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catenary-chad · 2 months ago

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My concept for an Americanized reimagining/revival of Starlight Express, based on actual US passenger rail history painfully relevant to the entire region around Broadway (the northeastern US)

ft. sacrilegious things like totally rewriting Starlight Sequence, roleswapping major characters, and cutting Rusty entirely (while also bringing Trucker Caboose and a heavily modified OLC Belle back)

(long post btw)

I already made a whole long post about how a lot of “stupid and unrealistic” things about Electra (and Rusty) unintentionally take on a very different, deeper meaning in the context of US railroad conditions (and politics) of the 70s-80s. But tl;dr, applying US rail context to the show bizarrely turns it into a colossal “immer pünktlich” sweater that you’ve snagged your nail on and the whole thing unravels into a weirdly specific and compelling allegory for US politics and railroads of the era in a way it was never intended to.

Electra reads as a bizarrely specific conservative slander of Amtrak and the liberal policies that benefit it. And there’s weirdly convenient parallels for the social themes the original show tried to do. Electrified rail isn’t futuristic and bashing it isn’t punching up in the US, it’s actually been around since the turn of the century and perhaps the most visible and vulnerable symbol of how rail has been disadvantaged and “left behind” by the government in the US for DECADES. And there’s actually a number of other things the show has attempted to do that click into place really nicely when you put them in this context. Like Greaseball’s “coach sexism”- US railroads’ relationship with passenger services pre-Amtrak actually make a pretty good allegory for how “women’s work” is treated. It had become monstrously expensive to run them without government subsidies and railroads tried to cut or downgrade them wherever possible- which is a solid parallel for how the likes of childcare and teaching are treated in the US.

So you could actually do some really smart and meaningful things with an Americanized version of the show, it doesn’t have to be clunky pop culture references. It’s almost kind of sad how well it works because most of the concepts are only relevant in the US, which has never taken to the show as much as the UK/Germany.

While this is presented as an early 80s-era period piece, you only need to change some references to Control’s Grandpa and a few characters’ basis (Greaseball, Pearl, and Electra’s parental figure) to make it close to modern-day because 40+ year old rail equipment is so common in the US and a lot of the same problems exist on the modern rail system.

If the theater is anywhere near NYC, there’s a high chance visitors will firsthand experience how old and ROUGH the surrounding rail infrastructure is and it doesn’t get more immersive than that. There’s a major chance they ride in on a subway or NJT train old enough to have remembered the original Broadway Starlight run, and a considerable chance they deal with delays or cancellations due to aging infrastructure issues. It’s like how Ruhrgold being “always timely!” is hilarious to anyone who sees the show in Bochum because they probably had an ICE run late just trying to get there, even if they’re a tourist.

-Control is now used as a stand-in for the government/other rail authorities, whose complaints and praise about their toy trains mirror real-life sentiment. Their “grandpa’s old trains and tracks” represent the oooold equipment and infrastructure Amtrak inherited/acquired at the beginning.

-Greaseball is… unchanged lol he’s a solid representation of the conservative establishment hostile to rail investment and electrification. Him being abusive to the coaches parallels US railroads’ mass downgrading and dropping of passenger services after WWII until Amtrak came in. Him pulling passenger trains with UP’s livery in the 80s actually works out if you make him one of the corporate E9As in the Heritage Fleet. Alternatively, just pretend Amtrak’s Rainbow Era (where everything had their chaotic original liveries) took a decade longer to end… it’s less anachronistic than literally everything about Rusty anyways.

-Electra is now an actual threat to him he has actual reason to play dirty against. As opposed to a switcher/shunter that would have a completely opposite skillset as him (engines like Greaseball went out of favor on US freight railroads specifically because they have no rear visibility for switching). Not to mention the political divides associated with dieselization/electrification in the US and associated rural/urban divide. He should also be more deliberately group-oriented with his Gang- the first gen carbody diesel engines he’s based on were designed to run as several units attached together (and that’s still how diesel locomotives are used now).

-Momma (now maybe just McCoy) is now the high-maintenance celebrity (Poppa would also work but I’m in favor of giving older women more roles). THAT is spot-on to the actual role steam engines had in the US (and UK) in the 80s, and still do today. She’s there to race to find out just what she’s truly capable of, since the real top speed of a lot of big late-era steam engines was never officially verified. She is not malicious, just accidentally causes constant confusion and delay based on actual mainline steam excursions’ issues in the 70s-80s US that led to them being heavily restricted (though you can probably use a lot of stuff from more recent ones elsewhere because it still happens a lot). She can even get chased by paparazzi because people getting on the tracks to photograph famous engines has caused all kinds of problems! Turn the components into the entourage railtours would have (head end power car/engine, various old coaches). Give her Engine of Love.

-She’s “Grandpa’s old choo choo and friends… ugh come on, you guys used to be great! You were my favorite! Why do you keep derailing and messing stuff up!”.

-She’s far less politically written vs Electra and Greaseball, and mostly railfanservice, which fits how steam was pretty much off in its own preservation world by the 80s and not relevant in the much more bitter mainline revenue train politics. Greaseball could be moderately hostile towards her to represent railroads becoming fed up with excursion incidents, but it’s for pretty legitimate reasons. Electra probably just doesn’t care about her presence either way, unless she gets in the way. As additional historical context for why Electra is steam neutral- the Pennsylvania Railroad, who built 41% of surviving electric lines today, phased out steam engines from the newly electrified southern Northeast Corridor in a relatively peaceful way, just moving them to other lines and not replacing them with more. It’s a way more pleasant scenario than most irl jobs that have been outmoded and faced with mass layoffs. And basically the hard opposite of what British Rail did in the 50s-60s (which is substantially featured in the Railway Series and probably where the original show got the “steam oppression” idea from… but it just was NOT that way by the 80s and when it did happen, diesel engines were a much newer and more experimental thing than electric ones… this is why I have so much beef with the original show’s premise as someone familiar with the RWS, which was generally really realistic)

(I have my own idea of how to make a REALLY hateable Reagan figure steam engine but the above would be more palatable to a broader audience and require less modification)

-Pearl is also largely unchanged. Make her a then-new Amfleet coach, maybe a converted Metroliner. Now she can be both new and naive and indecisive and REALLY want to go fast. As a bonus, the Amfleets were among the first coaches to be electric vs steam heated and she would not be directly physically compatible with steam or older diesel/electric engines without head-end power. Perfect fit for a reverse Cinderella.

-Since Electra isn’t a terribly romantic character, I think it’s more compelling to frame Pearl’s arc as being about discovering your real orientation after years of the media saying what you should be attracted to. She’s had steam romanticized her whole life but it just physically isn’t compatible or appealing to her. Tbh this is a possible reason to make McCoy male instead.

-Bonus: style Pearl like a flight attendant and have her make passive aggressive jokes about air travel (there are no middle seats! Please leave your tray tables down and seats in the reclined position) in reference to the Amfleets being deliberately styled after planes, and Amtrak ads of the time mocking airlines

-Dinah needs very little change herself, other than being aged up to 30s-40s to reflect being an older car. Pearl Twirl makes a lot of sense with Pearl being clueless about the depth of such things and reflecting how older passenger cars were replaced with new Amfleets around this era. Rather than get back with Greaseball at the end, she runs off with McCoy’s entourage in reference to old cars like her getting a second life in museum settings.

-Lotta Locomotion is less demeaning in the context of Amtrak’s motive power crisis of the 70s-early 80s. They had oooold stuff and struggled to get functional new engines so it really is something coaches would be concerned with.

-Freight as an argument perfectly suits the tensions between freight and passenger service in the US since WWII (relevant in the 80s, still relevant now outside the NEC). Tl;dr passenger trains got painfully deprioritized because freight made way more money, and freight trains becoming absurdly long and physically unable to move over and let passenger trains through has wrecked arrival times in more recent decades. I don’t have really hard ideas of how I’d tweak most of the Freight characters, I think you could mostly carry over the originals, but you could also work in aspects of industrial decline or unions’ relationships with railroads at the time. Honestly you could do a whole separate musical about the woes of US freight rail, they go deep, just not in ways that work into the other themes in this rewrite.

-Power cut before AC/DC- Control complains that “the new train I got for Christmas sucks! It doesn’t even work!” and their mom interjects “No, it’s your grandpa’s tracks and wiring from the 30s causing problems, let’s try and clean them up. Maybe you can ask for some new ones for your birthday instead of more toy cars.”

-Electra is now the new AEM-7s Amtrak ordered in the late 70s-early 80s. Make them as aggressively small as possible for maximum realism, those things were infamously tiny (~50 feet long). Making Electra genderblind would be very appropriate for this version.

-Rather than unconfident, Electra is incredibly defensive, yet smug about knowing what they could do in proper conditions and kind of a bitch. Self centered and prone to changing their mood on a whim. Actually not that far off their canon personality, but now in a light that explains just why they make such a big deal of being electric and seem so short-fused- they’re a minority that’s been overlooked and screwed over for years. Greaseball also treats them as hysterical over any legitimate complaints and dogs them for constantly asking for money. There’s an almost endless well of “damn liberals” jokes for him to use against Electra. It’s a bitter, much more even rivalry compared to Greaseball vs Rusty.

-Other than making the Japanese Engine less egregiously offensive, the Nationals can be largely unchanged, I think they’re all electric models anyways and at the time, all from nationalized rail networks.

-Have Electra fail in the first heat due to powerline failure, Greaseball’s sabotage, or McCoy’s genuine bumbling, and go full No Comeback and blame themself for it when it was due to outside factors

-How do the comparatively mediocre US engines win? Mix of Greaseball/McCoy doing the above, and the race being on tightly curving tracks in notably bad condition that a lot of the Nationals wouldn’t run well on. Cue Control being in constant dismay at how many trains keep derailing or failing and getting mad at them too.

-Also made a previous post about this, but in place of where Momma/Poppa usually is… bring back the general concept of OLC Belle the Sleeping Car, and turn her into Belle the GG1. That was the nearly 50 year old electric loco class that largely ran the NEC until the AEM-7s. The Ella Fitzgerald angle aligns perfectly with them working out of NYC starting in the late 30s and being known for a sense of effortlessness. The “fallen star” narrative also works with their full history, they were the symbol of what US electrification was posed to become- and got cut off by WWII and the railroads’ fates afterward. They also ran their absolute last excursions in 1984 and her blowing a transformer after her win exactly matches what happened to one of them. In a much more morbid twist, there’s no question of her faking it, the GG1s were on their absolute last leg and so trashed physically at the end that they’re one of the least likely engines to ever run in preservation.

-This is a BOLD choice (that would NEVER work in Bochum), but turn Dustin into a uranium flask (concept art here). I’ve gotten the impression that Hydra wanted to be nuclear-coded because he’s alternative energy, green, and seen as scary and untrustworthy. But while nuclear submarines and boats are long established, nuclear steam engines are far less practical on rails so you can’t really go that route… unless you make it about nuclear power plants supplying electrified lines.

-Uranium flasks are HEAVY and being quiet is a main PR policy of the nuclear industry, so Dustin’s size and shyness is a super fitting trait. They also have a really fun history of being crash tested to play with. They smashed a whole diesel loco into one in the UK and it was totaled but the flask was fine. You can even give them There’s Me because “I may not be the one you want to see” and “I am always there” are a funny double entendre for nuclear power’s negative rep but constant generation. Also free opportunity for a female or genderblind freight role if you call them Curie.

-Slick and/or OLC style trucker Caboose would both work really well as saboteurs. The oil industry sure doesn’t want to move away from diesel engines. And road vehicles are the #1 enemy of ALL trains in the US. Also, while Caboose acting like a British brake van gets laughed at, cabooses were and still are used to remote control trains irl (Locotrol), so there IS some justification for him to control an engine’s braking! And even better/worse? What do you get when you combine one of those with a bunch of oil tankers? The Lac Megantic Disaster.

-Greaseball and those two deliberately destroying powerlines and other infrastructure to sabotage Electra and basically any of the Nationals both works on a practical level and a symbol of “government not investing in things so they fail” just like irl Amtrak

-Bring back Dinah’s Disco but with lyrics explicitly revealing that the “whistle” thing Electra lacks is… steam heat to keep her warm at night because she’s an older style car! That mismatch was a legitimate issue at the time. An earlier passenger diesel engine like Greaseball would have a heating boiler so it’s still compatible with him not being an actual steam engine. Slick/Caboose can still attack Electra and throw the uphill race riding with Greaseball or McCoy. McCoy could think Slick will get her but the tanker goes after Electra instead, because she “could be converted to an oil burner… remember the Big Boy on the Union Pacific” and is therefore not her enemy.

-Right Place Right Time also works on a much deeper level when the Rockies are turned into SEPTA Silverliner I/II/III EMUs, they’re from the infamously underfunded transit system of… Philadelphia, which fits the movies. Being mean but genuinely helpful is also kind of a Philly stereotype too. You’d have to reshuffle the freight/components a bit for this version so eh, throwing in some quick-change costumes for this isn’t out there.

-Yeah, the Starlight Sequence’s lyrics need a massive redo. I go into it in the initial Electra post, but it just inherently preaches themes associated with the politics that repeatedly hampered electric rail in the US. Make the new lyrics be about that “you alone are an engine, not a train”, joining together as a group is how you actually make systemic change, not bootstrapping and individualism, One of the major advantages of rail IS how much you can link together and move at once. Which is a nice segue to Electra reaching out to uranium flask Dustin for the final.

-As a nod to Jeffrey Daniel, a shortened version of this song is a perfect Electra/Pearl duet instead of the ballads.

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-Instead of the control and conversion speech, the trains all get together as Control discusses what to ask for their birthday “Slot cars? Tanks? Planes?” and the group together yells “TRAINS” and Control goes “yeah TRAINS!”

-Belle the GG1 miraculously comes back as Control’s mom whispers “don’t tell anyone I just stuck the old shell on a whole new motor and frames, they were beyond saving” as a snarky reference to what would be needed to actually run one again.

-How to make Light At The End Of the Tunnel mostly work: return the duet aspect, where McCoy starts praising steam and the newly revived GG1 Belle finishes the lines to be about… steam power plants and electrification.

#stex #starlight express #stex au #maybe if i get up to speed on modern british train politics i’ll try and figure out something more in that vein #but the electric/diesel divide is SUCH a relevant and compelling theme in the US #despite generally making greaseball more malicious in my rewrites i’m actually ambivalent on how malevolent he is.#I’ve seen “just clueless” versions that are really funny and enjoyable it’s just very easy to make him NASTY because of his associations #He’s just a very convenient and effective and weirdly timeless train villain

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waumbgus03 · 2 months ago

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This is a follow-up to this post.

So to recap the point that was made in the other post, the mind flayer canonically tormented Mr. Newby with his past actions and believed he deserved to die because of it, Henry's monologue describes the same sentiment and in the same episode before the monologue Dustin says that Vecna and the mind flayer have the same motivations because Vecna is a part of the hive mind (under the mind flayers control), therefore telling us that we should be applying his motivations to the mind flayer.

As for why it developed its hatred of humanity, i think TFS shows us quite a bit regarding this.

I think the most important lines in the photo attached are:

"It's been rotting me, and that thing, it's like it could smell it" "Well maybe I shouldn't have, it told me his secret"

Because these lines are directly telling us that the things Henry says caused the development of his hatred of humanity AREN'T Henry's thoughts.

Clearly the mind flayer isn't just acting instinctively or whatever, and in fact no explanation of it's motivations have said that. Even the first time we are introduced to the concept of it wanting to kill everyone in S2, we aren't told that. We are told it believes it is SUPERIOR to humans. And the monologue explains why it thinks it is superior

And at the same time, the mind flayer was only introduced to the human world after coming into contact with Henry. It only sees things through his eyes, and that explains why the monologue can be the mind flayers motivations and still be so heavily connected to Henry's pov and the things HE would've experienced.

We actually see this pretty directly shown in TFS. Specifically, regarding Virginia.

When Virginia hits Henry in the attic, he says "you can't tell us what to do anymore..." and she replies with "Us?" And he starts to torment her with her fear of spiders, and has spider legs grow out of his back. yknow

But after she's ran away, he sings Tonight You Belong to Me and Alice comes up and says that "he" isn't Henry. Of course, we could've known this because he speaks in plural and this is called out by Virginia, but still that's direct confirmation that Henry isn't doing this.

Which... actually tells us A LOT about the mind flayer. it hates Henry's abuser, and not just because she is an abuser, but specifically because she is "their" abuser.

There's also the line when Brenner says that Henry killed his own mother and he replies in the deep voice "She betrayed us." Kinda surprised no one talks about that, literally the mind flayer defending killing Virginia because of what she did to Henry-

(I mean, theres also a massive parallel here with Henry and El. "Henry" wants to kill everyone but sees El as an exception and wants her to be part of the perfect world he'll create. In the attic Henry is show with tentacles in his back holding him up and when the mind flayer takes the form of Patty's mom she has the Vecna arm. the mind flayer intended for Henry to look like Vecna and it hates humans so of course it'd want Henry to look more monster-like than human.)

Something that is also interesting is that the mind flayer appears above Henderson Liquor when Prancer is getting killed and it's shapeless. After the scene in the attic where it equates itself and a spider because of Virginia's fear (side note; humanized mind flayer designs should have the spider legs lol), it appears above a bunch of different scenes and it's in the spider shape.

Basically from a thematic standpoint, the mind flayer was pretty much a blank slate, represented by it having no real form (fits with shadows only existing because of the things they take the shape of), that sees the world through Henry's eyes and Henry being abused causes it to develop its motivations that we see in the monologue. This plays into the idea of identity that Kate has talked about regarding TFS, with it according to her being about Henry fighting for his identity.

The mind flayer is in control of the hive mind, and Henry is being forced to conform to it. But at the same time, the mind flayer had no concept of human identity. It comes into contact with the human world and starts to develop an identity - it uses the spider symbol because of Virginia and even goes from using it/its pronouns to using he/him by the time Will is possessed.

The thing also with the spiders is that Virginia is afraid of them because she associates them with her fathers abuse. They are used as a symbol for the cycle of abuse, and so i think this fits pretty well.

I have more to say about this but I think this is a good starting point for talking about my interpretation lol, sorry if this sounds like a random jumble of thoughts i have a hard time putting this into words

#stranger things #the first shadow #st the first shadow #the mind flayer #henry creel #the shadow #st tfs

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borisbubbles · 9 months ago

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Eurovision 2024: #32

32. THE NETHERLANDS Joost Klein - "Europapa" 26th place (Disqualified)

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Decade ranking: 120/153 [Above Ochman, below Andrew Lambrou]

Yeah, #NotForMe. Don't like the blue chicken, don't like the awful murine clickbait faces, don't like how he tried appropriating Käärijä's legacy for his own benefit. In fact, there's a lot I don't like about Joost Klein. Get used to it. Feelings are mixed but they are trending towards the NEGATIVE.

The face of a man I want to trap inside a garbage truck.

What is funny to me though, is that I certainly could have liked "Europapa" if the Dutch hadn't made certain decisions. I have to remain honest. My ranking, my rules, my lack of taste. It didn't work for me.

The song's not without merit though. It's a fun eurodance number at a glance. "Europapa" works best when you hear it live after a few drinks and blurt along with its lyrics. It's an EXCELLENT concert and streaming entry, whipping up a good time out of thin air with few pretences.

As a Eurovision entry though... eh. It tried to be a lot of other things: A tribute to his dead parents, an introspective unspooling of his mental health, a spoof, a meme, a middle finger to society, like all at once? It has that Subwoolfer-like quality of straight men in a mancave brainstorming on how what a Eurovision entry looks like: stupid nonsense. How does that work? The answer to that is "barely", and only if you take it at face value.

The song is not really about Joost dead's father and his world view. That ... I think... is deliberate false advertisement. It's not untrue, but presenting it as the sole truth is a deception. If you delve into the song, you'll find that it's a little bit more complex (and less wholesome) than that.

Verse 1 is about desperately running away from your problems (Joost naming all of the destinations, clawing at people for money, having lost everything but time) and verse 2 tackles validation, desperately craving it and yet not feeling sated. "Europapa" is a coping mechanism first and a song second. It's a deep dive into Joost's inner workings and his soul, but one that exposes him as insecure and vulnerable and putting up a front of irreverence as a mask to the outer world. As per the second verse:

"I'm running from myself, I'm crying out for help - I even give people loads of money and there's nobody who gives me aid [...] turn the radio on, I hear Stromae's "Papaoutai" I won't stop [feel satisfied] until they say "yeah, he [Joost] is doing well, eh?"

Now, this is actually... not a bad thing. It proves that "Europapa" is authentic and has surprising complexity and layers. That's what distinguishes it positively from Finland, which is hollow and cringe.

The problem with the emotions is that they clash with the rest of the song?

Fewer sentiments kill the party mood quite AS hard as one of "Are you feeling alright? 😨 Is everything OKAY?😨 should I call a therapist?" 😨". For me it defo kills the vibe. I don't want to END a fun party song with concern for the singer's wellbeing. The fact that Joost is cishet and therefore incapable of talking about his feelings and yet PUT THESE VERBALIZED EMOTIONS IN PLAIN VIEW IN HIS EUROVISION SONG is enough to set the alarm bells ringing.

Of course it could have worked if the live got it right, but um lol. Let's be honest here: The live was BAD. It was INTENDED to be So-Bad-It's-Good, sure, because that's the only way cishets know to do camp. I don't mind a spoof of a 2008 joke act. It just was... performed and staged so poorly it became the thing it intended to parody.

You sir, are NOT Käärijä.

The best parts of the entry (the emotional complexity and the hak break) are completely washed away by a combination of the awful clickbaity faces, TERRIBLE vocals (the post-chorus "EUROs" in literal Cookie Monster Voice are amongst the ugliest sounds anyone created for Eurovision), nightmare fuel visuals and that ghastly, ghastly outro.

Actually, about that outro. That is what made me turn against Joost. It's the WORST section of ANY song this year. It's the combination of whiplashing from extreme rapture into literal mourning at the drop of a pin (which is kind of... really icky human behaviour when you think about it) with pushing it down our throats by including it in the recap. Make The Guillible Cry With Cheap Emotional Manip, it's not a tool exclusive to Israelis.

And you CAN actually blame this intrusive display of emotional expoitation squarely on Joost because he's a known perfectionist and therefore must have planned the execution of the outro the moment he and his cronies decided to include it in the song.

It did tie the ending together alright. But because it wasn't a showing of personal growth, or strength or accomplishment, which it could have been, it did not align with the rest of the song. Instead it underlined that Joost hasn't moved on and is hopelessly stuck in the past, desperate for validation.

Instead of underlining the cheerful, fun aspect of Europapa it instead brought my attention the dark, emotionally disturbing bits as the last thought, and that ultimately is what killed it for me. The song is a cry for help, which is nothing to be cheerful about.

Aaaaand that's the opinion on the song and the live performance. But we're not done yet because I must address what came after that. 🙄

So, let's tackle the press conference first. Zero complaints about that. I was annoyed with Joost before due to how desperately he tried to push himself as "Käärijä's" successor and fabricated his own PR campaign on TikTok (DIE TikTok), but his behaviour at the PC made me do a complete 180 on him. Him shooting pure unfiltered truth pellets at the EBU and Eden with no regard for the consequences was fucking GLORIOUS. All the things he said needed to be said and were said without a filter. It was pure oxygen and precisely what we all needed to hear, spoken because of its TRUTH and not for clout.

Then, the disqualification. It was 'a valid DQ' purely from a rules perspective but come on now. This was not a DQ worthy incident. He didn't touch the woman and she deliberately, repeatedly refused to respect his privacy despite multiple warnings AND an agreement he made with the EBU. How has this even been reported as a 'crime'? He APOLOGIZED profusely to the lady in question and she refused to hear him and called the police on him. Sometimes you just have the misfortune of running into a Karen on a bad day. And given how riddled with tension this year's backstage was, every day of rehearsals was a bad day for everyone involved.

The DQ went through because the EBU can't fucking clear up the slightest inconvenience. By the time the police became involved, there was no turning back, and they were forced to DQ as per their bureaucracy. The rest is backpedaling.

Both of these things made me feel more sympathetic towards Joost as a person. At the end of the day he's a deeply troubled, complex, tragic figure who (barely) functions on copium and is really terrible at expressing his true feelings and the events surrounding his DQ check out with that. He needs support from those who love him (and enter therapy.) The other delegations taking his side (other than ofc KUN(ts)), is a wholesome signal and proves that Europe can be United By Music even when it is Divided By Politics first. If this disqualification is what leads to some much-needed overhauls for next year (ideally the sacking of Österdahl, the cancellation of the MorroccanOil sponsorship and KAN's expulsion, in any order), I will gladly accept Joost's role in that as the proverbial sacrifce that needed to be made.

Ironically, it was the disqualification that made me realize I shouldn't bump Joost higher out of sympathy for his personality. I didn't miss Europapa on Saturday and barely noticed its absence. The results in the Grand Final were great, specifically because Switzerland won and Croatia beat Israel in the televote. If Joost competes, Swizterland and Croatia's TVs go down in western Europe, while Israel is still top five (since she beat Joost in the semi). He also shoves Bambie out of their serendipitous 6/6/6 placements to boot.

That realization is why I need to eliminate him NOW and not later down the road. I don't care for the song as a Eurovision entry, I DISLIKE the live performance and his presence could have made the results worse for me. Easy elimination at this stage.

Those that care about "Europapa" can keep singing its praises and should. Joost will need and shall appreciate the support after this nightmare Eurovision.

Ultimately though, I am not of his fans.

THE RANKING

#Eurovision #ESC #Eurovision Song Contest #Eurovision 2024 #ESC 2024 #Netherlands #NL #The Netherlands #Joost #Joost Klein #Europapa #BorisBubbles

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aeithalian · 8 months ago

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……you MUST know I want your director’s cut thoughts on a shard or two lol xoxo MJ/kiwiana-writes (my kingdom for asks from sideblogs)

OOOOH hehe hello MJ i keep seeing you pop up reccing a shard or two and just know that every time i see it, i send up a little prayer that your pillows are cold on both sides.

ANYWAYS (most of my followers on this blog aren't RWRB fans but who cares) a shard or two is definitely a weird fever dream of a fic. I read the entire book in like 24 hours (this was just before the movie came out, so less than a year ago) and I, having a strange interest in politics, was like 'hmm, you know what? not enough politics'. So now we have a shard or two. I've always had a interest in politics and I always felt weird about being that person who has a strange in-depth knowledge about the US government, but I think writing the fic helped me think about politics in less of a pessimistic way, like 'here's what I would want to see in modern-day politics'. It also kind of raises the philosophical question of how good people function in a corrupt system without being corrupted themselves, and Alex is such an interesting character to play with on that front because I view him as so idealistic that he refuses to be corrupted purely out of spite and stubbornness.

So, that's how it got started, I think. I told myself I wasn't going to start another WIP while I have one going for a different fandom, but here we are. I originally intended for it to be way shorter than it was (here I was thinking last October that 20k was an insane length for chapter 1, and then chapter 3 ended up being 100k all put together), but it's been such a fun passion project and a real stress-reliever for some reason, and a great way to develop my writing. Somebody in the comments asked me if I write professionally (I do not, and I likely never will, but I appreciate the sentiment).

As for director's commentary, I'm just spitballing here but I have so much fun stuff to share so here ya go.

I know there's this whole debate in the fandom about whether or not Alex goes into politics post-canon, like either go into local politics or start his own firm or whatever, and I generally don't see a lot of people saying that he would go into upper-level politics like he does in the fic. Very rarely do I see any post-canon fics that delve into what Alex's future career might look like if he ran for any office, so I kind of just did it myself, as one does. I do remember seeing CMQ say on their Instagram that Alex wouldn't run for president, but he might run for governor of Texas, but I kind of pulled a Harry Potter fandom and ignored the author (sorry not sorry), but I did make a reference to it early on in chapter 3 for anybody who's looking for any easter eggs). Regardless, it's very fun writing a Gen Z politician who gives no fucks (Alex is Gen Z, I'm taking no critiques on this). I'm so excited for people my age to start running for office. We're going to kill it, I feel it in my bones (you won't catch me up there, but maybe in some health policy behind-the-scenes work, who knows).

The names for the characters were a ton of fun to come up with, and I tweaked them all the time, but here are some tidbits behind some of them:

Edward McKinney's (opposed the amendment in chapter 2 and was Alex's opponent for the Democratic nomination in chapter 3) last name is a play on William McKinley (the 25th US president) to kind of bring this mindset to the table that McKinney is exactly who your stereotypical politician is who would run for president.

Pinkley's name is also a reference to Charles Pinckney, who ran for president in 1804 and 1808 as a Federalist. For no particular reason. I was just having fun with it.

Treacher's name actually comes from the word 'treacherous' because I originally intended for him to be way more of a villain than he ended up being, because I thought it would be interesting to have a political opponent who isn't necessarily an enemy.

Aksel Wolter's (the guy who overthrew my man Onderburg for the Baltonian presidency) name was originally going to be Signe Wolter, but then I saw a cool TikTok that compared some enemies throughout history and saw how similar their names were (George Washington & King George, Jesus & Judas, Obama & Osama, etc.) so I thought it would be cool to have an Alex and an Axel, but the spelling was too similar so that's how we ended up with Aksel because that's also a way it's spelled in northern Europe.

Erik Onderburg's (you know who he is, RIP 😈) original name was Henrik, and that got all the way into the published version of chapter 2 (he's mentioned towards the end), and then when I was writing the first scene of chapter 3 and realized that Henrik and Henry were way too similar, I had to change it.

Ellie (full name Elena) is named after Ellen, with a bit of a Hispanic twist. I think Alex and Henry's deal was if they had a girl, they'd name her after Ellen, and if they had a boy, they'd name him after Arthur. I like to think the middle name would have been Orion either way.

Hunter Weaver (the in-universe replacement of Anderson Cooper) has nothing to do with WASPY Hunter. That was a total coincidence and completely unintentional. But, hey, if you want to believe they're the same person, go for it.

All the research in there is legit! Wikipedia has been a fucking godsend for election results and facts about government structures outside of the US, but it kind of sucks trying to relay stuff into two decades in the future. You never know what kinds of issues are going to be important in 20 years, so I actually kind of avoided that problem by just relating it to some of our current issues today: queer rights, specifically in trans communities, election fraud, 3rd party candidates, human rights issues (ikyk) and so on. And the makeup of NATO, the UN, G20, etc. haven't changed because I can't see into the future.

I also had to do a surprising amount of math? Trying to figure out dates and stuff was way more difficult than I anticipated, especially for election results and percentages, but I realized I really don't need to pull out my TI-84 calculator for a fucking fanfic, but I'm also terrified of the prospect that somebody will correct me on any of my math or research so the calculator stays. It makes for some funny moments, though, like when I realized that if Alex actually ran in the 2040, he would really have Teddy Roosevelt beat for the post of 'youngest president' by, no joke, 3 weeks. So that's kind of fun (and how I firmly decided to have that be the timeline of things).

I write most of the speeches the characters give myself, but I use chat gpt to get me started sometimes (the product is always pretty bland, so it's really just a reference for structure), but I use real-life speeches for reference too. For example (and a bit of a sneak peek), in chapter 4, Alex is giving a speech to the UN General Assembly, and I lifted a couple phrases directly from one of Obama's speeches.

Writing this fic on google docs was a terrible decision. When i was writing chapter 3, the entire word count was well over 160k and the software was getting so laggy every time I needed to control f something for reference. So chapter 4 and beyond is currently being written in a new google doc. Speaking of which, having to switch all my formatting over onto ao3 with chapters this long is a pain in the ass. 0/10 do not recommend having to go through each chapter and fix the formatting every time just because I wanted to have fun little article inserts.

I was going to make it smutty and then i chickened out. i deeply apologize for my cowardice (i've never done smut before).

I guess if you want a couple sneak peeks for chapter 4, I can do that too 😜

If this next chapter had a motto, it would be "every president has their tragedy". Yes, that should probably scare you. (honestly, I'm a little nervous to write it too, just because I know it's pretty dark but hey, if Disney can show Mulan killing 2,000 Huns in an animated children's movie, then I can tag this as mature and not be worried about traumatizing people, okay?)

If it had a theme song, it might be 'Fourth of July' by Sufjan Stevens or 'Abstract (Psychopomp)' by Hozier. (Don't be scared, you'll be fine, because if the chapter after that had a theme song, it would be 'Dog Days are Over' by Florence and the Machine)

So, all the chapters are titled with 5 stages of career development (completely arbitrary, I worked off Indeed's for a while and then I said 'fuck it'). Stage 1 was Establishment, stage 2 was Maintenance, stage 3 (spanning ch. 3 and 4 on ao3) was Advancement. So stage 4 (ch. 5 on ao3) will be Obstruction, so take that how you will. But stage 5 (ch. 6 on ao3) will be Resolution, so that should make you feel better. They're sister chapters, so although the conflict itself is resolved in chapter 4, the lasting changes and long-term effects of that conflict will be mostly featured in chapter 5 (which, honestly, is the one I'm most excited to write because I feel like it's that moment when Alex really grows into himself).

And a little fun knowledge just for you: there's actually going to be a stage 6 (ch. 7, on ao3). I was going to surprise readers by adding on a chapter after I publish stage 5 with a 'psych! you thought this was over, suckers'. Stage 6 is titled 'Reflection', so I'm planning for it to be about how Alex leaves office dealing with the idea of his own legacy and accomplishments (but as I teased in Stage 3, he won't actually be 'done').

I think that's all I've got in me. Chapter 4 is in the works, but it's taking way longer than I'd like (I've only just started part 1 😬) since I started a new job that's kind of sucking the life out of me. I'm very excited to share it, though! I'll be sad when it's over (maybe I'll do a missing moments oneshot series after, who knows).

director's cut ask game

#directors cut ask #ask #ask meme response #a shard or two

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cycleoffates · 4 months ago

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Just found you here after searching Pumpkin Panic (again). You see, I found that demo back in 2014-2016 and I feel like it made a huge impact on what my art aesthetic preferences are because your artsyle is super colorful and the game really gave me candy and Halloween vibes! So once I a while I search official art you have posted about it. Whether you come back to making games or not I wanted to thank you for creating that demo and showing your spooky ocs. Hope you have a nice day!

hello!!! thank you so much for sending me this message. apologies if my response has been somewhat late, Tumblr's a place I hardly check and free time isn't something I have as much as I used to. 🥲 sorry if this is gonna be a long response too! i didn't intend it to be but I'm feeling somewhat sentimental.

even if i've pretty much been radio silent all over the place, this message has been something I've been constantly thinking about for a while. well, this one and a few that have been left on one of my videos. 🥹 (I'm posting them rq bc they bring me joy)

Pumpkin⭐Panic (yeah, with the star bc i found out there's another game called that now) has always been very near and dear to my heart. i made that demo when I was still a kid in high-school w/ a lot of ambitions. the idea for it was very impulsive, bc it started out as me making a gift for my followers on Halloween. i have no idea how I managed to create a demo for it in under a month (I have no clue how I was able to do it back then 💀).

talking about and posting OC stuff has always made me shy bc I wasn't sure how people would perceive it (or rather, my original, non-fandom creations), but it warms my heart to know it's been (and is still) loved by a lot of ppl who remember it to this day, even if it's very old. not to mention, it's very outdated, littered with bugs and was made on a (now defunct) laptop with a broken audio jack (hence why the audio is so loud (LOL)). making a game by yourself is harder than it looks!!!

it's been......... maybe 10+ years now? i think since it's initial creation. wow. typing that out makes me feel OLD. during all that, I put out another game demo and tried to write visual novels, but none of them were finished/saw the light, either. I'm somewhat ashamed of that too. i wanted to make more stories, but I just found myself lacking the time and the motivation (Tumblr was dying, I started working towards a college degree, you get the gist).

at that point, i stopped posting OC content as much (bc you know, social media engagement with fandoms and commissions gets you clicks!). i kept all those to myself (granted I didn't have a lot to begin with LOL) and only shared them with close friends. sometimes i'd post something on the bird-app, but it wasn't constant.

and then few years ago, a couple things happened to me (for the worse?). it opened my eyes and made me realize how impacted I (as a person) and my creations (as extensions of me) were by others who I shared personal connections with (through relating w/my characters). those things changed my life and made me anxious about talking about them again with others. i got scared. it was bad.

from then on, i shifted my gear towards making a lot of money as I could from commissions. flash forward to the beginning of last year, I had my "icarus-flew-too-close-to-the-sun" moment.................... yeah, burnout is NOT fun.

but at the same time, during those years of making bank and struggling, I was able to connect with someone again who made me love talking about my OCs again. i started roleplaying w/OCs again, I started writing and drawing OCs again. granted, they're not the same ones as before, but they're still my characters, and I want to share their stories with the world (someday). yeah okay, this is veering away from Pumpkin⭐Panic so i'm pulling the reins back on it again.

thank you again (from the bottom of my heart) for sending me this ask. this probably wasn't??? the answer you were expecting, but it made me feel something so HAVE AT IT. 🥹 I have attempted to create some semblances of art for a Pumpkin⭐Panic "reboot" but never got far, so it's most likely I won't be picking the game demo project back up. maybe I'll post them here if I remember to?

i've been thinking about giving the main game some closure at least. an artist I follow did something where when they decided to quit their webcomic, they posted the scripts/concept art/etc of said webcomic so fans can look at it. i think that's something I might try and do, if people are interested.

i also had plans for a prequel game (visual novel written conceptual draft)......... that? that's something I'm still thinking of doing one day, mostly because I have a new OC project now (not PP! related) that I want to bring to life but have no idea on the direction I want to go with. a friend told me that maybe trying to do an experimental visual novel with the prequel (of PP!) might help me get a feel for where I want to go for said new story. it doesn't have a proper name that I'm happy with, but............

i just think these goobers deserve that finished, at least.

thank you one again for your ask, sorry if it was sooooo long-winded, and i hope you have a wonderful day as well! <3

#kura says some things #ask #i forgot my tags #long post //#pumpkin panic!

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jaetyun · 2 years ago

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infrunami. (TEASER)

"can you come back to me? cause i was blind to see, that you were right infrunami." (infrunami)

bff's brother!heeseung x reader

implications of self harm, bullying, toxic ex sunghoon, college au but heavily references high school, childhood friends, weed, everyones kinda an asshole, they're both possessive, questionable communication, songfic but the song is mostly unrelated, undercase intended.

synopsis: since you were kids you promised heeseung you'd protect him from anyone who hurt him, but one blown up fight turns into 3 years without any contact. heeseung came to the conclusion the only way to get you off his mind is to patch things up, but it only leads to thinking of you more than before. was what he was feeling not guilt?

est release: next few months ?? we'll see

a/n: new format!! i think this one looks a lot cleaner lol

you couldn't remember how your life was before ningning. your best friend had moved to your street in the 3rd grade, your houses straight across from one another.

ningning seemed straight out of a dream you had, with her closet full of the justice you never got to own. her hair was always perfectly groomed, a pretty headband in place to keep it down. she was the kindest person you had ever met, and though you hadn't met many people at the ripe age of 8 you had guessed she must be the nicest person in the world because why else would she hand you sugary snacks from her lunchbox everyday?!

she was comforting. predictable even. which is why it was such a shock when you had met her older brother heeseung. he was the most confusing person in the world- scratch that- the *universe*. he was always looming in the background, his closet being anything but flashy. seriously, a black nirvana shirt in elementary school?!

because of this, you found yourself constantly trying to talk to him, to figure him out. even though his shy demeanor pushed you away, you'd always come running back. heeseung would never admit it, but he appreciated your company. a lot.

in middle school, it became even harder for heeseung to express this sentiment. 'hey yizhou, is y/n coming today?' became 'i hope to god your little friend isn't staying over', it was just a product of hormones and deep teenage angst. he couldn't help it!

as you both grew, he figured your childish interest in him would disappear. it was simply curiosity, nothing more. so when you stayed clinging onto him, heeseung was left shrugging you off, his disinterest only feeding into your infatuation with the boy.

"you with barcode boy again?"

"piss off, limp dick!" you sneered, tugging heeseung closer to you as you both strode in the hallway.

"you don't have to do that y'know.." he muttered, words barely above a whisper. you turned to face him, tilting your head. "do what?"

"defend me. or hang out with me in general" he looked away, staring at the lockers instead of making eye contact with you. you stared at him for a moment before looking away, your grip on his arm tightening.

"don't be stupid." heeseungs parted lips closed, unsure of how to respond.

"i'll always be here hee. nobody will hurt you under my watch" you proudly grinned, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up. he just nodded, same tight lipped expression he had before.

"yeah, guess i couldn't get rid of you if i tried."

you snorted "was that the goal?"

"damn it! you caught me" he smiled, finally turning to face you. you grinned, softly meeting his gaze.

"i take it back, only *one* person can hurt you"

he cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head.

"who?" you quickly unlinked your arm from his, punching the now open area right above his waist. you gave his ribs one last shank for good measure before pointing to yourself with your thumb.

"i can"

#apollosdiary #enhypen drabbles #enhypen imagines #enhypen #enha fluff #enha imagines #enha x reader #enhypen x reader #enha scenarios #enhypen scenarios #heeseung #heeseung imagines #heeseung x reader #heeseung oneshots #heeseung drabbles #heeseung scenarios #heeseung fluff #heeseung fanfic #enhypen fanfiction

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platinumaspiration · 1 year ago

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Why do you like plasticine more than the alpha hairstyle? why? Maybe I have such an opinion? I always think that in Sims 4, the developer was too lazy to come up with normal alpha hairstyles. I'm sorry that my words were rude. 🙁

I think the game was intended for mobile and lower requirements for pc and so developers opted for the fortnite hair 😅

I don't think you are rude at all, anon. A lot of people have questioned why plastic/clay hair has infiltrated sims 2 and have said it's ugly and doesn't look right on sims. I can agree to their sentiments sometimes 😋

I like it because I do think it looks nice on sims 95% of the time, I like all things 4t2, and my computer likes them lol. Most hair I have don't go over 10,000 poly count and they come in the colors I need/want. I'm a frugal/minimalist person (at heart).

I like alpha hair as well, I just don't play with it anymore. I like seeing others' games that do play with them.

#plataspask #idk but i think my next upload is going to bum you out

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haru-dipthong · 2 years ago

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罠英語・Trap words pt 2

Part 1 had some satisfying explanations for the etymology of trap words. This time it’s the opposite - we’ll be looking at some trap words that have unclear origins.

コーンフレーク → cornflakes ✅… but also → any breakfast cereal ✅

Though the word コーンフレーク is used to refer to cornflakes specifically, it is also used more generally to refer to any breakfast cereal at all. Researching to find evidence of this usage was difficult, despite its widespread usage. Every Japanese dictionary defines コーンフレーク as cereal made of flakes of corn, without so much as a mention of the common “misconception”. You get a hint of the reality of the common usage when you google 「コーンフレーク意味」— three of the results on the first page are variations of 「シリアルとコーフレークの違いは何？」.

The best I can do for evidence is this video from Kevin’s English Room where they refer to various cereals like Froot Loops and Reese’s Puffs as コーンフレーク.¹

非常に代表的なアメリカのコーンフレークでございま�� "This is an extremely typical American breakfast cereal."

Part of the silence here is due to Japanese speakers being generally a bit more linguistically prescriptivist than English speakers, especially when it comes to loan words. There seems to be this notion that the original English definition is the “correct” one - but this isn’t the case! The “correct” use of a word is simply one that conveys the intended meaning. That’s just how language evolves. It’s why “nonplussed” has come to mean “unconcerned” instead of its original opposite meaning. Not to mention, when a word is borrowed into another language, it is now a part of that language. It goes through phonetic changes to match the language's phoneme inventory and syllabic structure, gains its own meaning, and can play by the unconscious sound and grammar rules of the new language.² The Japanese word コーンフレーク and the English word cornflake are not the same word! And it’s ok for them to mean different things! I don’t think this sentiment is widely accepted by Japanese culture, which explains why it’s so hard to find a Japanese dictionary definition that defines コーンフレーク as “breakfast cereal”. (Jisho does though!³)

As far as its origins are concerned, I believe this is a simple case of genericisation (though I can't find any evidence to support that), similar to how we call all hook-and-loop fasteners "velcro".

ハンドル → handle ❌ → steering wheel ✅

This word is was also hard to find any etymology on. Even the best articles I could find are unsure about its origins. There are a couple of theories but nothing solid.

The word ハンドルバー for the handlebars of a bike may have been misinterpreted to mean “steering mechanism” rather than “horizontal pole to grab” and applied to cars as well.⁴ Then in standard Japanese fashion, the word was trimmed down to four morae, becoming ハンドル. Another article suggested that it originally came from the “handling” of a car. The wheel controls the handling, so 「ハンドルを操るホイール」 may have just been shortened to ハンドル.

テンション → tension ❌ → excitement ✅

テンション is often used in phrases like 「ハイテンション」　「テンションを上げる」　「テンションを下げる」, to mean the energy or vibes of a situation. This graph might help:

I did a lot of digging on this, and I couldn’t find any reliable sources or actual records of how テンション came to have this meaning. The best explanation I could find came from an unsourced yahoo answers question (lol), but there does seem to be a consensus: It seems to come from musical tension, specifically tension chords on guitar.⁵⁶⁷ The first use of テンション in this way may have come from bands playing at live concerts. “Tension” in a chord is an extra note that’s not a basic part of the chord.⁸ Apparently adding this extra sound causes a feeling of anticipation - it feels like the music is building up to a resolution, which gets people excited at a concert. Musicians would use the phrase 「テンションコードを上げる」, meaning “build excitement with tension chords”, which became simply 「テンションを上げる」, and this phrase was then adopted by the general population and taken out of its musical context, becoming a trap word!

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tROynQjSSVc [2] https://www.tumblr.com/javerend/702780060197879809/these-are-all-good-thoughts-im-going-to-borrow?source=share [3] https://jisho.org/search/コーンフレーク [4] https://nihon5-bunka.net/jinglish-handle/ [5] https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q13195893143 [6] https://kimini.online/blog/archives/22851 [7] https://dhits.docomo.ne.jp/feed/10004705 [8] https://hubguitar.com/music-theory/chord-tensions

#langblr #japanese #language acquisition #language learning #linguistics #japanese language #language #learning japanese #trap words #jimmy blogthong #official blog post

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ibusukiss · 1 month ago

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Boueibu Rewatch

Thursday's for the Boys! 11

Happy Kiss! Episodes 4-6

Episode 4

If ep 2 established HK as my favorite season, ep 4 was the cherry on top

i wonder if gora gave nanao the OK to bring a floating tray and tea into the onsen

idk if its a writing thing or a culture thing or what but i feel like i can understand all the monsters' problems in HK, but in s1 and s2 some of them feel completely abstract

UGHHH the plot point of Ichiro worrying abt the time capsule and knowing that nanao would read his letter is so *chef's kiss* they build up to it so well!!!!!!!!!! AAAGHH I LOVE PLOT

ichiro "no youthful passion" bro your character song is called Dash Dash Dash so idk what ur talking about

the funny thing about this season is it only hints at the seitokai being rich, and here it only says that Taiju's family owns a construction company, which isnt the megacorp richboy son vibes i get from s1 seitokai - i always assumed caerula adamas were MUCH richer than edelstein but only bc they made their wealth more explicit in s1? I think by making it implied in this season they made the seitokai's families seem more like blue collar ceo's rather than megacorp ceo's

i will ALWAYS headcanon that Taishi cleaned up his act bc he was trying to act more like Nanao so Ichiro would like him

THIS is what I'm talking about - by trying to write fanservice they have fully surpassed the queerbait IMO and fully just wrote that Ichiro has a crush on Nanao

i assume Kyochan wasnt trying to be sus when he tucked the photo into his pocket but this moment the first time i watched it was very 'HOLY FUCK THEYRE KEEPING SECRETS FROM EACHOTHER OHH THE INTRIGUE OHHH MY GOD" which i suppose is something the seitokai do in this season later!

I just remember when this was coming out feeling so much unbridled joy from how cheesy this season is - it gave me so much serotonin LMAO

Ata as a little kid with his black bob makes me insane - wym he had a slutty black bob as an elementary schooler??????

Serenity you already said this but I must reiterate that it is WILD that Kyoata have eachother's contact info and seem to text often enough that its not strange for Kyotaro to text Ata out of the blue - they deffo arent nearly as estranged as Kinatsu were

Episode 5 (CW: discussion of eating disorders and weight stigma)

We have now entered what I think of as the 4-episode lull of HK where the episodes dont hit as hard - not bad in any sense but theyre just not as iconic as 1-4 or 9-12

*midori gets up on their soapbox*

I have a lot of thoughts about Maasa. I dont normally have such a strong headcanon for a character - but their whole arc feel so strongly to me like the story of a trans person who has a lot of complicated feelings about their body. While that's CLEARLY not what the writers intended it is how I choose to interpret their character bc 1. i have to put my dirty trans hands on everything and 2. to me - Maasa's story is uncomfortable and poorly written otherwise

some context: I have a lot of Complicated Feelings about weight stigma/body image and spend FARRR too much time learning about the science of dieting and eating disorders, so naturally I am gonna take this episode WAY more seriously than intended - youve been warned LOL

While my bar for anime is extremely low, I am pleasantly surprised at how this ep handles talking about weight with the exception of Maasa's diet. It has always looked explicitly like disordered eating - full restriction of fats/sugars is Very extreme and dangerous, and completely goes against the 'as long as you're healthy' sentiment the episode promotes - I take issue with that mindset anyway bc 1. why should only 'healthy' people have bodies that are excused from criticism/ridicule and 2. who gets to decide what 'healthy' looks like? does healthy imply thinness? to some people, yes! But regardless, extremely restrictive diets aren't 'healthy' anyway, so no dice there, HK.

And Ata is right! People do resent those who represent the opposite of their greatest fears! The implication here being that most people's greatest fear is being fat - and therefore bully the guy who will absolutely never be fat. While I dont think anyone should bully anyone about their body, this messaging makes fatness out to be the enemy in a way that I'm not in love with :/ This ep doesn't address the relentless, institutionally-ordained negative messaging that people receive about fat bodies, which definitely fuels the need on a personal level to bite back at those who those messages dont apply to - not an excuse of course, but a much-needed explanation.

It just feels strange that the episode that is saying 'dont bully this guy because his body is a certain way' is also saying 'we support your decision to make everyone in the school fat because it's your greatest fear and youre lashing out at your peers because of it' ? I know, I know, it's not that deep, the writers weren't thinking about this shit.

*midori steps down from their soapbox*

i love the detail of Taishi wiping the steam off his glasses

now i want ramen T_T

Episode 6

Ata's umbrella has always FASCINATED me - bc i think the writers were just making him seem overly-fancy, but it reads gothic lolita??? So is he a prep or a goth??? what does he dress like outside of school??!?!? I must know!!!!!!

Taishi recites fun facts to self-soothe

Umbrella guy is me trying to make conversation at work lmao

It's interesting that Taiju and Maasa are taken aback by Ata talking about not wanting to carry the 'umbrellas of commoners', maybe theres a bit of Furanui's influence in there? and it's not normal for him to think like that?

LMAOOO I forgot about the bit with Nanao distracting umbrella guy, thats such a good bit

Ata 'likes spending time at home' PERFECT for my headcanon that he has social anxiety

Taiju wanting to stay longer bc Ata's not leaving bc he's worried Ata is taking this whole thing too seriously and needs to babysit a bit longer

'its hard to care when it's raining' PERFECT for my headcanon that Kyotaro has depression

I project a lot on these characters if you couldnt tell

#boueibu rewatch

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knightyoomyoui · 2 years ago

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NaMo (Nayeon x Momo) - “Now We’re Even”

The book returns after almost 3 months of absence! Sorry for the lack of updates; I've been very busy with stuff in my life, plus I do admit that I'm getting a bit lazy with writing stories these days.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading this one, despite how short it is. This was actually intended to be angst at first, but instead I changed it to fluff. I want to take a break for a while from making sad stories lol.

At the moment, Nayeon and Sana were enjoying their ice cream from the fast food restaurant they went to while sitting on the seats within the airport. Everyone in their immediate vicinity was moving back and forth, contributing to the cacophony of sounds and noises that was already there. Nayeon and Sana still managed to interrupt their talk and spoil their enjoyment of their delectable sweets. After Nayeon reiterates the sole concern she will be considering for the remainder of the day, they both become silent. without Sana standing by her.

That is the reason for it. Sana was informed by Nayeon that she was at a loss for what to do at her dorm on her alone. Sana lamented having to leave her buddy and felt sorry for her. She is the reason they are at the airport. Her flight is the one they are now waiting for. Because her parents have discovered a better possibility for their daughter to succeed in the course she wants to take on her path to her dream profession, Sana is planning to return to her native Osaka, Japan, to attend college there. The agreement was finalized once she provided her consent. It's bittersweet that she has the one Korean she mostly knows, who she has become particularly close to and precious to, at her side on this final day that she has left in South Korea. The last spoonful of ice cream was scooped onto Nayeon's cup, and she ate it. "It's not a problem to me if the landlord starts looking for my new roommate to settle in with me, but..." she said. She scowled, "I'm not used to waiting longer for someone to come, and it takes time for me to build trust with that person. They're just not like you, Sana." Sana grins warmly at her friend's final sentimental comment. "Don't worry, unnie. I assure you, I'm going to do something about it. Don't be like that, okay? I want to make you happier and see you smile before I go."

Nayeon started to glare and furrow her eyebrows at Sana's reply. She moderately plunged her fists on the younger lady's arms which earned a giggle. "Aghhh! Why you gotta do me like this, Sana. I said I'm not going to cry."

"Hehehe sorry." Sana said."As what I'm saying, I do indeed have a plan."

"And that is?"

"To get you a new roommate by myself."

Nayeon's curiousity arises. "That? How would you be able to do it? Do you know someone aside from me here?"

"Yes, I do know more than you Nayeonnie but..." Sana paused as the image of that person she's referring popped up in her mind. "That wasn't from here, it's on Japan."

"Eh? W-wait, so you're saying..."

"Yes, I plan to get you with my friend from Japan. Speaking about right timing, both of us were changing ways for our college life; if I'm going back... she's... going far away." Sana explained.

"And that friend of yours decided to... come here?"

Sana nodded in response. "Yes, she said she wants to visit and try the lifestyle and culture of Korea while she's studying... so I just contacted her a while ago if she would like to accept my invitation of her being my substitute to become your roommate, Nayeon."

Nayeon's eyes expanded and jaw slightly unclenched. "Wait, you got me already a new one?"

"Mhhmm... and don't worry about her. Now that she's recommended from me directly, you don't have to doubt about her a lot. I've known her for many years, she's my childhood bestfriend in Japan." Sana revealed.

The two threw their trash off to the garbage bin before they proceeded to talk.

"What's her name?" Nayeon asked.

"Oh nope, I'm not going to tell you. I want you to meet and know everything about her personally." Sana shook her head and smirked. "But hey, I'm going to give you just one since I have mercy."

Nayeon was excited to know, so she listened attentively to Sana. "What is it?"

"Well you're going to notice that she has this habit of acting very dumb. Like literally, dumb. If not dumb, maybe spaced out?" Sana said with a bit of confused tone in tbe end at the inassurance. "I don't know, but coming from a perspective and experience of being her longtime friend, despite how she's like that; look at her now. She won't be an exchange student if that's frequent of her to be like that.", she shrugged.

"Ahh I remember how I used to call her 'airhead robot' before as one of my ways to tease her." Sana flips upon the recollection of her past memories with her childhood friend. "I miss her and I'm going to miss you too, Nayeon. I may not be seeing neither her or you, but please... I want you both to be good, okay?"

"Okay." Nayeon nodded and pursed her lip. "Thank you Sana, I appreciate how you're still considerate of my situation knowing you have to do the hard thing even if it's not what you want to do in the first place. I'm going to miss you too."

An alarm sound echoes in the airport followed by an announcement coming from the lady secretary.

"Next plane for South Korea to Japan has arrived. Please, fall in line to the departure entrance and follow the instructions given by the security and personnels while escorting you all. Thank you." the voice of the lady disappeared and the alarm beeped three more left before it also went gone.

Both Nayeon and Sana heard that cue. "Oh, there's my flight." Sana stood up first on the seat and starts to grab her bag and hold the handle of her luggage while Nayeon just observes her sadly.

They both stepped near to the entrance. Nayeon and Sana stood for a while and faced theirselves. "I guess this is it."

"Yeah" Nayeon muttered.

Sana didn't waste any more time and embraced Nayeon's body, wrapping her arms around the latter as she began to cry in her presence as she saw the queue beginning to grow with other passengers from the plane.

"I'm going to miss you so much, unnie. This won't be the last of us, but I just want to say thank you so much for helping me live confortably and familiarize everything about South Korea. You have became my partner of creating memories, and I would like to do it more with you someday where the time would allow us again, my friend."

"Goodbye, Sana. I'm going to miss you a lot too. I will be fine. I promise to be okay with someone you got for me, and I have to support the paths you're choosing for your career because I'm your friend and I want to see you again too, Nayeon stated between her sniffs and heavy breathing as she continued to cry on Sana's shoulder.

They let go and smiled at each other. "You have to go there now; you wouldn't want to miss the flight, Nayeon joked.

Sana chuckled at Nayeon's hilarious remark. "They won't. The princess of Osaka, Japan, should be prioritized at all costs." She swayed her hair aside with an aura. Nayeon was impressed at how Sana transitioned from influencing her self-confidence.

"Just go, you squirrel." Nayeon pushed her away gently.

Sana walks near and falls in line across the entrance, where the guards are checking the items of every individual entering.

As she was granted access by the security, Sana turned her body one last time to wave her hand and bid goodbye for now to Nayeon who sent the same gesture. "Be safe on your way home, Satang!" Nayeon shouted, didn't cared about the people around her who were startled at her loud voice.

Sana warned her to be quiet quickly and laughed after at her friend's sillyness before she finally made her way through the inside, where her body is nowhere to be found in Nayeon's sight.

Her friend is now gone, hopefully for temporary measure... but Nayeon who is standing all alone in the middle of the airport, couldn't be helped but to feel lonely and down about it.

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

If she wasn't sleeping, her mood would just force her to perform tasks that hardly even pique her interest or provide her with amusement but which she is yet required to perform, such as housework, eating, or finishing her schoolworks. Until the next day, when she heard a knock at her door, Nayeon remained monotonous and lifeless. The owner of the apartment she is renting is there in her doorway as she threw open the door, but she's not alone though. There is another person standing next to her, and as Nayeon fixed her focus on this stranger, it seemed as though everything abruptly ceased to move or function at its varied rhythms and speeds. The other girl next to her attracted her interest, she had long black hair styled in a hime cut with blonde streaks, was dressed in a black dress and a red skirt, and was carrying two bags and a luggage. Given that she truly resembles a foreigner, Nayeon surmised that this is the Japanese female Sana is referring to. The landlord utilized her purpose for being here with them even though it was uncomfortable for her to be next to these two who were lost in thought as they continued to stare at one other.

"Oh yeah... yeah, sorry. Good morning, Mrs. Kim." Nayeon sheepishly smiled and scratched her head.

Mrs. Kim shook her head and formed a little smirk in her lips. "Kids these days..." she muttered to herself.

"Sorry to interrupt your breakfast or calling you up after you just woke up but... as you can see I came here with this girl with me." Mrs. Kim said, shooting a glance at the mysterious girl beside her who is still switching her looks at the two, but stays longer on Nayeon as she gets more curious about the Korean rather.

"And I'm here to tell you that this girl will be your new roommate, Nayeon, Mrs. Kim said, gesturing her hand at the Japanese as if she were presenting her. "I received a call from your previous roommate and my tenant, Sana, that she already paid for this friend of hers to occupy with you in this dorm."

"Oh, she did?" Nayeon fakely commented, hiding her confirmation that this girl indeed is the childhood friend of Sana she's mentioning to her back in the airport.

"Yes. Well, I couldn't stay here longer. I still have to manage my son to prepare for school. I hope you two get along well." Mrs. Song patted the Japanese girl's shoulder before she left.

Nayeon and Sana's friend were the only ones left in the quiet, bright hallway. "O-oh, yeah. Please let me help you with this."

"A-arigato..." the Japanese bowed in gratitude to Nayeon. She figured that she spoke in Japanese, so it seems that unlike Sana, she would be encountering a language barrier with her because she doesn't speak Korean.

Fortunately, Nayeon knew that very familiar Japanese word, so she still understood it. She grabbed the luggage and brought it inside the dorm.

"Come in, make yourself feel at home, Nayeon invited her as she let the Japanese remove her shoes and place them on the shoerack. She steps inside, and Nayeon moves the luggage so that she can close the door.

"A-ah... eeh..." Nayeon pulled out her cellphone and searched for a translator generator on Google to help her communicate with the girl. The latter was sneaky, though; she caught Nayeon's actions and silently laughed at how cute this girl is when she is tensed and how oblivious she is also.

"You don't need to. I can speak Korean." the latter said to Nayeon, who was taken aback, her fingers almost inches away from touching the screen.

"Y-you can?"

"I studied it. Going to Korea was one of my biggest dreams when I was young, so I learned Korean with Sana." she answered

"Oh...." Nayeon reacted in fascination. It was dumb of her not to think about that. She assumed too early and didn't check it further. "Sorry, I just heard you speak Japanese, and I thought that you were not fluent in Korean."

The Japanese girl laughed. "No problem. It's my fault anyway. Well, sorry too. I just want to still speak in Japanese despite knowing other languages because I don't want to end up forgetting completely my own language, she said. "I'm afraid of that happening. My parents would probably disown me too", she joked.

"Makes sense." Nayeon nodded. "Well, that's a great way to start a conversation with you. I'm Nayeon, Sana's friend and former roommate here."

She offered her hand.

"I'm Hirai Momo, Sana's childhood bestie and... your new roommate, I believe." She smiled and accepted Nayeon's hand for a introductory handshake.

"Let's go to the couch, you should take a rest for a while. I suppose you might be tired." Nayeon said as she lets Momo have her way on the living room. "Cmon, don't be shy. This is now your second house too anyway so go ahead."

"Well, who am I to reject a kind offer. Thank you." Momo said and sat at the couch, feeling its softness that made her relax in an instant. "I came a long way from here and the heat outside along with the length of the ride I took feels like my body is already exhausted."

"Like I said, take a rest. You can sleep already if you want."

"I can't. I- I haven't ate proper breakfast yet."

"Oh, is that so?" Nayeon was quite surprised. "Hey, I'll prepare us food. Good thing you said that. I'm getting hungry too."

Nayeon grinned at Momo who had to watch her cook their breakfast meal for this morning.

After minutes of waiting, Nayeon served their food on the dining table and followed it up with drinks. Momo thanked Nayeon for this.

"I hope you like it, I'm not really that good at cooking but atleast I know how to do this so yeah... pardon me." Nayeon shyly pleaded.

"It's okay. It's not like it's burnt." Momo shook her head and examined the bacon she stabbed with fork. Taking a bite, she munched it and analyzed the feeling of it inside her mouth while Nayeon is anticipatingly waiting her her reaction.

"A little bit over cooked, but still good." Momo said, smiling. Nayeon nodded and formed a relieved smile.

"H-how can you tell it easily by the way? Does your parents taught you how to cook perhaps?"

"I just love eating, that's why." Momo smiles cheekily. "And I used that to motivate myself to cook on my own so that you know, people won't just call me as a heavy eater or eating machine for one reason. I still like those terms, it's true anyway. I don't take it much as an insult." she added.

"Ahh... woah impressive of you, Momo. I kinda feel jealous for you, I still haven't improved. Sana would probably be disappointed at me if she knows she's teaching me for nothing." Nayeon stated problematically.

"Oh so Sana is the one who cooks for you both?

"Yes, but ofcourse if she needed help I willingly volunteer."

"She won't be mad at you, I know that. That girl doesn't even get mad instantly, but when she does... nevermind, I don't want to recall that, Momo said as she nearly got terrified of that one rare particular flashback she had with her friend. "It just sends chills all over me." She acted like she was freezing cold.

"From the way you're saying that, I'm being grateful that I never triggered her in the span of 3 years of having her as my roommate." Nayeon chuckled.

"Sure you do, because you'll never like it when she's angry." Momo scoffed under her breath.

The two proceeded to take a couple of bites and a spoonful of their food before they talked to each other again.

"How did you and Sana met, if I may ask?" Nayeon curiously pondered.

"We were 8 years old back in elementary. It was the first day of school and she was my seatmate. Given how bubbly and sociative Sana's personality, she decided to come up and be friends with me which I did the same because she's so nice to me. Then one time we found out that we actually live not that far from our own houses so... that's where it all began." Momo narrated her story with Sana.

"How about you?"

"Well just like how I met you today, that's the first time me and Sana saw each other." Nayeon replied. "She was also standing there with her belongings. I thought she was clueless at what's happening around herI caught a glimpse of her blank expression but when she landed her eyes at me, there's this smile of hers that makes you feel trusted, you know? The way she looked at me, she's sure that me and her will become friends quickly and she will be okay on her stay her in Korea."

"And I'm happy. I'm happy that I somehow fulfilled and reached that expectation she has on me." Nayeon smiled as she roamed her eyes around the house, reminiscing some of those many memories she and Sana did that occured here.

"And now that I have you because Sana entrusted me to you, all I need to do is to pass my responsibility to you... and I for me to be able to do that, would you like to be friends with me, Momo?"

Momo looked at Nayeon who is offering her friendship to her, questioning for confirmation while her free hand is presented to her.

Given all the allegations she revealed with her, Nayeon does appear to be a kind person after all. She's bringing up a valid argument. Without Sana, she wouldn't be here at all, and if her friend didn't know Nayeon well enough to recommend her as her new roommate, she wouldn't have much faith in her. Sana wanted her to meet Nayeon so that she could experience what it's like to have someone like her staying by her side.

Thinking about all of that profoundly, Momo's increasing assurance and her desire to discover is what urged her to choose the right thing.

She accepted Nayeon's hand and shaked it to finalize their agreement of considering one another's creation of friendship.

"I want to be your friend, Nayeon." Momo smiled at stared at her delighted expression.

"Now we're even!" Nayeon exclaimed. "I promise, Momo. Just like everything I've done for Sana, I will treat you without difference. As long as you have me on your side, I will make sure you're going to enjoy my company as your friend and roommate."

Momo went agaped at Nayeon's swear. That was exactly what she's just thinking earlier. She wouldn't take it much as a coincidence because now, as how she can observe Nayeon; she can determine her sincerity of being close to a person and be a part of her life.

They finished their meal and Nayeon volunteered to clean the table and do the dishes as she encouraged Momo to take a look at her room.

"How is it?" Nayeon asked Momo who is standing below the doorframe, tracing the area of her new room.

"The space is just perfect for me. I like it." Momo said as she pulled her luggage with her inside.

"You and Sana were indeed friends." Nayeon blurted and stiffled a laughter as she starts washing the plates on the sink.

Momo started to open her things and remove them one by one as she places it on the bed after she decided where should she put all of these around.

She was busy inserting her folded clothes and other various garments when she heard Nayeon yelling from the kitchen.

"If you need help, don't hesitate to call me, okay?"

"Okay!" Momo shouted back after she heard that.

"Ahh I'm so glad you're here, Momo. I've been so bored and lonely these past few days." Nayeon yelled again behind the walls. Her words were audible for Momo to pick up and understand it forwardly, which it made her smile and touched at Nayeon's welcoming behavior.

Yeah, she will definitely like it here, she said to herself.

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

As time passed, their closeness with each other became thinner. They started to hang out even more, especially after realizing that both of them were studying at the same campus and that they were classmates in some of their subjects.

That allowed both of them to know a lot more about each other. However, that gives Nayeon a different feeling, which she unconsciously develops as she digs deeper to learn everything about Momo.

It brings her satisfaction and delight. and attraction for her new roommate, enumerating all the moments they had in her mind where she had those feelings, keeping her to think about it every single day.

Some of her favorites are when Momo revealed that she is a dog lover just like her; she adopted two new dogs so that she wouldn't be jealous anymore of Nayeon having her own dog; Momo being the home chef as she cooks all their food every day; and they share the most similarities in their interests in other things.

Through that, she starts to see Momo differently from an admirer's perspective, which is pretty impressive for her at how unbelievable it is that Momo turned her into that when Sana couldn't even do it to her.

One month later, Nayeon and Momo celebrated Boo and Dobby's first month after being adopted.

They ate and drank alcohol like there was no tomorrow until Nayeon became drunk faster.

Momo, who is still sober from all of the contents she consumed, helps Nayeon transfer her into her room, where she can finally rest comfortably and sleep the night away.

As she was tucking the blanket around her body, she kept staring at Nayeon's peaceful face. Momo thinks she couldn't even recognize if there were times when she didn't see Nayeon as adorable and... attractive.

She was born with it, she guesses. That's why it's so natural for her to be that way, and... from how it makes her feel about it these days.

Momo's cheeks puffed as she smiled in flutter at the thoughts in her head until it was interrupted when she heard a mumbling coming out from Nayeon, who felt some movements being done to her and slightly woke up.

"M-momoring~~~" Nayeon said with a smile as she patted Momo's arms still connected to the sides of the blanket she's using to cover Nayeon's body.

"Yeah, I'm here Nabongs. Sleep well, okay? You need to rest. Goodnight." Momo said, smiling at her nickname being called in a singsong tone almost near to the usual aegyo treatment she's getting from the older which she secretly adore.

"N-night night Momoring~~~" Nayeon's hands climbs up from Momo's arms and went into her face where she cupped her cheeks. Momo couldn't move at this bunny's sudden action.

"W-what-"

"T-thank you..." Nayeon lets out a hiccup for a sec. She stared at Momo's face with half lidded eyes as she continues to pinch her soft cheeks. "Ah~ you're so r-reliable. I want to stay with you always.

I like it. I like all of you so much, Momoring hehe~"

Momo heard and saw her speak that with shock and surprise, staring at her friend who just unknowingly expressed her likedness on the latter.

Nayeon fell back asleep again, leaving her friend in dazed and confused who is still processing what did just happened.

She gulped hard and looked at Nayeon one more time, now in her sleeping state before she left the room with her senses barely functioning properly, still being disturbed by Nayeon's double meaning compliment on her.

After that day, Nayeon noticed that Momo became distant and awkward with her again. She literally personified what Sana has been describing her, and it doesn't sit well on her.

She couldn't move around the house if both of them were having this some sort of line drawn between each other that prevents them from an attempt to be closer as what friends always does.

It remained like that for almost a week until one day when she received a call from Momo.

"Hello, Momoring?"

"H-hello, is this Im Nayeon? Momo said that you're her friend, am I correct?"

"Yes, this is Nayeon you're talking at. What do you need and why are you using my friend's number?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Sorry if I got you unconfortable, miss. I'm Lee Sunmi, her dance instructor. I just want to inform you that Momo unfortunately got injured today during our rehearsal."

Nayeon's eyes widened, covering her mouth in bewilderment. "W-what?! How's she doing right now, Miss Lee?"

"We already given her proper medical aid to treat her injuries. She's here in my office, you can take her home to rest and help her recover. I already considered it as a temporary leave for her. As an instructor, my student's health condition matters the most to me."

"Thank you, Miss Lee." Nayeon said with gratitude present in her voice. She ended the call and placed it hurriedly on the table as she rushed to prepare herself before going outside and drive ahead to the dance studio where Momo is at.

More than half an hour later, Nayeon successfully took Momo and she brought her home where she applied instant care in massive worriedness.

"What happened to you?" Nayeon asked Momo who remains silent on her seat since during the drive.

"My foot went outbalanced while performing our dance break." Momo explained, her voice is plain along with her emotion.

Nayeon clicked her tongue and shook her head. "That's bad. I hope you got to be careful next time, okay?"

Momo just nodded and hugged her pillow tighter.

"Do you want to eat?"

She just shook her head and answered "No."

"O-okay..." Nayeon is starting to feel awkward again and she hates it. "Uhm, do you know how long you'll be out?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Momo repositioned herself, her body now facing away from Nayeon who has now at her lowest limit of resisting as she inhaled deeply before deciding to pour out everything she's enduring.

Momo was still acting different and Nayeon who's had enough, confronted her to know the reason why.

"Why are you being so cold to me?"

Momo didn't make a move.

"I know you're still awake Momo. What's wrong, did I do something bad to you that I don't know?"

Meanwhile, Momo is hiding herself her face in the pillow with tension and fear.

"This won't do. I guess I'll ask her about it later." Nayeon has given up, sighing heavily. She was about to rotate her body when she heard Momo speak behind her.

"You didn't."

Nayeon slowly looked back at Momo who is now staring at the ceiling. "... but you did do something you didn't know."

Nayeon's curiousity activated. "Is that why? Cmon, tell me. What is it?"

"So you really don't remember." Momo chuckled at the confirmation. "You were really out like a light at being drunk on that night anyway."

"W-wait... HAVE WE DONE SOMETHING- UHH... MOMO, D-DID WE?!" Nayeon suddenly hugged her body as her face presents surprise.

"What?! No! That's not what I mean!" Momo exclaimed. "Gosh, that's not what I'm referring at, you pervert."

"P-pervert?!" Nayeon defended. "You're the one here who's giving double meaning, as if I can tell what are you really implying!"

"But that doesn't deny you being like that, grandma." Momo rolled her eyes. Nayeon's agitation fueling up inside of her.

"AAAGHHH JUST GO STRAIGHT TO THE POINT HIRAI!"

"Fine, you wanna know?!"

"Yes!" Nayeon replied. "Do you know how I keep asking myself, What have I done to you that you became so distant and cold to me? It was like, very weird considering how much we had fun when we celebrated Boo and Dobby's first month of adoption."

Momo saw Nayeon lowering her head, probably at the switch of sadness she's starting to feel. Having empathy for her, she had finally decided to do it. It will, after all... would help both sides to know the answer they've been peering for.

"Yeah, we did have so much fun that night, Momo agreed. "That's why you became so drunk you wouldn't even remember that you told me how much you like me, Nayeon."

Nayeon's eyes seem to be almost going to pop out of her sockets. Her heartbeat rose, embarrassment went over the roof, and chills ran throughout her body as she realized what she had done.

It was her fault all along that she was being like this, not just because of Momo's strenuous actions being the cause, but because of her drunken confession being exactly why.

Nayeon has concluded that she won't be drinking alcohol ever again. She hissed at herself.

"What did you say?"

"You said you liked me, Nayeon, Momo repeated. Nayeon became flustered even worse. "I was fixing the blanket for you when you just grabbed me out of nowhere on my arms, then it crawled upward, and you were pinching my cheek," she recalled.

Nayeon couldn't remember but she can surely imagine what Momo is describing and knowing it was her who's doing the shameful act, she is having the heavy guilt for herself on doing that.

"You've been telling me how reliable I am and you were grateful of it... until you just informed me of your likedness that you're having on me."

Momo slowly sat up on the couch, her injured feet remained anchored on the end.

"And I was wondering about it for days, that's why I couldn't have myself going near from you... because, I don't know... I'm troubled? Thinking, what exactly is this likedness that you developed from me?"

Nayeon looked up and saw Momo looking at after asking that.

"So, Nayeon. Since you and I want to be clear about this. I gave mine... and to make it fair, please give yours." Momo said.

"Do you like me as just a friend... or is there something else more than that?"

Nayeon remained staring at Momo for a while as she replayed all the occurrences of hints regarding her attraction to Momo that had progressed that led them to this very moment.

Knowing what she has done accidentally and in mistake on her part, Nayeon has no choice but to take the turn and provide what Momo wants her to give.

She breathed deeply and tightened her lips before she spoke of the revelation behind what happened on that given night.

"I do like you, Momo. You're more than just a friend to me."

Momo didn't show any surprise or shock in her face. She remained stoic, but deep inside her blossomed heart, blood is flowing from the swift run of cursing through her body like butterflies all over her stomach gone wild.

The effects of the enjoyment and satisfiction that she rather felt is taking control of her.

"How did that happened?" Momo asked. Nayeon pleaded mentally that she could just collapse anything in the mix of utter nervousness, emnbarassment and terror disturbing her.

"I- it was when I got to do things with you that we both share the same interests for." Nayeon said. "The more and longer I see you being happy with me as we do all of that, it was like I just want us to stay like this forever. That's probably why my feeling grown upon you. My heart's solution for me to keep you still on my side is to make you mine.

So I fell in love with you. The new replacement as my roommate that I met at that door, I found her so beautiful and it was a lucky opportunity for me to get to know such pretty interesting person like you, Momo.

You were the only one who make me know what is love in my whole life. I can't believe you took it just easily to grab my attention and expand it into further possibility that myself would want more of you just like how I admire all of who you are.

It was like, we're compatible to each other. We're indeed like a pair. And I like that idea, because Momo... I would surely be delighted of having you as my partner through all of my happiness, sadness and in our interests for the rest of our lives."

Nayeon expressed all of that and Momo can admit that she spotted how it came all from the heart.

The sincerity, the dedication, the admiration. It was all there within Nayeon's speech of confessing the love she's protecting in her own will.

Not until Momo saw a teardrop flowed down on Nayeon's face. She was shocked at well, she caught it and looked at it.

"God, what is this? W-what am I crying for?" Nayeon puzzledly asked as she coped it with laughter. "I brought up myself that much, do I?"

"Yeah, you do." Momo nodded. "But it was fine to me. I truly understood and felt how you really liked me, Nayeon."

Nayeon smiled and nodded. "T-thanks."

"I agree with everything what you said. Our lifestyle perfectly suits within each other. We couldn't find anything that will seperate us apart from each other. It was like, wherever I go; you'll follow and we'll be just like that on repeat."

"We can go through circles with it, but you know what... I'll never get tired of it, especially if I was running along with you Nayeon."

Nayeon's smile shrinked as she sensed that Momo might have been leading up to something here.

"I agree on all of that because, Nayeon...

I would be happy to be your partner too and I'm looking forward to share my life with you more, because I like you too."

Nayeon walked towards to Momo and accepted her invitation presented with open arms as she hugged her lovingly.

The two felt each other's heat fumed ny the rapid beats of their heart pumping nothing but love and affection the more they gain contact and attention with each other.

"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting and worried, Nayeon. I was scared too that you'll choose the opposite of what I'm expecting from you. I thought you wouldn't like me back." Momo whispered apolegetically.

"Don't mind it, Momo. Atleast it was all worth it, in the end we still had ourselves discovering that we are still even in anything, including love." Nayeon stroked Momo's hair from behind and squeezed her body a bit tighter.

They separated from each other and leaned away, creating distance in their middle. Both smiled at each other, knowing how their bond has improved and evolved today.

"So... we are dating now then?" Momo smirked while blushing.

"Yes." Nayeon laughed and nodded in answer. "Yes, we are."

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

9 MONTHS LATER

For their 9th anniversary of their relationship as girlfriends, Nayeon and Momo fulfilled their desire to go to Japan to visit and stay there.

With Momo having Japan as her home country, she guided Nayeon in their adventure to explore the wonders and treasures of Japan.

In addition, they didn't come here only for that reason. They also flew to Japan, which allowed them to be reunited with their friend Sana, who currently lives in her hometown of Osaka.

"SANA!"

"NAYEONNIEEEE!!!! AHHH MOMORINGGG!!! I MISSED YOU TWO SO MUCHHH!" Three of them ran ahead and went for a group hug as they got to see their friend again after being gone for quite some time.

"How are you these days, Sana?"

"Doing great! My studies are stable in its high grades, I got to spend time being with my family and this time... with you girls which I'm very happy that I am because I love to be with you two again~~" Sana pouted and cooed which heartwarmed Nayeon and Momo.

"And alsooo, I would like to introduce someone to you girls..." Sana stepped aside and let this unfamiliar Japanese woman to appear and face Nayeon and Momo.

"Hi, I'm Myoui Mina. Nice to you meet you two." She softly smiled and presented her hand for a greeting.

"Nice to meet you too, Mina. I'm Im Nayeon."

"And Hirai Momo, we're Sana's bestfriends." They accepted the shake.

"You girls have finally met my girlfriend." Sana said as she holds Mina's hand who became shy and touched.

"H-HUH?!" Nayeon and Momo reacted simulteanously. "Omooo, you two are in a relationship?!"

"For how long now?"

"We're going strong for more than a year and counting." Sana explained with huge proud smile in her face as she looked at Mina tenderly while swaying their locked hands back and forth.

"How about you two? Are you both interested at someone these days?" Sana asked the two of them.

Nayeon and Momo glanced at each others next and exchanged smirks at one another.

"Actually, Sana..." Momo went first.

Nayeon grabs Momo's waist to pull her closer beside her and holds her hand nefore raising it. "Momo and I are in a relationship too."

"HUH?!" This time it was Sana and Mina who were surprised. "What?! Really?!"

"Yup. It's been 9 months for us now, and we're celebrating it today here in Japan." Nayeon informed and laid her head on Momo's shoulder.

"Well, that makes it even better!" Sana beamed up. "Since both of us are here as couples... why don't we just have a 'double date' instead?!" Sounds good?", Sana initiated, changing the purpose of their meetup.

"Count us in!" Nayeon and Momo approved before all four of them laughed at how great their moods are having so far.

"Lets go eat first!!! I'm really starving already." Sana requested.

"Oh so that's why you didn't wanted to eat breakfast first back at the house, eh? You wanted to save it up until once we arrive here at the mall."

"Hehe sorry Minariii~"

"I will never say no to food so let's go!" Momo cheered which Nayeon found her antics hilarious.

Sana and Mina walked first to lead the way. Behind them were Nayeon and Momo, who shared romantic gazes at one another before holding their hands again as they followed the other duo in front to officially begin their double date together.

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