whochromatic

[whochromatic]

🦌🐇 AU: 2/?

Parts: [ 1 ] [ 2 ]

Dialogue:

🐇: Did you wait long, Friend?

🦌: No, you returned quickly, Mr. Bunny.

🐇: It's simply because my suited occupation was easy to determine. The arbiter only needed a single look and assigned it immediately.

🦌: ( That's strange, it usually takes hours.) That's impressive, Mr. Bunny.

🐇: Don't you want to know what role I've been assigned, friend?

🦌: If you want to tell me, then please go ahead.

🐇: I've been chosen as a TV show host. Quite impressive isn't it? It's far different from my previous occupation but I can't help but feel that I was created for it. I can already see the thrill of gaining the audience's applause. Oh but how unbecoming of me to speak only of my position and not even ask for your input. So what occupation is it that you were assigned to, dear friend?

🦌: It's not something as impressive as yours, my bunny. I simply got picked to be a writer. It doesn't earn much points but it's enough to get by. I'm happy that you got picked for something that can get so much to secure yourself.

🐇: You must be mistaken, friend. I don't need more points to secure myself.

🦌: Is it because you have the points saved up from your previous occupation?

🐇: Burning waste didn't offer much points, I'm afraid.

🦌: There's such a job? Your zone must be very different from this one.

🐇: Indeed. It was truly far different.

[whochromatic]

Sketches of the sketchy Director Ho. 🥁 🎶 (Wow. can you stop that?)

[whochromatic]

[ This is a mere theory, and may be wrong post chapter 195 ]

Quite a few nuggets of information hint at Baek Saheon having been raised, or is associated with a cult in GSGW. So I want to list some things in dot point format, as nothing’s concrete so far thus everything is short. 

Spoilers for the novel, I will mostly talk about things already tled, but warnings for the latest chapter spoiler will be clearly marked.

1. Church oppa vibes

In chapter 2 Saheon is introduced to look “fairly innocent”, and purposely acted in a disarming manner when he began talking to Soleum. Ignoring the official illustration (which isn’t text accurate), his curly hair and kind demeanor mimics religious cult recruiters at Korean universities. Which is a real thing btw. People have noted them to look like good looking and kind young men, who look kind but are actually cult recruiters with an agenda. In the Tamra Express arc too, we see him try to act unassuming and gentle.

2. Tries to take advantage of someone vulnerable

Cults have been known to prey on the most susceptible, and do it well and often. Saheon has tried over and over again to get rid of Soleum once he is perceived as vulnerable, and not as threatening. A more blatant example would be in chapter 76 where he said, “he’d always used fools around him as bait during critical moments.”

3. Trained response to danger

Saheon’s immediate switch from hostile to docile upon Soleum’s intimidation, seemed reminiscent of a trauma response to avoid getting hurt. Saheon recognised something with more authority than him, and backed down quickly. He has a heightened sense of danger, to an abnormal degree with how avoidant he is to Soleum, and thinks the other is practically capable of anything. Eg. Thought Soleum brainwashed the crowd with the fountain pen, despite knowing that it's single target only.

4. Goat snake symbolism

Goats in the bible are associated with the devil, experience eternal damnation and are said to have desecrated a temple in the Book of Revelation. Snakes are associated with deception and evil in the bible. Also, he called Youngeun a lamb despite being a goral (which is closer to goats) and thus Saheon is like a sacrifice too. Refer to my religious allusions gsgw post, for a slightly more detailed explanation.

5. Angel devil iconography

With his purple eye, Saheon can see halos behind those whom he deems dangerous. I do not think it’s a coincidence that Saheon, and Soleum have a lot of connected religious symbolism associated with them.

6. Brainwashing equipment

While Saheon no longer has it, the staple item Viper used was the Fountain Pen which could make someone follow a suggestion. Pushing someone who is unaware into doing something, is a classic cult tactic.

7. Trusts his family enough even though they know he will be in harm's way

Saheon received a cassette tape by one of his relatives, who presented it as something that can “reverse a dire situation". This family member, a wanted criminal, was aware of Saheon possibly being in life threatening situations. Yet, he’s constantly going back to visit his family (who have been mentioned several times), and didn’t want Soleum to take the cassette tape.

CHAPTER 195 SPOILERS

8. Able to recognise cult tactics

Chapter 114 during the Tamra Express arc, Saheon said “In a small, high-stress emergency environment, humans tended to do whacko things.” How “ridiculous suggestions… suddenly seemed worth clinging to”, because it “was human nature.” Saheon gathered all of this from a few shouts, which shows his familiarity with the subject. Despite recognising it, he also began twisting the narrative in his head and ended up believing Soleum to know the truth to get out safely, and in the end give a worthwhile item. Again, he also believed Soleum to be capable of brainwashing multiple people with the fountain, which he is very much aware isn’t possible.

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

9. A village boy

In chapter 195, Soleum arrives in a village in Cheonan, which is where the Jiksan Baek clan is based. There’s also a festival going on, which when you add village + festival in a horror story it usually = cults. It’s a typical trope to have a celebration or festival of some kind to include a sacrifice (perhaps… a lamb?), and villages sometimes become a concentrated place riddled with ghosts. Saheon has shown how strangely unfazed, and more familiar he is with ghost stories compared to other rookies. And his obsession with items aiding his survival could possibly be hinting at his upbringing, and why he’s not scared of ghosts themselves but other people. 

I would also like to mention that the Church of the Luminous Unknown has three branches, and the village might be under it. A village that worships, and sacrifices for Ireum-nim… In this tweet, OP says that Saheon’s name in Hanja might mean: To serve, snake, offering/sacrificial rite. Which makes me go crazy!!

Thank you for reading my very loose theory. I've had it since January, but haven’t collated it properly until now. It may not become canon, however it’s fun to think about. I also have another post, which is basically a long love letter to Baek Saheon's character.

[whochromatic]

Drawing Baek Saheon until I get used to his official appearance - Four.

[whochromatic]

chapter 190s slight spoilers

The fandom being mad at Braun the last several chapters has been the highlight of my week so far. Every reaction of 'throw him in the trash' or 'he's sleeping on the couch' is so funny to me.

Am I mad over what he did in the chapter 190s? Oh gods, yeah. And Soleum is very rightfully mad!

But did I expect any better from him?

Honestly, not at all. I think this was a missed chance for him to shine in the eyes of the readers, but like. I expected this behaviour, lol. In fact, we could possibly see in later chapters that Braun wasn't actually being malicious in the least!

Spoilers below--

Braun did say that he wasn't going to be Good Friend anymore when they parted after the Midnight Talk Show, but they did agree to still be friends.

Braun is also not human and therefore should not be judged by human standards, especially human standards of friendship. This is, of course, unfair to Soleum who is human and therefore it makes sense that he expects Braun to be at least a little bit like what humans would consider a friend.

We know that while Braun is still somewhat constrained by the ritual of the Good Friend summoning, that restraint is very, very weak. He's just humouring it. Lee Jaheon has warned Soleum-- Braun could break out of those restraints at any time, easily. He just chooses not to, which when you think about it, is quite the thing!!

He chooses to stay with Soleum. He chooses the stuffy and difficult to move little bunny plush in order to watch over his friend.

But that doesn't mean he's obligated to help Soleum. In fact, the moment when Soleum needed help-- when faced with Choi and when he was being sucked into the Glass Prison, Soleum's life wasn't what was in danger.

His freedom was. His future (on his current path) was. The people around Soleum was in danger.

But Soleum himself, his life, was never in any real danger.

And therefore Braun chose not to help. It's not to see his friend suffer, per se, but Braun does want to see what Soleum would do. That's what interested him about Soleum in the first place! That out of the box thinking, that way of worming his way out of situations!

I think that Braun would have intervened had Soleum's life truly been in danger, even if he might claim that if Soleum couldn't get himself out of such a simple thing, then maybe he wasn't entertaining enough for Braun's attention-- but we all know from that moment at the end of the Midnight Show arc that Braun, should Soleum really be in danger, really would be distraught if Soleum were to die forever.

Then there's the part where I do think Braun is a little bit irritated with Soleum-- Braun has been considerate enough to watch over Soleum even while they were apart, offer help when Soleum was faced with the taxi ghost and offer advice during the amusement park crisis, yet Soleum still went and did his own thing instead. And when Braun was irritated with Lee Jaheon, Soleum also did not take his side.

Was Braun a bad friend for just watching the situation around Soleum devolve into something terrible? Oh, yeah, definitely.

But there could be various reasons for that. In a more human aspect, you could say that maybe their friendship felt a little unfair-- Braun gave up quite a lot of freedom to (willingly) stay with Soleum, and he seems isolated from everyone else while he's nothing more than a stuffed bunny while Soleum gets to interact with everyone else and then seems embarrassed by Braun's very presence. Sure, Soleum provides entertainment and Braun provides help, but... despite everything, it does seem a little one sided for a grand being who thrives under the spotlight to limit himself to such a small role.

Or you can take a grander approach. Braun Does Not Like where Soleum is at in his life right now. He feels that Soleum is settling for a terrible place when he deserves better, and he's going to push Soleum out of this hell hole even if it means Soleum is not happy with him for the moment.

Think about it-- Soleum is staying a atrocious motel, his workplace seems rather shabby, and Braun doesn't even approve of his teammates (at least Daydream was entertaining with all the workplace drama and employees willing to backstab each other in a moment). Maybe he could see that Soleum was getting attached, and with the spy issue, things would only get worse if he let it brew. The Bureau's not going to like Soleum any better than they do now, but Soleum might hurt worse if he grows more attached. Best to rip the band-aid off, so to speak. Get the worst out of the way.

But do I think that Soleum is justified in his cold shoulder to Braun now? Oh, yeah.

But I also think that Braun isn't just planning for the moment where everything fell apart. He's planning a bit longer than that. And if worst comes to worst, well, Soleum could always join Braun again! It may seem like his inactions are closing a door on a part of Soleum's life, but Braun is always here to remind Soleum that he is providing another option in case all else fails.

...Even if it seems like Soleum never listens to him.

[whochromatic]

Chapter 177 of The Artist Who Paints Dungeon is giving me major anxiety

Geo asking what's wrong so he can fix his behavior while the other person refuses to explain

Him trying to lighten the mood with a cookie and failing

Feeling like he's being teased but having no idea why

"Why does everyone [...] makes a fuss when I do something everyone else does?"

I don't wanna fall into the stereotypical cliche of comparing a non-human character's behavior to the autism experience but...

This hits way to close man

[whochromatic]

my special skill is drawing guys in pretty dresses

[whochromatic]

Gsgw HC designs :D Not entirely canonically accurate tbh, took liberties. I'm totally right guys tho, trust. Saheon implied to have dark eyes? Smh, they're gold, guys, source? Trust me bro. Minseong totally has a mole + double dimples, Haje rocks a bob, J3 has long hair, and gov't agency standard suits are open suit jackets with warmer color palette leaning into dark purples/brown, while corp has blue/grey with closed/button up. Youngeun has curly hair guys, trust me :/ she told me.

But, had so much fun with these omfg? Fought the same-face demons and actually won, I'm so happy messing with shapes! Literally kept drawing until I got winded/stuck.

[whochromatic]

Spoiler for Got dropped into a ghost story still gotta work ch 171

drawing ive wanted to do for a bit, i looove this arc

I reallly think the contrast between his "Special Department Security team" outfit and his mascot outfit is really funny. The text said the security team outfit had lots of horns, almost like branches, but I also love antlers so i wanted to keep it more animal than tree. Also deers of course. It was mentioned the waist, eyes, and lantern (?) glowed yellow so I added that in. Otherwise it wasn't too much that I did. the pants are supposed to have lots of pockets but i forgot to draw that.

i added a good bc i wanted a way to cover the back of the skull without being too weird (inspired by necronatural's design) the mask was mentioned to have a misshapen square ? but i didnt know how to draw that so I put a diamond square on it instead.

this took a surprisingly long amount of time (couple hours) 😓 so yeahh

hh this i think is my favorite arc so far. kim soleum is just so silly. but as always wants to help people

[whochromatic]

🦌🐇: 1/?

Dialogue:

🦌: You're must not be from this zone. I'm sorry I couldn't sew you up better, It's not familiar with that particular job.

🐇 : No it's quite alright, Mr. Roe Deer. Were it not for your assistance. I'd have been emptied of all my stuffing.

🦌: Then I'd atleast like you to have my ribbon, Mr. Bunny. Your ranking will be low if the stitches are visible.

🐇 : ...Quite the kind gesture. If Mr. Roe Deer is willing to part with his precious item, then it would be rude on my part to refuse. Alas, I have nothing in return that I can offer.

🦌: I don't mind.

🐇 : But Mr. Roe Deer has been of great assistance to me. At the very least I can offer you my friendship.

🦌 : Friendship?

🐇 : It's perfect, is it not? From now on I'll be Mr. Roe Deer's good friend!

[whochromatic]

When you see it, REBLOG IT.

Depression Hotline: 1-630-482-9696

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-8433

LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255

Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743

Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-847-831-3438

Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673

Grief Support: 1-650-321-5272

Runaway: 1-800-843-5200, 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-621-4000

Exhale: After Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253

If you ever want to talk: My Tumblr ask is always open.

[whochromatic]

I fucking love these videos

[whochromatic]

Thank you, Braun. I love you. You did a good job.

[whochromatic]

Irumi!!! The evidol everrr

[whochromatic]

Kim Soleum lies to himself.

[whochromatic]

Hyunmoo 1 trio genderbend.

[whochromatic]

Save me.