic gatherers decide to hunt down the Peaceful ones. The Second Missiles will hit the area around the original crater.

July 4, 2019, 11:10-20 AM: Each country has a different way of going about this. In Australia, Africa and Russia, they go in full force, claiming control. In the Middle East and Japan, they try a stealthier approach. Mexico and Canada, mostly just threatening the victims. Which is surprisingly effective. The Americas, they just run in, guns blazing. And in Europe, they use fear to control the Peaceful.

July 4, 2019, 11:20 AM: Many Rebel against the Chaotics, with widely ranging conclusions. Some are… Actually, Many are killed. Some actually stave off the Chaotics. Others willingly give up their resources. Others furthermore fight back, with death on both sides. It’s a bloodbath wherever you go. The Third round of Missiles have already launched.

July 4, 2019, 12:00 PM: The Chaotics are either dead, in control, or heading “home” with resources. The Second Missiles have landed, destroying what little of China was left, and many of the countries surrounding. Russia, the Middle East, and the Philippines are next.

July 4, 2019, 12:15 PM: The Settlements have begun to organize, figuring out ways to handle the food stocks and give medicine to the people who need it. Others, run by chaotics, are trying to figure out how to rule after the apocalypse begins. Some have at least some sense, but others are ruthless.

July 4, 2019, 12:30 PM: Chaotics have begun to loot police stations for weapons and ammo. Not surprisingly, many of the stations were looted in the original panic. The Fourth Missiles have been launched.

July 4, 2019, 12:45 PM: The Chaotics that actually get weapons return, now even more intimidating. They take, with force if needed, potential and definite weapons from their “citizens”. The Third Missiles have landed. Russia is partially destroyed, as Iraq, Turkey, Iran and the countries of the middle east are now barren from the bombs. The Philippines are nearly fully destroyed. Australia, Africa and Europe are next.

July 4, 2019, 1:00 PM: Religious persons in most settlements begin to ramble about the end of the world, chaotics either shooting them, knocking them out, or throwing them out, to be dealt with by the nuclear holocaust. The more passive settlements try to calm them down, or if it’s lead by a religious person, reassuring them that their god/gods won’t let them die. The Fifth Missiles are launched.

July 4, 2019, 1:30 PM: Parts of Australia, Africa, and Europe have been destroyed. The area for the bombs just continues to expand, destroying most of the world by 3:00. But that’s later.

July 4, 2019, 2:00 PM: The Passives in the surviving countries make one last trip to find food and water. They bring home as much as they can.

July 4, 2019, 2:30 PM: The world has almost been fully devastated. The remaining settlements pray for shelter from the blasts, hugging, kissing, and caring for their loved ones, one last time.

July 4, 2019, 3:00 PM: The very last bombs go off. Many of the Settlements have been destroyed, each one housing hundreds, some thousands. Each one has stored some extra supplies, for those who may survive. It matters not which settlement in the world it may be, almost all of those about to die embrace each other, tears streaming down their faces. Although there are the exceptions of those who take cover foolishly. Those which survive, celebrate, and make sure they will be able to survive those five years.

[steamishot]

Asia Trip Recap

I think I write this with some heaviness in my heart because I regret picking fights with him during the trip. Note to self: don’t travel with your SO when you’re PMSing!!

A few days before the trip, we met up at Wurst to plan our itinerary. I was tired from work but decided to meet up with him anyway. Again, he arrived later than he said he would and that put me in a bad mood. When I realized he was going to be late again, I almost cancelled on him and thought “maybe our relationship would be easier if it was long distance, so we won’t have to deal with these things”. During our dinner, I was annoyed because I felt he was judging me by putting extra sauce on my sausage. He made a disgusted face at it and said it tasted bad, and kept asking me why I liked it because I normally like to eat clean. I didn’t say anything that day and had the night to review what happened. I brought it up to him over text the next day saying that I felt he was being mean. He tends to bend over backwards and admits to wrongs, but i think he started feeling like he was always wrong. He tends to think “big picture” and in this fight, he understood that we were having a fight over food and that was dumb- and that he’s sorry and won’t do it again.

On the morning of our trip, he drove over to pick me up with his mom, who was going to drive the car back from the airport. They parked outside of my house, a few houses up, and my mom and grandma saw me out. Matt and his mom waved from outside of their car and I lugged my suitcase over. I was really nervous meeting his mom again. She was a part time physical therapist at the senior center I used to work at, and I remembered speaking with her a few times. The first thing she talked to me about was Cambodia… how Cambodia and China started off at similar playing fields, but that China advanced way faster. And that she really liked Cambodia. When I saw her I gave her a smile and a “hi”, but she just went for my luggage and was like let me take that. It was like a basic Asian greeting, which I am more comfortable with. So I was standing with Matt and his mom and waving bye to my mom and grandma. As were they. And it was kinda awkward because they’ve never met or knew of each other’s existence before lol. The car ride wasn’t that bad… she asked me a few questions about living in Echo Park and stuff about our trip. Me being the way I am, I said like a sentence in response to the questions and stayed quiet otherwise. I was sitting in the backseat and heard them talking about typical Asian stuff like universities, education etc. that almost put me to sleep LOL. I understood what he told me then, that his parents are pretty serious and he doesn’t joke around/laugh with them. Whereas I’m constantly joking with my parents and never really speak seriously with them. When we arrived at the airport and said our goodbyes, she told me while pointing to Matt, “he is a crazy boy”. Later on, Matt said that it was weird how his mom was fake laughing in the car and weird how she referred to him as a “crazy boy” since she’s never done so. When we boarded the airplane, I texted my mom and he texted his that we were about to fly. His mom responded additionally with “Connie is a good girl. Treat her well.” I saw the message pop up on his apple watch and he quickly swiped it away, because I think he saw my name and wasn’t sure if it was a weird message or not. But I read it quickly before he could haha. He responded with “Ok” and it made me feel good that his mom kinda accepts me.

The plane ride with ANA was great because it’s ANA and they have exceptionally good airplane food. We also got to play sexually a little on the plane so that was fun. I got mad at him again at the airport when I felt he was questioning me too much lol so that was like another hour wasted on negative energy. When we checked into our first Airbnb, it was worse than we expected… the floors were also dirty and I felt dirty laying on the bed. After I got up from the bed, I felt itchy. We were dirty as well being on the airplane/traveling for the last 15 or so hours. We ended up having sex and then showering/changing to get ready for the night. We both weren’t happy with the accommodation so we looked into other options. We went downstairs to speak with the host person, and he agreed the place wasn’t as nice as the pictures, i.e. “I admit that the pictures are professionally taken lol” lmao. So he agreed to refund us and we agreed to pay the clean up fee. I later contacted Airbnb with photos of the dirty floor and they refunded me the rest. We ended up checking into a nice hotel like 4-5 blocks away. The taxi ride there was $10! But it was wayyy more comfortable. After that experience, I was afraid the Airbnbs I chose for Korea and Taiwan weren’t going to be as good, and thought maybe doing hotels for Asia would have been a safer choice. When I came last year with my mom, there were two instances when we had to cancel our Airbnbs and stayed at hotels as well.

That night, we asked the hotel guy for recommendations. The place he recommended for izakaya was just alright… I think he recommended only like the “touristy” restaurants where they have English menus. We walked around til close to midnight and went back to sleep, so that we would be on the new timezone. The next day, we went to the Tsukiji fish market, Asakusa temple, Shibuya, standing sushi, and Kobe beef dinner. I thought the standing sushi was really fun and interesting. The other places I’ve already been to last year, so they weren’t that big of a deal to me. Tbh, the food in LA is just as good or even better than the places we had in Japan. The last (half day) we were in Japan, we had soba at a little shop outdoors that seats like 8 people max. That was one of the highlights. We also got to see the cherry blossoms… and those were beautiful. I was reminded at the garden that I’m more of a naturey/countryside person than a city person. (I enjoy the city only for food haha). Matt’s back hurt a lot the first night. I remember getting up at 5am to give him a massage. We did some yoga and I really enjoyed taking baths and using the bidets/toilets.

Going to Busan was a struggle. I didn’t know that the train to the airport only came once every half hour (instead of every 10 min or so). We were freaking out because we thought we were going to miss the plane. Once we got to the terminal, we ran and ran lol. And we literally got to the check in like 10 minutes before the window would close. After check in was another struggle, going through security. The line was longer than we thought, but we made it! We got to the gate as people were boarding. Very close call and stressful. I was so hungry on the plane that I ended up ordering instant noodles and paying for a bottle water.

It was gloomy when we reached Busan. We waited for the airport “limousine” bus to the city. There were a lot of Hong Kong people waiting around too. I started feeling sick and hot and took my sweater off on the bus. Matt said to put my sweater back on or that I will get sick. He said it’s the stress and being in a new environment that I can’t feel that I’m cold but I really am.. so I thought that was caring of him and put my sweater back on. It was my first time being in Korea. When I saw all the taxis lined up, I was reminded of the Korean dramas I used to watch. It was like K-drama coming to life for me. We stayed near the Busan station and the location was perfect. There were restaurants and coffee shops everywhere, and it was close to the station. It took a while to find the Airbnb but we were both blown away by it once we entered. Ironically, it was the cheapest Airbnb of our trip as well. The view was fantastic and everything was new. The washing machine was nice. The fridge was built into the cabinets. The A/C and heater were all new and so technologically advanced. I remember that about Busan’s airport- how advanced it was. Even though Japan is known as the city of the future, their airport was under renovation and all their workers were old and slow. The machinery they used was also kinda outdated. Not in Busan. The best thing about the Airbnb was the heated floors. I didn’t realize they were heated until I woke up in the middle of the night to go pee. The first meal we had was pork soup and rice, with sides. I really enjoyed it because it was clean and we had way too much ramen the few days before. Busan also had way less tourists than Tokyo. I felt like tourists/foreigners were everywhere we went in Tokyo. Most people knew how to speak English. In Busan, there were like no tourists around and no one spoke English. It was definitely more fun that way.

The first (and only) full day we had in Busan, I wanted to eat at a little restaurant in the train station. The food didn’t look amazing, but it was one of the few things open and the owner seemed nice and encouraged us to eat there. As we sat down, Matt said “I’d rather eat at McDonalds”, which I got angered by and started a fight by calling him judgmental. The mood was tense the first few hours, mostly on my end. And it seems our “fights” mostly revolve around him being late or something food related (wait for the last fight). I guess we learned how to work with each other. When I was living in Taiwan, and visiting Japan with my mom last year, we often just chose restaurants by random. I was down to do that this time too, but he wasn’t so much into the idea. He prefers to yelp or use Tripadvisor for the restaurants we eat at, even though he claims he “doesn’t care about food” (eyeroll). So I would get annoyed when after being on Yelp or TA for a while he still couldn’t decide on something, or when he’s looking down on his phone so much he’s missing things in action. His argument is that he wants to have a plan of action, and he wants the decision to be a good one. My argument is that you can kinda tell whether food will be good or not by looking at the menu/restaurant/food in front of you and consulting the internet isn’t always necessary.

Anyway, we went on our day as planned. The temple was okay, the beach was nice- had a Santa Monica vibe to it, but it was foggy and we couldn’t see much. The cultural district with the “slum” view was super nice. Afterwards we went to a seafood market. It was then when he realized he wasn’t as adventurous as he thought. I learned that he wasn’t as adventurous as I thought too. He really enjoys watching travel vloggers (mostly white people) so I thought he would be into trying new things/food. But sometimes I felt he was like a white guy in a Chinese guy body- minus Chinese food, he can eat that. We went into the Jalgachi market and ran into a Chinese store owner. “I’m Chinese, not Korean. I’ll give you some extra free seafood for being Chinese” he told us. So we walked around and checked out the other stalls and came back to the Chinese guy. I got to try live octopus for the first time! Years ago, I was keen on trying it in Koreatown but for some reason couldn’t find a place and gave up. I also read that there were some deaths related to eating this because the tentacles may suck on the inside of your throat, but I don’t know how true that is. It was just as I imagined it tasting. I think it’s just the novelty that is fun. It was really nice going back to the Airbnb and sleeping next to such a nice view in a nice apartment.

Learning from our previous hurdle, we got to the airport early this time. However, we faced another hurdle… I think because Korean technology is too good. They stopped my luggage because I had about 40-50 face masks and it was required that I have them in a zip lock bag. The lady was nice enough to bring two out, but I was sad when I saw that there were about 15-20 that couldn’t fit and that were would have to throw them away if I didn’t check in my luggage. Most of the face masks, I had bought from Japan to give to my mom as she requested. The others, I had bought from a Korean store thinking it was special (later on finding out that they sell them here at target!!!) I couldn’t decide on the spot, but I looked sad that I had to throw them away. Matt went ahead and checked them in for a fat fee of $50 and regretted it immediately. When we were figuring out what to do, he said it’ll cost $50 to check in. When I asked him are you sure? He said he wasn’t sure so in my head I thought maybe it’s only $25. But internally he was sure. He felt bad about that, and I venmo’d him the money immediately because it was all my stuff. We both felt bad about it. At least we got to check out a few cool lounges at the airport.

At the Taipei airport, I learned about mainland Chinese people. They do not leave gaps when waiting in lines because people will cut. That is something Matt is cognizant about. They have a different understanding of personal space and will get up all in your business. I was annoyed by them and understand what people mean when they say Chinese people are rude… but it helped me understand where Matt is coming from sometimes. They’re just blunt and to the point and it is normal for them to speak that way. Maybe I’m the more Americanized one? At our last airport stop from Taipei to Shenzhen… I got cut twice in line at the restroom because I was the only person waiting in line. Anyone coming in will go in front of me and wait right in front of the stall that has the person coming out. Culture shock: you snooze you lose.

On our train ride to the city, we were looking up things to eat, and I said something like I want to eat! And he said “again??” and I got upset at that. When we got to the Airbnb, he ate some pastry we bought but didn’t have the capacity to eat. I thought, “why are you eating a pastry when we could be eating local food. What are you doing in Asia, people come here to eat”. He also commented on the Airbnb saying, it always looks nicer in the photos- which is a valid point because I did agree it wasn’t the best, but it made me feel bad at the time. I accused him of “not letting me eat” because we ate lounge food, or pastries instead of eating local food. I guess I was just being pissy and moody and extra sensitive. We went to Taipei 101 and he had Starbucks reserve for the first time. We went to the top of the tower and got to experience the observatory. For dinner, we went to eat at a fancy hot pot place I ate at with my friends back when I studied abroad there. I didn’t expect it to be so expensive, but the bill came out to be $120. A little into the meal, he said something along the lines of “I think you don’t know what you like to eat either” and that I only chose this restaurant because my foodie friend influenced me to. I got defensive because I felt like he wasn’t listening to anything I was saying – it was true that my foodie friend reminded me of this place and that I do value his opinions, but to imply that I only wanted to come here because my friend told me to angered me. I wanted to go back to a nice place that I’ve been to 5 years before. Had I known dinner would have cost that much, I wouldn’t have gone. Anyway, we argued through dinner and I couldn’t enjoy my meal as much. We were the last ones at the restaurant and I paid for the meal because I wanted to take responsibility for the cost. We went to the nearby night market after that. Whatever we were arguing about, he wanted to look at my text messages as proof of something, but once he saw my texts, he realized he was wrong. He was annoyed at himself the rest of the night and wasn’t in a good mood. Fighting with him felt different than fighting with David. Because even though we were arguing, I felt like we were still together and that he wouldn’t leave me. He wouldn’t emotionally shut down to the point where he would ignore me or walk away. Even though we were both in a bad mood, we still stuck close (maybe because we were in a foreign land), and I still felt secure in us. We went back to the Airbnb, where he worked on some applications for residency. It was like he couldn’t concentrate… it was the first time I saw him when he needed time alone/to himself. I left him alone, and then cuddled him later in bed.

The next morning, he was acting lovey and cuddly, more so than usual. He said it was his way of saying sorry. I had more to say… and he said guys can’t win with females, because they have ammo from way back when lol. But anyway, I asked for a full apology and it was fine after that. We started our day kinda late, but it was okay because we were both already really exhausted from traveling/walking everywhere and could use the rest. We went to eat Chun Shui Tang for breakfast, which was a highlight of the trip too. Chun Shui Tang supposedly “invented” boba, but I just recently learned of it. We had beef noodle soup and fried chicken, and jasmine tea with pearl. Everything was amazing. Afterwards, we went to Yangmingshan, the national park. The first stop was really nice and pretty. We had an impromptu picnic. The second stop- the main one with the cattle and grasslands—was filled with fog, so we couldn’t see anything. After that, we went to the same night market as the night before and had a better experience. It was a holiday of some sort so there was a parade and firecrackers. We also saw gogo dancers on moving cars. The dan dan mian we had was also excellent. We waited in a semi line for this sausage rice thing at a stall which a “michellin star guide”. It was my first time having it so it was interesting- good to try but wouldn’t get again. We went back home after and considered going clubbing, but was like nah- since neither of us had clubbing appropriate shoes. We went to eat xiaolongbao instead. In hindsight, I probably focused too much on food, and we should have racked up the energy to do some nightlife lol.

Our last day, we woke up kinda late, because I felt like my period was gonna come soon and therefore I was extra tired. We got ready to check out and left our luggages at Taipei main station, where we would have to go for the airport. Right below our Airbnb is a dance studio (ballet). They had pictures of all the girls in the class on the wall, and they had one special ed/down syndrome class. Matt described it as “little girls under us” which I thought was funny and made fun of him for. When we were leaving, there was a girl with down syndrome waiting there, so that was nice to see. Very independent. Memory in Tokyo: a little girl (~5 years old) standing next to Matt on the bus, and yelling out: hey stop the bus! It’s my stop! Also another memory from Taipei going to Yangmingshan: a lady yells at the bus driver saying why didn’t he stop the bus when she pressed the button 3 stops ago! (why she didn’t voice anything until after 3 stops later, don’t ask me). We went back to Willbeck coffee shop which had this really good sesame coffee latte (something I’ll miss). Then we went to this niuroumian place in an alleyway we saw that had a long queue. We waited in line and then were guided to sit down in front of another Asian American couple. We shared a table with them and sat directly in front of them. “this is intimate,” Matt said. The girl was like where are you guys from? To start conversation. Later we found out that they are both starting residencies too- basically I had lunch with 3 doctors lol. Matt was really good at talking to them and made them laugh, and I would just say something here and there but keep quiet the rest of the time. After they left, it was interesting to hear what he said about our interaction. We both forgot their names. He said the guy is good at bringing up a topic and the girl talks about it and finishes it. He said I mainly looked down and said something every 5 minutes lol. He said I was mostly focused on the food and the others were more half and half. But he admitted that he didn’t know what he ate afterwards. That was something I used to tell him when we first started dating, to stop talking while eating so he can taste the food.

So to the airport we went. Last stop Shenzhen for a layover before heading back to LA. When we got to the check in point, the guy nonchalantly told me: you have two problems. 1. The flight is going to be delayed so you will most likely miss your connecting flight. 2. You don’t have a Chinese visa so you might not be able to leave China. And Matt was like uhh those are pretty big problems no? So I was freaking out a little. Matt told me to relax, and that it’s coming from him (I’m usually the more relaxed one). Matt had a flight to Kunming from Shenzhen the next morning at 7am, so I thought if I missed my flight, at least we would be able to spend the night together.

So we stayed at the Taipei airport lounging for a few hours. The niuroumian they had there was actually really great. Walking into the lounge, it was like walking into a restaurant. That’s Taipei for you. Matt stuffed himself per usual and I ate a little bit. I ended up drinking like 4 glasses of red wine because I was stressed out about the flight situation. I was already pissed at Chinese people for them cutting me in line and being “rude” (culture shock), and horror stories from friends about going through China’s airport didn’t help. Matt took the subject seriously too, and told me to try to find nice looking customs people to talk to. He kept saying how Chinese people fear the government. But he also told me to relax. Drinking while watching music videos was fun. I was a little tipsy going on the flight. When we boarded the airplane, Matt noted how the airplane is part of the Boeing 737 Max line that crashed. I was like what the fuck. What else can go wrong. The flight was like 95% Chinese people with like 2 white people. We later found out that the pilot was also white (when he made the announcements). We were both like, thank goodness there are white people on this plane. I felt more safe.

Contrary to my expectations of it going to be a bad/scary experience, the Chinese people were actually really friendly and helpful. As our group of plane people entered the airport, there were two girls who shouted “who’s going to Kunming tomorrow morning?” so they had a plan of action for Matt already, who they were going to hook up with a hotel for the night. They also knew about me who had a connecting flight. They helped me get a temporary visa and I went through the airport no problem. They told me to hurry up and check in upstairs and said Matt can retrieve my luggage and bring it up to me later.

Takeaways from the trip:

He mentioned how I do stuff he doesn’t like either but he just lets it go and doesn’t point them out. Whereas I’m nitpicky and point out the stuff I don’t like. He then feels that he’s always in the wrong/can’t do anything right. I think this was a problem in my past relationship too- my perfectionism. One thing he said that stood out was that I hold him to a really high standard. And it’s true. He says I respect my friends more than I do him. That if my friends act a certain way, I can always justify it and I’ll be on their side. But I have trouble doing that for him. Which is another thing I think is true in relationships too. Because I don’t see my friends as often, or their lifestyle/decisions don’t affect mine as much, I can easily be more supportive. I can let things go more easily because we aren’t as very intimate. That’s something I will work on doing.

And our pride- we both want to be right, but in reality, we are both right to an extent. Towards the end of the trip, I realized that what he says is right too, and it seemed he realized what I mean as well. We are both stubborn and forget to be kind over being right.

Anyway, this trip was stressful, the way it was planned wasn’t the best. We only had one full day in each city and maybe at least 30% of the trip itself was traveling/going to and from airports. That put pressure on that one full day being going well. Since I’ve been to Tokyo and Taipei before, I didn’t experience that many new things, so I do want to go somewhere new next time. And that was also my bad, because I wasn’t as open minded to the other countries and I thought it would be nice to be with him to experience his “first” in Asia (outside of China).

They say traveling with someone is like getting a taste of what it’s like being married to them. Even though we got on each other’s nerves and traveling was a struggle at times, we’re still there for each other at the end of the day. I hope, at least. Saying bye to him in China was sad, as he is staying in Asia for an additional 11 days while I’m back in LA. It was hard going from sleeping together for 6 nights straight to not, especially when struggling with jetlag- you just want some love. LDR is definitely harder when your SO is halfway around the world, and there are only a few hours in a day when your times match up. It’ll be hard saying bye to him when he leaves for NY. Maybe I’m needy, but it already sucks not being able to talk to him normally for 3 days now.

Before our trip ended, he kept saying “our trip is ending soon…” and he is planning out the remaining weekends he has with me. He wanted to do Seattle the weekend he gets back, but I said it was too rushed and that he will be jetlagged. So it made me sad that after he leaves for NY, our relationship will never be the same. Because I’m certain his workload will be very hectic and it will remain hectic for at least 3+ years. And that made me realize I really don’t treat him with the same respect as I did when we first started going out. That I’m becoming “comfortable” with him/taking him for granted. So I’ll just be mindful of that in the future. To remind myself to think big picture instead of narrowing down on details.

[lesbrarians]

Junkrat/Roadhog: Voyages Ch 6

Title: Voyages

Characters: Junkrat, Roadhog

Rating: R

Summary:  After a rocky start and some ups and downs, Junkrat and Roadhog are officially partners, even if things haven’t progressed quite as far as Junkrat would like. With his treasure at the heart of their grandiose plans, they take their adventures overseas and leave their mark on the world, for better or worse. (Mostly for worse. They’re criminals.) Sequel to “Origins.”

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The first, and only, item on their agenda was to begin soaking up as much information as they could about Korea’s omnic problem. It took Junkrat approximately fifteen seconds after entering the heart of downtown Busan to immediately forget about their sole objective.

His head swiveled from side to side as he drank in their surroundings, taking in all the food stalls and pop up shops. “Hey, wait a minute,” he said, drawing up short. One of the stalls looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. “Didn’t I see one of these back in ‘Straya?” He thought he remembered the bright green counters and lurid pink and yellow signs that had caught his attention, much as they did now.

“Boba,” he enunciated, looking at the English words on the sign beneath their corresponding hangul. “What is it, Japanese? No, no, that’s where we just were. Chinese? Wait, no, that’s not it.” He tapped his chin. “Where... are we?” He recalled the city name, but the country was escaping him at the moment. Roadhog gave him a moment to collect his thoughts. Then, right as he was about to supply the answer, Junkrat burst out, “Korea!” He thrust a triumphant finger in the air. “Is it Korean, then?” he asked, finally finishing his initial question.

“I think it’s Taiwanese,” Roadhog responded.

“Eh, it's all the same.” Junkrat couldn’t tell the difference between Korean characters and the Japanese ones he had grown accustomed to seeing in Tokyo. This was the primary reason why the signals had gotten crossed in his brain, leading to his temporary lapse in recall of their whereabouts.

“That's like saying Aussies and Kiwis are the same.”

Junkrat tilted his head as he compared the statements. He conceded the point. “Fair enough. Well, whatever it is, I wanna try it.” He pulled out one of the wallets from Roadhog’s back pocket (“new country, new currency!”), and slammed two of the largest bills on the counter.

“I want however much this’ll get me,” he announced.

If the cashier understood English, she didn’t let on, but the money spoke worlds. Pointing at each of the varieties, she said something that Junkrat took to mean “one of each?”

“All of them!” he said, throwing his arms wide.

He lined the cups in a row, all light pastel colours with those intriguing pearls on the bottom. He had fully intended to rapid-fire knock them all back, but then he tasted the first one. The pale brown drink itself was delicious -- sweet but not too sweet --  and then the tapioca balls hit. His body stilled and his eyes went wide as he chewed, and Roadhog laughed at the expression on his face.

“Hooley dooley,” he breathed, staring at the plastic cup as if he was seeing it for the first time. “Bloody beautiful.” He was willing to give the other flavors a chance, but the deceptively light yellow drink turned out to be a sour lemon. He made a face and batted it off the table.

“Two more!” he said, holding up two fingers.

The cashier waited expectantly for payment as Junkrat dumped the water out of his canteen and filled it with milk tea. Roadhog stepped in to pay when it became evident that Junkrat had no intention of forking over more money. He hadn’t drunk the rest of the flavors he’d initially bought, so he didn’t see the sense in paying for replacement drinks. Had it been any other day, Roadhog would have gone along with it. They’d stolen pettier things before.

But if they were going to try to scoop out some information about Korea’s regular omnic invader, they needed to keep a low profile.

Well, as low a profile as two very large men, one with a pig-faced mask and one with a peg leg, in contrasting handknit sweaters could be.

Taking swigs from the canteen was considerably more challenging than sipping through a wide straw. The first attempt sent the boba straight down his gullet, and he gagged until Roadhog thumped his back, causing him to hack them up.

“Shoulda stolen some of those straws too,” he said, massaging his throat. He screwed the cap back onto his canteen and holstered it.

“We'll get some on the way back,” Roadhog told him.

They stopped in front of a newsstand. It was a small stand that was lined with the latest issues of the city's daily papers and was manned by an elderly gentleman who had likely been selling newspapers for the past fifty years. Chained to the checkout counter was a device that Junkrat would have killed a man for. Shaped rather like a square magnifying glass, it served as a universal translator between the input language and the desired output. Tuning it to translate to English, Junkrat watched as the scanned Korean characters changed to English words on the device's screen. It was far from a perfect translation, given that it was a literal interpretation of the foreign language, but it was good enough for him to get the gist of the newspaper articles.

“So yer tellin’ me that if I had this thing in Japan, I could've known what I was drinkin'? Wouldn't've chugged that green tea if I'd been able to, y'know, read what it said on the can." He stuck his tongue out, recalling the vile taste as he leafed through the pages of the day's Busan Ilbo. "That one," he said suddenly, jabbing his finger at a blurry picture of a massive omnic standing knee-deep in water. He thrust the paper and its device, which rattled as the chain pulled taut, at Roadhog. He wasn't going to deal with the hassle of actually reading if he could just listen to Roadhog read to him.

He leaned his elbows against the counter and listened raptly, chin in his hands. Roadhog read the article out loud, filling in the gaps in the translation as needed.

“Citizens prepare for impending onslaught: Local authorities have detected the presence of Yongary, Korea’s local omnic menace, in Busan’s bay. The military’s top scientists have analyzed data from previous encounters and it is predicted Yongary will resurface on the 23rd after two years of dormancy. With new advances in technology, all units of the South Korean army are prepared to defend against its anticipated adaptations and upgrades. The omnic's last appearance is notable due to its disruption of the Mobile Exo-Force of the Korean Army's drone control networks. The past two years have been spent rebuilding this sector’s defence systems. The country’s most promising gamers have been drafted, and hopes are high that they will lead to the defeat of Yongary, Monster from the Deep. MEKA units from Seoul are on notice to aid Busan’s unit against the colossal omnic's impending appearance. Citizens are urged to remain calm. Those within Yongary’s predicted range of impact should fortify their houses and prepare for evacuation.”

“Huh.” Junkrat processed this information. “The 23rd? I wouldn’t be that sure about it. Omnics are unpredictable, the sneaky little bastard -- or, heh, not so little -- could come out any time he wants.”

Roadhog was less skeptical. “They’re sneaky, but they’re still machines. If it’s been returning at regular intervals, it’s not about to break that pattern. It’s clockwork.”

“Ah, good point.” It was a valid observation. Junkrat supposed it could still surprise them by surfacing early, but if it was following a fixed schedule, then the chances of that happening were considerably less than an omnic who attacked sporadically.

“Okay, so all that really tells us is that we’ve got, what, a fortnight to--” Roadhog cleared his throat in warning, and Junkrat choked back the rest of the sentence, ‘to figure out how we’re gonna hack this thing.’ It was physically painful. “--to-- ’til it comes back,” he finished. It was a lame end to the phrase, but they didn’t know how much English the newsstand’s owner spoke, and the man was just on the other side of the counter, eyeing the device in his hand. He seemed worried that Roadhog would rip it off the chain. It wasn’t an irrational concern.

Still, Roadhog was smart enough to know that they probably shouldn’t discuss their plans within anyone’s earshot, unlike Junkrat, who didn’t think that far ahead before he said what was on his mind.

Junkrat tapped the newspaper. “Guess we should probably take this one back with us, yeah?” They might not have been able to read it once they were separated from the translating device, but the pictures could prove useful. Junkrat rolled up the newspaper, stuck it under his arm, and was about to walk away with it when the man behind the counter cleared his throat.

Junkrat stopped and looked up at Roadhog for an answer, bewilderment written all over his face.

“You have to pay first,” Roadhog clarified.

“It’s not free?” Junkrat asked, thoroughly confused.

Newspaper and scrap metal were the only resources that they had in surplus in Junkertown -- it was used as kindling for fires, stuffed in a sack as a makeshift pillow, wrapped around trinkets to keep them out of sight of the rest of the scavengers. He hadn't questioned its existence -- he guessed he'd always assumed that the few Junkers who made it out of the Outback had picked free newspapers up in bulk before returning. How else could there be so much of it? It hadn't even occurred to him that the papers were likely scavenged from recycling, after other people had paid for and discarded them.

“Alrighty then,” he said, deciding to roll with it. He forked over the money, and they set off. “Been payin’ for so many things lately,” Junkrat commented, “like an honest person! It’s weird, mate!” His pace slowed as he surveyed the paper he had just bought.

“There are things we won’t be paying for,” Roadhog said.

Junkrat perked up at that and trotted to catch up with Roadhog. “Yeah? Whatcha got in mind, big guy?”

"We're gonna need more information than what we can get from this," Roadhog said, gesturing at the newspaper.

“Roight, roight, 'course! Can't really do much if we don't know what kinda upgrades it's gonna have. So, how we gonna get the scoop?" He was normally the one who came up with plans, he was the mastermind behind all of increasingly elaborate schemes they’d devised, but he wanted to see where Roadhog was going with this.

"Electronics," Roadhog said. "We need to get a computer and internet access."

Junkrat grinned. "Sure we do! I mean, we'd need one anyway eventually, wouldn't we? To use the god program." There was a heavy silence as they both considered that they had never discussed how, exactly, they were going to deploy the god program. Junkrat had expressed his fantasy about controlling Korea's colossal sea monster of an omnic and using it as a vessel for their god program, a giant beacon that could infect all the robots within its radius and cause them to commit suicide. Yongary's reprogrammed artificial intelligence would still give it free will, which would have been a concern, had it been any other robot they were using as a host. Between the general malignancy associated with the world's active god programs and the fact that Yongary, sans brainwashing, was already hellbent on destroying Korea, the massive omnic would undoubtedly be pliant to their suggestions. It was only a small step to go from actively destroying Korea and its human inhabitants, to infecting the country's loyal omnics and forcing them to annihilate themselves.

But it was anyone's guess as to how they would achieve that. The god program's source code was on a USB, but getting it integrated into the omnic's system was a problem in and of itself, not to mention the fact that its code would need to be altered to include the central idea of "wipe out every omnic within your reach."

"Let's just... see what we can get first, why don't we?" Junkrat said.  

"Hmm," Roadhog grunted in agreement.

They spent the rest of the day idly wandering Busan, snagging meals from unsuspecting street vendors as they scouted out the perfect place to infiltrate. They decided on a small but high-end shop in the basement of a multi-business building, accessible from the outside by a flight of stairs that led to the subterranean shop. From the view of the footpath, it was partially concealed from sight by the protective brick fence that kept hapless pedestrians from falling in. Most people didn't think to look for a store below street level, and they would have missed it if it hadn't been for the neon signs that advertised the place, helpful arrows pointing at the staircase.

They circled around the side of the building to scope out its security and discovered a narrow window -- it was small, but Junkrat, for all of his height, was thin as a rail. It seemed promising. With Roadhog's shoulders to sit on, Junkrat could reach the security camera, and he unscrewed it just enough so that a well-aimed projectile could knock it askew upon their return after business hours.

On their walk home, Junkrat remembered their bet from earlier in the day, and he ran ahead of Roadhog to see if their little nighttime visitor had returned.

Junkrat impatiently waited until Roadhog caught up with him -- he needed him to witness whatever lay inside, so Roadhog couldn’t accuse him of lying -- and shouldered open the door. He caught a glimpse of a shadow scurrying across the floor as the door swung open, and he quickly smacked the light switch to catch it before it disappeared into oblivion. “Aha!” he crowed, pumping his fists in the air. “I win! I win! I toldja he'd come back, and look, he brought friends!” Maybe normal people wouldn't be quite so thrilled upon finding out the place where they slept was infested with rats, but it gave him the satisfaction of winning a bet.

The rat and his two new companions disappeared into a dark corner, and Junkrat investigated. He’d found their home, a nest woven out of rubbish and strips of old bedsheets. The smallest rat settled into the centre of it, and Junkrat looked between the three of them: large, medium, and small.

“Is this yer family?” he said, thrilled to pieces. The rat did not answer. He squatted down beside them, propping his elbows on his knees. “He has a family, ‘Hog, look!”

“Oh, goodie.”

Junkrat picked the biggest rat up -- his rat -- and immediately set it back down again when it hissed at him. “Okay, y’don’t like being picked up. I can respect that.” He had spent most of his life being touch-starved, and it was something he paradoxically both shied away from and initiated. He liked to touch other people; he was constantly reaching out to other Junkers and trying for physical contact with them, his skewed sense of social conventions rendering him unable to tell when it was and wasn’t appropriate to do so. This probably had something to do with why he alienated so many people in his community, and why so many of them considered him a freak. And yet, when someone else touched him first, it made him jumpy. It was so often not pleasant -- the lingering touch before he was shoved away, the hand on his shoulder that forced him to his knees. It never stopped him from continuing to try and be friendly towards the perpetrators, but it did make him twitchy whenever they were the ones to first make physical contact with him.

It was the same with Roadhog, at first. Their initial interactions had been anything but friendly, and for the longest time, Roadhog had only touched Junkrat violently. Now, his shoves were affectionate. There were still moments where Junkrat startled when he felt Roadhog’s unexpected hand on his head or his shoulder, but he quickly relaxed. Touching Roadhog felt so right, so natural, and to have it so easily reciprocated meant the world to him.

Junkrat hoped that the feral rat had the same kind of bond with his rat wife.

“I'm gonna call you Skewer,” he announced.

Roadhog looked up from where he was polishing his hook. “Why?”

“Like a rat skewer! You ever eat those before? They’re not bad.”

Roadhog stared at him. “What is with you and naming animals after food,” he said. “You wanted to name Piglet ‘Bacon’ too.”

Junkrat shrugged. “S’all I know, really. That’s what they all are in the end, ain’t they?” Living in the Australian Outback, Junkers viewed animals as nothing more than food. He had tried to keep a dingo as a pet when he was seven years old and had woken up to find it roasting over an open fire. It had been a formative day for him. One of the older Junkers had lectured him about wasting food by trying to domesticate it, and he learned his lesson.

Roadhog was quiet for a few moments as he gazed at him. He crossed the room to sit next to Junkrat and pulled him close.

Junkrat made a noise of surprise, which was promptly smothered by Roadhog’s sweater. He had expected a chastising remark about how not all animals had to become food, not this sudden display of sympathy.

"What's all this about, ya big lug?" he asked, voice muffled by the thick wool.

"Your life."

"What's wrong with me life?" Junkrat twisted his head so that he could breathe, cheek resting on Roadhog's chest. "Oh, because I think animals are food? That's the circle of life, mate. Ya had pigs, y’should know all about it!"

“I didn’t eat my pigs,” Roadhog pointed out. “It wasn’t that kind of farm. They had names.”

“Yeah, yeah, I remember Ink. Always running out of the pen. What were some of the others?” Roadhog’s grip on him loosened, and he twisted around to lay his head on the swell of Roadhog’s belly.

“Snoop Hogg was one.” Junkrat snickered. They’d found a portable radio in Australia and discovered a channel devoted to classic rap and pop rock. They’d grown to appreciate a few artists. It was hard, leaving the battered old radio behind, but they could only bring so much overseas. “Ink’s sister’s name was Ivy, but I called her Ballpoint most of the time.”

“Okay, I’ve got to hear the reason behind that one.”

“It was just her pen name. ”

It was a lame pun by most anyone's standards, but there were three levels of meaning behind the joke -- three! -- and Junkrat thought it was the cleverest thing he had ever heard.

He could sense Roadhog's pleased smile from behind his mask as he laughed for longer than he should have.

That night, Roadhog fell asleep before he did, on his back and snoring, like always. Junkrat dragged Roadhog’s hand onto his chest, tracing the letters on his rings until he finally drifted off.

[seventeenie]

Q&A Tag!!!

Tagged by @scoup-dumplings​ Thankyou!!

RULES: ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN A NEW POST AND TAG BLOGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER

Tagging: @ohdino​ @prettyshuas​ @koala-hoon​  @supernatural-ouat​  @saythenamei7​ @seokmins-angel ​ @chocodew and @witchywonwoo

You don't have to do this and if I didn't tag you, feel free to do it!!

Nickname: My real name is Gabrielle but Gabby is a lot easier lol

Gender: Female

Height: 5'6 is that tall or like a regular height??? idk lol

Time right now: 1:27pm!!

Last thing I googled: Not my Rodrick memes (Theyre funny and true) lol

Favorite bands: Seventeen, Nct, Got7, Vixx and Fall Out Boy, The 1975, The Cab, Maroon 5 and Imagine Dragons

Favorite solo artists: Ailee, Dean, Ed Sheeran, Birdie, Sam Smith, Bruno Mars, and Justin Timberlake

Song stuck in your head: Dunk Shot by Nct Dream

Last movie I watched: Coraline

When did you make you create this blog: Last June!! Its been awhile! 3 more months and itll be a year :0

What kind of stuff do you post: Seventeen!!!!

When did your blog reach its peak: What lol

Do you have any other blogs: Yes lololol I have three other Nct blogs  @morkshake @jamminjeffrey and @jellyjohnny

Do you get asks regulary: No lol

Why did you chose this url: I love Chicken and Seventeen so it made sense to me lol

Following: Atleast 300 omg I don't know how to check with the new update. I feel like an old lady who cant keep up with technology

Posts: 3,679

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Pokémon team: Instinct

Favorite colors: (Rose Quartz and Serenity) Burgundy and Purple!

Lucky number: 17

Favorite Characters: Makkachin from Yuri on ice, 707 and Zen from Mystic Messenger, and Howl from Howls Moving Castle!

What are you wearing right now: ;) jk lol I'm wearing a pink and black sweater with fluffy zebra pajama pants and penguin socks

How many blankets do you sleep with: 8 and with like 32 stuffed animals and pillows

Dream job: Hmm I wanted to be a writer but I ended up taking a class for it and it just ruined it for me :(( But I want to do something that I love and wont get tired of even if there's a lot of pressure for me to get something done. I just haven't found what that job will be for me yet!!!

Dream Trip: I really want to go to Korea at least once with my best friend. Other than that, I just want to go to a different country whether it be for studying abroad or going somewhere to help out!!  :)

[kutee-boutique-fan-blog]

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If there was an actual broader market for the Dear Teacher I Talk To Everyone Moving My Seat Won’t Help Shirt of such activity, it would be highly attractive. Just as only 3% make it to the top, only a few sportists achieve it as well. And take for example art and writing. Only a handful of writers, actors, musicians get to the top. it’s about giving profit to society (particularly the entertainment industry) by extracting your genetic characteristics that isn’t made from technology but mostly technique, and also, in particular, a mix of creativity, which brings awe to people.

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You won’t be able to extract that from just anyone, since the only reason you got to the top was only because of a certain traits in your biology which made you get there – the ability to think out of the box as well as both intuitive and trained traits amaze some people and will continue to do so. While in sports those who are after professional results do it with the aggressive intention to achieve success, it is not a rule for gamers, which could be prone to play open to live as having the tranquility of a writer if he seeks to just make his art.

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Whereas this relation is obviously not set in stone and with different possibilities from other angles, it gives light to a certain availability gaming permits for people to do. There is money, professionalism and much better social acceptance (if I’m not wrong). We are still amateurs in SG. I was still half asleep – only 6.45am. Iv had my shower and now more awake! I’m sure you originally wrote Lauren.I just didn’t read your edit, only noticed s/he changed her name.

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I am surprised how the BBC is so optimistic about this. Gaming in Singapore is still very poorly developed and undersupported by society. Most of these students will drop out very quickly to go to university and find a “real job”. In status-obsessed and pragmatic Singapore, gaming is still heavily stigmatised, even if SG youth council gives a bit of money to the gaming school. The real place to go to be a pro gamer is Korea or China.

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Conspiracy theory. Get yer tinfoil hat BBC. I heard that England tried to colonize China once. Could this have something to do with former colonies of England co-operating? Get over it UK. It’s over. Go back to yer tiny island and leave the rest of the world alone. Spot on Mikey Kane, and I don’t think the deluded ranting of someone who’s name is actually an anagram should be taken seriously. China has invested heavily in Zimbabwe. They don’t do this for humanitarian purposes.

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Ian Humphreys I do not deny the role that one side of my family at least played in the Dear Teacher I Talk To Everyone Moving My Seat Won’t Help Shirt of the other side of my family but some of us are trying to do better in the future than our ancestors did in the past. But I digress. This thread is not about Canada, so let’s get back on topic. The only way that Canada ties into any of this is that, yes Canada is a colony of England with the US empire as our closet neighbour. That’s where the relevance ends. Canada is along way from Africa.

[fallingskyward]

“Three makes a crowd”--well they’re not wrong

I don't think about the repercussions of my decisions.

Then again, I can't see into the future very well.

Before I left for Korea, I came back to my college city for three days because I had to sign the leasing contract for my apartment next semester. On one of those days, I got lunch with a close friend—the friend who I'm living with now.

Over our meal, we caught up with each other since I hadn't seen him in about two months, give or take, and he told me he had met a guy and that he really liked him. Of course, I was happy for him! Ecstatic, even! Because who wouldn't want their friend to be happy?

Come over a year later, I'm basically living with him and his boyfriend. Don't get me wrong, I actually really like his boyfriend since we get along pretty well. He was in music, I was in music. We like to pick on my friend (his boyfriend) a lot. Our families are even pretty similar. And my friend is still about the same, so it's not a bad thing.

Tl;dr: I like the both of them.

What I don't like is feeling the third wheel almost all of the time. I feel like there's an odd barrier that my friend sets up between me and his boyfriend, especially at the beginning. I was excluded a lot, but not by his boyfriend, but by my friend.

I can't tell if it was just paranoia that we wouldn't get along or if he was afraid I'd get in the way, but it felt awful. There was an obvious wall between me and them, and the isolation was causing me to feel sick because 1) I was baffled that my friend would act like this in the first place and 2) how was I supposed to live here for a year if it was distinctly me vs them?

They weren't the “us vs the world” kind of couple, but the subtlety was still there, in every push as my friend ushered his boyfriend into his room and in every awkward glance he gave me when I would accidentally interrupt a conversation between them.

It got so much better after we all sat down at the dining table, drinking margaritas and talking about food. Then the next day, his boyfriend and I watched a horror movie together (my friend had fallen asleep on the couch because he hated horror movies anyway), and the bonding increased. So definitely, that barrier has fallen.

But now, the problem is that sometimes the third wheeling can get a bit much, and I end up wanting to go to my room to curl up in bed and write whatever I feel like. Let me get one thing straight though: I don't like being cooped up in one place—I like a more open space rather than a small, sometimes stuffy room. So, it was either endure the stuffiness or just put up with the couple.

I decided to just put up with them because headphones, music, and today's technology makes it so much easier to ignore them.  

It's funny because I've alluded that sometimes I do feel like the third wheel, and they can sometimes get really bad. My friend replied, "Nah, ____ and I aren't that bad. We're not like a lot of couples."

I get a kick out of that because they are like other couples.

The best analogy I can make is wearing a sweater, thinking it's nice, until someone tells you that you look pallid or fat in it. Or walking out of the bathroom and going about your day until someone taps you on the shoulder and points downward, "You've got toilet paper stuck to your shoe."

And I say they're like other couples because I feel like I'm intruding almost all of the time. There are exceptions though. I have a few friend couples who I'm able to hang out with and not feel like a third wheel because I feel included, and so when they do couple-y things, I don't mind.

Before you start reprimanding me, let me take a deep breath and say that I get that they live together and that couples do need a healthy amount of privacy. I get that. I get that.

But in all honesty, there is still a wall of exclusion that I don't think I'll ever be able to climb because it's not permitted. To respect my friend's relationship, I have to step back from the both of them and let them have their own time. The only thing I want is for there to be a better balance between couple moments and actually making me feel like a friend rather than just an uncomfortable eyewitness to their making it obvious that they're a couple.

[kutee-boutique-fan-blog]

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Conspiracy theory. Get yer tinfoil hat BBC. I heard that England tried to colonize China once. Could this have something to do with former colonies of England co-operating? Get over it UK. It’s over. Go back to yer tiny island and leave the rest of the world alone. Spot on Mikey Kane, and I don’t think the Babysitter All I Want for Christmas Is Steve Harrington Sweat Shirt ranting of someone who’s name is actually an anagram should be taken seriously. China has invested heavily in Zimbabwe. They don’t do this for humanitarian purposes.

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Every time you see a post about professional gamers, just pay close attention to the individuals who are being interviewed!.Tired, red eyes, sleepless, and a face full with beautiful spots. It’s like the episode of southpark were they played World of war craft. I love playing games, but playing it to death as a profession….. hmm not to sure. To me, their lives look so miserable living in a virtual world like that. I’ve never seen a teenager with that before.

Babysitter Want Christmas Steve Harrington Sweat Shirt

If there was an actual broader market for the benefit of such activity, it would be highly attractive. Just as only 3% make it to the top, only a few sportists achieve it as well. And take for example art and writing. Only a handful of writers, actors, musicians get to the top. it’s about giving profit to society (particularly the entertainment industry) by extracting your genetic characteristics that isn’t made from technology but mostly technique, and also, in particular, a mix of creativity, which brings awe to people.

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You won’t be able to extract that from just anyone, since the only reason you got to the top was only because of a certain traits in your biology which made you get there – the ability to think out of the box as well as both intuitive and trained traits amaze some people and will continue to do so. While in sports those who are after professional results do it with the aggressive intention to achieve success, it is not a rule for gamers, which could be prone to play open to live as having the tranquility of a writer if he seeks to just make his art.

Babysitter Want Christmas Steve Harrington Sweat Tank Top

I am surprised how the BBC is so optimistic about this. Gaming in Singapore is still very poorly developed and undersupported by society. Most of these students will drop out very quickly to go to university and find a “real job”. In status-obsessed and pragmatic Singapore, gaming is still heavily stigmatised, even if SG youth council gives a bit of money to the gaming school. The real place to go to be a pro gamer is Korea or China.

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Whereas this relation is obviously not set in stone and with different possibilities from other angles, it gives light to a certain availability gaming permits for people to do. There is money, professionalism and much better social acceptance (if I’m not wrong). We are still amateurs in SG. I was still half asleep – only 6.45am. Iv had my shower and now more awake! I’m sure you originally wrote the Babysitter All I Want for Christmas Is Steve Harrington Sweat Shirt.I just didn’t read your edit, only noticed s/he changed her name.

[kutee-boutique-fan-blog]

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Conspiracy theory. Get yer tinfoil hat BBC. I heard that England tried to colonize China once. Could this have something to do with former colonies of England co-operating? Get over it UK. It’s over. Go back to yer tiny island and leave the rest of the All I Care About Is Basketball And Like May 3 Peole And Food Shirt alone. Spot on Mikey Kane, and I don’t think the deluded ranting of someone who’s name is actually an anagram should be taken seriously. China has invested heavily in Zimbabwe. They don’t do this for humanitarian purposes.

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Adan casteism indeed is a blot on hinduism but it is decreasing now and the link you just provided itself states that those silly priests were arrested. So it clearly means that India is trying to end this very old caste system. It’s free there . Millions of people are fed free in religious places like Golden temple , shirdi Temple and many others. And none ask for your ID card to eat there , Pakistanis we know you hate us but why do you lie time to time to spread hate.

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If there was an actual broader market for the benefit of such activity, it would be highly attractive. Just as only 3% make it to the top, only a few sportists achieve it as well. And take for example art and writing. Only a handful of writers, actors, musicians get to the top. it’s about giving profit to society (particularly the entertainment industry) by extracting your genetic characteristics that isn’t made from technology but mostly technique, and also, in particular, a mix of creativity, which brings awe to people.

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You won’t be able to extract that from just anyone, since the only reason you got to the top was only because of a certain traits in your biology which made you get there – the ability to think out of the box as well as both intuitive and trained traits amaze some people and will continue to do so. While in sports those who are after professional results do it with the aggressive intention to achieve success, it is not a rule for gamers, which could be prone to play open to live as having the tranquility of a writer if he seeks to just make his art.

Care Basketball Like May 3 Peole Food Tank Top

Whereas this relation is obviously not set in stone and with different possibilities from other angles, it gives light to a certain availability gaming permits for people to do. There is money, professionalism and much better social acceptance (if I’m not wrong). We are still amateurs in SG. I was still half asleep – only 6.45am. Iv had my shower and now more awake! I’m sure you originally wrote Lauren.I just didn’t read your edit, only noticed s/he changed her name.

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I am surprised how the All I Care About Is Basketball And Like May 3 Peole And Food Shirt is so optimistic about this. Gaming in Singapore is still very poorly developed and undersupported by society. Most of these students will drop out very quickly to go to university and find a “real job”. In status-obsessed and pragmatic Singapore, gaming is still heavily stigmatised, even if SG youth council gives a bit of money to the gaming school. The real place to go to be a pro gamer is Korea or China.