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formulapai · 4 months

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DAY TEN: COFFEE SHOP AU

OSCAR PIASTRI

TAG LIST:

@i-wish-this-was-me

@giada-chan

@havaneselover08

@fangirl125reader

@rheathesimp

@strangemaximoff

PAI’S WORDS: Lando and Oscar are roommates, neither of them are famous drivers. Might do a series about it someday 🫶

It was Lando's idea, of course it was. Neither Lando nor Oscar drink coffee, but Daniel told him about this new café in Monaco and he all but dragged his friend there on a rainy Monday morning. The place is tiny and dimly lit, a cocoon smelling of coffee beans and warm pastries, the golden lights and soft music playing warming his heart when they walk in. It's all wood and metal, colorful blankets and pillows lighting the shop up as well as the quiet chatter going on, a sense of comfort making its way through Oscar's bones. Rain long forgotten, the two roommates make their way towards an empty table, taking the atmosphere in.

Lando already has his nose in the menu while the Australian lets himself be carried away by his thoughts, eyes not leaving the outside view as he contemplates how the droplets fall quietly. He can faintly hear someone laughing, the sound melodious and annoyingly charming and he thinks that if someone were to ask him what comfort felt like, he'd explain this exact moment. The laughter gets closer before its right by his side, his head snapping to look at the person in front of the table, a bright smile on their lips.

"Hi, welcome to Solace Brew, my name's Y/N. What can I get you ?"

Their voice is as annoyingly charming as the rest of them, calm and joyful, turning Oscar's blood into lava as he feels himself turning red, mad at himself for acting like a teenage fool. He can't answer, can't even remember he has to, as his brain is fixed on you, the lights reflecting in your eyes like little stars, your presence Oscar's very own sun and he's gravitating around you. Only when Lando clears his throat does he remember the question, glaring daggers at his friend as he can see the amused smirk forming on his lips.

"-I, uh.. I'll take a coffee. Whatever you want to make, it's alright.

-Oh! Are you sure ? Would you prefer something strong, something sweet ? Something flavored maybe, like a Caffè alla Nocciola ?

-No, I mean yes, if you want to. But, uh, yeah. Make whatever, I'm sure it'll be great."

You giggle softly, nodding and making your way bak to the counter, a shy smile on your lips. His gaze doesn't leave you and he internally hates himself for being so awkward as he watches you ponder as to what to make.

"-Mate... You hate coffee.

-Shut it, Lando."

Lando snorts loudly, getting his phone out to no doubts text their friends about his embarassing encounter with you. It's true, he hates coffee. But if you're the one making it, maybe he'll discover a new addiction of his. It's ten long minutes later, courtesy of his friend teasing him, that you come back with a tray and your usual charming smile. God, how many times has he used this term to describe you ? You spot him staring at you and your face light up even more, if that's even more possible, slowly putting the tray down on the table and explaining what you're serving.

"Alright, so this one is the Cinnamon Hot Cocoa for you, and this one is for you. Marocchino, I made it not as strong as I usually do, I really hope you're going to like it. And this is the Pain Perdu and the Croissant you ordered, too.

-Oh wow... Thank you, it smells amazing !

-Don't hesitate to call out to me if there's anything else."

You send Oscar another smile before leaving towards another table and he lets his eyes wander down to the cup in front of him, eyeing it cautiously. This makes Lando wheeze before he sips on his own drink, humming as the flavor hits his tastebuds and squirming like a delighted little child before going for his Pain Perdu, leaving the Croissant to him. He takes a tentative sip and stops for a few seconds, trying to decide if he likes or hates the taste, before opting for the second option but continuing on drinking as to not give Lando any more occasions to mock him. In the back of his mind, he pictures your deceived face if you notice him not liking it and his will to finish the cup strengthen itself tenfold. The beverage is not even that bad, the taste of coffee not as present as he expected and the cocoa bringing a sweet something he quite enjoys.

"So, you like coffee now ?"

Oscar shakes his head slightly and put his cup back down, biting into the pastry and enjoying the way it seems to melt on his tongue, the buttery treat washing away the bitter taste of his drink. Lando seems way too happy, a mischievious grin playing on his lips as he stares at him, a barely hidden giddiness in his attitude.

"Well, you sure made an impression on them, Pastry boy."

Before Oscar even has the time to argue with him about the choice of nickname, he gives him a little paper, the receipt. He lifts an eyebrow in confusion and take it, immediately choking on his food when he reads what's written in small letters, stains of cocoa almost hiding them.

"Text me if you'd like to taste other coffees, I'd be enchanted to make them for you :)"

"Uh... they must really like making coffee."

Lando slaps his forehead and sighs in despair, fixing him with an annoyed glare.

"That's their way of asking you out, dumbass."

Well, he's definitely going to like coffee now.

#f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fluff #f1 #oscar piastri imagine #oscar piastri #oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri fluff

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shadowofahope · 1 year

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Skz meeting your protective older brother..

pairing: boyfriend!skz x reader genre: crack, meeting older protective brother warnings: none author's notes: This one was too cute! Thank you so much for sending this in 💙💙

Chan: His awkward laugh would be out in full force. He would be dead set on trying to show his mature side and hide is immature (cute) side, while also maintaining a friendly air. He'd would second guess his answers when your brother pried or questioned him. He would overdo formality for sure only to make himself cringe. However, his sincerity wouldn't go unnoticed by your brother.

Lee Know: He'd say he wasn't nervous, but he was. And the more nervous he got the more he frowned, falling into a rigid posture. He'd pick his words carefully keeping his sentences short. Yet like your protective brother, he was also very protective. So if your brother took things too far in teasing you or pestering you his nerves would disappear and his outspoken nature would emerge. He'd scold your brother for upsetting you and saying mean things. He might tease you but no one could make you sad.

Changbin: On the way to meet your brother you'd be the nervous one, he'd try to convince you it would be ok. He'd try to keep you calm but when you're actually there your nerves would disappear and he'd turn almost shy. Not knowing where to look, or how close he should sit to you. He'd shift in his seat, all jest he had on the way there would gone. He wouldn't smile until after leaving and then he would just deflate in a puddle.

Hyunjin: He be pretty calm and confident through the whole thing. Under your brothers show of an overbearing stare he wouldn't flinch. Probing questions wouldn't faze him, but if something was too far or he deemed inappropriate he would not hold his tongue. He'd make some remark about your brother being nosy. It would stun your brother, but you'd only laugh. He had already told you there was nothing your brother could possibly do to drive him away from you and he was not afraid to prove it.

Han: He would consistently be anxious leading up to the meeting. I'm talking weeks in advance. He would be trying to pick an outfit for days, overthinking it over and over again. He'd ask you things about your brother like 'does he go to the gym', 'is he scary', 'does he like cute things' and etc. Fretting about if he should bring a present with him, like a peace offering, but then his brain would run away from him and he'd be worried if that seemed like he was trying to make a trade for you. You would laugh at his antics, but also do your best to reassure him that your brother may be protective but as soon as he saw how much you were loved, there would be nothing to worry about.

Felix: He'd be overly excited about you wanting him to meet your brother. He'd take it as a sign that you're just as serious about him as he is about you. He wouldn't reign bak any skinship in front of your brother. He's the type to genuinely want know about your sibling relationship and when you mentioned your brother was protective of you he thought it was the sweetest. He would thank your brother for taking care of you and helping raise you; giving him the opportunity to meet you and fall for you.

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arimiaromage · 3 months

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I'm back with more dgrayman doujin fangame updates! after last time where I found Kanda x Lavi fangame that got a physical edition, I decided to keep digging to find the other games the developer made while waiting for it to come in. well, I've found another!

(if these interest you, I'm going to tag all of these posts as "#dgm fangames")

I was able to find & order a disc for their first dgm fangame, Infinite Melody (also called unendliche Melodie). like before, this game was so old (from 2007!!!) and only in JP that I basically haven't been able to find anything on it. and when I got the disc in...

...it was a preorder bonus for the game that's just a strategy guide! a bit of a letdown haha, but still interesting nonetheless. (side note: the site I found it on had translated part of the kanji as "attack"- but if you add 本 to the end of it, it suddenly becomes... strategy guide!)

so I loaded it up and found a 16 page pdf by the creator that is a guide for how to play the game. and now I'll share it online for preservation/archival purposes.

A bit of a shoddy translation-

Hello, nice to meet you! My name is Rindo, the owner of moonlight cafe. Thank you very much for choosing the sound novel type adventure game "Infinite Melody" produced by our circle!!

They then go on to say that this is their first (?) work for dgm and that they've published several works before (other games?) so they're more familiar with that than making manga. From their experience this game isn't that hard but they wanted to make a strategy guide just incase for the people who didn't want to keep retrying. After that they talk a bit more about the game structure itself- it sounds like Kanda is the main love interest and there are 2 scenarios, one for Allen and one for Lavi. It also sounds like there's a CG gallery in the game.

So, a bit of explanations for those not used to visual novels- in Japan (especially in the 2000s) they were referred to as sound novels or adventure games rather than visual novels (nowadays you'll see them called adventure games). A love interest is a character that's romanceable for you, the player character. A route is a set of choices that leads you down a particular story, usually just meant to signify a specific character- so if you have a game with multiple love interests, then saying "the Kanda route" would mean you're talking about the storyline that happens when you romance Kanda (but "route" is not specific to just romance).

The next section is character bios! This game is set in modern times with Allen as some sort of apprentice working for a magazine company.

a brief translation summary-

Allen is a newbie reporter for the music magazine "Asian Music". He heard Kanda's songs over the radio years ago which got him interested, but this turned into disgust the more he learned about Kanda. That doesn't stop him from buying Kanda's new CDs, though. He lives alone in a very cheap apartment.

Lavi works for an entertainment production company (Rozenkuroitsu? Rosenkreuz?? (????)) and Kanda's manager & music arranger. He's supposed to only be his manager but Kanda insisted on him doing arrangements too. There's more here about Lenalee being the younger sister of the company's president and her and Kanda are childhood friends with Lavi.

(side note- the oval at the top of these says "character [number]" followed by their name, and Lavi's lastname is still listed as Bookman, even in modern times. just a funny little detail)

Kanda is a singer-songwriter who's very popular- his songs always reach the top of the ranking charts. Despite this, people fixate on his looks when mentioning him. He's currently under a lot of stress due to his increasing workload and his popularity. He's a bully who loves Perrier (the water??), quietness, and the sky.

top one- Bak Chan (yes, that's Bak!)

Bak is the editor-in-chief for "Asian Music" and Allen's boss. He's old friends with Komui Lee, the president of the studio Kanda and Lavi work at, but he refuses to ask for special interviews because pride (?).

bottom one- Lenalee Lee

Lenalee is the younger sister of Komui, the president of the studio Kanda and Lavi work at. She's also the one who writes the lyrics for Kanda's songs. Her, Lavi, and Kanda are all childhood friends.

next is a few screenshots of what the game looks like! lots of CGs, too bad we can't see any fully. (a CG is basically cutscene artwork)

the next section is a quick strategy on how to get the good ending for each route. it looks like this game has a different way of setting it up- usually a "route" is for a love interest, but in this game you're able to play as Allen or Lavi and date Kanda as either of them, so the "routes" are for Allen and Lavi (despite playing as them).

Allen route

the creator listed some of the important choices in the game and gives a small idea of how to answer them to get the best ending. for players this would be a helpful guide, but for us it'll help us get an idea of what the game covers.

the first choice is set in Kanda's office where you choose a drink. Allen hates alcohol so that's a no-go, but if you remember from Kanda's bio he love Perrier.

the next choice is when Kanda asks Allen out on a date. despite wanting to go, it might be better to decline him so both of you can focus on work.

the next choice is where to take Kanda on his day off. it should be somewhere where Kanda doesn't have to use a microphone (as that's his day job) and somewhere where people won't be staring at him (as he's basically a celebrity).

the last choice is a bit hard for me to understand- the author said they left some of these vague, and this one is basically "Kanda asked me directly!!". maybe it's a love confession? once you reach this part, the creator says you can rest easy (and maybe bully him a bit).

Lavi route

Lavi is Kanda's manager so several of his choices are related to, well, managing Kanda.

his first choice listed is whether or not he should interrupt Kanda and Allen arguing in a room together. even if you might be in the way, Kanda might appreciate you being by his side.

his next choice is about going to Los Angeles (a vacation?). Kanda is Kanda and will be grumpy, but lying to him will make things even worse. (I'm not sure if this is Lavi trying to convince Kanda to go to LA for a vacation or Lavi going alone to LA and Kanda ends up going)

the next choice is Kanda insisting on going back home to Japan. work is important, but Kanda's health is even more important (especially as you're his manager). after persuading him, indulge in what he wants for a bit.

the last choice is.... where should Kanda sit on the plane?? if you made it this far then the creator says you can relax. they say Kanda may be stubborn but he's not a child- you don't have to always take care of him.

you can play either route in whatever order you want, but if you get the true ending in either route, you'll get bonuses! the creator really encourages you to play both routes.

this is a mini skit between Lavi and Allen with Kanda interjecting. It's basically Allen and Lavi arguing who Kanda likes more.

last but not least is a final credits page for the doujin circle.

...and what's that? a new website link? let's check it out!

surprisingly.... the website is still active!!

on the website there's this description for the game, which we already kind of understand from the character bios:

見習い雑誌記者アレンは、メディア嫌いで有名なミュージシャン“神田ユウ”の取材をすることになった。同じく、神田のマネージャーのラビは多忙を極める神田の、心労を解消させる方法を模索していた。取材当日、生理的に嫌いだと思っていた神田を前にアレンはとんでもない失言をしてしまう……。　みたいなノリです。詳しくは体験版をお試しください。　最初の選択肢でアレンルート（神アレ）とラビルート（ラビュ）に分かれます。

basically- Allen works as an apprentice reporter who is assigned to interview Kanda, a popular singer who hates reporters. Lavi is Kanda's manager who is trying to find a way to relieve Kanda's stress. on the day of the interview, Allen said something (improper/embarrassing/a slip of the tongue) even though he thought he hated Kanda.

even more surprisingly, there's still a trial file on the website?! I'm not brave enough to download this lzh file right now, but maybe soon once I get an isolated environment... if you press the Trial page and then the first line under the image, there's a lzh file (a type of zip file) you can download. please only do this with virus protection on your computer or in a virtual machine, don't download strange files with no protection!!

yep, that's about it. I'll be on the lookout for this game's physical release (that's not the guide book haha) and the developer's other games, but I hope this was interesting!

I apologize for the shoddy translations, if you'd like to translate the parts here feel free to add it as a reblog/comment. I've posted every single page from the PDF so there's nothing additional I have. if you have any more info on the developer/doujin circle feel free to add those as well.

or, maybe.... you're brave enough to try the trial version for yourself? 👀

#dgm #dgrayman #d gray man #dgm fangames #allen walker #yu kanda #lavi bookman #kanda yu #dgm fangame #ari rambles #this is not how I expected to indoctrinate more people into visual novels but here we are

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wasongo · 1 year

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youtube

i am once again thinking about Bak and Komui's VAs, who are the only reason i ever revisit bits of the anime lmao.

also thinking about the on-point translation of Komui's teasing "Bak-chan" as "Bak dear". It's fucking perfect. The pun is lost but the feeling remains! 💕

#bak goes high pitched when he's annoyed and flustered #while komui goes high pitched when he wants to be teasing and annoying lmfao #i continue to be IN LOVE with them #Youtube

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archronova · 1 year

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Menabung Tulisan tuk Revolusi

Setiap fakta yang dibeberkan membanjiri media kita. Disitu pula percikan percikan perlawanan atas lama sudah masyarakat dibungkam haknya mengoreksi wakilnya.

Ketidakpuasan, ketidakpercayaan, dan Muak.

Menjadikan hati tiap insan tak beriman, berputus asa dan menginginkan segeranya kembalinya Guillotine-chan ketengah tengah masyarakat.

Mengakhiri amarah, membakar segala yang tampaknya tenang semula. Menjadi kecamuk atas kompor dari negara negara adidaya yang menginginkan krisis bagi negeri yang tak sejalan dengannya.

Panggilan revolusi, tanpa solusi. Berakhir dengan nasib sama seperti revolusi mental dalam beberapa dekade sebelumnya. Ia hanya sebagai icon, semboyan, tanpa arti. Bak tempe busuk yang tahunya saja tak jadi diolah.

Berpikirlah kedepannya.. masalah nyawa, kita usahakan secukup dan semampunya. Karena pergerakan tak menunggu kita untuk mampu, dan gulirnya sudah dimulai beberapa tahun belakangan.

Mengamati sekitar, dan temukan apa yang bisa dilakukan.. dalam perjuangan.

Nb. Gambar hanya pemanis, aslinya konten sinis..

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boysplanetrecaps · 1 year

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Boys Planet Episode 8 Recap and Guide, Part 2

Ok, welcome back to Boys Planet Recaps! In the previous post, I covered the reveals of trainees ranked 27 through 12. This post will cover 1-11, as well as chair 28. Let’s go!

So, let’s look over the full list of trainees whose names have not yet been called.

Trainee Recap

For each trainee, I’ll list their rank at the first elimination in episode 5, as well as their rank mentioned at the end of ep 6, and the songs they did for the two previous missions.

Name rank-5/ rank-6 Previous Songs

Sung Hanbin 1/1 Love Me Right / Tomboy Han Yu Jin 4 /2 Back Door / Law Seok Matthew 2 / 3 Kill This Love /Love Killa Zhang Hao 5 /4 Kill This Love / Tomboy Kim Ji Woong 3 / 5 Backdoor /Love Killa Kim Gyu Vin 6 / 6 Love Me Right /Love Killa Kim Tae Rae 11 /7 Backdoor / Man in Love Keita 8 / 8 Kill This Love /Zoom Hui 7 /10 Love Me Right / Tomboy Park Gunwook 10/11 Kill This Love / Tomboy Kum Jun Hyeon 14/12 Back Door / Ggang Cai Jin Xin 50 /25 Hot Sauce /Feel Special Hiroto 21 /27 Very Nice / Rush Hour Ma Jing Xiang 32/28 Very Nice / Rush Hour Mun Jung Hyun 23 /30 Very Nice / Ggang Anthonny 19/31 Love Me Right / Limousine Jung Min Gyu 27/32 Very Nice / Man in Love Brian 41/ 33 Back Door / Butterfly Chen Jian Yu 45 / 35 Back Door / Ggang Lim Jun Seo 30 / 36 Danger / Butterfly Dang Hong Hai 33 / 37 Love Me Right / Home Lee Ye Dam 42 / 38 Love Me Right / Law Park Ji Hoo 44/39 Hot Sauce / Limousine Cong 35 / 40 Very Nice / Butterfly Ji Yun Seo 47 / 41 Back Door /Home Wumuti 43/42 Love Me Right / Zoom Bak Do Ha 24/43 Hot Sauce / Not Spring… Oh Sung Min 34/44 Love Me Right/ Rush Hour Krystian 37/45 Back Door / Limousine Lee Da Eul 13/46 Danger / Not Spring… Lee Dong Yeol 40/47 Very Nice / Man in Love Park Hyunbeen 49/48 Hot Sauce / Zoom Jung I Chan 52/49 Danger / Not Spring Choi Woo Jin 51/50 Hot Sauce / Man in Love Lee Dong Gun 48 / 51 Hot Sauce /Feel Special

So, I’ll give you a moment to decide for yourself who you think the top 11 most reasonably are.

Yeah, that’s what I think, too.

It’s pretty obvious that the top 11 are, in some order: Han Yu Jin, Hui, Keita, Kim Gyu Vin, Kim Ji Woong, Kim Tae Rae, Kum Jun Hyeon, Park Gunwook, Seok Matthew, Sung Hanbin, and Zhang Hao.

And I’d say any of the following are conceivable for chair 28: Anthonny, Brian, Cai Jin Xin, Hiroto, Jung Min Gyu, Ma Jing Xiang, or Mun Jung Hyun.

So the only real suspense here is which person will survive in 28th position, because we already know that the top 11 all survive. MNET VASTLY overestimates how fascinating I will find the ranking within the top 11, and tends to drag it out. Am I alone on this? Does anyone else feel like, well, they survived, and the ranking can and will change, so who gives a rat's butt as to who came in first versus second or third?

Anyway, let's get to the ranking!

At 2:14:10 the trainees are settling in to this phase of the eliminations. My little cousin Kum Jun Hyeon tells little muffin Mun that he’s nervous, and Mun tells Kum that he [Kum] is a candidate for top 9.

Just then, we’re told that the candidates for 9th place -- in other words, those in spots 9, 10, and 11 -- are General Gunwook, Hui, and yes, my little cousin Kum Jun Hyeon.

Gunwook was expecting this in a good way; Hui was expecting this in a bad way; and Kum Jun Hyeon didn’t even know he could hope for this.

Everyone is shocked that Hui could have dropped so far, but he just nods kind of resignedly. As he said earlier in this episode, even he wouldn’t vote for an idol in his 30s, after all.

So who is 11th place?

At 2:16:15, Huta announces that it’s Hui.

For a moment, there’s just silence.

Low key saw this coming from the start. For one thing, because Hui is great at everything he does, there’s very little vulnerability there, so it’s hard to feel that affection for him that I feel for some of the other trainees, even the ones I wouldn’t vote for, like Takuto or Bak Doha. For another thing, Hui is already a debuted idol. A lot of people would say that he had his shot.

There is also the Pentagon Paradox.

Consider: Everyone in the world is either a Pentagon fan, or not a Pentagon fan. I'm not talking about antis, I'm just talking about people who aren't specifically big fans of Pentagon. If you are a fan, like I am, then of course you’d want to support Hui in general in his endeavors. I wanted Hui to survive and do well on the show because I didn't want him humiliated or made miserable. But now that we're coming to the home stretch, my feelings are changing. As a Pentagon fan, I want Pentagon to be out there doing stuff -- as I imagine a lot of other Universe do. So I -- and I think other Universe -- actively want Hui to NOT be in Bepler. Meanwhile, think about those who are not Pentagon fans. They probably wouldn’t support Hui in the first place, unless they just happen to really like him on the show. So, neither Pentagon fans/Universe nor Pentagon non-fans are likely to want Hui in the top 9, so... who will be voting for him, exactly?

And that is the Pentagon Paradox.

Huta asks Hui to say a few words, and he says: “As I joined Boys Planet, I could feel what it means to enjoy the stage after a long time. Since I was able to perform with very talented chingoos, I was so honored. It’ll be a performance that I’ll remember forever.” Then he makes a big heart with his arms, as his lips smile but the rest of his face doesn’t.

(Chingoo means “someone the same age as you”/”friend” but can also be roughly translated to “guys” -- you’ll often hear the judges call the trainees “chingoo”.)

I mean, it was pretty classy of him to focus on how much he enjoyed performing with the guys, but why not thank the Star Creators who voted for him as well? That seems mandatory, to me anyway.

Now it’s time to find out who came in 9th and who came in 10th between Jun Hyeon and Gunwook. We find out that apparently the two of them have been friends since the start -- I wonder how many other friendships we have no clue about? They’re both in the same Artist Battle song -- En Garde -- and are apparently currently roommates.

They’re also sort of friendly rivals.

We see that they’re both trying to cast a spell to be chosen ninth -- well, you gotta do something with your brain while you stand there endlessly waiting for the producers to let Huta announce 9th place. After like full on 5 minutes of dicking around, at 2:19:27 we find out that Gunwook is in 9th place. Kum jokes that he’s not going to say congratulations, but you can tell he doesn’t mean that too seriously.

Gunwook says: “I couldn’t get rid of the 10th place tag. I felt the wall of Top 9 was too high for me. I was able to grow after meeting Team Tomboy. Thank you.” Also no thanks to the Star Creators? I don’t know, feels wrong to me.

Then my little cousin says: “I thought that I should not regret whatever rank I got. I don’t have any regrets because my ranking has risen much more than I thought. I was able to improve from my Ggang performance, so I’m thankful to my team members.” Then he pauses, and says with a slightly thicker throat, “The last chingoo from my agency, Woo Jin, is here” -- and he gestures to Woojin, who was ranked 50th in the 6th episode and who was in Man in Love. We can see that, for one of the first times in Jun Hyeon’s whole life, his eyes have tears in them.

Somehow, that gets to me more than it does to see someone who is always openly emotional. “I… I hope I get good results and I can be a hyung who Woo Jin can be proud of,” he says. Then, gathering himself together, he shouts, “Woojin, I love you!”

Honestly, that’s why I watch this show. FRIENDSHIP! Fuck yeah!

I just noticed that we didn’t see Park Gunwook say anything to Park Hyunbeen, the last survivor from his Jellyfish team. Well, maybe it was edited out.

The trainees take their spots, and the rest of team Tomboy is happy to see Gunwook take a seat on one of the comfy chairs. But Gunwook doesn’t look super happy.

Next is 8th place, and Wumuti says to Keita, “I hope you don’t get called.” It’s so weird how for the first two hours, the trainees were both hoping to be called, and now they’re all hoping not to be called.

Our clue is that whoever it is, he placed first in his team. Well, that means it’s Zhang Hao, Kim Gyuvin, Kim TaeRae, or Keita. It’s also someone who has had a killing part, which means it’s either Keita or TaeRae.

At 2:23:12, we find out it’s Keita. TaeRae’s teammates from Man in Love are like, “wow, how far are you going to go?”

Huta says, as Keita takes the stage, “Trainee Keita, the master of the stage, showed perfect rap that’s close to a perfect god through Zoom performance and secured his top 9 place.”

Keita says, “Thank you so much to Star Creators for letting me sit in the Rank 8 seat again. I’ll prove why I have to stay in the Top 9.” His former teammates are happy for him, as is Park Gunwook, who leans over to shake his hand with a look of real happiness on his face. (I couldn’t find a still of when they were both in focus, so enjoy my delightful non-photoshop job here.) Aww, Gunwook has the cutest puppy face smile sometimes, I swear. I think he could pull of cute concepts really well.

Next, is the trainee in 7th place. It’s someone in the K-group, so it’s not Hao or Matthew. We don’t wait too long to find out, at 2:24:40, that it’s Kim TaeRae 💖. Naturally, he would have wanted to go even higher, but 7th place is already plenty good enough.

Kim TaeRae appreciation photoset:

Then we get to listen to his nice speaking voice as he says, “I’m truly thankful to Star Creators for giving me a great ranking of 7th place. I’ll return the favor with better songs and more confident performances. Thank you.” But as he settles down in the squishy 7th place chair, it’s clear that he’s a bit anxious and uncomfortable.

Just for fun, I’m going to measure the time between when they show the rank number on the jumbo tron and when they finally reveal who has that position.

Now it’s time for 6th place. Will it be Han Yu Jin, Kim Gyu Vin, Kim Ji Woong, Seok Matthew, Sung Hanbin, or Zhang Hao? The stakes have never been lower!

We get the clue that the person in 6th got the benefit from the Dual Position Battle, which means it’s literally any of them, because they were all on either Law, Love Killa, or Tomboy.

Then Huta says something that Viki translates as, “He has a unique face and is praised for his good looking.” So again, it’s all of them!

At 2:26:47, after 80 seconds, we find out it’s Kim Gyuvin. He’s a little sad, because he wanted to go even higher, but he did get more than 5 million points.

Huta, reading directly from a cue card, asks him if he only did Love Killa for several years. Sigh, ok, fine, I guess this is a runner. Then Huta says something that Viki translates as, “Please tell us any memorable remarks on survival,” which I think is hilarious.

Gyuvin says, “Thank you for making me win first place in Love Killa. Seo Won, Matthew, and Ji Woong, thank you.” Then he adds in slow, but well-pronounced English, “And thank you for all the support and love. Whatever happens to me, I’m always able to stand strong because of you. Thank you, and I love you.”

When Gyuvin switches to English, Kim JiWoong asks Matthew if Gyubin is doing a good job, and Matthew confirms that he is. “Why didn’t you smile when I speak English?” JiWoong asks, and Matthew says, “Gyuvin is speaking well.” They seem to have a cute report.

Side note: I watched some dumb Youtube video in which someone ranted about their Boys Planet opinions. I say it was dumb because while I don't mind someone disagreeing with me on who they like or dislike, I do mind someone saying something like “Gyuvin needs to get out of Top9 right now,” while refusing to even explain why. And a bunch of people in the comments agreed, but no one had any substantive reason why. What on earth did Gyuvin do to you, people? He’s been a great performer since the Star Level Test. He’s the only one on Love Killa who managed to fucking SMILE the entire performance. He seems like a sweet kid with a nice face and great performance skills whose confidence has really been shaken by these psychopath judges. You can like other trainees better, but it’s weird to just hate Gyuvin. It’s like, these people just hate him because he gets in the way of their ships, or something. Ick.

Next will be the fifth place trainee. Will it be Han Yu Jin, Kim Ji Woong, Seok Matthew, Sung Hanbin, or Zhang Hao? And why does MNET think I care all that much of the specific order amongst these five? If I weren’t recapping this, I’d just skip ahead.

Zhang Hao is getting nervous, so Hanbin takes his hand. That faint noise you just heard in the distance is a shipper squealing. Maybe it was a noise that you made. I don’t know your life.

Huta says that the trainee in 5th place is unexpected. Hey, Huta, you said that about 20th place, and the person turned out the be the person who was in 21st place previously, so I don't trust that comment at all. Then we learn that it’s someone whose ranking has fallen since the first ranking announcement, so it’s it’s not Zhang Hao, who was 5th place before already. It’s also someone who didn’t do the Vocal and Rap position in the Dual Position Battle, so it’s not Hanbin.

Which of these three is it?

I am on the edge of my seat!

Wait, hang on, let me sit back -- I have plenty of room. That’s better.*

At 2:29:35, after 80 seconds of waiting, we find out it’s Kim Ji Woong, who has dropped a bit in the ranking.

People are surprised that his ranking fell, but I’m not really that surprised. Kim JiWoong was sort of subdued and depressed seeming through most of episodes 6-7. There seemed to be some sort of heavy dark cloud hanging over his whole team, and while I think that this cloud may have condensed from evaporating drops of Matthew's flop sweat, the net outcome was a sad sad sad JiWoong. It wasn't a cute look -- people like smiling idols. Also, it seems increasingly clear that JiWoong is sort of a weirdo. He makes weird jokes, he has weird takes on things, he is comfortable with things that make other people uncomfortable, he's just an oddball. Personally, that makes me like him a lot more, but I don't know if most people are like me on that.

*That was an old MST3K joke, but it really fit here.

See, to my point about him being kind of a weirdo, when asked to say a few words, Kim Ji Woong says: “Besides rankings, I think the most important thing is an unbreakable heart. If Star Creators keep watering, I will bloom a huge flower. Thank you.”

You guys, JiWoong is a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a fitted suit wrapped in other people’s sweat. Does he know how sexual this sounds? Is this all an accident? There's no way to know, but I love it.

Then Huta says that he’ll announce that the top four, and even though it couldn’t possibly be more obvious that it’s Matthew, Hanbin, Hao, and Yujin, we still have to wait fully 45 seconds for them to actually tell us.

The fourth place trainee actually came in first place in 70 countries, including the US, France, Italy, and Switzerland. At 2:32:47 we find out it’s Matthew, who has fallen two spots. And for the record, he still would have been in 4th place without all the benefits.

In fact, the only differences in ranking caused by the benefit at all is that (a) the formerly blue haired Park Hanbin, currently 13th, and Ricky, currently 14th, would be in the opposite order without the benefit and (b) Na Kamden, currently 20th, and that peach Lee Seunghwan, currently 21st, would be in the opposite order without the benefit. So… not that important, really.

Back to Matthew. Again, I’m really not surprised that his rank has fallen. As I hinted at earlier, his leadership of the Love Killa team was low key a disaster. He came across as officious and anxious, like a yippy chihauhua. I'm not trying to be mean, because I empathize. I'm a teacher -- as I've said before, I don't teach at a school and I work with all age groups, from little kids to adults who are my parents' age -- and I know how it feels to try to lead people from a place of anxiety. People smell it on you and don't like it. It makes them feel anxious, too. They push back more. And then it makes the leader even more anxious, which creates a feedback loop. The only way to get out of it is to take deep breaths and try to relax control a little. Give the conversational ball back to the students. Ask more questions, and accept more answers. But I'm not sure that Matthew ever figured out what had actually gone wrong with his leadership, and we get a sense in the beginning of this episode that he still has a lot to figure out about how teams and leadership work.

I guess I've digressed a bit, but the point I want to make is that Matthew showed a somewhat unlikable side to himself in episodes 6-7. And then his performance in Love Killa was nothing to write home about, since he was not a good fit for the song concept (as he himself seemed to realize later). I think it's not too late for him to right the ship, but I also think that the show's editors may have turned against him, and I'm not totally sure that he's a lock for Top9 anymore.

Anyway, for his speech, Matthew says, “I’m so thankful that I’m still in Top9. Star Creators, since you send me support and love, I’m becoming a stronger and happier Matthew.” Then he does that dumb little motto thing again and in the future, when he does that, these recaps will not mention it.

Now it’s time for third place. The trainee was number one in China, which makes everyone think it’s probably Hao, but apparently Yujin is also really popular in China, and without much ado, we find out that it is in fact Han Yujin.

I love Park JiHoo in the peanut gallery saying, “So Hao-hyung will be 2nd place?” because it’s so obvious who first place will be.

Han Yujin’s voice is surprisingly deep, considering his young age. He says, “While watching survival programs since I was young” -- you are currently young, my friend -- I thought about how I’d feel if I sat in such a high place. I can’t believe this, and I’m so, so happy now. I’ll work harder to be a person who deserves this high place.��

Then Huta teases him into doing his "thigh grab" move from Law again and we see several instant replays.

Han Yujin is 15 ½ in international age. He’s only a few months older than Takuto. Ewwww.

Hey, psychopath child who told me to k!ll myse!f for “sexualizing” legal adult Park Gunwook, are you writing letters to MNET about this shit? Maybe you should be. Get your misdirected rage out that way, maybe.

So, Yujin takes his seat, and now we’ll spend almost seven minutes wasting time before we find out who came in first and who came in second, as if we don’t already know. But there was NO TIME to hear what Ricky, Chen Kuan Jui, or Zhang Shuai Bo had to say when they got their ranking, right?

Huta begins by commenting on Hanbin and Hao’s chemistry, and then we’re reminded that they were the two centers for Na Bina. We see Matthew with a slightly weird expression.

He almost looks angry. But who knows, maybe he's just trying not to sneeze.

Then Huta asks them things like “How do you feel about being a candidate for number one?” and “Do you think you can be number one?” They say the exact same stuff you’d expect them to say. Seriously, take a moment, imagine what you'd think they'd say. You got it right. That's what they said.

The only thing that’s at least slightly interesting is when Huta asks Hao if he has anything to say to Hanbin, and Hao says, "Let's debut and drink zero cola every day." Also, we find out that Number 1 has 914,268 more points than number 2, which makes it even less likely that it’s not Hanbin.

So after all that, we find out the first place is, of course, Hanbin again.

Hanbin pouts, which is a choice. I guess he feels a little uncomfortable with it--? Hao doesn't even react because he already knew.

The trainees all say “as expected” and that Hanbin is really named “Han Bina” (like Na Bina, I’m Shining). Hanbin and Hao embrace as the void itself closes in on them.

Somehow they escape the void, and then we get to hear from each of them.

Hanbin says: “I gained strength from many people who supported me. Thanks to them, I'm spending a meaningful and memorable day every day. Team Love Me Right, including [Han] Seo Bin who I really miss, and team Tomboy that brought me luck. And not everyone is here but while watching the passion of 98 trainees in Boys Planet, I think I've grown up more. I'll continue to try hard, rather than just stay in the same place. I'll keep the number one place to the end." Then, he switches to Chinese, and while Hao rubs his back and various Chinese trainees smile, he says, " I think I'm getting better because of you. Thank you, Star Creators."

(In case you forgot who Han Seo Bin is, he's Park JiHoo's friend, the rapper kid who Hui chose to be on Love Me Right. )

Zhang Hao says, “Hello, I'm trainee Zhang Hao. Today's Zhang Hao isn't perfect yet. But I will try my best and make a performance that exceeds your expectations. I'll prove that you are right to like Trainee Zhang Hao." Then Zhang Hao switches to Japanese and Zhang Hao says, “Thank you for supporting me. You're my strong supporter. I will do my best to be your pride." Thank you, Zhang Hao for giving that speech about Zhang Hao!

My theory is that Gyuvin, Hanbin, and Hao were talking in their Love Killa group about how to get more support from areas where they're less popular. Gyuvin targeted the international market in general, Hanbin targeted China, and Hao targeted Japan.

So, now that we've found out who is ranked 1-27, only one chair remains...

The final spot: 28th place

At 2:42:50 it's time to find out the last trainee who survived elimination in rank 28. Who are the candidates?

Sung Hanbin, Kim Gyuvin, Keita, and Tumblr user Boys Planet Recaps are all hoping it's Lee Yedam. Thanks, MNET, for first screwing him over by not showing his audition in episode 2, and then turning the screws now, just letting us all know that the highest ranked trainees all respect the shit out of him but that we’re going to lose him from the show.

Anyway, we find out our three “candidates”, ie those ranked 28, 29 and 30 in some order, are..

Mun Jung Hyeon, Hiroto, and Ma Jing Xiang.

And then we find out that 30th place is…

Ma Jing Xiang. Oh Sungmin is shocked.

He bows politely, and trainees call out encouragement. Huta says that MJX has “shown passionate drive all this time”, and that is a nice way to put it.

MJX seems to be ok -- he’s got to be at least slightly relieved to be able to get away from this stressful environment. He says, “Actually, I don’t have any regrets, because many Star Creators have voted for me and cheered me on. So it’s so heartwarming for me. I love you all.” Aww, that’s nice! I wish more trainees would focus on that -- yeah, you may have lost, but look at the hundreds of thousands of votes you got!

Now it’s down to Mun Jung Hyeon, who I’ve liked ever since his performance in The Real for the Star Level Test, and Hiroto, who I don’t feel like I know very well, and who has never like, blown me away with his performance. So, obviously I’m hoping for Mun. But at the same time, we only have three Japanese trainees in the top 27 -- Keita, Haruto, and Takuto. (What is with all the Japanese trainees going just be their personal name? Did MNET make them do that?) So it would be good to have another Japanese trainee around, just to make this not so much of a K-fest. And I know a lot of people really like Hiroto, so it’d be nice to get to know him better.

We scan the audience, and oh, Mun’s label mate and hyung, TaeRae, is crying a little, while his other hyung, Park Hanbin, has his hands lifted in prayer. We know that Takuto is hoping desperately for Hiroto-kun. And Huta tells us that the difference between the two is only 60,510 points -- oh, ouch!!

And at 2:47:35, we find out that….

Haruto has survived, and Mun is out.

The two of them hug. Kim Tae Rae covers his eyes with his hands.

Haruto says, in Korean, “I am so fascinated by everything that’s happening. I can’t tell whether this is a dream or reality. But I’ll do my best going forward to return the favor. Thank you.” Aww, he probably prepared that speech. Then pretty much all the trainees come running over to hug him, including a sobbing Takuto.

Then Huta says, “Trainee Mun Jung Hyun has to leave Boys Planet at Number 29 for the difference in one ranking.” Nice! What a great comment to make! So helpful.

TaeRae is really crying now, so Mun calls out “Uljima!!!” (Don’t cry!) But he’s low key saying it to himself. He goes on, “Up until Hiroto’s name was announced, I wished that I could leave after performing in the last stage.” (He means the Artist Mission.) “I’m very disappointed, but I’m sure Hiroto will perform very well in my place. … I didn’t want to make you cry!” he adds, as many trainees do, in fact, cry. “Thank you for everything, and especially, to the Star Creators who enabled me to perform twice already, I want to sincerely thank you. Thank you!”

And that’s the end of the second elimination. We pan slowly over the remaining trainees…

…and Brian is just a study in misery. Ji Yun Seo, who is actually two years younger than Brian, looks at his fellow Yuehua trainee with concern. YunSeo is such a papa bear type for someone so young, isn’t he?

Huta says some stuff about how they did a good job and will be remembered forever, but a tear is rolling down Cai Jin Xin’s face. Awww, he’s not really that good at anything but I’m fond of him. He seems like a real nice guy. Not a Nice Guy, but a guy who is nice. You know what I mean.

Then Huta congratulates the trainees who have made the cut, but warns them that they’re still not safe. To the Star Creators, he says, “For the boys who are desperately awaiting your love and cheer, we would be grateful if you would give them your precious one vote.” Park JiHoo looks dead to the camera and mimicks tapping on a phone. I love that kid.

And Dang Hong Hai says that’ll be voting. Yeah, DHH! He’s staying classy. I love it.

The voting opens! From now on, we can pick three boys only. Oh no, my heart is already broken.

But that’s about it for this episode, and this post!

In my next post, I’ll list the order I found online for the rankings 29 to 51, and give you my thoughts/ideas on what might happen next for the trainees who were eliminated. Then in another post I’ll address the five Artist Mission songs/groups, and what happened for that first hour of Ep 8, along with some thoughts on those videos they released.

Thanks as always for reading! If you're enjoying the recaps, please consider sharing them in non-Tumblr spaces because it'd be cool to get the word out and help people who like this kind of recap find me!

See you next time. <3

#boys planet #seok matthew #sung hanbin #zhang hao #kim ji woong #kim taerae #kim jiwoong #kim gyuvin #park hanbin #han yujin #keita #park jihoo #mun junghyun #ma jing xiang #hiroto #park gunwook

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neapologist873 · 2 years

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Stigmatas

(Potential Spoilers for chapters relating to the Ark and up to current chapters)

In the Bible, stigmata(s) were located in numerous places on Jesus’s body; those being: hands/arms, feet, near the heart, shoulders, and head.

We’ve noted before that the mark of a fallen one or even crystal-type users leave a stigmata mark. Lenalee’s are located on her shins--near the feet--and Kanda’s are on his forearms.

The Noah are obviously the head here, which is important to note as this location was reserved for the crown of thorns. This is important as it is one of the instruments to have killed Christ. Tykki’s wound from Allen’s failed exorcism attempt is another stigmata--the one which appears on his throat.

Now, we haven’t seen people with the other locations, but note this page from the very first chapter.

Allen’s entire arm has a resemblance to Kanda’s own arm from becoming a Fallen One and Allen’s innocence in the middle of his hand looks like a cross-like stigmata. And when it evolved, Bak Chan noted it to have been like a “diamond in the rough”. This event also took place shortly after Allen’s heart was stabbed by Tykki and his Innocence patched it together. This, alongside with its unique behavior, seems to suggest that Allen could potentially already be a crystal-type user.

And then we have Lavi, whose current name is Hebrew for heart. Since each record made by an apprentice for a certain time period is filed under that name, this could just be to signify that Bookman predicted the Heart would be uncovered during his life. However, Lavi being a future crystal-type user just makes sense as a main character and in one of the light novels, it was noted that his eye was the determining factor for him to become the next Bookman. Alongside that, in one of the Komui QnA omakes, it was revealed that Bookman was 100% certain that he and Lavi could be accommodators, so this seems to suggest that the clan has unique properties and compatibility with Innocence of their own.

#dgm #d gray man #dgm theorycrafting #wit whisks a theory #dgm theory

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notalardayasayanbirisii · 11 months

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Bu Lixe bi hasmetli olma guncellemesi gelmis hayirdir peri bey kas mi yapiyosunuz noluyo yani hayir bak simdiden soyliyim chan changbin jisung(ji birakti sanirim ya gitmis kaslari minicik olmus) ve minhodan sonra ben bi hasmet adam daha kaldiramam lutfen peri bey lutfeeeen

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sleepythug · 1 year

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short list of stuff I wanna catch up b4 2022 top 10

avatar:way of water (james cameron)

the fabelmans (steven spielberg)

tár (todd field)

eo (jerzy skolimowski)

decision to leave (park chan-wook)

aftersun (charlotte wells)

crimes of the future (david cronenberg)

detective vs sleuths (wai kai-fai)

shin ultraman (shinji higuchi)

il buco (michaelangelo frammartino)

return to seoul (davy chou)

thirteen lives (ron howard)

fire of love (sara dosa)

wood and water (jonas bak)

all the beauty and bloodshed (laura poitras)

baby assassins (yugo sakamoto)

armageddon time (james gray)

stars at noon (claire denis)

funny pages (owen kline)

apollo 10 ½ (richard linklater)

bones and all (luca guadagnino)

three thousand years of longing (george miller)

#+prob everything everwyehre all at once...#once i muster up the patience for something that's 2hr30min long #that i might not like lol

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allen-san · 10 months

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La Branche Asiatique

Je commence par le Chef de la Section :

Seiyuu : Shinichirou Miki / Wataru Hatano ( Anime 2016 )

Prénom Bak .

Nom : Chan .

Origine : chinoise

Taille : 1,68 m

Poids : 53 kg

Âge : 29 ans

Anniversaire : 11 novembre

Groupe sanguin : A

Bak est le chef de la branche asiatique, poste qu'occupait déjà son arrière grand-père, un magicien allemand qui a participé à la création de la Congrégation de l'Ombre. Tout comme Komui, c'est un grand travailleur et il a le sens des responsabilités. Il est capable d'utiliser une magie ancienne grâce à son sang pour modifier l'architecture du bâtiment servant de QG à la Branche Asiatique. Il est amoureux de Lenalee et a d'ailleurs beaucoup de photos d'elle. Il fait des crises d'urticaire sous le coup de fortes émotions. Il déteste être appeler : " mon petit Bak ( Bak Chan-chan ) " par Komui .

#d.gray-man #manga #bak chang

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sweetmastermind · 10 months

Note

Hi, anon who asked about the futures of eliminated Boys Planet trainees/contestants(you do not have to answer all of them if you do not want to)

-Jeong I Chan(also competed on I-Land from where Enhypen debuted, is active as a part of a producing team called YOUTH)

-Lee Da Eul and Lim Jun Seo(their contracts with 143 Entertainment expired)

-Bak Do Ha and Jung Min Gyu(both actors, were clearly put on the show because the producers knew that they would make for good TV and comedic relief, rather than potential debut candidates for the group)

-Krystian(used to be part of a global pop group called Now United, competed on Chinese survival show Youth With You 3, got evil-edited by Mnet and ruined his public image in South Korea, may mainly be active in China in the future)

-Dang Hong Hai(possibly a part of Fantagio Music’s new boy group debut lineup) and Cong(both of Vietnamese descent)

-Chen Jian Yu(also competed on Youth With You 3, did some acting work on Chinese web dramas, but mainly dreams of being an idol and said he wants to debut in South Korea)

-Oh Sung Min(former TO1 member, still under Wake One Entertainment, said Boys Planet might have been his last chance to become an idol)

-Cai Jin Xin(former Harvard student, also said that he wants to debut in South Korea)

-Mun Jung Hyun(was one of the K-group Wake One Entertainment trainees/contestants)

-Anthonny(competed on Produce 101 Japan, rumored to have been scouted by High Up Entertainment who is the same company of STAYC)

-Ma Jing Xiang(told fans that he plans to debut in South Korea, but also wants to finish school first)

This is based on tarot and reading on the current energy, so take it with a grain of salt, for entertainment purposes. I will not include the cards that came out because it will be too long

Jeong IChan: the possibility of debuting as a solo artist, not the typical idol, I picture him with a dark aesthetic, rap. Well known agency, not a big4 but has the money to give him a good budget, feels like it could be under an agency that has former idols/semi-active as their face or even CEO

Lee Da Eul: I have nothing concrete for him, there are some possible paths for him but now it seems he is contemplating continuing or not in the entertainment industry. If he stays, there is a possibility to be in a group and have opportunities for acting and a lot of solo work. Really boy next door concept.

Lim Jun Seo: for him nothing concrete either, there is no solid plan, maybe social media/youtube activity, and probably an acting role on a web drama but nothing really strong.

Bak Do Ha: continuing with acting, no idol or music-related activities

Jung Min Gyu: acting, maybe MV appearances.

Krystian: He has a big possibility of moving away from the industry Korean and Chinese, maybe having some covers on social media but nothing big

Dang Hong Hai: he is going to debut but I think it will be in another company

Cong: probably debut under fantagio, later this year or around the first quarter of 2024

Chen Jian Yu: possible debut in South Korea, in a group, still searching for a company, maybe a middle-size one. Acting projects, maybe a commercial.

Oh Sung Min: he still has a chance in debuting, a group of around 5-7 members, a strong female energy in the upfront of the project. I believe he may not be really active in the upcoming months

Cai Jin Xin: high chance of debuting in South Korea, but still nothing strong at the moment regarding a solid group, maybe Hybe will be on the talk with him

Mun Jung Hyun: nothing solid regarding a debut for him, he might wait to debut under Wakeone but I can picture him leaving, would take him some time to come back to the spotlight

Anthonny: big possibility of debuting under high up entertainment, in a group between 5-9 members, maybe around late 2024 or even 2025

Ma Jing Xiang: he has a high chance of debuting under a company in south korea, and will probably not finish his studies first, maybe even drop out but nothing concrete in that sense only that his opportunity for debuting is near and he will take it

#kpop tarot #kpop readings #kpop predictions #boys planet

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reveriescope · 2 years

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Floating Magnolia

Trigger Warnings: mention of sexual abuse

Seungcheol as Clinton Zhāo. Kiku as Yara Zhāo. Jeonghan as Arial. Seokmin as Kala. Wonwoo as Silas.

Special mention: Lee Chan as Micah, Xiaoting as Naradia Zhāo.

---

Begitu membuka mata, Clinton adalah orang pertama yang dilihat Natyara. Adik laki-laki yang hanya berjarak satu tahun di bawahnya itu merebahkan diri di sofa bed tak nyaman sibuk dengan ponsel di tangan.

Clinton, pasti sengaja membawanya ke rumah sakit di mana keluarga Zhāo bukan menjadi naratama. Syukur dirasa kala menyadari adiknya itu mengindahkan ucapan Yara sebelum ia hilang sadar.

"Didi," panggil Yara sambil mengangkat tubuhnya untuk duduk.

"Ce, should I call the doctor?" Clinton bangkit untuk menghampiri ranjangnya.

Yara menggeleng. Bibirnya yang masih pucat melafalkan kalimat dengan lirih, "Air aja, please?"

Dengan cekatan Clinton membuka botol air mineral dan meletakkan sedotan agar kakaknya itu bisa minum dengan lebih mudah. Begitu botol air sudah berpindah tangan, Clinton mengamati orang yang sudah dikenalnya seumur hidup itu.

Yara melirik ke lengan kiri Clinton yang terbuka. Ada plester bekas donor menempel di sana. Golongan darah mereka sama, sehingga Yara masih terselamatkan.

"Thanks, Didi. I owe you world." Yara merebahkan dirinya lagi usai menelan beberapa teguk air.

Clinton terdiam sejenak sebelum akhirnya bertanya, "Whose baby? That Wang guy?"

"Padahal kamu bisa nebak itu Xavier." Yara terkekeh pelan.

Yang lebih muda mendengus seraya menempelkan punggung pada sandaran kursi. "Dilihat dari karakternya, nope. Tell me it's the older Wang?"

Perempuan itu tidak menjawab, hanya memamerkan ekspresi tidak terbaca. Yara seolah sibuk dengan pemikirannya sendiri sekaligus diselimuti emosi tak terkatakan.

Diamnya Yara mengundang frustrasi bersarang di benak Clinton. Lelaki itu melipat tangan di depan dada, mencoba menerka apa yang ada di pikiran kakak perempuannya.

"Ce," kata Clinton pada akhirnya. "That's your body, your choice and your temple. Tapi kalau sampai buat kamu hampir mati seperti ini rasanya gue berhak tahu."

Yara menoleh ke arah Clinton lalu tersenyum penuh arti. "I can't afford bad publicity for our family's sake," tuturnya.

Citra sebagai pemain violin dan anak konglomerat otomatis membuatnya bak selebriti. Semua orang seolah ingin tahu kegiatan apa hari ini, produk perawatan mana lagi yang dipakai. Kabar Natyara Zhāo alias Natyara Oetomo sekarat akibat aborsi akan menghebohkan banyak pihak.

"Do you have to play that perfect first born all the time while it costs your life, Sister?"

"Clinton, katamu Cece hampir mati. And now you're in a heated debate with a dying person."

Ketika Yara memanggil nama depannya alih-alih Didi, saatnya Clinton menutup mulut. Percuma saja membuatnya jujur jika kakaknya itu memilih untuk bersikap kepala batu.

"Naik darah aku lama-lama, Ce." Clinton beranjak dari kursinya, "I'll send someone here. Jangan dikerjain."

Yara mengangkat tangannya yang dipasangi infus, sebuah bahasa tubuh yang menandakan ia tidak berencana bermain-main dengan suruhan Clinton.

Belum juga Clinton mencapai pintu, suara Yara kembali terdengar.

"If you're really curious why can't I tell you who's the father it's just because I'm not sure..." ucapan Yara terpotong sejenak sebelum ia melanjutkan, "...which one."

"What kind of life you live, actually?" Clinton, kali ini benar-benar naik darah dan hampir meledak saat mendengar pengakuan kakaknya berikutnya.

"It wasn't consensual, Didi. History repeats. You'll end up killed if you touch them."

"You know, Ce. All I do is to protect you and Meimei. So I can't let this pass."

---

Bagaimana kakak perempuannya itu bisa tetap tenang ketika memberitahu hak mengerikan telah terjadi? Clinton tidak habis pikir.

"Kupikir Cece tidak waras." Clinton mengusap wajahnya sebelum

Arial yang semula bermaksud membiarkan Clinton mondar-mandir kini meminta pemuda itu duduk usai menuang Crown Royal untuknya. Mereka ada di di Arctic Lounge, tempat pertemuan yang letaknya lantai rahasia Tranquiloft Hotel Jakarta milik Zen Point Group yang dipimpin keluarga Clinton.

"Mereka pikir mengakui pelecehan itu memalukan. Apalagi Cece kena dua kali. Dan lebih dari sekadar pelecehan." Arial berusaha lebih hati-hati dalam pemilihan kalimatnya untuk didengar Clinton.

"Dia bukan orang yang nggak bisa melawan,” sergah Clinton. Meski masih gusar, kini Clinton terlihat lebih relaks usai meneguk wiski.

"Biar begitu, dia korban. Kita nggak pernah tau apa yang ada di pikiran dia dan perasaan dia. Aksi dia atau perasaan dia nggak ada urusan sama penilaian lo."

Rupanya ucapan Arial terlalu tajam untuk dicerna Clinton, sehingga ia hanya menanggapinya dengan tawa sarkastik. "Jadi ini yang lo dapet dari peliharaan sebanyak itu," komentarnya.

Arial hanya mengangkat bahu sebelum mengusulkan, "Lebih baik lo kirim Silas."

"Udah sinting ya kalian? Buat apa bikin dia ke-trigger cuma gara-gara Cece-nya Clinton. Nggak!" Kala yang sepanjang waktu terdiam di kursi dekat jendela mendadak terdengar suaranya.

"Tapi yang paling bisa berempati ke masalah ini cuma dia, dan cuma dia yang bisa jaga sikap."

Terkadang Clinton lupa, Arial selalu punya jalan keluar dari segala situasi. Terlepas dari seberapa peliknya yang mereka lalui.

---

Natyara memandang Silas sebelum mulai menyendok bubur. Sedari tadi suasana tenang, Silas tidak banyak berbicara jika tidak ditanya. Sosoknya memancarkan energi tenang, lain halnya dengan anak-anak buah Clinton lain.

"Kamu pasti tahu aku di sini karena keguguran." Gumam Yara usai menelan makanannya.

Silas tidak merespons apapun, melainkan hanya memandangi Yara penuh tanya. Melihat pemuda itu, Yara tersenyum tipis menyadari apa yang mungkin diketahui Silas.

"Iya, I killed my baby." Sambil mengaduk-aduk bubur tak beraturan.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Menurut lo, dia akan berterima kasih that I don’t have to send them here or that they will despise my act?"

Hening setelahnya. Beberapa menit berikutnya, Yara meletakkan sendok tanda ia sudah selesai makan. Setelah perempuan itu menggunakan sapu tangan, Silas menyingkirkan alat makan dari hadapan Yara.

"Nona-"

"Yara atau Cece, samain aja sama Micah," potongnya.

Micah yang dimaksud Yara adalah pengawal pribadi adik bungsunya, Naradia. Atas kedekatan mereka, Micah juga memanggil Yara dengan sebutan "Cece" sama seperti siapapun yang lebih muda daripada dirinya di keluarga.

"Apapun yang bawa Cece ke keputusan ini, itu semua bukan salah Cece," ujar Silas. "Or else, Cece akan bawa trauma dan sulit menyayangi anak itu."

Yara diam seribu bahasa, tatapannya lurus ke depan. Sejurus kemudian perempuan itu menghembuskan napas panjang lalu menyandarkan punggung di bantal yang sudah disusun.

"Silas... kamu bisa main catur? Tolong besok temani aku main itu."

( to be continued? )

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