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soobpricity · 7 months

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anti romantic

chapter 19 : this thing was a masterpiece ‘til you tore it all apart

synopsis : anti romantic, college student choi yeonjun who thinks he’s seen everything in a relationship, promising himself that he won’t go through another relationship ever again to prevent himself from going through another heartbreak. that was until he sees yn, a classmate, chasing his heart. will his walls be enough to scare yn away, or will they continue chasing yeonjun with all they have ?

warnings: cuss words, angst, yeonjun seeming like the bad guy but he’s not :(( i need someone to give jun a hug :(( OH also a mention of committing suicide in one of the tweets..

pink cherry-like leaves fell from the trees, slight spring breeze shaking them off the tree branches, decorating the sidewalk. the sun beginning to set, hiding behind a few clouds, the moon made its presence known. there were certainties in the world: when spring arrived, more flowers bloomed, while others died because they weren’t in season.. when the sun were to rise, the daylight would soon enough lose its shine and be covered the by the moon.

and maybe another certainty, was that you were meant to lose yeonjun.

with everything that yoojung had already tried to do to get the two of you to split up, well it was inevitable. the sad thing was that you were so willing to sacrifice your own mental being to stay with yeonjun, and that wasn’t right. whereas yeonjun was willing to give up his relationship with you to ensure your happiness.. but why was that also not right ? it was the right thing to do, but yeonjun had made such a huge impact in your life that.. well you couldn’t lose him, especially not to yoojung, who had already caused so much harm on his life.

although, you knew. you knew that this little “cheating” scandal was just supposed to act as a way to get you and yeonjun to tussle over it. so if you knew that this was probably apart of yoojung’s whole plan to get you and yeonjun to break up, why did it hurt so much. to be fair, yeonjun’s lips were very much placed on someone else’s.

the boy in the picture was him.

and yoojung just so happened to be the one receiving the kiss.

it hurt. it hurt so badly.

the two of you promised to treat each other so well. to love each other a way that no one else has ever showed the two of you. a love so sweet and powerful that it was bound to stick along forever.

that’s what you planned with yeonjun.

a future so loving and adoring that the only people you would need in your life was each other.

a future where all you needed was to tell each other that you loved one another, and end each day off with cuddles.

so here you were as your head lied on soobin’s shoulder, tiny crystal-like tears escaping your eyes. the tv displaying a random rom-com, but each rom-com came with its unfortunate climax, where the main characters would learn something about the other causing them to call it off.

you never believed life would ever be like a rom-com, after all they were fictional stories that were being told to place hope in its audience or just to get a good giggle out of the viewer. but here you were, planning a movie-like future with yeonjun while facing the many obstacles that it would take to overcome any problems and show yeonjun just how much you truly loved him.

you felt soobin tense up, feeling like maybe it was making you uncomfortable… and it was, but after all you were the one who chose the movie, even after soobin recommended a ton of different action, disney movies.

soobin hated this entire situation, he hated yeonjun.. well maybe he didn’t hate hate him.but he definitely didn’t like him as much as he did before. he for sure did hate yoojung, who was she to try to destroy your relationship. the blame was all on her, she’s the one who cheated on yeonjun so why did you and yeonjun deserve to suffer over an option that she made.

soobin hated one thing the most : seeing you cry.

you were such a warm-hearted person, crying did not look good on you at all. there were times when soobin would come off a bit cold, and you were always volunteering to stay by his side. even a few months ago when beomgyu accidentally rejected soobin, you were there immediately after finding out what happened.

soobin recalled back to his childhood. the way that not all the kids in his neighborhood liked him, specifically because his name was always used as a comparison to the other kids. their mothers always making comments like “you should’ve done better, i heard soobin made a 110.” and while your grades weren’t always perfect, they were close, but even your own mother compared you to soobin, you were always there for him.

soobin remembers one time when he was walking out to get groceries, seeing a bundle of kids in the playground. they were all surrounding you, they continuously attempted to talk behind his back, not knowing that he was right there. however; you happened to shut down each insult, talking about how he isn’t a bad guy, and how it’s rude for them to talk behind his back. he remembers the way that you walked up to him, catching his presence. gifting him your presence to his way to the convenience store. as he asked why you were so adamant on not allowing others to talk bad about him. recalling your words, “well because it’s simply just rude, not only that but you work so hard to get such good grades and it’s not fair that they look down on you just because you do well. you’re not even a bad guy, you’re quite lovely.”

he knew what other kids said about him everyday, even if you tried to cover it up from him. he appreciated the thought. and since then, you two were like peas in a pod. never separating, only having each other to protect yourselves from the cruel, harsh world.

so here he was, his ears catching the noise of a few sniffles that originated from your nose. he leaned forward a bit, not wanting to move you too much. he grabbed a few tissues, passing them onto you. you showed him a soft yet sad smile, trying to hide your sadness.

“yah, don’t try to force yourself to seem happy, let it all out yn.. you deserve that atleast-“

soobin was cut off by a knock at the door, looking over at you. “i’ll get it, soob, don’t worry..” you removed your head off his shoulder, getting up. you slipped on a pair of black slippers that soobin brought.

your legs guided you towards the door. your hand twisting the knob, opening the door only to spot a tense-looking yeonjun.

“h-hey…” you greeted, your body still blocking the path to enter your apartment.

“do you have someone over ?” he asked, taking a peek at his watch, noticing as time passed.

“just soobin..” you mumbled, watching as yeonjun seemed to be in a rush. and in all honestly it hurt you, he couldn’t spare you a bit of time even after such an intense picture was revealed to you and nearly 18 thousand people ?

“oh.. well do you have time to talk, it’ll be quick.” yeonjun questioned. in all honesty he was in pain too, he hated coming off too coldly towards you. after everything that has happened, he just wanted to wrap you in his arms and tell you that it was all going to be okay. he wanted to press small kisses all over your face and tell you that you’re the only one he’s ever wanted. he wanted to tell you about how you changed him, how you made him into such a loving being. but here he was, about to hurt you even more. he hated this. he hated your red swollen eyes, your nose was also red, looking down to your hand seeing the tissue that you grasped. it broke his heart, he didn’t want to ever see you in such a state of vulnerability, you didn’t deserve that.. you only deserved all the happiness in the world.

“umm.. yeah-“

“lets break up.”

you looked at him, wide eyes open. eyes tearing up, your mouth open. before you composed yourself, eyes still shiny with tears, looking at him with still a bit of shock on your face.

“y-yeonjun you’re not being serious, right ? i know that picture wasn’t as it seemed.. it was all yoojung and karina’s doing right ! i don’t hate you over those pictures yeonjun ! i know that it’s all just to get us to brea-“

“yn.. i’m being serious, it was me in those pictures. karina had nothing to do with it, it was just me and yoojung. yn, i just- i don’t love you.” yeonjun tried his best to avoid your eyes, his voice nearly cracking from delivering those words to you.

yeonjun regretted this so much, but it was better for you, it was better for you to stay happy without him. he needed to protect you.. he had no idea what yoojung would do to hurt you.

he continued to avoid your eyes, seeing the way that they were tearing up, he knew you were holding it back. all he wanted to do was to hug you, tell you that it’s all because of yoojung. tell you that it was all because yoojung is threatening your mental being and your relationship. but he couldn’t, he wanted to, but it was best if you hated him, rather than trying to change his mind. he knew that you would rather go through so much pain to stay with him.

soobin got up from the couch, only hearing the last few words that yeonjun said to you. he made his way to the door way, eying yeonjun from head to toe.

“leave.” soobin said, backing you away from the door. he knew he was about to make a few remarks towards yeonjun and he didn’t want you to be there for that. he didn’t want you to see him fighting with the person who you adored for such a long time.

“yah, soobin, this has nothing to do with you.”

“it does, yn is my best friend, and if you’re going to be so fucking rude while breaking up with them, then i’m going to get involved. did you expect me to just stand there while you hurt my friend.. they did their best to make you happy, yn helped you recover from a breakup, and yet here you are.. you’re no different than yoojung. so leave. what is it about cheating that makes the two of you feel so fulfilled ? and you can’t even say that you lacked gaining affection, because yn gave you more than enough of affection..”

yeonjun’s heart crumpled from soobin’s words, ‘you’re no different than yoojung.’ he didn’t like that, he didn’t want to be like yoojung.. he never wanted to be compared to yoojung.

soobin pushed yeonjun’s shoulder with two fingers, ignoring anything that you were saying to him.

“leave and never come back.” soobin yelled, slamming the door shut and locking it. looking over to see your crying figure. pulling you into a hug, his hand on the back of your head, as if you could get any closer. he felt the wet patch growing on his tee. he didn’t mind though, that was the least of his worries. he just wanted you to feel okay.

“don’t listen to anything that he said, i know that i kinda pushed it too far. but.. im sure he did love you, i took a psychology class, remember ? that means i know all about body language..” soobin claimed, hoping to at least get a little giggle out of you. which worked, he felt you laugh against his chest. you pulled away from his embrace, wiping off your tears aggressively.

“lets finish the movie !” you exclaimed, tears still rolling down your face and a pout still visible on your lips. but soobin loved that you were trying your best to recover.

whereas, yeonjun walked through the city, the night sky engulfing him as he walked without a destination. he scanned the crowd, seeing a few familiar faces from his dance students, smiles plastered on their faces. but yeonjun continued walking, not stopping to say hello. his throat felt clogged, and his eyes felt teary, but he was holding it all in. he took a seat on a bench, wired headphones in his ears, attempting to distract him.. but in reality it only made things worse as he could only think of the situation.. he wanted to full on bawl, but he didn’t want to go home to taehyun…

©️soobpricity

taglist : @soobadooba @beoms-sugar @yxnjvnnie @myahfig4 @sato-chan-2709 @grayscorner @run2seob @destairea @lol6sposts @cutesince2000 @forever-in-the-sky2 @soobs-things @soobinsman @mackjestic @ameliabs-world @mochijjunie @hyuneyeon @jakevascaino @jesssssmaybankk

an: bro i literally cried while writing… i was listening to so much sad music to set the atmosphere but bro… don’t listen to sad music while reading this. also someone pls hug junnie he needs it… also yn trying to stay positive near soobin bc they don’t want soobin to know how much they’re hurting… but soobin knows :((( ALSO NING NING SPEAKING THE TRUTH !!

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vivziepopwhatthehell · 3 months

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Ep 4 Review

There are mentions of SA in this document. Reader discretion is advised.

Introduction

There’s so many things that I want to say about Hazbin Hotel but for now, I’m only going to keep my thoughts relevant to episode four. It’s the episode that everyone is talking about, after all. I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts too.

The Positives

- I was expecting Blake Roman's voice acting to be subpar, and initially, it fell short of my expectations. The first episode featured what I believe is his weakest voice direction among all the released episodes. However, my initial concerns were proven wrong as the series progressed. In this episode, Blake's performance truly stood out and showcased his considerable talent. He skillfully conveyed emotions that he wasn't given an opportunity to show in the earlier episodes. Despite this improvement, he still faces the challenges with maintaining the Angel Dust accent. Blake Roman would definitely shine if he was given a role that wasn't previously defined by another talented voice actor like Michael Kovach. That being said, I'm really excited to see more from Blake Roman in future episodes.

- Valentino's character is now effectively portrayed with the menacing demeanor befitting his role, a notable departure from his initial appearance in episode two. The shift in his portrayal makes it more evident why Angel Dust fears him. To enhance the impact of Valentino's introduction in this episode, a strategic adjustment in episode two's writing could have been beneficial. Specifically, focusing more on Vox and Alastor, and introducing Valentino through Angel Dust's voicemail instead. This approach would have spared Valentino from the perception of being pathetic and whiny in previous showcases, ensuring a more powerful debut. However, it's worth noting that episode four rectifies this mistake to a significant extent, making the suggestion to rewrite episode two more of a reflection on what could have been done differently rather than a critique of the current narrative.

- The animation is a lot smoother in this episode compared to two and three. The characters are also a lot more expressive and the art is overall pretty to look at. That's my overall opinion on the art direction. The storyboard is great in several areas, too. I loved the visuals when Husk talks about how he signed his contract with Alastor.

- The beginning of the episode actually had a few jokes that made me laugh.

The Negatives

- Hazbin Hotel has huge pacing problems present in all of the episodes. Because the show only has 23 minutes and 10 episodes to tell its story, a bunch of minor inconveniences need to be escalated unrealistically either to change a scene or develop character relationships (this one is mainly in relation to Charlie and Vaggie). In this episode, Charlie's tiny stumble over a plug must hastily snowball into a fire to justify the subsequent escalation of tension with Valentino. But how does that even start a fire? Charlie could instead accidentally knock over a lit candle on the bedside table in the set. Following this mishap, the employees, who are off exploring Charlie's hotel idea after their conversation during the shoot, are absent when the fire starts, causing it to spread. This change is still stupid, but it maintains the same elements while offering a more believable catalyst for the escalating tension. Another area that could have been improved was the ending, because I feel like Angel Dust forgave Charlie way too easily.

- Hazbin Hotel often relies heavily on exposition dumps and tends to tell rather than show. Husker's dialogue in the beginning of the episode serves as a means to spoon-feed the audience information about each character's struggle, which is a really boring way to storytell. Husker also seems to have such an intimate understanding of every character that he should be the one to run the hotel at this point. I am hoping that we get a Husker and Charlie episode, where Husker tells her to listen to her friends more. Maybe then she’d have a better understanding on how to help them out with their problems.

- Valentino's powers are confusing me. In "Addict," the red smoke from Valentino and Angel Dust's cigarettes, initially symbolic, seems to become literal in episode four. For instance, Valentino uses the smoke to create chains around Angel Dust's throat and pulls him upwards to focus on the contract he signed. The smoke should not have been made a physical entity that can control the characters this way, because now it completely devalues its presence in the music video (even if the music video is no longer canon).

- Regrettably, the episode has become difficult for me to view objectively due to some storyboard artists openly sharing their personal bedroom preferences. I'm making a concerted effort to distinguish the artists from their work, but it is hard to not view this as just another fuel for fetish. To illustrate, consider the smoke chain scene preceding "Poison," where Valentino employs a chain around Angel's neck to compel him to review the contract. It's notable that Valentino could have achieved the same effect by grabbing Angel's hair, but the inclusion of the chain appears to be a direct reference to the storyboard artist's leash kink.

- There’s too many songs. When the song title leaks came out for Hazbin Hotel, I thought that most of them were just the names of the instrumentals. They are all actually two-four minute length songs. When these songs do come onto the screen, none of them have build-up. The song just randomly starts, and many times, the song replaces moments that are crucial to have dialogue in. Just because you have Broadway stars doesn’t mean that you need to have three songs per episode. Cap it to one to leave a good impression on your audience, because most of these songs left me REALLY bored not even halfway through them. The lyrics and how they are sung are also offensive at times, specifically in “Loser Baby”.

- Charlie's fixation on the hotel has reached an alarming level of insensitivity in this episode. While the hotel's success remains crucial, her approach comes off as callous and indifferent to the people around her. The episode kicks off with what seems like a thoughtful gesture toward Angel Dust, trying to help him get a day off work. But her motivation is solely to ensure he can continue his daily redeemer exercises at the hotel. Then, when Angel Dust begs her to leave (while sounding completely terrified in the process), Charlie overstays her welcome and actively disrupts the employees during the shoot to advertise her hotel. There’s a time and place, Charlie! In my ideal version of the episode, Charlie remains determined to secure a day off for Angel Dust (just to spend time with him). Charlie doesn’t get to speak to Angel Dust before she proposes the idea to Valentino. Valentino responds nicely to her, but we see a bunch of subtle cues to his anger about Angel Dust trying to “escape” before he glares at Angel Dust and brings him into the other room.

- Keith David is talented, but his voice for Husker just isn’t doing it for me. Sorry, Keith. It isn’t as rough and gravelly as it should be, but you were obviously just miscast. The same applies to Stephanie Beatriz as Vaggie.

- A trigger warning is absent from the episode. The warning wouldn't have benefited the narrative in any way, but it would have definitely aided the members of the audience that it is meant to represent.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the episode is overall “okay”. It still suffers a lot of the same problems as the other episodes. Though, episode four does have its own improvements as well. I am hoping that the show continues to get better from here.

Edit: accidentally deleted one of my points before publishing + added a tag.

#hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel

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kakirokero · 1 year

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They’re Many Things.

I find myself constantly comparing some elements of this season of The Mandalorian to The X-Files, which might be a bit odd, I know, and trust me you don’t want me to go into details about that lol.

But one thing I’m often reminded of these days is the varied perception of Mulder and Scully’s partnership.

Now, if you’d ask most xf fans how they’d define their relationship, especially from s1 to s6, they wouldn’t tell you it’s either platonic or romantic, that it’s just one thing but not the other, but instead they’d tell you – it’s many things (not even just the two options).

Each perception is relevant to the full narrative that delivers one big, complex picture of what they are.

But if one is taken away, or if one is singled out— the view would be incomplete.

And this incomplete prescription also affects the general understanding of the series as a whole.

But how is this specific aspect relevant to Bo and Din?

Their similarly purpose-driven partnership & complex dynamic could’ve been easily made into much much more definitive and clear labels throughout the season— but it wasn’t.

Why? Because it serves the narrative. The vagueness and varied possibilities are part of the story; to wonder for example weather Din has followed Bo from the very start because he believed in their shared cause or because her character has affected him in a different way,

or to ask if Bo defended Din in front of the other Mandalorians so intensely because she’s a true leader or because she formed a close connection to him,

to even think why these two opposite characters have such a strong influence on each other– is all meant to be questioned, but isn’t going to be answered in one fixed way. Not by the audience, or the narrative itself.

‘Cause it’s not supposed to be.

Just as their individual characters are very layered, so is the relationship. Adding more layers doesn't change what it essentially is.

So what I’m trying to say is,

You really don’t need to label it.

&Enjoy their story as a whole. It’s really great.

#but then again those are my personal opinions #the mandalorian #bo katan kryze #din darjin #star wars #the x files #msr #dinbo

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okthatsgreat · 5 months

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For the headcanon thing, I'm specifically asking you for a Celeste headcanon on behalf of that person who didn't get Celeste headcanon. Checkmate, Lee - rotate Taeko Yasuhiro in your mind until the headcanons manifest. 😎👉👉

UR KIDDINNGGGGG oh god. ok concentrating concentrating

headcanon a (realistic): do not bring her to board game night if you were planning on winning or having fun. she takes every single game so seriously and kicks ass every single time. she becomes a millionare in monopoly and nobody was aware that was even possible. shes even good at quiplash because she memorises the stupid jokes that her classmates keep repeating day after day and puts that into the text box each time. of COURSE her classmates are going to pick the answer that says "freeby fazber" why WOULDN'T they

headcanon b (may not be realistic but it is hilarious): see the thing about celeste is it is truly impossible to tell what parts of her story are real and what are complete lies .. i think she lives an extremely average life outside of being "celestia ludenburg" and that is why she created this false persona in the first place. born to a working class family definitely went through it a bit when she was younger but was able to garner quite a bit of notoriety and wealth from gambling to get her own place-- but definitely not enough to live in luxury. enough to get her out of poverty but not enough to avoid living paycheck to paycheck yknow. the REAL headcanon i have is that every single time she brings one of her classmates back to her home she rents out a different spot each time just to keep them on their toes. eventually she lets one of them (idk sayaka maybe) finally enter her actual house and its this one bedroom apartment with no air conditioner and a bunch of gothic lolita posters everywhere and sayaka genuinely thinks shes being pranked until celeste is like "no im being serious. youve signed a non disclosure agreement btw this information will not be leaving this room"

headcanon c (heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends): i dont think even celeste is aware of what her true personality is anymore. i really do like to believe that there are parts of it that are still left over, most of which is fuelling this deeply rooted imposter syndrome she certainly tries not to dwell on, but by all means her desire to seperate herself from taeko yasuhiro has caused her to practically forget who she once was. telling celeste to "stop lying" is much easier said than done, and i think it'll take years before she could ever reach the point where she is truly authentic and "herself". and even then celestia ludenburg will certainly still remain in a lot of her actions and speech patterns. she wont just wake up one day and suddenly be vulnerable and fragile and guilty, it's gonna take her a loooooooong while to adjust

headcanon d (unrealistic, but i will disregard canon about it): i think she's a bit geekier than she lets on GHFDKG its that small bit of taeko thats still there......... she would never admit it in a million years but sometimes, SOMETIMES, shes able to listen in on hifumis ramblings and go "oh i remember that show. his opinion about this character is totally wrong. oh well time to add that to the list of things i do not like about that man." oooooooo also fun fact whenever i write celestia in my "danganronpa is a reality tv show thats been going on for ages" aus i always always write her as a character that adapts with the changing trends. same with ibuki!! her aesthetic adapts over the years towards what is more recognisable with the target audience at the time, and while it definitely isn't as noticeable as ibuki's style swap there are certainly a LOT of wild changes team dr tries to throw at her before quickly reverting her style back and pretending it never happened ghfjdksgk

headcanon ask game!! :)

#sooo so sorry for all of these headcanon posts but counter point. i really have a lot of opinions #cantbelieveyouregone #celestia ludenberg #ask lee #ask game

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one-britt-to-rule-them-all · 5 months

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Just me rambling about my fanfic projects

(I didn't really proofread, I'm sorry.)

Listen, I know nobody's really gonna give a fuck, but screw it, I need to word vomit a bit.

I've posted on another platform about how I've been writing some Twisted Wonderland fics behind the scenes – three of them, to be exact. I haven't published them because I've been enjoying writing and indulging in this hobby in a stress-free manner, because I sometimes feel overwhelmed when having to cater to an audience, which incidentally takes the fun out of writing for me and causes me to block or burn out easily.

Doing this has really been making me happy, and I'm on the fence about publishing the fics. I probably will at some point; it would be a waste to not share the works. Plus, they're already written in a reader insert format, so it's not like I'd have to change much about the stories to cater them to my typical audience. I think I'd publish them only when I'm nearing their completion or when I have a lot – and I mean a lot – of chapters done. That way, I can set a consistent upload schedule.

But regardless of what I end up doing, I'd like to share the basics of the three books I've been working on! So continue reading if you're interested! ~

I'd like to give a preemptive warning that the second story I talk about is heavily NSFW-based. So, if you're uncomfortable with that, then skip over to #3.

Another thing: the reader is referred to with she/her pronouns throughout the explanations, though if published, they might be changed to GN, but I'm not really sure yet.

So, the first book I want to talk about is called 'The Devil's Wonderland.'

This story is definitely inspired by some elements of Obey Me, though you don't need to have played Obey Me to understand what's going on because although it's inspired, it's not a crossover and the OM characters are never mentioned.

This book does follow Twisted Wonderland's main story, though, with some artistic liberty taken to make it more unique to me and my story-telling. The reader is the highly-respected and somewhat feared demon lord of the Nether Realm (hell) and runs an institution where demons of all ages learn various things about the Nether Realm and important skills to have as a demon. The idea of the institution was first brought forth by the previous demon lord, her father, but the reader is the one to have actually gone through with it. Much like the Twisted Wonderland side of things, the institution has seven dorms with one demon at the head of each of them, and each dorm is based on one of the seven deadly sins. The dorm heads are personally very close to the reader in one way or another, and all come from different social standings of demon hierarchy.

Her office has a mirror that allows her to look into different universes and realms, as well as travel to said universes, which is where the reader learns of Twisted Wonderland, a Realm she finds absolutely enchanting and fascinating and was contemplating taking a vacation there. However, when one of the freshmen, a mischievous cambion who has already earned himself the reputation of being troubled, gets called into the office, he goes into the mirror and Twisted Wonderland. So, with her trusty right-hand demon man at her side, they go into the mirror, where they are transported into Twisted Wonderland at NRC. They end up using humanoid disguises with magic to not draw much attention to themselves — they're unaware of what constitutes normal for the world — and originally have a mission to retrieve the troubled student and bring him back to the Nether, but they get dragged into the mess of the prologue of the main game. The thing is, the reader realizes that she likes being in Twisted Wonderland because of the way she's being treated. She's not being treated with fear and superiority. People aren't sucking up to her or blindly following and adoring her for her status because the NRC men don't know that this is the literal queen of hell.

She likes it. She likes being just another person. Hell, she gets excited when people outright disrespect her because nobody would ever dare say their true thoughts to her back in the Nether. So, she wants to stay in Twisted Wonderland to experience a semblance of normality, though she still has to flip-flop between realms because she has duties back in the Nether, so she's living this double life. Much to the chagrin of her right-hand man.

To make the story more unique to me, I've implemented a lot of elements of the original universe I've been building for myself and OCs, and there a few of OCs that will be added to add a little something!

I'd like to briefly introduce these OCs to you. Please note that all the artwork that I'm about to show you have not been made by me. They are all paid commissions of my characters, directly taken from my ToyHouse account. I'd also like to apologize for the poorly-done collages of the images. I tied to condense things as much as possible.

Obviously I won't be revealing too much info on them as I don't want to spoil things should the books come to the public, but I want to share a few tidbits!

Starting off with my personal favourite and one of the most relevant characters, meet Alastair:

Al is the right-hand man and butler to the reader. His loyalty to her knows no bounds, and he's almost always seen with her. They actually have a very close relationship and respect each other as way more than just business partners, instead seeing each other as very close friends. Alastair is an absolute badass in his own way and possibly my favourite character. I'd even go as far as to say that he's my favourite of ALL of my OCs. I've just grown super attached to this dude and can't wait to show him off in story.

Next, we have Luka:

Luka is the cambion that got Alastair and the reader in the mess in the first place. Being half demon and half human, he struggles with his identity as he's unsure of where he fits in best. He faces prejudice in the human community for being unpure (racism is actually a big thing in my universe regarding human views on non-humans) and the demon community often reject cambions for being 'not demon enough'. Luka gets a lot of character development throughout the story, and his relationship with Alastair is pretty comical, and the relationship he grows with the reader is so wholesome to the point where I'm debating not making Luka a love interest because I feel like they have a very familial bond.

So, Luka and Alastair are the main OCs and the ones that are seen the most. The other OCs get introduced slowly but surely and are less present — though they still hold weight — so I will rapid-fire them at you.

So, let's get into the seven dorm heads of the demon institution!

First, we have Melchom:

Melchom is the dorm head of the Superbia dorm, which is centred around the sin of pride. He is a noble who is very well-acquainted with the reader and her family, being a childhood friend of hers. They were brought up with the intent of wedded to one another, but that didn't happen for reasons I'm not spoiling. With striking good looks, great power, a high rank in demon society and the sheer confidence he exhibits, Mel is definitely one of the more popular and admired demons at the institution, seemingly being perfect in every sense of the word.

Next is Lucius:

Lucius runs Avaritia, the dorm based around the sin of greed. Although neither a noble nor anywhere near royalty, Lucius is a pretty successful business demon. He's incredibly skilled in business affairs and has made a name for himself in both the Nether and human realms, but is his money all from honest, hard work? Probably not. But he sure is good at convincing others that it is. He's a demon, give the shady man a break!

We move on over to Jinn!

Jinn is at the top of the Invidia dorm, which is based on envy. Out of all the dorm heads, Jinn is the most difficult with which to get along. Deep-rooted insecurities manifest as envy towards his comrades for one way or another, making it difficult to form a genuine bond.

Next is the duo of Gael and Aziel:

Leading the Ira dorm, based on wrath, are Gael and Aziel. Gael is the only human that currently inhabits the Nether Realm, and he shares his body with a demon named Aziel. The reasons as to why Aziel is possessing Gael are redacted for the time being as I don't want to spoil, but much like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing, Gael and Aziel are completely different in terms of personality, and Aziel can take over Gael's body.

Next, we have Ezekiel, or just Zeke for short:

The Luxuria dorm is based on the sin of lust, and Zeke is the one who runs it. Zeke is a super open, chill and fun-loving guy who is all about self-expression and will absolutely shame kink and slut-shamers. He's allergic to wearing proper shirts, but if he must, he will. He also runs various clubs at the institution, including a dance club and a yoga club.

Next is Iblis:

At the top of the Gula dorm, home of gluttony, is Iblis. Iblis is an absolute sweetheart and cinnamon roll, whose tail and butt will do little waggles when food is involved. Despite constantly eating, he's rather fit due to gluttony demons essentially being bottomless voids, nearly immediately burning up anything they consume. And yes, his tail is as warm and squishy as it looks, and he's all for letting people use it as a weighted blanket. Once a human, reincarnated as a demon after death, one really wonders what the hell this guy has done to wind up in hell, he's such a sweetie... ~

For the last dorm head, we have Izzin:

The last dorm, representing sloth, is Acedia, which is run by Izzin. Much like, Iblis, Izzin was also once human and turned into a demon after death. Being a sloth demon, Izzin is forced into a perpetual state of sleepiness and because of that, he's the most uninvolved of all the dorm heads. Make no mistake, even in sleep, he's somehow perfectly aware of what's going on around him. He hears all, don't test him. Though when he's awake and aware, he's amongst the more mischievous and scheming of the dorm heads and often gets involved in Lucius' scams- I mean business.

There's one last character I want to show, and that's the reader. Now, in and of itself, the reader is not given a set appearance. The skin colour, body type, hair colour and style, eye colour, etc. remain ambiguous so that the reader can insert themself or their OC. Plus, this is made to be my sona as the MC of the story, but I still wanted to show! This is more to show what I have in mind with the outfit, crown, wings and horns when in demon form.

OKAY. Moving on to the next book!

The next book is... something. It's called 'She's a Monster.'

Let me explain this book's existence with a simple conversation between my friend and I.

Friend: Hey, Britt! You know how everybody writes fics where the reader is a monster fucker?

Me: ... yeah?

Friend: Well, hear me out... what if the reader is the one who's a monster, and the guys are the ones who are monster fuckers??

Me: ...

Me: *Opens Google Docs.* Say no more.

So... this book is a collect-all-the-men reverse-harem-porn-with-plot... thing.

To make this simple, it's Twisted Wonderland, but the reader is a big, strong, naga woman that brings out the monster fucker in the NRC men. There's the plot that follows TW and my added plot lines, but there's a lot of sex and kink exploration.

My portrayal of nagas is not accurate to our real-world legends. My portrayal of nagas is purely driven by my original universe and narrative, so keep that in mind!

The gyst is that the reader is a naga — half human, half snake monster — a rare creature on the brink of extinction in Twisted Wonderland. The reader has been living completely isolated in the depths of a forest near the Dwarf Mines. She's rather lonely and craves having a clutch — what nagas use to refer to their group of mates — so when she sees Yuu, Ace, Deuce and Grim adventure into the mines, she's compelled to help them out a bit and interact.

Now, in this story, nagas are rare and almost extinct, so while it's not normal for her species, the reader is willing to get with humans and humanoids because she's a little desperate. Here's the thing: nagas have a weird male-to-female ratio, with females being much rarer than males, where there's only about a single female for every nine males, so it isn't uncommon for females to have multiple partners, and this instinct is still very present, and so that is why the reader is compelled to get with multiple guys. However, despite this, female nagas are very respectful and gentle with their partners and love them all equally.

The reader in this can shift between her proper, monstrous form and a more humanoid form where she has legs, though she's not fond of being in that form as she gets sore from containing her monster form. So, there are scenes where the men fuck the reader in her human form and some scenes where it's human on monster.

The reader is portrayed as a switch in the book, but there's a focus on her being dominant. I'm just tired of always writing submissive readers, so I'm trying something different. Plus, female nagas, in this interpretation, are typically larger, stronger and more dominant than the males.

Also... the reader has both female and male anatomy. I primarily work with female anatomy in the story, but when in her full monster form, the reader can sheathe and unsheathe two dicks, so there are some scenes where the dudes get dicked down.

There's some genuine fluff and emotional connections made, it's not all smut, and there are definitely some comedic moments, especially with the reader just... not understanding everyday slang, technology and human things in general.

So yeah, this one is definitely sexually charged and not for the sexually squeamish.

I'd like to give a visual reference of my OC that I've used to base the reader off. Again, keep in mind that my showing you these images is only to give you an idea of the physical traits the reader has in her monster form. Her skin/scale colour, hairstyle and hair colour, body type and shape, eye colour, etc, are all for you to pick. The basic appearance of the reader's insert is their choice, but this is a template for you to know what I have in mind when writing in terms of physical traits. The reader's 'colour palette' while in her monster form isn't mentioned, so feel free to think of her as the colour of your choice. Doesn't have to be purple and gold.

Her name's usually Lilith in my universe, but she's (Y/N) here, obviously! I have some more art of her, but the images are... very NSFW. So, I'm not showing.

Onto the last book!

The last book is called 'Monsters & Magic.'

I don't have a cover for this one yet, but here's a commission that's in progress that I should get this week. There's gonna be a nice background of NRC's courtyard!

POKÉMON X TWISTED WONDERLAND CROSSOVER!!!

Okay, so this book is a little different... it's kind of a CYOA?

Also, you don't NEED to be a pokémon expert to read this, but it definitely helps.

Basically, the reader is a champion-level and gets yeeted into the world of Twisted Wonderland thanks to Arceus. Basic stuff. But here's where it gets a little different: the book has three prologue chapters, and in the third prologue chapter, the reader stands in front of the mirror, and the story branches. There are seven branches for the seven dorms, and the reader will be placed in one of the dorms, and you choose which paths you want to read. So there are basically seven stories in one.

I decided to do this because I wanted to follow the stories of Twisted Wonderland, but I wanted the reader to experience the events of every dorm from the perspective of someone who's in that dorm. I wanted to write a bit more of an inside view of the dorm dramas and characters, with added plot lines and scenes made by me, of course. This is also a good way to give more depth to some characters I feel got screwed over by the writers. Leona, my love, I'm looking at you.

The reader also changes depending on the dorm she's in. Her personality and backstory are different, her pokémon team is different, etc. This is for variety because I don't want to write the same character over and over again but in a different setting.

The reader is from a different region for every dorm and has experienced the events of the main games associated with that region, plus more. The thing is, there are nine main regions and only seven dorms, so I can't honor them all. Plus, if you count Hisui, Orre, Fiore, Almia and Oblivia, there are even more regions.

Since I wanted to involve as many of the regions as possible, I fused some of them together, so here's what I got:

Heartslabyul: Paldea + Galar

Savanaclaw: Sinnoh

Octavinelle: Hoenn + Alola

Scarabia: Orre

Pomefiore: Kalos

Ignihyde: Kanto + Johto

Diasomnia: Unova

Because Hisui is basically old Sinnoh, I decided to not include it at all, but there are some nods and references to Legends Arceus, notably in the prologue of the book where Arceus brings the reader to Twisted Wonderland, and how pokémon are portrayed to be, as they are, wild creatures that can be extremely dangerous when not tamed.

Fiore, Almia and Oblivia... as much as I love the ranger games, I decided to not include them. Mostly because I haven't plsyed the games in so long that I don't remember them that much, but also because I wabted the reader's history to be more trainer-oriented.

Orre is included becasue I'm a sucker for the GC games, but also because I think the story and atmosphere based on those regions is great, and I'd love to incorporate it!

----

All in all, I'm having so much fun writing these books, and if I ever release them to the public, I hope y'all will enjoy them as well!

Welp, thank you for coming to my TED talk! See ya!

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland fanfiction #fanfiction ideas #work in progress #twisted wonderland x reader #twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x pokémon #reader insert #female reader #monster reader

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romanceyourdemons · 9 months

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the big parade (1986), one of chen kaige’s earliest films, is an interesting piece. it does not tell a sweeping historical narrative that explores the role of women and femininity in chinese history and society, the way that yellow earth (1984) and farewell my concubine (1993) and temptress moon (1997) do. instead, it takes on the most quintessentially masculine space—the military—through the lens of the event that most quintessentially encapsulates collectivism and the subsumption of the individual into a greater cause, the mainstay of propaganda from both sides of the pacific, the chinese military parade. the film depicts a group of soldiers training for the eponymous parade, and, through the mount of one of its characters, the stubborn and eloquent lü chun, argues that the parade is antiquated, barbaric, and represents an antithesis to the modern and fulfilling individualism. and yet the narrative complicates the picture. the parade itself remains arbitrary. however, through the process of training for the parade, the characters and audience form one-on-one connections with the various vividly portrayed characters, to each of whom the parade represents something different and deeply personal. to one, participating in the parade is an expression of filial piety and a way to process grief; for another, it is his last chance to have something to show for a long and gloryless military career; for some it is a chance to prove themselves worthy of marriage while for others it is a way to prove that their breakup was worth it, and many more reasons; each individual’s experience is so vividly portrayed that, as the final minutes of the film linger on the countless near-identical faces of the parade, one cannot help wonder how many stories are contained within every shot. zhang yimou’s cinematography is, in my opinion, the best part of an already-excellent film. bodies and their physical presence are the central axis of the film. zhang frequently cuts heads off of bodies or bodies off of heads with the frame in order to defamiliarize the shapes. in scenes where the soldiers rehearse the parade, a well-ordered lineal focus turns their bodies into architecture. in scenes where they socialize in the barracks, the chaos of constantly moving flesh makes their bodies look like a natural landscape, and zhang frequently keeps an unrelated body in the foreground of conversations so that the audience does not forget the context of the individual. this context is one of pure and intense camaraderie, with the full experience of Being In The Military unwrinkled by the physical and ideological horrors of being in a war. the resulting discussions of the individual and the collective, of discipline and camaraderie, of the connections men want to form with women and the ones they form with each other, are very interesting, and i would definitely recommend the big parade (1986) as a significant entry in chen kaige’s filmography

#ACK i didn’t even get into the gender stuff #well rest assured #the virtual absence of women does not stop them from discussing gendered and gender relationships #anyways this film was a lot of fun #ryddles

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ilove-hatethecw · 1 year

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I am finally formulating thoughts about the andor show, so this is about to be very spoilery so probably don’t read on. Also I’m on mobile so I bet the formatting is fucked.

The show was amazing, obviously, well written, well acted, the designs were everything. But also it hit me and made me think in a way no other Star Wars media really has. Now that may be because I’m young, I was only 12 when Rogue One came out, and now revisiting it as an 18 year old I’m just hit by how well crafted these two pieces of media are. We know they’re doomed from the beginning, we know Cassian is dead when we start the show, and yet it’s the journey to get there that makes it worthwhile. Same with the rogue one crew, and while I have heard time and time again that it goes beyond Star Wars, Rogue One doesn’t work without Star Wars. It wouldn’t work if we didn’t know that these efforts weren’t for nothing. Watching a suicide mission would be ten times more unsatisfying if we didn’t know that what they did mattered. But it does, what Jyn and Cassian do MATTERS. And then you have the paradox of it standing apart from Star Wars by not wanting to just retell the same story of the Jedi and the Sith, but it doesn’t work without George Lucas and his movies. And that brings me to the fact that love is so important in this world, it is the catalyst for everything. Love is what doomed the republic, and yet love is what truly started the rebellion. Cinta and Vel, grappling with their love for each other versus their love for the cause. Maraca loving the people of Ferrix so much she encourages them to fight. Cassian loving people in general that even when he has a negative viewpoint on the world he can’t stop helping and fighting. His love for Maarva making him choose to take the Aldhani job, risking himself for a cause he believes in but doesn’t know he believes in yet. But even further back, his love for his sister leads to the events on Morlana. Even though in my opinion it was misguided and honestly a horrible act, Maarva’s choice to rescue Kassa was out of love for this child who she wanted to be safe, even if she didn’t know him, and definitely went about it the wrong way.

Overall, I think it’s telling that my two favorite pieces of media right now both are tragedies, and they aren’t shy about reminding you that they are tragedies. The story is still important to tell, the love and resistance. Hadestown is the other piece of media and the resemblance is striking. Cassian and Orpheus are so very different and yet they walk similar paths. We the audience know they are doomed, but the characters themselves do not. They are both catalysts for change, and yet they are motivated just by love. I am not very good at analyzing media I just had thoughts and I really need an edit of Cassian and Melshi to road to hell (reprise) because I think it would be amazing and yet it would make me cry. Also this show has dragged me back into Star Wars brain rot so apologies in advance

#andor #star wars #andor spoilers #cassian andor #rogue one #hadestown #tragedies #this show just gets me in my feels so much #I love it and yet hate it for making me sad

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twistedtummies2 · 2 years

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Good & Evil - Misunderstood Villains

Welcome to Good & Evil: A Study of Heroes & Villains. I’m discussing different forms of heroic and villainous characters, different types of protagonists and antagonists, and providing examples of them each from various sources. Last time I talked about Misunderstood Heroes; in typical fashion for this event, I follow that up with their parallel archetype, Misunderstood Villains.

Misunderstood Villains are characters who can work one of two ways: most typically, they are essentially Misunderstood Heroes being seen from the wrong end of the telescope. Instead of being protagonists whom the audience is aware are in the right, but are ironically perceived as evil by the world around them, they are instead the reverse: antagonists whom the audience themselves believe to be villains until they are proven to be better than we realized. Others are a bit different: they are characters whom the audience realizes are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be, but they still prove to be antagonistic forces, usually due to circumstance. The one consistent point in both of these interpretations is that the Misunderstood Villain is at least starts off as an antagonistic character; whether they stay that way the whole way through or not depends on the story.

One of the oldest and most definitive examples of the Misunderstood Villain is Frankenstein’s Monster. More specifically, the version found in the classic Universal Monsters movies, as originally played by Boris Karloff. (The book version of the Monster is rather different.) In these monochrome classics, the Monster is ultimately an innocent, childlike figure. He doesn’t fully understand the world around him, and much of the havoc he wreaks is due to happenstance and, of course, misunderstandings. However, as said actions involve murders, kidnappings, and other such things, and as the Monster is generally an antagonistic force in the films, with his creator and other characters acting as the protagonists, he ultimately fits into the Misunderstood Villain archetype: he isn’t ACTUALLY a villain, but he’s clearly not the hero. (Then again, to be fair, neither is Dr. Frankenstein himself, but that’s another story.) The Monster is a poster child for this kind of character, and it’s telling that there are numerous characters inspired by him that follow a similar vein.

On that note, another great movie monster who also fits this archetype is King Kong. Now, Kong, I would argue, is slightly more villainous (at least in his original format), but not necessarily by his own choice or volition. Through practically every interpretation there has been, Kong is consistently shown to be a monster to the world of humanity: a giant man-eating ape with a violent temperament who causes pandemonium galore wherever he walks. However, he’s not necessarily an evil creature, and over the years, Kong has actually been depicted as an increasingly sympathetic being. The reason is because, very simply, Kong is an animal: we feel sorry for him because we realize much of the destruction that follows him is the result of him reacting to the world around him. You can’t really hate a dog when it bites someone while protecting its home; it’s just doing what he has been trained to do, or instinctively feels it must do. Similarly, you can hardly blame a tiger when it mauls someone, because it’s usually just trying to survive. These events, of course, are no less tragic or horrifying, and Kong’s rampages certainly paint him as an antagonistic presence in his own stories, but calling him the “villain” outright is a debatable point.

The TV series “Doctor Who” has actually had NUMEROUS Misunderstood Villains throughout its long running: while a great number of the alien monsters the Doctor and his Companions face are certainly evil beings that need to be fought and destroyed, almost as many have been creatures that are either in some way justified in their actions, or even not that evil at all. One of my favorite examples, introduced during the modern “New Who” era, are the Ood. The Ood, in several of their appearances, are depicted as antagonists, and they certainly have the right look. (Seriously, they’re like a collection of Cthulu Cosplayers dressed up in Evil Empire uniforms.) However, it’s made very clear very quickly that the Ood are not, by nature, evil creatures: in fact, they are peaceful, mild mannered, and trusting. They only become dangerous when either provoked to some form of self-defense, or when under the control of some higher power taking over their minds (or both, on at least one occasion). While they can be terrifying when their dark side shines through, that dark side usually isn’t their fault, and it’s telling that the Doctor usually sympathizes with the Ood, and is more ready to help them than hurt them. They are not, generally speaking, bad guys in the least; any bad things they do are usually against or the result of the REAL villains of whatever story they are featured in.

All three of these previous examples were cases of the audience knowing the Misunderstood Villain is, obviously, Misunderstood, but I find it so much more fascinating when the misunderstanding fools even the audience. The quintessential antagonist of this sort, I would argue, is Professor Snape from the Harry Potter series. In the first book of the series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone” (or the “Sorcerer’s Stone,” as it’s called in the movie and in the US novel releases), Snape at first seems like the bad guy of the story. He’s rude to people in general, and seems to have it out for Harry and his friends, plus…he just LOOKS evil! (Not to mention his name: “Severus Snape” isn’t exactly a moniker that inspires good confidence.) However, by the end of the book, it’s revealed that Snape, despite his nasty qualities, was actually trying to HELP Hogwarts and even Harry throughout the piece, and all the evil things that happened were the result of another character. This ends up becoming a recurring theme throughout the books: Snape is not necessarily a nice person, and saying he’s a hero is a far stretch…but over and over again, we see the same pattern repeated, with Snape seemingly acting as a scoundrel, only for it to be revealed he was actually doing something decent. By the end of his time in the novels, Snape has done some of the worst things any character in the series can do, yet even Harry realizes that his least favorite teacher, one of his arch-nemeses, really isn’t as bad as he always thought. It’s this constant back and forth that makes Snape so intriguing, and a favorite character for many.

On very rare occasions, you’ll find Misunderstood Villains who seem to straddle both sides of this equation. Perhaps the best example I can give there is Papyrus, from the video game Undertale. Much like “Doctor Who,” this game is actually chock full of characters you can call Misunderstood Villains, as the POV player character - Frisk - repeatedly runs into obstacles in the form of antagonistic monsters trying to halt their progress. However, with the exception of the tragic-but-devious Flowey, none of these monsters are actually evil characters: some of them may seem frightening or dangerous at first, but they are ultimately out to do what they feel is best for those they care about, and all of them are reasonable and merciful creatures, provided you act reasonable and merciful to them in turn. Papyrus, however, is my favorite example for one simple reason: Papyrus’ entire gimmick is that…well…he just ACTS like a villain. And not just any kind of villain, no no no, he is a moustache-twirling, Skeletor-inspired, seemingly cartoonishly wicked type of villain. He’s a skeleton with a sharp angular design and crooked smile, dressed in a cape and constantly letting out a “Nyeh-Heh-Heh!” laugh. He conjures up various traps to try and capture your main character, popping up over and over again and calling people “Fools!” and other such things. He’s over-the-top, theatrical…and it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that, while Papyrus may walk the walk and talk the talk of a stereotypical bad guy, that’s NOT what and who he actually is. In fact, Papyrus is one of the nicest characters in Undertale: he’s extremely friendly when you get to know him, and much more softhearted than you might expect. He SEEMS like a villain, but that’s just kind of how he is. And considering he’s one of the first major Monster antagonists we encounter, he proves to be an important one for the Player. Toriel in the level beforehand became antagonistic towards the end, but it was clear she always had good intentions and desires. Papyrus fools us into thinking he’s the bad guy with his demeanor, but it becomes pretty obvious pretty fast that he’s not as bad as we might believe at first glance.

However the Misunderstood Villain works, they essentially serve the same purpose as the Misunderstood Hero. However, because the Misunderstood Villain is always the antagonist, while the Misunderstood Hero is always the protagonist, they give us a different spin on the concept. Instead of making us cheer for the underdog, Misunderstood Villains teach us that we shouldn’t judge books by their covers. These characters typically not only do seemingly evil things, but also just happen to LOOK evil, which makes judging them as bad guys an easy trap for the audience to fall into, just as it is easy for the characters in the story to fall into. It’s by recognizing the good qualities underneath the superficial darkness that we learn from these types of characters. Just when we’re ready to judge horrible behavior or appearances in a negative way, the Misunderstood Villain shows us that sometimes what seems awful isn’t as bad as we first expected. They encourage us to look before we leap, not just for our own sakes, but for the sake of the people who might help us most…and, sometimes, could really use some help themselves.

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oof-ouch-yikes-stripes · 10 months

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Yknow, if I’m on Tumblr, I may as well use it to shout my many thoughts into the void. Today’s topic is Nesting Instinct, my theoretical submission for Halbarry Week 2023 (if I finish it) and companion piece for Bluer Skies, which is topgun but like. Whatever!! TG characters don’t even show up in this one, just get referenced a couple of times. I do what I want, and what I want is to turn my favorite characters into birds.

For context, this is a Wing AU where those with wings are called avians. 98% of characters in NI will be avians. All avians have inherent magic since avians are inherently magical creatures, but one avian from each flock got extra magic powers that helped that flock escape human persecution a few hundred years ago, and that magic is passed down from one Protector to another.

Alright, let’s bullet point.

- Fun fact!! It’s hard to write two pieces in one world for different audiences!! How much do I worldbuild if Bluer Skies contains all of my worldbuilding but is also miles away from being finished!! Does it even matter if I don’t anticipate that much audience overlap!! Or maybe I should anticipate audience overlap and I shouldn’t spoil things too much? Decisions decisions. It is fun for my POV characters to learn the same things in different ways though. This is definitely the Less Crucial piece to read though.

- Because of The Way Things Are For Hal (he got born into Hell for Avians ((Project Angel)) and as such didn’t get a real name, watched his best friend get nearly killed by and escape from Satan for Avian ((Morningstar)) and had no idea what happened to him afterwards, and then lived as Morningstar’s replacement pet for the next ten years), he is decidedly written as according to these circumstances, which some will see as OOC. To that I say, this is an AU. There is not a Character to be In.

- My darling dearest Barry, on the other hand, got stuck as Protector of one of the last terrestrially migratory flocks, with his special super speed magic, and has to deal with the challenges of being practically in charge of keeping his flock on the move and safe from the many, many things that would do them harm. This is especially hard when the main anti-wild avian force is on the verge of war with the wild avians.

- Circumstances cause them to meet!! Wild!!

- Hal is a violet-green swallow. They’re incredibly aerial and acrobatic birds, which fits with his prowess in the air. Their wings are also green. I considered making him a green heron, since his power set kinda matched with heron’s tool usage, but decided flying was more important to Hal’s character.

- Barry is an Allen’s Hummingbird. I was always going to make him a hummingbird, it was just fortuitous that I stumbled across one that is the Allen’s and is also reddish orange. I’m hilarious, I know. Hummingbird since, while they’re not the fastest in stoop or horizontal flight, they’ve got mad BPM and can be made Faster with Fast Magic.

- Wally’s a white throated needletail and Iris is a treeswift. Swifts, treeswifts, and hummingbirds are all in the same order, which I thought was appropriate, since none of them are directly related but they’re a family anyways. It’s not confirmed, but allegedly needletails have the fastest horizontal flight speed, so shoutout to Kid Flash for that one.

- On the other hand, swifts and swallows are not that related, but had a bit of a convergent evolution moment, and I Do Intend on using that to influence the dynamic between Wally and Hal.

- In case it wan’t clear, each day will be a chapter, so it’s so cool of you guys to pick prompts that work really well with the story I wanted to tell. Also shoutout to all of the DC vs Vampires quotes! Barry and Hal had like five pages together before The Inevitable, and they were five very gay pages.

- It was also very cool of DC to make Hal a pilot, which means that he fit into my preexisting au where pilots are avians when I got into DC after I got into Top Gun. He’s even got a call sign, which is extra convenient since avians born in Project Angel only get their canon call sign as a name since they’re seen as tools and less than human and all that.

- The thing is. Barry is a Fundamentally Nice person. That’s why Earth 2’s Johnny Quick is the furthest thing from a direct parallel you can get; Barry is not allowed to ever be evil. This is very good for Highball, who has never received a kindness ever.

- On the other hand, Nesting Instinct Highball is a survivor and trauma-hardened, which gives him the ability to be Not A Nice Person. Barry needs somebody like that to balance out his Niceness, lest he be overrun by the many strong personalities in his flock. Highball is also skilled and adaptable, and there’s something about a person who will do anything you say without complaint, probably.

- Anyways I have many more Thoughts but I don’t want to spoil any of the good bits. Hopefully I’ll finish it in time for the Week, and hopefully you’ll then read it. Maybe then I’ll even finish Bluer Skies so that everything in Nesting Instinct will get put into context. Wouldn’t that just be wild?

#halbarry week #halbarry week 2023 #im scared to tag this I don’t actually want people to perceive me on tumblr #however if you do happen to perceive me and do want to know more I will happily talk forever #nesting instinct #avian verse

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sixthemusicalextras · 1 year

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Marilyn Caserta Q&A

@/marilyncaserta on Instagram, 20 December 2022

Some of the other questions that were asked:

Q: I'm so glad you're back! Did you get to choose Boleyn as your new queen? A: I'm happy to be back, too! Uh, so basically I ended up coming in for a couple of, like, callbacks - work sessions... uh, earlier this year. And when I came in the room, at one point I was doing the material and they just like, "like, is there any other queen that you, like, haven't done, that you, like, want to read for?" and I was just like, "I dunno, Boleyn?" And so they just started giving me Boleyn material, and... I actually, at some point in callbacks, went in for every queen, uh, but I guess the green girl just stuck. She stuck! And I'm happy. 'Cause she's cool. She's fun.

Q: How did you get the offer first to join Broadway as emergency then to join back as universal? A: Okay, this is a story! So, this past summer I had just finished doing, uh, this... beautiful, incredible production of West Side Story at Flat Rock Playhouse, uh, where I was playing Maria, so very different from Six. Uh, and when the show closed, I went home to Miami to like, be with my family for a bit.

Not even two weeks later, I get a phone call from my agent at like, 5pm on a Wednesday night and she was like, "Hey, girl!" [small laugh] She was like, "Hey, um, so, what are the chances you could be in New York at 10 AM to be in a rehearsal room for Six on Broadway?" And I was like, [stunned face] "Come again?" Um, and she was like, "Yeah!" She was like, "We could get you a flight," and I was like "Ye- Okay yeah!!" So I've, like, packed a bag. My amazing mom came with me, uh, and I flew to New York at 6am the next day. Stepped straight into it, put-in rehearsal on stage with those - those amazing OG alternates who were just — um, the alts were just so warm and welcoming, and- and- just, incredible with me that first day. Um, then, I was basically just in rehearsals that whole day to kinda learn the differences between what I'd known several months before, and, like, what was different on Broadway.

And then the next day I watched a put-in. And then the following day is Saturday night! Three hours before the show, stage management called me and was like, "So, are you ready to make your Broadway debut?" and I was like, [whispering with huge shrug and "oh ok" face] "I guess!" And so that was it! I made my Broadway debut that Saturday night as Catherine of Aragon, uh, and it was just— my mom (was) in the audience. Um, and it was... an adventure! It was an adventure. Uh, definitely a story that I will tell forever! Um, and then getting this universal alternate was like, an actual offer that came in and- yeah. [chuckling] I had some time.

Q: How does a universal alt work? Do you get scheduled time/dates with the Broadway and tour? A: So, yes. As universal alt, uh, a couple things could happen. I could either be, um, scheduled to join a company because there's like, a set vacation or someone knows they're gonna be out, or in case of emergency like if — like in this case, if someone, um, gets sick or has to have surgery or something, then I will just get called and flown out. But my home base is the Broadway theater, so that's where I report to, um, every day if I'm not out on one of the tours. Um... yeah!

Q: What is the hardest part of the show for you in your tracks? A: (...) The hardest part across the board is the learning the bams for each queen. If you've seen the show, you know what I'm talking about. Throughout the show, there are like... 20 — no, I'm exaggerating — but there's like, a lot of, like, "Boom! bum bum! Bum bum bum!" There's like, bams? And all of them are choreographed. So because I cover four queens I have to learn [strikes a few poses] all those different bams for each queen. It's... [manically gesturing to her brain] it's. yeah.

Q: When you covered on Broadway in August, did you know you would be coming back later? A: Great question! (...) Um, I did not! It was like, quite an emergency situation. There were just Covid cases and, um, people dealing with injuries and things, so they just needed the backup coverage. I honestly did not expect to actually go on and it just worked out and I ended up going on three times in the two weeks. I was there! Um, there was a little talk around the theatre about maybe, "Oh, you'll be coming back! Yeah! Wink wink!", and — but at the time I was like, I cannot process. I just need to survive... these, uh, two weeks. And so... and it was just a couple months later that - or maybe just like, a month or two later that, uh, the official universal alternate offer came in! Cuh-razy.

Q: What is your favorite track you cover? A: [loving sigh] They're all special and wonderful for different reasons... um, but the first track I ever learned for the show was Parr, and she took me by surprise. Um, I really just fell in love with her, I fell in love with her song... um, with what she stands for; her role in the show. Um... and what's funny is I haven't really had a chance to kind of, uh, focus on her this time around! But I'm really excited to. Um, and I remember just absolutely loving her. So — [whispering] but I like 'em all! They're all fun! [not whispering] For different reasons.

#six the musical #six us aragon tour #six us boleyn tour #six broadway 3.0 #marilyn caserta #q&a #long post

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willel · 2 years

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So anon, I'm only gonna address half your message since the rest of it is moot at this point (it was about the script)

Hm, before I state my opinion, let's look at what an unreliable narrator is:

TVTROPES: In most narratives, there's an element of trust that the person telling you the story is telling the truth, at least as far as they know it. This trope occurs when that convention is discarded. The narrator's facts contradict each other. If you ask them to go back a bit and retell it, the events come out a little differently. It can be like dealing with a used-car salesman — there's a real story in there somewhere, but you're left to piece it together through all the lies, half-truths, and mistruths.

MASTERCLASS: An unreliable narrator is an untrustworthy storyteller, most often used in narratives with a first-person point of view. The unreliable narrator is either deliberately deceptive or unintentionally misguided, forcing the reader to question their credibility as a storyteller.

As the Masterclass definition points out, the main problem with Will being an unreliable narrator trope is that he isn't narrating anything to us, the audience. We know exactly how he's feeling and what he's going through. The story is in third person, unless he has a split personality and has been a serial killer off screen the entire time, there's nothing unreliable in the narrative here.

Will IS an unreliable narrator for Mike, at least. Specifically during the van speech when Will used El's name to somewhat confess his feelings (though the Duffers have stated they are El's feelings too, Will and El are literally mirrored here as Jonathan watches from the rearview mirror. Twinnin for life)

If Will were the narrator, this speech would happen, but the narrator (Will) would not "write" or "tell" the audience about him sobbing into his hand and tearfully looking out of the window. The narrator (Will) would tell the audience that he told this "truth" to Mike confidently and Mike completely understood absolutely everything he had to say and no lies were told no tears were shed no snot was wiped away. It was perfect and they shook hands afterwards and laughed together.

Then in a later chapter, we would learn from a different character, like Jonathan, that the narrator (Will) is a freakin liar. The other character would reveal they saw everything and that it wasn't a confident speech at all and it was not the "truth" and that the narrator (Will) actually had a full on teary snotty breakdown in the back seat right afterwards and didn't look at Mike for the rest of the trip.

So Will is an unreliable narrator... for Mike. Since he lied to Mike. He is not an unreliable narrator for the audience. He's not narrating anything to us. He's not telling us what Mike is thinking cause he doesn't know what the hell Mike is thinking. I don't think a character wondering if another character thinks they're dumb or childish is an unreliable narrator. That's just a character thinking thoughts, thoughts that we don't get in this show anyway.

I'll leave off with another example from the Masterclass page on how unreliable narrators work.

#stranger things #will byers

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hypeonmovies · 2 years

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VHS 99

The VHS movies have always been know to horrify audiences with their horror franchise delving into haunted places, demonic spaces, and even cults. The use of found footage only enhances the terror as it makes the audience feel as if they’re watching a real VHS tape forgotten long along in someone’s basement… or attic… or abandoned house. But that’s also the best part. Everything feels real through the lens of a video camera like you’re watching a real moment in time and are experiencing it with those in the recording. I can say that that’s a feeling one still gets when watching VHS 99, but the stories included in this installment barely reach the same cinematic and terrifying levels of the previous films.

You can definitely still tell that the directors and actors are having fun in these roles though. While that doesn’t necessarily add to the horror, it does add a bit of humor and, dare I say it, fun, which keeps the viewer engaged in the different stories. There’s snippets of 90s teenagers talking shit while skateboarding, or falling of their skateboards, sorority girls dancing in a graveyard in the pouring rain, and young boys watching their attractive neighbor scantily washing her car. All of this is meant to emulate the grunge, carefree, and naive life that existed before the rise of the internet. The film keeps this energy as its stories include more of the life of adolescents and teens this time around. This actually helps to elevate the horror aspect as it causes you to wonder what you would do in such a situation at that age.

Another thing that helps to elevate the horror are the monsters - one thing that never disappoints in each entry in the VHS universe. This entry does not shy away from the use of grotesque monsters this time around as one is included in every story and the reaction of the actors/actresses will have audiences watching screaming with them.

However, one of the things that is missing from this entry is the brief backstory of where the tapes come from. In past VHS films, we’re usually shown an abandoned building covered in VHS tapes with a TV randomly and creepily playing in the middle of the room. The last scene of the previous entry in the franchise, VHS 94, showed a bunch of armed cops breaking into a building that included a bunch of stoic and/or dead people again surrounded by VHS tapes and small TVs blasting static. In these scenes, it’s never exactly explained as to how the tapes got there or what the building is, which only adds to the intrigue. But, it’s a small way to tie in all of the stories included in the film as they’re all just part of a group of haunted VHS tapes. That’s something that was noticeably missing in this installment.

While they are always supposed to be a series of random horror stories included in a number of random VHS tapes, that tie-in helped it to be viewed as a cohesive film instead of just of series of random stories with no connection. However, despite this, this installment in the franchise will still grab and terrify audiences like it’s predecessors. The stories just seem to lack some of the shock and creativeness that keep viewers thinking about them long after the film’s over.

Maybe the sporadic order of the stories is supposed to be a reminder of the sporadic nature of 1999 - some excited for the new millennium, others terrified that the end of the world is imminent. People just living their lives day to day unaware of the horrors that live among them or that would come later. Now that’s fucking scary.

#vhs #vhs99 #horror #halloween

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curried-mermaid · 2 months

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Manga Review: I’m the Villainess so I’m Taming the Final Boss Volume 1

Author: Srasa Nagase Publishers: Yen Press Illustrator: Mai Murasaki

Age Group: Teen Genre: Isekai Romance

Content Warnings: NONE Spoilers ahead

Plot

When Aileen Lauren D’Autriche finds herself in the middle of the villainess’ engagement annulment event, she remembers that this world is her favorite Otome game. She’s even more startled to realize she’s the villainess of the game and must prevent her death by the final boss.

Although we have a strong female protagonist, this is a sweet, first love romance. It proves that just by accepting the person you love for who they are creates a sweet romance and deep connection between two people. You don’t have to be domineering or ‘alpha’ to win the girl. It’s okay to let your barriers down and just be. When two people are just themselves it can work out. Not to say that it doesn’t take work. As it does consistently throughout the series, but if you truly love someone, you won’t give them up even when others tell you that if you love them you should give them up.

Character Development

The personalities of the characters are very defined (sometimes predictably). They do grow and evolve as each character interacts with Aileen and the changing world caused by her fighting the fate of each game (across the whole series).

One thing that I love about Demon Lord Claude is that his emotions are portrayed through weather phenomena. This gives the story a bit of comedy as we figure out what he’s feeling whenever he interacts with Aileen.

Aileen is kind of protagonist that refuses to cry and spend another minute on something that no longer deserves her attention. She’s the type of person to look you in the eye and say “challenge accepted, with interest”. She never gives up, is a bit of a workaholic, and gets into a lot of trouble. It’s a good thing she has an eye for talent because she needs them to help her get out of trouble, not only with those around her but especially with Claude.

World-building

The audience is thrust into the world of the Ellmeyer kingdom from Aileen’s perspective. It has a very common Isekai start (for female protagonists). All of the history we learn comes from Aileen’s knowledge of the game. This world is very character focused rather than setting or plot focused.

The settings are common things we would expect to see with a feudal hierarchy (but add emperors rather than kings) and a Demon Lord. The Demon Lord’s castle, parks, royal quarters, etc. Though the Demon Lord’s castle being in disrepair is a great touch to expand the minor character line-up and force growth for the Demon Lord and his subordinates. There is just enough description of settings that we get the picture without being elaborate. After all, this is supposed to be more character focused.

Themes

The themes for this series are pretty straight forward. You can change fate or fate is not written in stone. You can grab life by the horns and make it your (insert favorite swear here). Whichever you prefer.

Observations & Predictions

This is one of my comfort series I go back to over and over.

While each book covers a different Otome game or the side content, it can get a little cyclical to have her continuously fight for Claude. Albeit, in some of the most cliche, comedic, and sometimes out-of-the-blue ways.

This series is an easy read and doesn’t take a lot of brain power. So relax, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, maybe some snacks, and enjoy. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s definitely worth trying.

Recommendations

This week I’ve added this section of recommendations with variations from my current review. Take a look! If you want me to review or have further recommendations just let me know!

If you like this series but need something with a bit more intrigue:

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion By: Milcha Translation: David Odell

If you like a strong protagonist but want it more sweet:

The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World By: Oumiya Based on Novels by: Kyouka Izumi

If you want something with a soft female lead that’s just as sweet:

I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble LadyI rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness By: Fukada Sametarou

#manga review #anime and manga #writing #book review #anime #writers on tumblr #reading #books & libraries #public libraries

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the-yuri-librarian · 5 months

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Review of Citrus by Saburouta

I am still relatively new to reading yuri/girls love, but I think I know enough to know that Citrus is a pretty popular series. And, since I just read Citrus, I figured I would post a review for it. Spoilers below the cut

So for the first half of this review, I am setting two very large elephants outside of the room -- we'll let them back in later but pretend they're not there for now.

Summary: Citrus is a story of two high school girls (Yuzu and Mei) who suddenly and inextricably find themselves living together for reasons I can't mention yet (ignore the elephant crying at the door). Very quickly at the start of the story, Yuzu, our protagonist and a self-proclaimed gyaru, begins to develop feelings for Mei, the student council president, who is also a stickler for the rules. The rest of the story is focused on Yuzu's pursuit of Mei, their eventual romance, and the obstacles that hinders that romance.

The Good: One of the factors that carried Citrus the most for me was the art. Sabruouta is an excellent artist, and it really shows here. They also have an impeccable sense of character design, with each of the characters having very unique designs that set them apart with each other, while also being incredibly realistic for high school girls, which I appreciate. In particular, the designs of Yuzu and Mei contrast against each other really excellently, drawing attention to their similarities and differences well. Speaking of our duo, I thought they had excellent chemistry (don't think about the elephants) and were overall a strong pairing. Their conflicts and faults felt organic (for the most part), and it really helped me get absorbed into their story. There were definitely moments where it was predictable, but I think that speaks more on how much Citrus has impacted Girls Love as a medium moreso than it speaks to the quality of the manga itself, which is a long way to give it a weird complement.

The Bad: So, despite the praise I just gave, and entirely divorced from the elephants that are gnawing on the doorframe outside, this story is generously a mess and, to put it less-generously, seriously lacking. The biggest problem I have with it is the structure, and by extension the pacing. The basic story structure here goes like this: a new volume starts, a problem is introduced and, by the end, that problem is resolved, which somehow causes out main pair to progress. This is a structure that is pretty common for a lot of high school focused yuri manga. Herein lies the harm: the rigidity of such a structure combined with the scope of the problems this manga is trying to tackle severely limits the effectiveness of the story telling. For a vast majority of the arcs, especially the later arcs, the set up for the problem, and the new characters that come with it, takes up so much of the time of the story that the conclusion often feels weak and unsatisfying. A good example of this can be seen in the arc where Mei supposedly reconciles her differences with her dad. They not only barely share any screen time together, but, due to the above structural problems, the resolution of Mei's feelings towards her dad feels way too easy. This problem is repeated in later arcs, but is especially prevalent in the concluding arc of the series. This also creates additional problems, the main being that the audience does not really get to spend that much time with the main pair. A lot of the development of Yuzu and Mei's relationship is tampered by the fact that it has to happen very suddenly at the end of the arc. This is detrimental as, as i said above, the problems they face as a couple feel really organic, but the resolution of said conflict is often anticlimactic and unsatisfying. This problem could potentially be alleviated by giving the readers more insight into Mei's thoughts, but I think the mysteries behind Mei's motives are a huge strength for the series so maybe not.

The Elephants: ok we can let the elephants back in now but I'll try to make it quick. The first elephant is, obviously, the psuedo-incest. This was a *huge* detriment for the series, and the lengths at which the narrative stretches to remind you that the main pair are technically sisters, especially in the first volume, is concerning. It is made worse by the fact that the first major internal conflict that Yuzu faces is the question of "Should I [Yuzu] abandon my romantic feelings for Mei and just focus on being her sister instead?" Also, and this is maybe a minor complaint, but I could not suspend my disbelief over the fact that Yuzu's mom and Mei's dad moved in together, and they somehow never met until the day Yuzu moved in, mainly because it is a ludicrous idea. Overall, there's not a ton to say here. The sistership of the main pair is intrinsically baked into the narrative, and separating it from that sistership would be difficult. However, consider this: how much of the story would really change if, instead of step-sisters, Yuzu suddenly had to move (for whatever reason), and inextricably found herself as the roomate of the student council president at the new boarding school she was attending? The answer is, I think, not much. It would take a revision, but the basic bones of the story and many of the conflicts could still be there. Saburouta could even have them do the "there's only one bed troupe!"

The second elephant is the vast amount of non-consensual kisses present in the story. In short, there were just too many of them in this series, but especially in the first volume. It would be more acceptable if the narrative acknowledged the fact that they were non-consensual in any way, but it just sort of ignores that part. In fact, the first non-consensual kiss could actually work really well as the inciting incident, which is its current role, if there was any acknowledgement of it or later apology at all. But there isn't, instead leaving the audience with a feeling of dissatisfaction.

Overall, I think that *Citrus* has some genuinely great qualities in its story and art, but these qualities are largely muted by the fact that it spends an awful lot of time getting in the way of its own narrative and inviting large elephants into the room that the audience then has to work very hard to ignore.

**Overall Rating:** D+

#citrus #yuri #girls love #gl #gyaru #yuzu aihara #mei aihara

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sabiekay · 8 months

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Aaa thanks for tagging me @theharrowing! I'm gonna dig to see if I have 3 WIPs to post, but I definitely have 3 fics done for this challenge! Some of these snippits might be kinda long whoooooops

No Pressure tag list (do it if you want to, don't feel obligated to play!) @candlewaxandp0lar0ids , @suga-kookiemonster , and @writtenwhalien, anyone else who feels like it!

rules: post 3 snippets from published work, and 3 from your wips

*3 Published*

Microcosmos

Throughout the entire trip to the nature reserve, amongst the small talk and laughter, all you could think of was how aware you were of your feelings. Ever since you admitted them to Hoseok a week ago it was like the floodgates had opened now that they had a name to it. And it was making it hard to just act normal. Every interaction was a balancing act of trying not to pretend things were different. Was your crush too obvious? Did Jungkook know? Why couldn’t you just act normal, like you had been for the past several weeks? Your brain was an endless loop of trying to play it cool. If he could read minds, all he would hear in yours was that meme song “don’t be suspicious” over and over again. Jungkook, for his part, was clearly having a blast singing along to the radio. It really wasn’t fair how talented he was – he could draw, paint, and he had a beautiful singing voice? This had to be proof that God played favorites. In between singing and bopping to the songs, you two sipped on the cold brew coffees Jungkook had brought so you could stay awake for the meteor shower. Being the passenger allowed you to look at the beautiful landscape changing outside the car. Now that you were fully away from the city, you could see trees and fields surrounding you instead of tall buildings and neon lights. The sun was setting around you, causing the world to glimmer in shades of green and gold. It was breathtaking. You glanced over at Jungkook as he bopped along to the radio and tapped his fingertips lightly against the wheel, the golden light hitting him the perfect way. It was warm enough outside for him to just wear a t shirt with a pair of jeans, which meant his tattoos were nearly on full display – and a distraction. Your eyes kept glancing up and down at the full artistry that covered his entire right arm. You wanted to hear all about them, the stories and reasons for each one; how they all fit together to tell a story…maybe even trace them with your fingers, especially the veins popping out from his hand gripping the wheel and then….nope. Nope. You were shutting that down right now. You had to survive this trip without dying of thirst for the poor guy. Don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious.

The Season

“Is this your first gala then? Are you new to the Season?” Your curiosity got the better of you as you took the furthest seat you could away from the man. You may be having a conversation, but years of training were a hard habit to break. He shook his head, then took a heavy breath as he looked toward the glittering manor. “I stopped going a few years ago, but my mother kept begging me until I ran out of excuses. So here I am, back into the fray.” He gestured out from the empty garden, the only audience being you, the flowers, and the willow tree. It was calm and quiet outside, far away from the crowds. He laughed darkly, shaking his head as he stared straight ahead. “Every single news article, all the social media posts, everyone gushes about how glamorous it must be, how powerful everyone is. It’s all so fake. No one inside that ballroom really cares about their so-called friends, it’s only what favors that person can do for them. What their alliance can bring to the table. I join the conversation and all anyone can talk about is who my father is, what my brother does. How lucky I should feel to be a part of that legacy. I mean, sometimes I don’t think they even know my full name!” “So what is your full name?” You blurted out before deciding to just own up to it; you faced him full on, looking right at him. He stared at you in barely hidden disbelief, then smiled softly. “Seokjin. I’m…” he paused, as if contemplating what he was going to say next. “I’m Kim Seokjin. Nice to meet you.” Your brain was screaming at you as you tried not to freak out on someone you just met. Here you were, a mere lady’s maid, chatting casually to the 2nd son of Grand Minister Kim, one of the most powerful men in all of Erharan. Even back home in Auteris people knew of his family. Grand Minister Kim was one of the 3 Grand Ministers that made up the Leaders of State in Erharan. The Grand Ministers were the top of the top officials, who listened to the requests of the lower ranked legislative ministers to bring forth new laws for the country. But it was the Grand Ministers who enacted them, who were the true rulers – they were considered the same as kings and emperors of other countries. And that was just one half of his family pedigree. His mother came from the illustrious Jang family, the owners and founders of Jang Technologies, the leading solar technology company in the world. Their products basically brought Erharan and the rest of the world to the modern age, making it the industrial powerhouse it was today. If it could be run on solar power, it most likely came from Jang Tech. It was bad enough you were talking to a guest at all, let alone someone from such a prominent background. His family had inherited the role of Grand Minister for generations. They would probably continue passing down that title long after you and Seokjin were gone. You were stunned you didn’t even recognize him. But as you looked at Seokjin, the depths of his eyes searching for any type of connection, you recognized how difficult his life might be. How in this moment all he might need was a friend to talk to. And so, you decided tonight his family background didn’t matter. You could be his friend for the evening, pretend the differences in your social status wouldn’t cause a scandal. If anyone asked, you could just say you were doing your job – you were meant to serve the upper class, after all. If a nobleman asked you to sit and chat, who were you to say no? “I’m Y/N, nice to meet you too.”

(Blank) For The Holidays

No, the most devastating part was that Off-Work Yoongi was dangerous. He wore a black fitted turtleneck sweater with dark blue jeans, and black wire framed glasses. His dark brown hair was swept back, exposing his forehead to make him look more handsome than he already was. You were used to Coffee Bee Yoongi, who wore the required uniform and baseball cap that nearly hid his features, or wearing a beanie that caused his hair to frame his face. But this? This was too much. Suddenly all the feelings you had when you first met him come rushing back the instant he turned to face you. Of course you had a small crush on him when he first started working at The Coffee Bee. You were about 90% sure everyone did. Yoongi was downright stunning; him being hard-working and silently caring was a bonus that had already thrown him into Ideal Boyfriend territory. But the idea of dating a coworker was just too messy for you to get over. You were afraid of what would happen if you were rejected, or if you started dating your coworker and broke up, or if you two had gone on a date and it just wasn’t a good time. Things would be awkward and your life was already off kilter without throwing that into the mix. So you just pushed down the feelings, locked them in a box in the back of your mind, and decided to ignore it altogether. But seeing Yoongi in that outfit (especially with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows), focused on cooking a nice dinner, was too hot and domestic for you to handle. And without realizing it he shot straight up past being a simple work crush, beyond ‘Would Be A Good Boyfriend’, and into ‘Perfect Husband’ material. You had to remind yourself that he didn’t even ask you here as a date. This was a friend party. A Christmas party for friends. You could be friends, right? “Hey Y/N. I’m glad you could make it,” Yoongi said brightly, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. You nodded with one in return, stomping down your resurrected romantic feelings so you could just chill for an evening.

*3 WIPs*

Another Life

With a sigh, you tried to think back to every single moment that led you here. “How many times do I have to tell you I don’t know how I got here? For the past day or so I’ve had a headache, and some sort of vertigo take over every time I laid down. I went to bed early so I could go to prompt care in the morning. Then suddenly I’m here, and it’s apparently not a dream and then there’s glowing fists in my face. Don’t know what else to tell you.” He paused, taking your story in. More thinking, more pacing, muttering, and shaking his head. You just stood there frozen – not like you had anywhere else to go. But if there was a small chance of him having any answers for where you were, you needed to stay put. Finally, he walked back toward to, reaching toward your wrist. “You need to come with me right now.” You threw your arm back, moving further away from the man. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on. Where exactly are we? How do I know this isn’t some plot to kidnap me or lead me off to some hidden dungeon?” He groaned deeply, rubbing his palm against his face. “Saints and stars above, we don’t have time for this. And if we’re being technical, you are the intruder in the royal palace, so perhaps you should rethink your accusations. But if it will make you move faster, fine.” He sighed and slightly shook his head. “You are in the kingdom of Kalmarys, specifically the grand royal palace of King Rolftan and his heir, Princess Melyanna. My name is Jimin, a Royal Mage and Captain of Princess Melyanna’s personal guard. And if what I suspect is true, the High Mage needs to be aware of your presence right now. Does that answer your questions?” “…wait, royal mage? As in magic? You can do magic?” Jimin stared at you, an eyebrow raised. “Do you not have magic where you’re from? Who hasn’t heard of the Royal Mages?” You crossed your arms in return, looking more at the floor than at the man. “Well, up until a few minutes ago I thought magic wasn’t even real, so….” A shocked cough escaped Jimin’s lips. He opened his mouth, then closed it before shaking his head and reached for your wrist again. He mumbled something indecipherable to himself, half pulling you to the other side of the room.

Dream A Little Dream

Rice. The first word of your day, the only image in your mind when you woke up. Not a face, or a phrase. Just a bowl of plain white rice. With a sigh, you opened the faded journal on your night stand to add it to the list. Legend says that when the heavens deem your heart ready to be with your soulmate, the God of Love himself will place clues in your dreams each night so you can find them. The first image that lingers in your mind when you wake up brings you one step closer to your perfect match. It could be weeks, it could be months. But either way, you will find your soulmate. It certainly worked for your parents – your Literature professor father dreamt of fish, vast oceans, bright colors. Your mother, a marine biologist, dreamt of libraries, poems, and bottles of ink. When they met as college students, they said it was like magic swirled around them as they held hands after putting the clues together. You never had any reason to doubt soulmates existed when you could see proof every single day around you. But maybe Eros was just screwing with you because for the past few nights, all your soulmate dreams were of the same plain bowl of rice. Last week you dreamt of empty walls. Your journal was filled with documentation of the most mundane, puzzling clues that left you with more questions than answers. 2 months of soulmate dreams surmounting to “Yes queen give us nothing.” And look, it’s not like you were lonely. You’re not! It’s just…a little frustrating to see everyone in your family so in love, the ever-growing collection of Save The Dates and baby shower invites taking over the fridge. Your social media formulated to showcase how nearly all of your friends easily found their soulmates already. While the closest action you’ve gotten recently was reading a spicy novel while eating takeout pizza. It would be nice to be able to cook for more than one person, or feel the warmth of another body cuddling yours while watching (and judging) home renovation tv shows. You would even settle for dates that didn’t fizzle out after the second or third time, once it was abundantly clear you were not going to work out - even before getting into the soulmate dreams. You didn’t even have someone to point out cute puppies to when taking a walk in the park! ….okay, maybe you were a little lonely.

After The End of All Things

“Mom, what’s going on? What happened?” you insisted quietly, trying not to wake the child sleeping next to you. “The last ship…they changed the departure time again. It’s now leaving at 4 am today.” Your eyes fell at the old clock next to the bed – 1:30. If you hurried, ran along the empty backroads, you could make it to the docks in time. But only if you left now. You darted out of bed in a flash, trying to race against the clock to pack what you could. You guiltily hoped that others like you – the ones who couldn’t afford tickets at the base price – hadn’t heard the new bumped up time frame yet. Less people at the docks meant more of a chance for your family to win the Day Of ticket lottery, where you’d earn a spot on the ship for a discounted price. If you couldn’t pay the amount at the time of selection, you could sign a waiver to work off the remaining balance. It was the only chance, the last hope, for people of your status to get onto the ships. The lottery only selected 100 people per departure, with hundreds of entries being the standard. Since this was the last ship, you’d be shocked if the entries were less than 1,000. You started opening drawers in the family dresser, moving quickly to just grab whatever items you found first. But then you noticed your mother walking slowly, eerily so, with a backpack in each hand. Only two. You froze in your spot as your eyes blinked rapidly, holding back the forming tears. You shook your head as you realized what was going on. “I can’t leave you,” you cried, reaching out to your mother. “It’s the only way, Y/N. Take your niece and go. You don’t have much time.” She set down the backpacks at your feet and grabbed your shaking hands. “You can still come with us! The odds of the lottery will be better with 3 of us, you know that! They have the family clause if Anna is selected since she’s too young to work. We can still stay together.” With a gentle squeeze and a deep sigh, your mother walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed an envelope. Her eyes were glassy as she placed it in your hands. You held your breath as you opened it, revealing some money and a pair of tickets. Your eyes widened and your hands shook as the light spilling in from the window emphasized the embossed, iridescent logo of the Global Space Command. You couldn’t ask how she got those tickets. You didn’t want to. Some things were better left unsaid. You looked back at your mother to find tears running down her face. If you weren’t in shock, you’d probably feel your own tears doing the same. “You and Anna deserve a better life. To get away from here. This world is dying, and you two have a chance to start over. Promise me you’ll survive. And live.”

.....dang, I guess I do have a few WIPs, huh? LOLOLOLOL

#writing #tag game #fanfic #bts fanfic #microcosmos #blank for the holidays #the season #wips #wip game

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