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#i literally have to guess what the products are and then make descriptions
bloodynereid · 6 months
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Hi, Jordan Li fan here again! Could you maybe write an angst/comfort fic where (preferably gender neutral) reader really likes Jordan, but because Jordan and Marie have been getting closer they’re scared to confess? So they try to distance themselves from Jordan and eventually the secret comes out? Bonus points if there’s some sort of panic attack + comfort in there :). Again, completely understand if not, no pressure. Have the best day!!
Whiskey in the Shadows
pairing: jordan li x gender neutral reader
tw: cursing, alcohol consumption, mentions of suicide, death, canon typical violence ish, panic attack, kissing
description: jealousy is a rather stupid emotion that unfortunately you have to contend with.
a/n: hope you enjoy this one <33 i literally wrote it out in like less than an hour and i'm actually happy with the result so yayyy. requests are open as always and yeah don't have much else to say.
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Life at God U was something you had to adjust to over the years. It was completely different from the time you spent in high school but it definitely felt way better to be surrounded by supes, not just humans who constantly pushed you away because you were ‘different’. A plus was definitely being in the top 10, which meant you had extra privileges the other students didn’t have. One was your friend group.
You first met Luke in the first week of school. You were both taking the same mandatory intro to marketing seminar and were paired up together to make a sales pitch for a product that could combine both of your powers. God, that day was almost as vivid as if you were living it right now.
“Hi.” You jumped slightly and looked up from your notes to see a tall blonde guy standing in front of your spot. 
“Uh hi.”
“You want to be my partner?” You scanned the room and saw that everyone had already paired up.
“Sure, I’m Y/N.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Luke.” He was about to set down his bag when he realized the mess that surrounded you was going to make that difficult.
“Right, shit. Let me get this out of the way.” You quickly took all the multicolored folders from the spot next to you and shoved them into your bag, Luke pulled out the chair and sat down next to you before pulling out a notebook.
“Why the fuck do you have so many folders?” Luke said as he watched you struggle to organize them in alphabetical order.
“This class is bullshit so I mostly spend time catching up on outside projects.” You say as you are finally able to fix all your folders and turn towards Luke who has an incredulous look on his face.
“Jesus, I guess I picked the right partner then.”
“Oh don’t count on me doing all the work.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” He said with a smirk before he started to rattle off ideas of what your pitch could be.
From that moment on you two had become instant friends, eventually your little group expanded to include Luke’s girlfriend, Cate, who was probably the nicest person you had ever met. Then Andre, a legacy who didn’t actually act like it. Jordan was the last to join and all of it happened during one of your many sparring sessions with Luke.
“Ok come on you have got to be cheating!” Luke complained as you once again pinned him down on the soft mat. Your little spar was gathering some attention because the boxing ring was now crowded with supes holding up phones.
“Nope. I’m just better than you. Oh shit.” Luke took advantage of your distraction to grab your shoulder and flip you around so you landed hard against the mat.
“I win.”
“Fuck you.” You bit out before you used your powers to wrap and twist shadows around Luke’s wrists so he tumbled down next to you.
“Ok now that’s cheating.”
“We never said no powers.”
“It’s an unspoken rule!” Luke exclaimed but he had a big smile on his face as you offered a hand to him after jumping up from your own spot.
“Truce?”
“Truce.” Luke said as he smirked and grabbed your arm, allowing you to pull him up. The crowd around the ring started dispersing as you climbed out through the ropes.
“That was pretty fucking badass.” Came a voice from one of the few remaining spectators, you expected their voice to be focused on Luke but their intense stare was pinned on you.
“Why thank you. Luke’s an easy one to beat.”
“Hey!” Luke exclaimed in indignation as he jumped down next to you and threw you one of the spare water bottles he had. You grabbed it with one of your shadows and screwed open the cap.
“I’m Jordan.”
“Nice to meet you Jordan, I’m Y/N and this is Luke as you already know.”
“Hey.” Luke said as he did some kind of military salute.
“So what are your powers?” You asked when suddenly Jordan shifted in front of you. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah…”
“That’s fucking awesome.” Luke said as he finished taking a long drag of the water bottle.
“If you’re ever up for a spar come find me.” You said as you checked the time on your phone and realized you were going to be late for class. “We have to go but it was great to meet you Jordan.”
“You too.” They said with a smile as you and Luke grabbed your bags from the floor. You waved as you went your separate ways.
“Someone has a crushhhh.” Luke said with a sing-song voice when he realized you were still staring at Jordan’s retreating back.
“Fuck off.” You said as you slapped his shoulder, making a booming laugh explode out of Luke.
Somehow you had managed to keep your crush on Jordan secret when you all reached junior year. Luke was the only one who knew and he constantly teased you about the situation, any time you stumbled over your words or got flustered in front of them. It just seemed harder and harder over the years to actually confess to Jordan. They had gotten so damn confident and like a thousand times more attractive - which is something you didn’t think was possible.
Everything sort of started to fall apart in your life the first days of junior year. It was like the universe decided to throw a wrench in your stableish life. Incident 1: Andre nearly kills a woman in the club you like to frequent. Incident 2: Luke’s nightmares get worse and he keeps having to bunk in your room because for some fucking reason he’s getting suspicious of Cate. Incident 3: Jordan is making heart eyes to someone who is not you. (not that you don’t like Marie but that was the problem, she was too damn perfect) Incident 4: Luke kills himself…
It was like your world was torn apart in the space of half an hour. Your best friend, who you considered a platonic soulmate and brother, killed Brink and then himself right in front of you. The last thing you said to him was that you loved him. Right after he hugged you as tight as humanly possible before flying off to his doom. He was fucking Icarus in that moment.
Incident 5: Luke has a brother, who’s somehow stuck in a fucking underground experimental facility in the school. Incident 6: Brink’s memorial gala…
You carefully adjusted the all-black suit embroidered with shiny black vines that you had gotten in preparation for Luke’s birthday… something that wasn’t even going to happen this year or any year for that matter. Fuck, not the time to cry. You mentally chidded yourself before assessing your look one last time in the mirror before making your way out of your dorm.
You really fucking hoped you wouldn’t run into Jordan tonight. It was getting harder to be around them… every time you saw them, they either started ranting about why Marie was around so much (you almost hoped they actually hated her for a second there but there was a certain spark in Jordan’s eyes whenever they spoke about Marie) or well yeah more complaining about Marie.
You had taken to spending more time alone, you still had a bad feeling about Cate and Andre spent most of his time with Cate so that left alone time as your only option. It had started taking a toll on you though. Mourning wasn’t exactly your strong suit. 
You stepped into the decorated hall and cringed at all the posters with Brink. You knew he was a good man but… Luke wasn’t fucking crazy. You had been trying to help him for months, he had a reason to do it and you were going to try to find his brother… as soon as this damn gala was over.
You picked one of the champagnes off of a random waiter’s tray and quirked your lips up. Time to put on a real fucking show.
The next hour was spent mingling and chatting up potential sponsors. They all seemed hesitant to even speak to you because they knew how close you and Luke were but you reassured them that it was nothing to worry about. The Vought PR lines left a sour taste in your mouth that by the end of the hour you were itching for something stronger than champagne.
Once you were sure that the bartender was looking the other way you extended one of your shadows and snatched up one of the good whiskey bottles off the shelf and into your hand. You fucking loved your powers so much sometimes. Happy with your little prize a genuine smile made its way onto your face. Only to fall when you saw Jordan directly talking to Marie. They were smiling softly at each other, making a knot form in your stomach.
You hadn’t cried since Luke. All that had managed to come out of your eyes was a single measly fucking tear right before blood rained down from the heavens. But it seemed like Jordan’s moment with Marie was your fucking breaking point.
A sob threatened to force its way out of your throat as you hurried towards one of the alcoves that you knew this damn place had. What you didn’t notice was the way a pair of brown eyes followed your rushed movements. The second you were cocooned in your shadows was the moment that the tears slowed and a hiccup left your throat.
Safe. Safe. Safe.
“Y/N? Look I know you’re in there. I know your shadows when I see them.” The distinct voice of Jordan Li permeated your little hideout, disturbing the peace that you had somehow been able to culminate.
“Fuck off.” You said in a strained tone, tears were threatening to force their way out of your eyes once more so you opened the bottle and took a long swig of burning whisky.
“Y/N… is this about Luke? Shit- I haven’t even talked to you- I’m so sorry.” Those last few words made the stupid little resolve you had left deplete so you waved your hand and the shadows parted like curtains exposing Jordan’s ethereal face which looked incredibly apologetic. She climbed into your alcove as you closed the shadows back up.
“It’s fine, Jord. You had your own shit to deal with.”
“No, it’s not fine. You- you’ve been listening to me rant about Marie and I didn’t even ask if you were okay. I’m a shitty friend.” A resounding pang echoed through your heart at the word friend. Fuck. Another swig of the fancy whiskey.
“It’s not about that Jord, I’m really fine.”
“You’re drinking whiskey… you only do that when you’re stressed and/or depressed.” It almost hurts to realize how much Jordan actually knows you.
“It’s not that Jordan.”
“Then what is it?!” Jordan almost yells, probably exasperated by your perceived stubbornness.
“I fucking like you okay? I’ve been in love with you for fucking I don’t know how long. So can you please just fuck off and leave me alone.” You yelled out, only realizing after you finished speaking what you had just said. Oh. Oh no. A familiar panic started to seize your chest. Shit, they were going to reject you. Shit. Shit. Shit. You could almost feel yourself drifting off to join your shadows when warm hands gently got a hold of you.
“Y/N, Y/N. Listen to me, you have to breathe. You have to breathe with me. Come on. No passing out on me tonight. You didn’t even hear what I was going to say. Hey.” Your breathing started to slow down as you listened to Jordan’s calming voice. They were slowly bringing you back to earth as their hands rubbed against the material of the suit, creating a calming pressure. 
“Sorry about that.” When Jordan realized I was calming down I saw a quirk of a smile appear on their face, her eyes twinkled in the dark with an intensity I had gotten familiar with over the years.
“You don’t have to be sorry at all. You get those often?”
“More now than before. I’m really fucking sorry, let’s just forget I sa-”
“No, nope. No take backsies. How the fuck did you think I didn’t like you, no wait sorry, love you back?”
“I-umm” You stuttered out as you looked at Jordan in awe. They loved you back. Holy fucking shit.
“Who came up to who first? I’ve wanted to ask you out on a date for years.”
“And why didn’t you?” You said as Jordan smirked at your renewed confidence.
“Because you are wayyy out of my league. I mean you are like the most incredible being to grace the Earth.”
“Ok now you’re exaggerating things, Jord.”
“No I’m not. I can’t believe you didn’t realize I wasn’t totally gone for you before.” You let the giddy feeling of love spread through your extremities when a realization made you stop short.
“What about Marie?”
“Marie? What are you talking about?”
“You’re like-” You made wavy motions with your hands that had Jordan’s laugh resonating against the shadows, butterflies fluttering in your stomach as you watched them.
“Oh fuck, you are too funny, love. No, me and Marie are not-” Jordan repeated the wavy motions you had just done which made you smack her playfully. The movement had you shuffling closer to Jordan so now your faces seemed like they were only millimeters apart.
“Fuck.” You uttered under your breath as your nose skimmed against Jordan’s.
“Fuck is right. Can I- I umm really want to kiss you right now.”
“What are you waiting for?” You answered just as Jordan surged forward and your lips met in an explosion of sensations. You felt your shadows jump and play around you excitedly as you pulled Jordan impossibly closer by threading your fingers in their oh so soft hair. That decision rewarded you with a little whine from Jordan that had warmth spreading over your body once again.
Reluctantly pulling away you rested your forehead against Jordan’s as they smiled giddily up at you. Her eyes sparkled in the darkness and you smoothed the pads of your fingers against their cheek.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“I really fucking love you.” You said as you looked into those brown eyes that looked just like the perfect cup of coffee. Inviting, warm and absolutely enthralling.
“I love you more.” 
“Always a competition with you Jordan.” You said with a chuckle, making Jordan laugh in response.
“Well you should have known what you were signing on for when you fell in love with me.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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so... reader's powers in this one are known as darkness manipulation which are sort of like the darkling's powers from shadow & bone (they're suit for the gala is literally directly inspired by the darkling's kefta lol) also here's the link to the superpower wiki page if anyone's interested.
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tatertato · 3 months
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Can we have a small little list of everyone’s roles/parts in the circus? (My peanut brain is getting a little lost)
cirque de la vie AU powers/roles list!
i did a poll on the gem and pearl post on whether or not i should release a full list, and guess which option won!
the results came out really close, so if you want to wait for the comics to drop, i advise you to simply ✨look away✨
this list is going to be formatted as: Name - Circus Act/Role - Power
some will be on this list without their powers, or with ambiguous descriptions of their powers until i finish their backstory comics because i really do want those ones to be a surprise, so look out for the update!
some of them i am still on the fence about as well, so the comic may not always line up with this list in the future, but i'll do my best to keep it up to date.
with all that out of the way, let's get into it!
Management
martyn - manager/organizer - enhanced hearing
ren - $the funding$ - none he's just rich (some form of smaller nobility)
The Performers
cleo - knife thrower - doesn't have magic, but alive somehow??? (hint: it has something to do with bdubs...)
etho - magician - has magic but hates using it (rumor has it that only bdubs knows what he's hiding)
bdubs - doubles as knife thrower and magician's assistant - something to do with time. no one knows exactly what, but sometimes he disappears for weeks on end. scar usually steps in as the replacement.
jimmy - aerial acrobat - wings/flight
grian - aerial acrobat - same as jimmy, but sometimes scar says his vision is uncanny
scar - ringmaster - jedi mind trick (he can convince anyone of anything depending on how strong their mind is)
lizzie - underwater escape artist - don't tell anyone, but she can definitely breathe underwater. the escapes are still pretty impressive tho
joel - stilts (11 foot joel is canon) - no power, he's just lizzie's supportive husband (more kenergy than jimmy)
gem - happy clown - deer traits, mostly enhanced agility
pearl - sad clown - doesn't like elaborating, but she disappears during full moons...
scott - tightrope walker - read the comic when it comes out lmao
impulse - juggler - power still very much in development, but he can talk to/see/control ghosts to a degree (inspired by the phasmo streams)
skizz - strongman - enhanced healing
tango - fire breather - literally breathes fire. very high internal temperature, good for winters.
The Production Team
mumbo - lighting (it's still the late 1800s-ish so the lighting is very rudimentary- that said, mumbo is a bit of a genius, so the shows still look pretty amazing) - is almost an unlimited source of electricity (he's a little eccentric, makes a big deal about how much of a human he is, which has sparked curiosity, but never enough for anyone to pry into. grian seems to know something.)
bigb- concessions (he sells cookies!) - everything he bakes tastes amazing! (he swears that's his only power, but he has a habit of leaving rooms through doors that weren't there before...)
pearl (again) - sets and props, she decorates the stage!
joel (again) - makes the boxes and tanks for lizzie to escape from
and that is all! i might have some hermits or empires folks make cameos every so often, but this is the main cast!
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aihoshiino · 5 months
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chapter 133 thoughts!
Right off the bat, I'm really glad to see OnK looping back around to address something that was largely left hanging from the first half of the movie arc - the idea that Ruby simply lacks the acting chops to properly portray Ai in the movie. This was hammered in to such a degree that I actually had a theory back before shooting started that Ruby was going to end up backing out of playing Ai and that Kana, Akane or even Frill would end up taking her place. Obviously it's not that I want Ruby to fail here or that she doesn't deserve a big W after everything she's been through but it felt really weird for the story to correctly make the point that Ruby's acting was going to make or break this movie and then not properly bring that point home. So I'm glad to see we're actually digging into it this chapter.
That said, it does feel a little... abrupt, I guess? Or rather, I totally understand Ruby cracking under the pressure and having a bit of a meltdown off the back of Nino's words last chapter - that obviously cut really deep - but suddenly jumping back to this idea that Ruby is Just Not Getting Ai after we hadn't touched on that since filming started and we've had no indication it's still an ongoing issue is weird. Especially since Mengo has literally just been flat out drawing Ai any time she's portraying her on panel lol. Maybe holding off on showing her with the double hoshigan would've been a better choice in conveying that...
Again, I guess it just comes back to what I've been saying lately about the movie arc feeling really weirdly structured. Things feel kind of jumbled, or necessarily out of order persay but the way arcs, emotional beats and development is happening in fits and spurts gives everything this stuttering rhythm where all the major beats feel like they're landing in really strange places.
All that aside... man, poor Ruby. We haven't really gotten as good a look into her head as I would've liked during the movie's production but the amount of pressure she feels must be immense. Strawberry Productions have put all their money into this movie and Ruby is telling the story of one of the people she loves more than anyone else in the world. It's no wonder she's in tears by the end of it.
The story also addresses something I'm really glad to see on the page - Kana acknowledging that Ai was the way she was largely because of her negative experiences. I've had a bit of unease lately with the idea of OnK portraying Ai as an aspirational figure or that Ruby 'becoming' or 'surpassing' Ai is a positive step for her. Ai of B-Komachi existed because Hoshino Ai experienced such an abnormally cruel life that was so utterly lacking in warmth or love that she had to make up a perfect version of herself just to feel like she had permission to be alive. It's not that Ruby has never experienced hardship - god knows she has - but she simply does not have experience with the exact nature of the despair, the loneliness and the self hate that Ai struggled with her entire life. Without opening herself up to that, she might never be able to fully understand Ai.
Kana's description of Nino is also really fascinating and it lines up with how I personally was reading her off the back of that chapter combined with the foundation laid by 45510. Her feelings for Ai are a life-altering obsession that has ripped down the boundary between 'love' and 'hate'. It's both at the same time which is an emotional state you can probably conclude is not going to lead someone to grieve in a healthy or productive way.
<3 nino is such a gay little freak i love her so much
Ruby and Kana's talk in general in this chapter is sooooo fucking good, dudes. It's hard not to want to go over it line by line lol but it's the kind of talk I've wanted them to have for a really long time. Their earnest concern for each other and their attempts to reach out and protect the other as clumsily as they end up doing it are so sweet and it makes the end of this chapter such a gut punch... but we'll get there.
I will say it's uh incredibly fucking bizarre to see Akane sorted in alongside the people Ruby considers her family??? Like, I get that Ruby had the whole 'can I call you oneechan' thing with her back while she and Aqua were dating but they've never been portrayed as being that close or really on friendly terms at all after the Private arc. Not only that, but this is specifically in a context where Ruby is talking about how the movie is going to help her family, who are still stuck in their grief over Ai's death move forward - so why the fuck is Akane there?? Akane has no personal relationship to Ai! She was not remotely affected by her death! I can only assume this was some kind of art mistake because I otherwise have absolutely no fucking clue what this is supposed to mean. EDIT: Taking a closer look at the art, I'm pretty certain this is in fact an art mistake and that's Ruby accidentally given Akane's hair screening: her eyes are dark and she seems to have Ruby's hoshigan. Mystery solved!
Ruby's face as she cries looks sooooooo much like Miyako's expression as she cried back in 125. I even noticed then how much she looked like both Ai and Ruby in that moment and it was so sad and lovely to see that similarity mirrored in Ruby. Miyako is their mom!!! Ai and Ruby are her daughters!!!
And finally... Kana just lets it all out.
Honestly, seeing Kana finally express all this stuff was so cathartic. She didn't want to be in B-Komachi to start with, she was bullied into being the center and then watched Ruby absolutely leave her in the dirt. Knowing what we do about Kana's own history of abandonment and her absolute terror at the prospect of being left behind and made irrelevant, it would be naive to assume she didn't feel some jealousy or bitterness in the wake of Ruby's meteoric rise to fame. She's only human, after all and I can't help but wonder if this is one of the 'cracks' left in black hoshigan Ruby's wake that Aqua ominously alluded to a while back.
Even as she pours out all this bile, though - Kana is still, in a twisted way, doing this out of pure love for Ruby. As she herself puts it, she is at risk of permanently destroying their relationship here even though Ruby is her closest and dearest friend. But that's why she feels she had to do it. Like always, Kana sacrifices herself, desecrates herself and throws herself under the bus to support the people she loves and to play the coordinator - to ensure her costars can give the best possible performance. Arima Kana? Don't worry about her. She's fine off in the shadows by herself, right?
I also can't help but wonder if Kana is doing this at least in part for herself, too. We saw that she, too, was struck deeply and unsettled by Nino's words last week and by how deeply Nino was poisoned by her hate and feelings of inferiority towards Ai. Maybe this is Kana's way of trying to purge herself of those feelings so she can look her inner Nino in the eye and confidently say "I am not like you".
No break next week...!
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quicksilverster · 1 year
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[😇] crashing ❈ yoon jeonghan
⋆⑅˚₊✎ prompt(s): crashing by illenium, bahari
⋆⑅˚₊✎ genres: a whole lotta fluff, a bit of angst, acquaintances-to-lovers!au, college!au, roommate!au.
⋆⑅˚₊✎ description: Five times Jeonghan crashes at Yejin’s apartment, and the one time she crashes at his.
⋆⑅˚₊✎ warning(s): mentions of alcohol
⋆⑅˚₊✎ pairing(s): yoon jeonghan x kang yejin
⋆⑅˚₊✎ word count: 3.4k words
⋆⑅˚₊✎ a/n: A fic I turned into a short story and into a fic again because I recently got back into SEVENTEEN. This is old, 2021-early 2022 writing, but I’m going to post it anyway because it wasn’t that bad (IMO) + I like this story. (i also apologize for the banner quality cuz it's been literal years since i made one for a kpop dude)
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one.
The first time Jeonghan crashed at her place, Yejin was alone in her apartment, working on her essay.
Her roommate Aera wasn’t home; she was at a party or club somewhere, getting drunk and dancing her limbs off. Yejin could practically see her limping the next morning, the product of a crushed foot. She was alone in her room, sipping from a mug of warm tea as she added words in Times New Romans font onto her document. The only source of light in the room made its presence known through the glaring screen in front of her, illuminating her worn face. Melodies from her Spotify window and the clacking noise from her fingers drumming the keys were the only sounds in the room, accompanied by Yejin’s tired breathing. She leaned against the back of her chair with exhaustion, her brain fried like a skillet.
Yejin was jolted out of her reverie when the sharp rapping of knuckles against her front door resonated into her ears. Aera usually arrived home after 2 a.m. during one of these crazy social events, meaning the person at the door could not be her. The knocks were rather composed, too, given by one with a sober mind. Begrudgingly peeling her eyes away from the screen, Yejin slid her arctic feet into her fluffy slippers and headed to the front door. Gripping the door handle tightly, she swung it open to meet a familiar face, a smile frozen across his face as a result of the wintry atmosphere outside.
“It’s 11 p.m., why are you still awake?” Jeonghan bustled into the apartment chattering like a mother hen. He scrutinized her fluffy lavender pajamas and wide eyes behind her glinting spectacles. “I understand that you have work and stuff, but sleep is important as well.”
Yejin blinked blankly, watching Jeonghan tut over her apartment with a watchful eye, and dropped an overnight bag on her couch. “Um,” she managed after a few flummoxed seconds. “Uh, what are you doing here?”
“Aera sent me here,” he shrugged, carding his messy locks back. “She wanted me to make sure you’re doing your essay diligently instead of scrolling through Instagram or whatnot.”
“So you’re sleeping over?” Yejin raised a doubtful eyebrow.
Jeonghan scratched the back of his head. “Well, Aera said she might not be back until tomorrow morning, so she wants me to keep you company.”
Aera was currently dating Jeonghan’s best friend and roommate Seungcheol, so she was well acquainted with the young man in front of her. However, that didn’t mean she was entirely comfortable with the idea of him sleeping over in her apartment.
Jeonghan seemed to comprehend Yejin’s indecisive expression, for he placed his hands in the air. “I won’t do anything suspicious, I promise. Aera just doesn’t want you to be alone here.”
“Okay,” Yejin said, slipping her earbud into her ear as she continued her assignment. “Make yourself at home, I guess.”
Jeonghan grinned a broad, boyish smile, before plopping onto the couch and pulling his phone out to play a mobile game. Within a few minutes, he had fallen asleep. His snores accompanied the already existing sounds in the room.
Yejin eyed him from her workstation, her lips punctured as she wondered what her roommate was up to.
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two.
“I’m perfectly fine being by myself,” Yejin said with as much patience (which isn’t much) as she could summon from the inner depths of her heart. However, her roommate was making it particularly difficult to be nice.
“I told you a hundred times, you need human interaction!” Aera said as she shoved her feet into a pair of heels, ready for yet another party.
“Easy for you to say, you social butterfly.”
Aera grinned proudly at the nickname she was bestowed with. “Thank you!” She said, bowing for extra effect.
Yejin fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Jeonghan hardly counts as human interaction.” She poked the yogurt cup in her hand with her spoon, denting the fragile base of the plastic. “Whenever he comes here, he only lounges over our couch, steals our snacks, and plays with his phone.”
“It’d be nice if you both become friends.”
“Doesn’t Jeonghan have a girlfriend? Are you sure it’s wise for him to be here?”
Aera fidgeted in the spot, her eyes ricocheting from the door and to her roommate. “If you put it like that, probably not.”
“You just want me to interact with him because he’s your boyfriend’s roommate.”
“And he’s a nice person, and you need his company,” Aera added hurriedly. “Now can I go? I’m going to be late.”
“Fine,” Yejin said. Aera bolted as soon as the words left her roommate’s mouth. Yejin shook her head almost endearingly as the front door slammed shut.
Half an hour later, Jeonghan materialized in her doorway with a messy hairdo and a plastic bag filled with boxes of food. The former was the result of the displeased weather outside, but Yejin couldn’t think of a special occasion that would warrant takeout.
“I heard you have an exam coming up,” Jeonghan placed the plastic bag down in front of her laptop, the smell of it tantalizing Yejin’s stomach to growl. “So I got you this.”
Yejin eyed the plastic bag, her fingers tingling to reach out and devour whatever was inside in a single gulp. She glanced upward and stared into Jeonghan’s eyes. It was difficult to maintain contact; his eyes were obsidian in color, as dark as black holes. If Yejin stared for too long, she’d get sucked in.
“What are you getting out of this?” Yejin asked as politely as she could, though a trained ear could detect the venom hiding within.
Jeonghan leaned in, his disorganized chestnut side-swept hair falling over his eyes. He fixed the navy blue backpack strap hanging from the side of his shoulder as he bent down to stare into her eyes. Yejin held her breath, intimidated by the sudden change of atmosphere.
“Your friendship,” Jeonghan ended cheekily, a boyish smile curling on the corners of his lips.
“Ha,” Yejin muttered weakly, running her hand through her long hair.
“You’re a very smart student, Yejin,” Jeonghan reached out to fidget with her laptop screen, pushing it close before pulling it up again before it could involuntarily shut down. “But it’s okay to take a break sometimes, you know. When you’re done with that assignment of yours, let’s play Monopoly.”
“Monopoly?” Yejin frowned. “We don’t have Monopoly here.”
“I noticed,” Jeonghan commented in a pained tone. “How can you not have a Monopoly board in this apartment? You and Aera are disappointments. Here,” he dropped his backpack on the floor and pulled out a Monopoly board.
Yejin raised a brow. “You brought a whole Monopoly board with you?”
“Yes, for this very special occasion,” Jeonghan said proudly. “Eat your food, and then tell me when you’re finished with your work. I’ll wait for you.”
Despite her protests, Yejin’s heart fluttered a little at his words.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
Jeonghan smiled and threw his body over the couch, unaware that he left a certain girl’s heart hammering violently against her sternum.
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three.
A knock dragged Yejin’s attention away from her book and towards the door. Setting the paperback page down on the coffee table, Yejin stretched her sore back as her guest knocked on her door again.
“Coming,” she said, peeking through the eyehole to check. Her eyes widened a little when she recognized the mop of brown hair and swung the door wide open without hesitation. Jeonghan fell forward like a piece of domino, but luckily, Yejin caught his shoulders before he could collide with the ground.
“Get up, you’re heavy,” Yejin inhaled, catching a whiff of alcohol. She coughed, startled. “Oh, crap. Have you been drinking?”
“It was Aera,” he mumbled, his legs flailing behind him. He groaned as his palm flew to his temple. Yejin laid him gently on the couch and rummaged through her drawers for painkillers.
“What were you doing with Aera?” Yejin asked as she placed a glass of water and some tablets on the coffee table. She peered down at Jeonghan’s head from the side of the couch as his body took up the rest of the comfy furniture. From her vantage point, she could see the elegant curves and slopes that made up Jeonghan’s face. He was, indeed, handsome. She threw her gaze away in case he saw her staring, but he was too drunk to care.
“Some party,” Jeonghan said, his voice so soft that Yejin had to guess what he said through his closed lips. He had an arm over his eyes, and his voice sounded strained. Yejin raised an eyebrow.
“Okay,” she pulled at his arm to get him to sit up. “Come on, you need to drink this.”
“I don’t have a headache yet,” his words were slurred as Yejin attempted to yank him to his feet.
“You look like you have a headache. Trust me, Aera’s my roommate.”
“Can I confess something?” Jeonghan swiftly rolled over onto his stomach as he shot Yejin a smile. Or a smirk, more like, judging from the lopsided curve on the right side of his mouth.
“Okay?” Yejin gulped, feeling her cheeks pinking at the casual smile he offered.
“I actually like you,” he laughed, a bubbly note ringing through the silent air of the apartment.
Yejin froze. “What?”
“It was two years ago. I saw you at orientation and developed a crush on you. Surprising, eh? And I only saw you once but I fell deep. In love, I mean. I forgot about you, sort of, when I didn’t see you again for a very long time. And then a few months ago I saw you in the library and learned you were my roommate’s girlfriend’s roommate. You can imagine my shock.”
“Jeonghan, you have a girlfriend,” Yejin reminded him, feeling a stinging in her eye sockets.
“Yeah, I know,” Jeonghan laughed, his eyelids closing halfway through. “Funny. If only I went out more, socialized more, you know. Maybe I would’ve met you. Maybe I would’ve been dating you right now.”
“You sound so confident,” Yejin said, reaching out to press her palm against Jeonghan’s cheek. Just this once. One time, then I’m never going to do this again.
“I mean, maybe. I don’t know,” Jeonghan leaned into her hand and his lips brushed the heel of her palm. Her breath hitched and she swallowed. “Do you like me?”
Yejin grimaced, her lips embracing her teeth. “I don’t know.”
Jeonghan kept his firm gaze on her eyes, but she looked away within seconds. A sigh escaped his mouth and he leaned against the couch.
“Of course, you don’t.” He peeled Yejin’s hand from his cheek. “I’m sorry for coming here.”
“It’s alright,” Yejin said, running her fingers through his hair. “I don’t mind at all.”
“I really like you,” Jeonghan repeated, his voice fading into a soft laugh. “I just…”
A snore left his throat, and a tear escaped her eyelids.
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four.
“I want you to be gentle with Jeonghan,” Aera said as she shoved her heels into her shoes.
“What do you mean?” Yejin asked as soon as she pulled the pen from between her teeth. Normally, she’d tuck the piece of stationary behind her ear, but that space was currently occupied by her black-rimmed glasses.
“Something happened,” Aera answered vaguely, averting her gaze from Yejin’s scrutiny.
“To him?”
“You’ll see for yourself.”
When Jeonghan came along, Yejin immediately understood what Aera meant. His fluffy swept hair was even more disgruntled than usual, vaguely reminding Yejin of a thornbush. There were dark circles under his eyes that were almost the shade of his onyx eyes and his lips were chapped and scarlet in some places, but Yejin glanced away before he could catch her staring. Despite how exhausted he looked, he still managed to smile at her.
“I’ve never seen you wear glasses before,” he said.
Yejin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, swallowing nervously. “Yeah, well, I usually prefer my lenses.”
Jeonghan exhaled, a rough, guttural sound that shattered Yejin’s glass heart into a thousand fragments. “I broke up with Stacey.”
“Oh,” Yejin closed her eyes, squeezing them tightly. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Jeonghan laughed, an empty sound that undulated as he flopped face-first onto the couch. “I’m sorry about last time and for… for being here. I don’t know who else to go to.”
Yejin pursed her lips, wondering if Jeonghan still remembered his confession. Did he remember that he told her he liked her? Did he remember how she placed her palm on his cheek? Did he remember the sound of her heartbeat and the warm emotions thumping in rhythm with her blood?
“Do you want a hug?” she asked, surprising herself.
Jeonghan watched her, a small smile materializing on his face. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Yejin accompanied Jeonghan on the couch and allowed him to sink his head into the dip of her shoulder. They stayed that way for a while as Yejin allowed Jeonghan to take the warm comfort she offered him.
“I saw her,” he mumbled into the collar of Yejin’s sweater, “with another guy. It’s only been a week since we broke up and there she is. Dating again.”
“Maybe… that’s her way of recovering?” Yejin asked meekly.
“Maybe,” Jeonghan exhaled and Yejin could feel his breath on her neck. “But it still hurts so much, you know.”
“Yeah,” Yejin stared out at the dark sky. “I know.”
“Can I…” Jeonghan shifted to a more comfortable position, keeping his head on Yejin’s shoulder and his arms around her torso. “Can I stay here tonight?”
“Sure.” Yejin pulled away to grab a cushion on the floor and positioned it under Jeonghan’s head. “Not a problem at all.”
Jeonghan looped his fingers through Yejin’s hand, and she didn’t pull away. Instead, she rested her head against the couch and watched his chest rise and fall.
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five.
“What’s he doing here?” Aera frowned.
“No, the question is, why are you still here?” Yejin responded.
“I live here!” Aera threw her hands into the air incredulously.
“She’s kicking you out,” Jeonghan snickered. “She wants full ownership of the apartment and the cat and the refrigerator full of your delicious food.”
“We don’t have a cat.”
“He’s the cat,” Yejin jabbed her finger in Jeonghan's direction.
“Ouch,” Jeonghan used his hand that wasn’t occupied with holding a yogurt cup to slam the right side of his chest. “That smarts, Yejin.”
Even the way he said her name made her stomach soar.
“It’s true!” She argued, hoping that her cheeks remained their normal hue. “All you do here is sleep and eat our food. Just like a cat.”
“I meant,” Aera began, flapping the air when Jeonghan opened his mouth to argue, “that I haven’t even left and yet you’re already here. You usually come after I’m gone.”
“We’re having a movie marathon today,” Yejin said. “We’re binging the Larry Hatter movies.”
“Ah, that’s a classic. Have fun, you two.”
“Do you have the popcorn?” Yejin asked as the front door slammed shut.
Jeonghan snorted. “Of course I brought the popcorn. And the candy. What’s a movie marathon without candy?” He grabbed the tubs of popcorn and the colorful plastic bag and plopped onto the couch next to Yejin with a huff.
Larry Hatter and the Thaumaturge’s Rock flashed across the screen in front of them, but Yejin could only focus on the side of Jeonghan’s face. She watched the colors dance over the soft angles of his cheeks, garnering a blush on Yejin’s cheeks. Suddenly, he was watching her, but she didn’t look away.
“Is my face much more interesting than the movie?” Jeonghan laughed, a smirk dancing over his lips. Yejin fought the urge to slap it off his face.
“Why do you like coming over here?” Yejin answered with a question, her head slightly tilted to the side.
Jeonghan paused, watching her as Persephone scolded Roland for pronouncing a spell wrong on screen. Yejin watched the emotions swirl behind his irises, unable to discern any of them.
“Because you’re here,” he said.
Yejin nodded, trying not to smile at the vague answer. “Mhm.”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not making fun of you.”
“You’re smiling,” he poked her cheek and Yejin fought the urge to lean into his hand.
Remember, he just got out of a relationship. Don’t do this to him.
“So what, you’ve taken away my right to smile now?” Yejin huffed.
“No,” Jeonghan assured, throwing his head back in a laugh. “It’s just that I can’t control myself when you smile.”
Breathe.
“Okay,” Yejin shrugged. She tightened her grip on her bowl of popcorn and kept a steel gaze on the movie, making sure to ignore Jeonghan’s stares and his hands.
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+ one.
One bad thing kept happening after the other.
Earlier that day, someone knocked into Yejin while she was going up the stairs and she fell, scraping her knees against the pavement. They burned like an inferno and Yejin had to bite her lip to prevent herself from crying. The person who shoved her didn’t even spare a second glance her way; she walked home limping. When she arrived home, she checked her phone and discovered that she attained a superbly low grade for one of her essays. She also received a message from one of her friends that his dog ripped apart a book that she lent him. To make matters worse, it was one of her favorite books; a book her mother had given her on her fifteenth birthday.
It was too much for Yejin to handle.
Aera wasn’t home—where was comfort when you needed it—and no one from her family was picking up. Yejin’s face was buried deep into her right palm as another hand pressed her phone against her ear.
Please, Yejin thought as the phone continued to ring in her ear.
“Hello?”
Yejin’s balloon heart sagged in relief.
“Hi,” she swallowed. “Can I come over?”
Jeonghan’s response was immediate. “Yes.”
That was how Yejin found herself in Jeonghan’s apartment, snuggled against him on the couch with a warm mug of hot chocolate. He was playing a game on his PS5, but his arms were around Yejin like a large, comfy teddy bear. She leaned against his chest, hearing his heartbeat in sync with hers.
“Thanks,” she mumbled to him, and she could feel his heart pump faster.
“Any time,” he answered, pulling her closer to his chest.
Yejin continued to watch the characters and graphics flash across the screen. She sipped her hot chocolate as she placed her hands on one of Jeonghan’s hands, momentarily distracting him from his game. He recovered quickly and twisted his thumb so that he was caressing her palm.
“Jeonghan?”
He hummed in response.
“I think I like you.”
Jeonghan froze and his character died. He turned to her, ignoring the flashing message on the screen that spelled GAME OVER in red capital letters.
“You think?” he asked, voice cracking at the end.
Yejin shook her head quickly. “No, no. Not think. I do like you.”
She squirmed nervously; he was still at a loss for words. She vaguely watched his throat gulp as he swallowed.
“Really?” he asked, his voice raw and vulnerable.
Yejin understood why he was so hesitant. He had recently gotten out of a relationship—he didn’t know if he was ready to give his heart to someone else after losing it not too long ago.
“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” Yejin assured, squeezing his wrist. “I’ll wait—”
“Yejin.”
Yejin glanced at Jeonghan’s serious expression; his jawline is firm and stiff and his eyebrows are slightly wrinkled. He stared at her for a while, deep in thought, before he leaned in to kiss her.
Her eyes fluttered shut in response. Jeonghan’s lips were slightly chapped but soft and gentle. She was frozen for a while, her mind unable to process what was happening at first. Then Jeonghan pulled away, and she grabbed his collar to pull him into her.
“Yejin,” Jeonghan said breathlessly, his hair tousled as he held Yejin in his arms. “I don’t want you to think I’m only using you as a rebound; I like you, from the bottom of my heart. Can I be your boyfriend?”
Yejin laughed at the innocent question and reached up to tuck one of his curls behind his ear. She leaned up to peck him again.
“Yes.”
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© silver newton┊ ༑ ࿐ྂ。
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afreakingdork · 4 months
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I’ve been curious about the paragraph in chapter 47 about Donnie’s past partners and the description of them being transactional. I guess I’m wondering what he meant by that? What were the other parties involved getting from the experience? What kinds of people were they? What was he looking for? And in what period of his life? Sorry to bombard you with questions btw 人(_ _*) I tend to take things very literal when reading, my initial interpretation was that these past partners were sex workers. That doesn’t sound right though..
Happy new year!!!
Not at all; not bombarding at all! Please, always send any and all questions! I can totally see how it's confusing so let me share the ongoing history!
I know Weak Spot Donnie's sexual history has been a sort of ongoing question that I originally dodged like dodgeballs because, in all honesty, it wasn't something I bothered to plan from the beginning like I planned everything else. Since reader's sexual history was going to be ambiguous (so they can be insertable ((lol))), I thought of leaving Donnie's that way too since we aren't defined by what partners we've had.
That being said, I did eventually give in and decide something only because I was given the right idea! Shout out to @purplish-hue for saying he would fuck for gain and @hijinxensues for playing mad ball trying to piece it together while I was frolicking in the flowers. Using the word transactional totally came from @some-guy-named-dominyk who casually said the banger:
picks up WS Donnie wow you are troumatised and see everything and everyone (including yourself) as transactional pieces because you we brought up in a world that was cruel and unforgiving whne you were a child, but now that you are an adult and you are in the presence of relative safety, you are more afraid of the safety rather than the pain
All of this is to say the following below the cut is what I decided!
Also someday I'm going to take all the drabbles and what not that I've canon stamped for Weak Spot and make a proper post for them!
Donnie's first time is related to a change in his line of production. So like I'm imagining old dude runs a mine for mystic crystals and he has a heart attack and the daughter (maybe a mujina?) steps into the role. Donnie has an ongoing deal with the old man, but the daughter is spoiled rotten ruthless and halts the flow. She won't be moved and she's got too much defense to take out, plus Don needs the crystals and doesn't wanna cut ties with the old man's business because it's such a pain and who wants to get into mining ops. Donnie looks into how he can manipulate her because she supposedly doesn't want anything. She obviously wants to put him in his place, but based on his upbringing (and that being out of the question) there is no one in this world that does not want. He finds out she's basically a pillow princess who loves sex. He does he research, the whole nine yards, he practices with the stroker to make sure he can last, he's EXTRA and then he confronts her and fucks the shit out of her. He doesn't let her cum and makes her agree to continue production before he lets her. She tries to get him back after that, but he refuses and now he's the one dangling the carrot. From that point on, he basically only used sex in that way, aka a means to an end. This would have taken place in his 20s when he needed materials but going back to the Hidden City was especially difficult for him.
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mirror-lock · 15 days
Text
There's an extremely annoying and inefficient part of my creative process that almost always happens partway through any project, sometimes multiple times. I'm given very vague starting specs or descriptions to work off of, so I do my best to lay some groundwork to support what I'm guessing the final product should look like. Then I ask my boss whether this is what she had in mind or whether I'm going in the complete wrong direction, so I can change course and correct it before I go too far.
And every single time she goes, Hmm, I don't know, let me think about it and get back to you later.
And she doesn't get back to me for weeks. Months. The project just sits there because I need her approval to move forward with it. Reminding her that I need her signoff doesn't help. It gets worse when I already know I'm not on the right track and I need her to give me the right direction so I can recalibrate.
Occasionally when I've been pestering her enough, she brings in outside experts to give an opinion. And often they do have opinions, but they rarely have all the context for the project, so then I have to backtrack and give them an extremely condensed overview of what I'm trying to work towards and all the constraints I'm working with, and she can probably tell that this just frustrates both me and the experts, so she's been doing that less and less.
Literal wasted months of projects just stalling because she can't make up her mind about what the original vision was supposed to look like and I don't have the authority to just pick a direction and forge ahead in case she changes her mind about it later.
Anyway hi, I'm Kaiya, and I'm a one-person TTRPG studio,
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dkakapizzaboy · 1 year
Text
Casting Svt as Characters in KDramas I’ve Watched
Masterlist || Taglist Form
Words: Around 900
Category: Fluff I guess
A/n: If you disagree w any of these, I’m always open for healthy discussion
Disclaimers:
a) A lot of these shows I watched a while ago so if any character descriptions are inaccurate, please drag me it’s okay.
b) Some characters are, of course, very different in age than the members but just go on the emotions, will ya?
c) Character descriptions are kept vague on purpose because I don’t want to give spoilers. Also, if I’ve given any major spoilers unintentionally, I apologise.
d) Spellings of Character names are from Wikipedia, so if you find any inaccuracies, pls lmk
Taglist: @junhui-recs @drunk-on-dk @wonuhour @enhacolor
Fic specific tags: @wonwussy @bitchlessdino hope you guys like it!
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1. Choi Seungcheol as Lee Young-Joon in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim
The strong male character with childhood trauma who doesn’t know what to do with his feelings once he realises the love of his life, whom he had never confessed to, is leaving him screams Seungcheol to me. He’s awkward with his feelings, reacts poorly when hearing the news, is a true leader who silently burdens not only his trauma, but also his brother’s.
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2. Yoon Jeonghan as Park Chang-ho in Big Mouth
I think, of all the people in the world who can deceive a prison full of inmates that they’re a criminal mastermind and you shouldn’t mess with them, no one else would compare to Jeonghan. The professional lawyer, who is framed and sent to prison, is a good person at heart, and helps other suppressed inmates and leads a revolution. Jeonghan is particularly quick to think on his feet, which matches the character’s energy.
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3. Hong Joshua as Kang Tae- Moo in Business Proposal
A cold CEO who is super averse to dating and and is busy running his business meets and instantly falls in love with a girl who is posing as her friend on this blind date to get rid of him. He is devoted to his family, his passion for his company’s food products is only matched by our heroine. He’s a great cook and is also kind of nosy in his little brother’s love life.
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4. Wen Junhui as An Min-Hyuk in Strong Girl Bong Soon
The cute, funny gaming company CEO who hires our Bong Soon as a bodyguard just screams Jun to me, both because of his passion for games and gaming development but also for his endearingly cute and shy demeanour and the sense of humour. Plus actor Jun deserves a fun, cool and handsome role like this, considering we might never get to see his c drama :((
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5. Kwon Soonyoung as Jung Joon-hyung in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo
Ok so this is the latest drama I’ve watched and Joonhyung’s passion and commitment for swimming instantly reminded me of Hoshi and his passion for dance. A bonus factor is the fact that after seeing In the Soop S2, I can confirm his….ahem…abdominal area can easily pass for a swimmer’s.
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6. Jeon Wonwoo as Cha Sung-hoon in Business Proposal
Yeah I don’t think I need to explain this.
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7. Lee Jihoon as Wi Seung-Huen in Rookie Cops
I’m sorry but Woozi as a trainee cop along with an initial e2f2l storyline???? Sign me uppppppp… Plus, this character is like the ace trainee along with having daddy issues and a strong sense of morality that builds over time. Just writing this is making me crave a Woozi remake of this show.
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8. Xu Minghao as Myul Mang in Doom at Your Service
Minghao, I think, is the best person in the world who can bring doom to the world while looking fucking stylish and having an angsty emo personality. Fuck the humans, what even do they have. Xu minghao is literally here to end us all. Plus the later developments in the show and the emotions this characters develops….I’ll cry watching if Minghao was Myul Mang. Also, I feel like Minghao is the most supernaturally member in Svt- you know the one who is into Tarot cards and palm readings.
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9. Kim Mingyu as Ji U-Min in The Fabulous
Ngl, the Going Magazine episode was a big factor while giving Mingyu this character. This super talented fashion and street photographer, who sometimes struggles to find his aim and is stuck in the friend zone after breaking up with the female lead is such Gyu vibe honestly. This man is so supportive, encouraging…and might I say relentless?
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10. Lee Seokmin as Baek Hee- Sung in Flower of Evil
The beauty of Dark! Seokmin is something to behold, a fantasy I will never give up on. A bright, perfect husband in every sense of the way on the surface with a dark past and even darker present….. is….so…..hot. And his wife is a police officer? Yup yup add it to the drama. Mars’ serial killer DK fic has arisen a fantasy in me that i don’t think is going away anytime soon. Plus I’m a sucker for complicated, grey characters whose layers are revealed slowly as the series progresses. He’s almost an anti- hero here.
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11. Boo Seungkwan as Lee Seung-cheon in The Golden Spoon
Another grey character, probably the most complicated character on this list. I think, for me, our Boo is also the most emotionally complex and mature guy in seventeen so I think this character really suits him. Our lead guy, is born into poverty but changes his luck, along with his family’s, by switching lives with the richest guy in his school. Complications, along with consequences, haunt him.
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12. Chwe Hansol as Goo Chang-seong in Hotel Del Luna
I’m sorry but Vernon as this character??? In great looking suits and constantly in service of ghosts to help them finish their last wishes and peacefully transition to afterlife along with having… probably the most emotional love story ever…..yeah I need a minute, or a week.
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13. Lee Chan as Kim Do-ki in Taxi Driver
Taxi driver is probably my favourite kdrama till date. And Dino as the sexy vigilante who takes revenge for people who the system can’t help is such a sexy concept. Action hero Dino to the rescue! Plus the main character plays so many roles undercover and is so hilarious at times that Dino will fit perfectly in this character’s shoes.
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ae-azile · 1 month
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3. 8. and 22.
(for ask game)
3. Screenshot or description of the worst take you have seen on Tumblr: 
There have been many bad takes on Tumblr (and on social media in general). But I suppose when it comes to this show, it's any time I see someone express their views on a character in a manner that obviously puts other fans’ analyses down. Like, it isn’t the fact they view a character differently. It's the fact that they feel the need to belittle a different interpretation to make their point. If you need that, is it a great take? 
I won't get into specifics, because the few I have seen this from do actually have interesting takes. It's just the way they feel the need to write them passive aggressively. This seems to mainly happen with Kim meta, but I occasionally see it with Vegas meta too. 
8. Common fandom opinion everyone is wrong about: 
Bahaha, I wrote myself into a corner with the response to question 3! 😂 I guess I am going to go with Korn and Gun. Both are viewed with a lot of hate, and rightfully so. But I also think they are products of their environment and have a lot of layers to them. And overall - at least from what we have witnessed solely in the show - I feel like Gun is more redeemable than Korn, despite Korn being a better father. Can't forgive him for what he did to Namphueng, Pat, Porsche, and Chay. He literally destroyed a family. I think Gun being under the impression they were all dead, losing the mother of his children, and likely being abused himself was what made him abusive. While I have no doubts Korn also carries a lot of trauma that plays into who he became, I also feel like his worst actions can't be viewed with any compassion like Gun's potentially could. Don't get me wrong, perpetuating the abuse cycle is NOT okay or excusable. But unfortunately, it can potentially be a reality that abuse victims who don't have help, resources, or healthy outlets end up re-enacting. There is an explanation for his worst crimes. There is no explanation for Korn's, nor will he ever offer a truthful one.
22. My favorite part of canon everyone else ignores: 
I don't know if everyone ignores it, but I love that Arm is working multiple guard positions? Boy does surveillance, builds and distributes weapons, designs high tech spy gear, and goes on missions with Kinn (which is sort of dumb in hindsight because he is one of the main people holding that compound together). On top of that, he was the first one to tend to Big when he was shot, implying he has some medic or strong first aid knowledge, led the clean up crew after Tawan set off the bomb, and then built bombs of his own for the attack on the compound later on. 
He does all of this, and still manages to be a guard to Tankhun, who is likely the safest yet most emotionally demanding family member. And he seems committed to that position. I am sure Arm could easily be removed from Tankhun's team. He has plenty of other work demands, and he better be the highest paid guard other than Chan. Yet he chooses to stay with Khun along with all of those duties. Hm. Love that for him though. 
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eilarae · 1 month
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Toby really shouldn’t had the blue soul’s tutu be referred as dusty because it lead to people thinking that they were awful and murderous even though they were literally a kid stuck in a place with monsters that need them dead to have their soul
i mean first of all, based on the words used in other translations, the intended description was just like. worn. aged and dirty. and like i see where the confusion comes from, but i don't think toby really foresaw people taking every instance of the word dusty and interpreting it to mean. literally covered in monster remains.
but that being said (essay incoming),
even if the kid DID hurt monsters, the double standard some folks are exhibiting, like the individual in my last post about this (which i assume is what prompted this ask) is crazy. not that it was OKAY to kill monsters, because of course it wasn't and isn't. but uh... humans are also living and feeling beings? idk i just feel like i see far more people willing to justify folks like undyne, asgore, and ceroba for their murderous actions (yes. im counting their extremely deliberate attempted murders as murderous actions) than i do people defending blue soul kid who was almost certainly ACTUALLY A CHILD and definitely scared out of their mind from being attacked at every turn.
there's obviously quite a bit of nuance here, what with humans and monsters being separate and demonizing one another for actual millennia. the thing is, these characters with murderous intentions towards humans are very clearly products of their environment. and guess what? so is a kid that falls into a world where everyone outside the safety of the ruins not only wants them dead, but proactively seeks to make it happen. frankly, i think having a kid who killed monster(s) during their time in the underground just adds to the worldbuilding and realism.
all this to say, i don't really think it's toby's fault that some fans like to cherry pick characters' actions, condemning some while shouting from the rooftops that others should not be criticized for the same deeds because they were grieving.
they're all messy and they're all Extremely well written and realistic for the world they are in. none of these things happened in a vacuum, and it's really strange to take one person's actions out of all context and not another's.
(sorry for the essay anon ik i divulged from your point but thanks for giving me an opportunity to yap about this <3)
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kusokurae01 · 17 days
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*Cracks knuckles* Did you really think I wouldn't RETURN THE FAVOR- now, what's YOUR favorite Jekyll and Hyde adaptation(Or adaptations)?
Hello, first off thank you so much for this ask! <3 I don't get them everyday, so I'm very happy with how much this blog is growing, little by little.
My top three is quite controversial, but I'd say that my favorite adaptation so far has to be the broadway musical, from which my own adaptation (Apotheosis) takes inspiration; what people don't understand is that an adaptation isn't made to be 1:1 with the original product, especially when the original quite literally doesn't have anything to tell story-wise and is overall a mediocre story with an interesting concept. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the Novella, but I take it for what it is instead of pretending that my interpretation is 100% correct and canon and treating the book as if it were a masterpiece of classic literature, when it isn't— sure, it's a small, enjoyable story which can be interpreted however you want and that's also what makes it appealing to most people— the uncertainity of everything, the fact that we don't know who the reliable narrator is, it's VERY interesting, but it isn't the writing that makes the story, to me. So you see, my disdain for novella fans not only comes from the fact that they're gatekeeping assholes, but also that they insist that their interpretation is the only correct one, when the novella was written PRECISELY to don't have a correct interpretation, at least IMO.
Funniest thing is that they expect Hyde to be a bachelor of morality somehow and not do anything problematic besides murder, because we are so desenitized to violence that apparently now it's something inherently normal (or rather just fandom puritan bullshit), as if this wasn't the literal Victorian Era and the author wasn't a rampaging racist (which is normal for again, the period we find ourselves in. But they are willing to shit on people who attempt to be historically accurate, but when you mention that the dead man they have a parasocial relationship with was racist, and that the original book description of Hyde was IIRC, xenophobic too, they suddenly pull one hundred excuses up from their asses, but only because it's convenient to THEM in that moment).
These people know who I am referring to considering that they "called me out" on their shitty discord server over the 9/11 J&H joke in my description, pfp which was just Christine with a sapphic flag which also makes me presume these people are inherently mysoginistic, and the fact I ship musical Jekyde, sorry for being based I guess. I 100% expect them to see this, and if they do, I have one simple request— get your shit together, you aren't some literary critic, you are like seventeen and a "wrong headcanon" is enough to ruin your day, if not week, fully.
TL;DR Musical takes the first spot, the novella is good albeit mediocre and overrated and its fans are insufferable.
Now, what makes me like the musical if the recorded play wasn't anything special and Hasselhoff's acting atrocious?
The musical was the second adaptation I've watched of J&H, so it's only fair that I am very attached to it, but still recognize its inherent flaws— I don't think however, the musical should be judged because of a bad recording adaptation alone considering the many interpretations we got from other actors (Rob Evans, Robert Cuccioli...) and the simple choreography itself, especially when it was first performed in 1995; all the ideas behind it which in the end didn't make it in the play, are somewhat still there, like Simon Stride basically replacing Lanyon and being an enemy to Jekyll, someone double-faced just like the rest of the governors.
For those who don't know, Stride was supposed to be a main antagonistic figure in the musical, he was the owner of Red Rats and of other several brothels in Kentish Town as stated by Hyde in The Wedding Reception, also described as a green-eyed monster in The Ballad of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the one who performed Good and Evil originally, supposedly when he was collecting money from prostitutes. Since The Spider basically took his role, we also know that Stride is inherently a domestic abuser considering that he hits Lucy on several occasions, other than being Jekyll's contestant for Lisa/Emma as shown in Lisa Carew which literally completely destroys the perception that Lisa completely depends on Jekyll when that's not inherently true. She's underdeveloped yes, but her character is interesting nevertheless, the musical is called JEKYLL AND HYDE, it's normal that it focuses on telling Jekyll's story, because a musical can't be ten hours long. His motivations are inherently unknown, but I suspect that he simply is jealous of Jekyll and overall wanted, like Hyde stated in The Wedding Reception, to put Lisa/Emma in one of his brothels, and he was angry that Jekyll spared her that fate, seemingly.
See? Everything, even if it didn't made it in the final product, it blends in with the background story of the musical's society perfectly, making the world feel alive rather than static like it did in the Novella.
Lisa/Emma is a woman who clearly wants independence, which was something definitely big for the period, considering that the ideal of victorian woman from the conservative classes was that of a frail and submissive lady (which I think it's also seen in the fact that their ideal make up made them look almost as if they were ill due to how pale they were) and the first feminist movements literally simply asked to be beaten up by their husbands less. This is seen in Letting Go and Lisa Carew. She doesn't depend on Jekyll and is stated by her nevertheless, she chose to marry him because she genuinely liked him, and never doubts him even when the big reveal happens. Underdeveloped =/= Bad character.
Lucy, on the other side of the spectrum, is a prostitute, which was the lowest and most hated class you could possibly be a part of. Other than this she's a domestic abuse victim, and the only person who ever considered defending her and showed her kindness, instead of objectifying her even when she was giving him sexual hints, was Jekyll. It's only normal she'd latch onto him; she clearly wants to live a different life and keeps hoping that things will get better for her, because everyone has their day (The Girls of The Night), even when her own best friend (Nellie) discourages her, she keeps hoping. She feels genuinely lost, (Nobody Knows Who I Am) in which it is left implied that she doesn't have anything if not her identity as a prostitute, and that not even her friends (possibly, one of her lines was referred to Nellie) know who she truly is; once, perhaps there were possibilities for her, but that faded because for a prostitute in the victorian era, there's genuinely no hope or respect. Bring on the Men also makes us understand that she's been a prostitute for a very long time now, so who other than she knows this? But yet she keeps hoping, and eventually her prayers get answered. She turns to Jekyll when Hyde first physically harmed her and, she seems very resigned about what has happened to her while Jekyll is horrified, and her emotions led her to kiss him perhaps as a sign of gratitude, and Jekyll didn't refuse, and if I recall correctly that's when Lucy sings Someone Like You and then later on, In His Eyes with Lisa/Emma. If anything, Jekyll is the villain here because he blatantly gave Lucy false hopes, because his actions as Hyde clearly make us perceive that he was only ever kind of her because of lustful reasons, at least IMO. Her world doesn't revolve around Jekyll, we barely see her in the musical quite frankly, and considering what I'm saying and her little screentime, perhaps Lucy is the MOST developed character of the musical. She's tragic— her death truly shows that there wasn't hope for minorities in that society.
Most criticism I saw about the musical is mainly from people who heard things novella fans themselves told which are inherently inaccurate, or from people who perhaps during the songs in let me repeat, A MUSICAL, didn't pay attention.
now, the second spot is taken by Hyde & Seek, I don't have much to say about it because I mainly saw snippets from it but, the motivations are pretty much the same as the musical, the worldbuilding is really good, the characters are funny and memorable, and the art direction is just chefs kiss.
Novella is third.
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watching-pictures-move · 10 months
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Put On Your Raincoats | Bizarre Styles (Stevens, 1981)
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Some titles are purely literal. Others have depth and are chock full of meaning. The title here refers to both the work of our fashion designer heroine Vanessa Del Rio, as well as the ostensibly unusual variety of sexual activity depicted. You see, it has two meanings. Some films have titles with just one meaning, so this is a pretty good deal.
On that note, I must regrettably inform you that Del Rio does NOT wear the leopard outfit she wears on the poster in the actual movie. She does not leap around, like a leopard would. She does not make any roaring sounds or scratching motions. If these were the primary reasons you watched this movie, as they were for me, the finished product will carry a certain amount of disappointment. I can't hate any movie with Del Rio, but I must admit she's underused.
I should also note that the fashion show that the Letterboxd description suggests the movie is centred on actually comes two thirds into the runtime and lasts just a few minutes. It barely figures into the rest of the movie, which is just a loose string of sex scenes with little in the way of connective tissue. Not all pornos in the pre-gonzo era were models of narrative sturdiness. I guess the "Harem Hotline" belly dancer outfit worn by Annie Sprinkle was cute, though.
The sex scenes are also executed with little flair, aside from the cross-cutting the movie deploys in the last third, but instead serve as a catalogue of consensual kinks, depicted with enough attention that those with certain proclivities would likely find them pretty hot. It probably played better if you were jacking off in a 42nd Street theatre forty years ago than if you're trying to watch it like an actual movie in the Year of Our Lord 2023, is what I'm saying, although I did like the scene featuring the dominatrix with a thick Noo Yawk accent. And maybe a few others too, but let's keep that on the down low.
The score sounds like it has just a handful of pieces. The disparaging way to frame this is that it's repetitive. The appreciative way is that it's cohesive. Anyway, I liked the mix of funky guitar and electronic fuzz, but I admit it got a little tiring by the end of the movie.
This movie also has a lot of weird hair, from Sprinkle's bouffant do to Honey Stevens' rat tail to whatever was going on with the cockney woman. And on the male side, we get a clean shaven Ashley Moore... and it looks plain wrong. Please grow it back.
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thescentofrainonstone · 8 months
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On Class in Britain and why the same kind of actor ends up getting our panties in a twist (see Hiddleston, Cumberbatch, Goode, etc...)
Isn't it peculiar that all this adoration and fandoms tend to be about white-cis mostly het (thought admittedly that's the more laxed of attributes) able thin, tall, pale but most importantly coming from riches guys?
You look at a Tom Hiddleston and his first headshots and roles and the wonder has got to be there: "how much time and means were available to him to get his degree from Oxbridge and then decide to do another entire BA on top of it at RADA?"
Admittedly he gets off easy going back historically("just" baronets in his line) when in his league we have Benedict Cumberbatch, whose existence is literally dependant on the slavery his direct ancestors built their empire on in Barbados, and were paid compensation when the end of slavery came to England. Finally his Wikipedia has a full description of this even though when I worked on the essay that took the Downton Abbey series and films as examples of the inhumane social divide the UK depends upon, it was all incredibly well swept under virtual rugs with a vague quote from Mother Cumberbatch advising her son to change his surname in case "they come after you for money" where money stands for "reparations" and considering the luxury of an arts career like the last few Cumberbatches have had is something intrinsically entrenched in wealth and privilege makes perfect sense if you ask me. A councillor in New York carries the same surname and she is Black. Slaves carried the surname of those who owned them.
Let that sink in: there is currently a commissiomer (and Professor at Columbia) in New York who carries the Cumberbatch surname because they are a direct descendant of the Slaves the Cumberbatches owned and owe their fortune to. Stacey Cumberbatch.
So yeah, when people think the UK is not the US, they Invented class and the divide that come with it. It is so crucial to come from a family that can afford you connections and the luxury to work for nothing while never risking bills or rent going unpaid.
And I guess what I'm trying to say is: it's ok for all the fandoms to salivate over anyone, I just think it's important we know why the media propels in front of our eyes the same prototype of Englishman over and over, and perpetrates the production of new pieces of media that casually seem naturally meant for white, rich, het passing people.
The system works like a bottleneck for privilege and I think the SAG-AFTRA strikes also show that: everyone that had some privilege and didn't do anything to average out the system will see their own reduced over time until only the tip of the top remains. And "eat the rich" is going to be another post but you get the gist.
That is to say, next time I go to Insole Court (the Victorian house where a Lot of A Discovery of Witches was filmed, including Matthew's "rooms at Oxford") will I touch every single book of the reading room because likely I will have touched something Matthew Goode touched when he was there filming? Sure.
I also do know that house was paid for by coal miners who actually died in a tragedy in the mines owned by the Insole family and that admittedly I find the only decent way to keep real estate built with the blood of people can just be that: give that back to the people.
It's about educated choices, that's what I'm trying to say.
Fun fact: I started watching a discovery of witches because after filming the essay at Insole Court, wanting to bring down the bourgeoisie, I learned the show was also filmed there. So i went and found it and now I have another white, pale, lanky, English twink to lose sleep over just because he's been given a character created by the mind of a woman who dreams enough, possibly because unfulfilled in some part of her life -because when we're happy we go out, we don't vomit pages over pages let's be honest -.
If none of those elegant white British men who embody the characters we love come from a program that allowed them to raise from the working class... or are anything but white or adhering to a white-er standard (Rege- Jean Page is the quintessential example of this, better than nothing but still, my point)...Maybe we should ask ourselves why, and how is that ok.
Just a random though on a day I wanted to go back to Insole Court for the aforesaid reason.
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igglemouse · 5 months
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Episode 1 ~ Temptations
I was happy to invite Eva in because I literally have nothing going on today and besides I was still very curious about her.
Before settling at my very small and plain dinner table I showed her around, gave her the ‘grand’ tour which was basically 'This is the kitchen, this is the living room, and here is my bedroom,' and so it lasted all of like ten minutes.
"I can see why you have to get out," she said, being honest which I always appreciate. "Yeah, my place is at least triple the size."
"Oh, rub it all in my face mama, just smear it all over me."
She laughs "It's just the truth but..."
"Yeah?" I could tell she had come over for a reason, it wasn't just to see me, there was an agenda here. Honestly, I picked that up upon meeting her. "What's up?"
"Did you ever wonder why I didn't specify the magazine I’m posing for? I told you that I was a model, right?" She says hesitantly, like she's delaying for time. I go quiet, nod my head, and give her a motion to continue. "It's umm, yeah, I'm shooting for Scant-"
"That's porn right?"
"Y-yeah!" Her cheeks color at the mention of it and I didn’t understand the shame. Scant has a silly name but their shoots are more on the classy side.
"Nothing wrong with that if that's what you want to do. I guess it pays pretty well?"
"It does for me, at least! I've been told I look 'too good for it' and so a lot of simoleons were thrown my way."
Part of me wanted to remind her that she wasn't REALLY a model as we promote products and that simply isn't in her job description but if she wants to believe she's a model who am I to tell her no? Like I said before, she seems like a cool girl, I'm not here to antagonize her or hate. I feel less jealous as well. I’m sure I could ‘model’ for Scant if I chose to. 
"How is it? Are you in it just for the simoleons or are you just a flat out freak?"
She laughs at that too. "I love how forward you are! But I guess it is a bit of both? You have to do what you love and the simoleons will follow, right? It just seemed like an easy way to make simoleons and my family supports it so there's no downside to it!"
"Yeah, sounds like it works for you." My dad would actually kill me if I did choose to go down that route though so I’m telling you now it’s highly unlikely.
Episode List - Next
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honeydewtreacle · 7 months
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🌟 me again... i just read your answer to my last ask, OMG those answers were so cool!! i literally did not know any of them. Can i ask some more????🥺
- morontourage pilot?
- as the curtain rises?
- how i paid for college? Any videos of that?
- any videos of make me bad?
- n'harmonics???
Lol thank you
Of course!
- The Morontourage project aka the (M)orons pilot, you may have heard Alex mention it in this Susan Blackwell interview (at 5:05). It was finished but as far as I'm aware was never publicly posted, but here are some pics from its production. I'm not sure if there's ever been much more information on the plot besides Alex's short description.
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- As The Curtain Rises (Broadway's First Digital Soap Opera) is exactly what it says on the tin, a little podcast soap opera. Recorded over quarantine and completely free on Spotify, Alex plays the Narrator, definitely worth a listen! There's also some in-character interviews in this playlist (Alex is in the thumbnails of the ones he's featured in) and he was in two cast live streams (7:44) and (5:40). [I'm not smart enough to do time stamped links sorry]
- Unfortunately no recordings of How I Paid For College as far as I know, but here are two promo videos for it! (Plot) (Production) And these pictures are everywhere but I figure I should add em just in case. (I also have the one of him doing the archer pose, but blasted tumblr photo limit!)
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- Make Me Bad, Drew and Alex's horror musical, similarly there's no recordings of Make Me Bad as far as I'm aware, but here's a whole gob of promo photos, a promo video, and a playlist of some songs from the musical. It's a shame there's not more of it, I'm super curious about Alex's writing, guess I'll just have to be patient and wait for one of his plays to be produced.
- Alex was in and acapella group called the N'Harmonics with F! Here's a playlist of the recordings I've been able to find, quality is a bit sketchy on some, but you can usually pick Alex out pretty easily since he moves way more than everybody else haha. He's INTO it.
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prsk-krow · 1 year
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HA HA HA!
IT IS I, THE ✨ANON✨ THAT WRITES STUPIDLY LONG PHARAGRAPHS JUST TO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY JUST WROTE IN THE END (the one with the secretly talented Reader)
can i request another Mafuyu x Reader and perhaps a Mizuki x Reader (´•᎑•`)?
The Reader is just a calm most of time and nothing seems to phase them. Like you could give them the biggest scare and they would just laugh it off with a smile. All it takes is just one, really, bad day. And when that day did come because someone is unreasonably rude to them, Reader snaps.
That's honestly all I could explain. Sorry if I couldn't describe Reader's description that much ಥ◡ಥ
{Mafuyu/Mizuki with calm reader that snaps!}
Alright, back to headcanons! Sorry this took so long! Caw.
Mafuyu Asahina
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Mafuyu finds comfort in your calm behavior. Even though she puts up her good girl persona to almost anyone, she feels more or less forced depending on the person. You just happen to lighten her act by not asking or expecting much of her, to which she finds comfort in!
She asks you to eat with her at the far ends of the cafeteria to stay away from all of the noise, and you comply without asking the why's or the details of her request. The weight that lifts off her shoulders is a feeling she didn't expect to feel so nice.
Especially when you noticed how uncomfortable she got when receiving praise from the other students, and you started making sure to respectfully send them on their way whenever they approached to annoy her. She didn't expect to enjoy this time with you as much as she did...
However, with so many times that you had shooed away Mafuyu's fans, there was bound to be some trouble, and one day that trouble came in the form of an annoyed group of students demanding that you step away from the 'glorious honor student's table. Looking back at her, her smile was more forced than ever, trying to do the same that you had been doing to dissipate the masses, but to no avail.
Eventually, you stood up, determined to make them leave both of you alone, and you grabbed the leader's shirt, staring at him straight in the eyes as you mercilessly talked him down, making him aware of how badly they were frustrating their 'idol', and how they were literally ignoring her wishes for their selfish gains. Needless to say, they ran off in a hurry to not get into trouble.
"Oh... Oh my! I can't thank you enough! You know, those are the exact reasons why I don't want to go back to being around them as much... Although I guess you already know that, huh?"
You made sure that she didn't speak much more, as she had forced her smile enough in those few suspenseful minutes. She went back to eating her meal in silence, thinking about how much you truly knew, to which you responded that you knew it was fake, but you weren't aware of the truth.
Internally, Mafuyu sighed in relief, as she now knew that she didn't have to worry about you knowing too much. And besides, holding up the mask had been way easier with you by her side! Maybe, just maybe... Did this mean that she could consider you a friend...?
Mizuki Akiyama
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Mizuki always loved their part time job at the clothes store! Not only did they get a first hand look at all of the new products that would come out in the future, but the also got to recommend them for some customers or other employees! And one of their favourite targets was you!
After your shifts were over, they always dragged you to the dressing room to try on all of the outfits that she liked, but didn't look too good on her! You simply chuckled and complied; after all, their excitement was entertaining, and their expertise was phenomenal!
They couldn't dismiss how well you worked, either! You were always so calm in front of any customer, helping them perfectly no matter their attitude or mood, and even managing to convince people to recommend the shop to their family or friends! It was awesome to see, and they were always fascinated to watch you do it!
However, one day that they were watching you, they didn't notice another customer trying to get their attention, and now he appeared to be angry at them! Mizuki was caught off guard, and nervously tried to calm him down to no avail!
They also didn't expect you to suddenly stop the customer's angry rambling with a shoulder grab, and coldly direct his attention to the lady you had been helping! The angry customer suddenly grew quiet, as you made him aware of how much he had disturbed everyone around him, especially this lady! He walked off with the her, who apparently was related to him!
"... Pff-Oh my god! Look at them! He's literally getting scolded like a little kid-ahahaha! Ah... That's what he gets! Oh, um, thanks for the help back there, I certainly didn't expect to be approached like that, hehe... I'll pay you back with the best clothes I can pick out later, I promise!"
You chuckled once again at her enthusiasm, as you two went back to your work. True to their word, Mizuki brought you more clothes than usual for your dressing room session! You couldn't help but laugh at how they were addressing you as their savior the whole time!
However, you weren't aware of how the things that that man told them had affected them. It certainly brought back memories that they would prefer to forget, but they weren't planning on showing it in front of you. Guess that you'll have to stay in the dark for a while longer...
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acaplaya-musings · 2 months
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Voiceplay Visuals: My Mother Told Me
This video was released on the 24th of April, 2021, and currently sits at a very-impressive 6.7 million views! It features Jose Rosario Jr (in his first collabration with Voiceplay (on a full-length video at least)), who for a few years performed with Rockapella! (Rockapella is an acapella group who have been around for over 35 years, they were part of the OG Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego show, and they were a bit of an inspiration to Voiceplay (originally 4:2:Five) in their early days).
I wasn't actually sure whether or not this video would give me a lot of moments to point out/talk about (it's been a while since the last time I watched it), but it's obviously a big production (epic, even), and I will undoubtedly be talking about its "sister video", Valhalla Calling, when I eventually get around to it, so long story short, I'm doing this. Let's go!
Each vocalist got filmed separately for this one, each with their own backdrop (and then were all spliced together for "group shots" in the video), so each member gets their own picture when I'm talking about them in this post!
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Jose is wearing some textured blanket-looking thing, plus a plain brown shirt/tunic, and he's got a pair of blueish lines on his face that almost look a little bit like scars. He's standing in front of a sort of desert plains landscape, maybe with some large red mountains/rock formations?
Oh yeah and also it's a little hard to see, but just at the neckline of Jose's shirt, underneath his beard, there's a cool viking(?) symbol on his neck that also shows up in Valhalla Calling (and on the merch for that video too)!
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Eli appears to have a bit of dirt and grime on his skin (which would be intentional of course), as well as some cool-looking tattoos (even on his head!) (fake ones for the video of course), and some very heavy eye makeup. He's standing in front of some grass, rocky cliffs (possibly with water down below?), and sea mist
(Also Eli is credited with "virtual production" on this one, so I guess all these greenscreen backgrounds were his doing? Massive shoutout to Eli!)
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J has the same symbol on his forehead that Jose had on his neck/chest, as well as some white powder-looking makeup stuff on his cheeks. No clue what kind of top/shirt that is, but I like the big fur coat, and cool arm cuff things as well! He's standing in front of a frozen (or partially-frozen) lake, with snow-covered mountains/rock formations behind it.
(Fun fact: Geoff re-used a few costume pieces from My Mother Told Me when filming the videos for his covers of Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold and I See Fire!
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Layne has got a makeup design to Eli, with similiar tattoos on his face, and a bit of extra dirt/grime as well. He's got fur trimmings(?) on his shoulders like Eli, but it looks more like the fur that J is wearing. He's standing in front of wide open plains I guess? I'm not sure, I can't make out a ton of detail.
I think Layne's outfit might be my favourite one of this video; it seems the most complex, like it has the most going on with it, and I like the patterned cuff design thing on his right arm!
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And I haven't forgotten Geoff, of course I haven't forgotten Geoff, and seriously oh my god
I'm honestly not sure if I could give a good description of Geoff's outfit even if I tried, but it works! (Also wait I literally only just realised that, once more, he's the only one in the video with exposed shoulders (well, one exposed shoulder, but still!))
This honestly might be one of Geoff's most terrifying looks of any Voiceplay video so far, if not the most terrifying. Vampire!Geoff in This Is Halloween was "scary" in the "yes please give me more of it" (i.e. hot) way. Oogie Boogie!Geoff in Oogie Boogie's Song was just theatrical and entertaining. Mr Hyde!Geoff in Kidnap The Sandy Claws was (to me at least) just a little bit strange and hard to wrap my head around. But Geoff here? This is "makes you want to move very quickly in the opposite direction" scary!
(So like well done to Rick Underwood on the makeup (but in regards to everyone else as well))
Jose, J, Eli, and Layne all got cool aesthetic landscapes as their backdrops. Geoff got darkness and STUFF ON FIRE (...yeah that checks out 😆)
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Even the fingernails!!! Even the fingernails look like they've got grime on them! (Also, Geoff at his least-terrifying moment of the video)
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Aaaand we're back to "time to run away very fast" mode!
(Also yes Geoff's tattoos and makeup are very cool as well)
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Not that Geoff is the only one in this video that I wouldn't wanna pick a fight with!
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Jose is credited with "additional acting direction" in the description, so I guess he maybe camw up with/directed some of these kind of moves?
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Oh hey Geoff has that symbol on him as well! I wonder if Layne and Eli have got it somewhere on them too?
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Wait hang on what is Eli holding?
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A better shot of Layne's face tattoos and the cool sleeve thing!
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Geoff doing a similar hand movement to the one he did in Bang! (which was my previous post actually), after he had just done a bit of an impressive bass-vocal-run (or something like that), except this time it's after holding a quite low note (a subharmonic I think?) for like 6 seconds.
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Oh I think Eli was holding his cape?
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Yes I can see the tattoo, thank you Jose! 😂
Also did Geoff do a bit of hair colouration for this video? Because yes he's got a bit of grey in his hair now, but not that much grey, and it's not always that noticeable (though personally I do love the grey streak he often has in his bangs, it's rather fetching if I do say so myself <3)
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Run fast, and run far!
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And that's the video! Man, can you believe these are the same dudes (well except Jose) that did the Aca Top 10 videos, being all silly and fooling around? Acting skills were freaking on point here! Everyone crushed it!
It's a great arrangement as well (shoutout to Layne!). The song is actually just one single verse, which here is sung like 5 or 6 times over, but you barely even notice it (if at all) because the whole production is just so mind-blowingly good!
I also wanted to do this video because I'll be skipping over You're My Best Friend and Man In The Mirror, so this'll be the last video I'm doing where J is actually a part of the group. It was of course very sad that he left Voiceplay, but he's come back as a guest artist in like 6 full-length videos now (not even counting the minis), and hopefully he might one day return to Voiceplay full-time, once he's done with his stint in the US Navy band!
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