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wen-kexing-apologist · 5 months

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ngl i am waiting for you to write about physical touch and HANDS in last twilight *insert manifestation circle.gif here*

Not gonna lie, as much as I have been enjoying Last Twilight, I haven't felt all that inspired to write about it, but it has been making me feel all warm and fuzzy now that people are reaching out and asking for my thoughts. Turns out people actually seem to enjoy my horrendously long posts!

Alright, I will talk about physical touch and hands in Last Twilight, but before I get too far in to it, I just want to say, I love the use of physical touch in shows, but I will dare to claim the use of physical touch seems particularly important, and especially complicated in Last Twilight, compared to most of the other shows I've written about. Why?

Because Day is blind, and Mhok is his caretaker, and if you are remotely aware of disability, the autonomy of disabled people, the privacy of disabled people, the survival of disabled people are often disrupted by abled bodied people. I saw a post somewhere, sorry I can't find it, where someone mentioned the rates of abuse of disabled people by their caretakers and how that might weigh in to Day's reaction to touching a shirtless Mhok in Episode 2.

So.

With Day's blindness, grief, and intentional isolation, as well as his family's anxiety, how much control has Day really had over his own life in the last year? As @bengiyo said in Episode 1, "Day's brashness in the interview when he asks Mhok if he's hot sounds like a gay man knowing that he is about to be touched a lot by a stranger" [not a direct quote, apologies].

Episode 1

gif from @dragonsareawesome123

The first physical touch we get between Day and Mhok is when Mhok touches Day's chin, making a comment that essentially boils down to Day having a punchable face. You can see how shocked Day is to feel Mhok's thumb on him. But the motion is quick, light, and slightly flirty (though maybe I'm reading a bit in to that last one since I know this is a BL). While Day seems taken aback, he doesn't seem uncomfortable with the touch at all, moreso, to me at least, he seems surprised that Mhok *isn't* shying away from touching Day after Day so loudly and blatantly declared his queerness and hit on Mhok.

photo from @thescrumptiousstuffs

The second physical touch we get is when Day leaves his car and winds up on the street with traffic whizzing past. Mhok pulls Day off the street when Day gets overwhelmed and Day goes crashing in to Mhok. I don't remember them staying pressed together for too long, but there is a moment where Mhok is embracing Day. Mhok's hands go to Day's hips while Day's hand rests on Mhok's chest near his collarbone. From my view, this is a decently intimate position for relative strangers, but they don't feel uncomfortable in it. Which is a great hint that Mhok and Day are going to become more to each other. Mhok does something here that I do think is important, which is to tell Day who is he, so Day knows he isn't being manhandled by a *complete* stranger. And though I suspect the biggest reason why Day ends up being driven home by Mhok is because Day wants to be away from Night, it cannot be denied that Day already has some modicum of trust in this random, crass man that burst in for an interview just the other day. Because, as we know, Mhok was really the only person who interacted with Day without falling victim to pity, inspiration porn, or infantilization.

The third physical touch I consider important is when Day's mother stops him from standing up. I've been reading @waitmyturtles PhD level thesis on Bad Buddy so filial piety and saving face is pretty present on my mind. I think it is important to acknowledge that Day does have some autonomy, but where he exercises it is very clear. He can leverage his blindness and his bad experiences with past caretakers to get what he wants out of his mother, and he can double, triple, quadruple the caretaker salary without consulting his mother. But when it comes to physical movement, he listens to his mother, but not to Night. Night tells him to stay in the car, and Day almost immediately leaves the car and goes in to the Society. Day gets out in the middle of traffic after a fight with Night, even after Night begs him to stay in the car. But that moment of challenge from Mhok where he tells Day to come get his ID himself, and Day starts to stand, everything stops dead in its tracks at the first light touch of his mother's hand on Day's chest. So, despite the moments of anger and rebellion we see from Day, he still listens to his mother.

gif from @dragonsareawesome123

And then Day moves to get his ID, and here is where I will mention a moment where there was not any touch. Which, probably could be an essay in and of itself, but I don't have the capacity at the moment, on this airplane, to comb through all the scenes and look for it. But here, this one feels important, because Day takes the ID from Mhok, but Mhok does not let go right away. Their fingers are so close, and in a lot of movies, the handing over of an item would usually involve some sort of moment where fingertips brush and a shockwave of electricity ripples through the future couple. But we don't get that here. The moment of connection, the moment that Day really knows he can trust Mhok, the moment Day decides he is going to hire Mhok has nothing to do with touch, and everything to do with sound. He hears Mhok read Chapter 21 of The Little Prince, a book that is desperately important to Day, and that is that. And I do think it is important that these little touches that we've had, and where we break from the romance tradition for touch are important. Because, I think it is totally fine for feelings to grow between Mhok and Day rather quickly, but I do not think it would have been wise to show Mhok having some sort of actual crush on Day from the beginning. If Mhok had some sort of romantic or sexually attractive feelings for Day before he started working there, that would, in my opinion, read as predatory in some sense. Especially looking ahead to Episode 2, when Mhok is shirtless in Day's room.

Because, the thing about physical touch in television is that a lot of different elements go in to selling it as romantic chemistry. One of the most important components is timing and close up. As a side note, I think timing is a huge factor in to why I did not enjoy Perth and Chimon together in Dangerous Romance (before I dropped it) because the camera just never lingered long enough on their faces or on their touches for me to believe they had feelings for each other. But, by Episode 3 of Last Twilight I can see the care and the chemistry between Mhok and Day. I can see the comfortability that Mhok and Day have from almost the very beginning of knowing each other, but I don't take much of their physical interactions to be sexually charged or romantic in Episode 1. Why would they be? These two don't know each other. By generally avoiding zooming in on just Day and Mhok's hands when they touch, by having Mhok grabbing Day's chin with his thumb quickly and lightly you aren't building to tension. Aof is merely demonstrating that physical touch between Day and Mhok is welcomed and Day is not going to be uncomfortable with having Mhok take care of him.

So we head in to Episode 2 with the understanding that there is some fundamental aspect of Mhok that Day is drawn to, and that Mhok and Day are going to get along.

Episode 2

Now, as much as I have loved the rapidly developing relationship between Mhok and Day, I do kind of wish we had had a full episode's worth of two angry, grieving people coming head to head. But, regardless, Aof handles the transition between casual touch and Something More with expert precision. Unsurprising, considering his oeuvre.

gif by @mooninaugust

So we get absolutely my favorite touch moment to date in Episode 2 with the absolutely terrible secret handshake between two blind people. I love how Mhok is witness to this moment of excitement and friendship between Day and Aon, and that we are too. Because it shows us where Mhok currently stands in Day's hierarchy of relationships. Mhok at the beginning of Episode 2 is still an acquaintance, some dude they hired because he cursed the family out and read The Little Prince during his interview process. The cut scene between Mhok saying Day might not want to see him, and Aon and Day hugging and doing their stupid loser handshake (I love them) shows Mhok and the audience that Day does have joy within him, and that Day is starting to build friendship and connection within his new (read: blind) community. We won't know until a little later in the episode how much Day has been cutting himself off from his old life, but for the time being Mhok knows his place in Day's life.

And Aon picks up on the fact that there is *something* even if it is not necessarily romantic there between Mhok and Day, again not by seeing anything physical between them because a) Mhok and Day did not touch in front of Aon and b) Aon would not have been able to see it anyway. But instead calls out the fact that Day has never talked about a single one of his caregivers before. We know now (and definitely should know already) that Mhok is different from other people Day has engaged with since he started going blind. We just haven't had time for their relationship to mature.

photo from @thatgirl4815

If I recall correctly, the first physical touch between Mhok and Day we get in Episode 2 is when Day accidentally touches Mhok's titty while searching for the eye drops. You can see Day recoil in shock a bit and he questions Mhok almost immediately as to why his shirt is off. Mhok is incredibly matter-of-fact in explaining that Day said he didn't like the smell of cigarettes, so he took his shirt off so as not to stink up Day's room (we can ignore the fact that he would still smell like cigs, but we ignore it For The Vine) and Day relaxes and makes some sort of annoyed comment. Again here, there is no romantic attraction in this rather intimate touch. I mean, this is Mhok's what? Second or third day? Mhok and Day barely know each other, Mhok is constantly fucking up the Whole Routine because he isn't communicating with Day about what Day's needs are, and here he is in his employer's room having his pec fondled. This is supposed to read as funny, and ultimately I think it does, but it doesn't read as romantic, and it definitely should not. What has Mhok done up to this point that would cause Day to have Genuine Romantic Feelings for him? Nothing.

photo from @moonchildridden

Again, the first hint that feelings may be approaching comes outside of the touch, with Mhok seeing how excited Day is to use those few precious seconds of better vision to watch his goldfish. And even moreso, it's not just the action that I think start the train rolling, but the conversation that Mhok has with Day where he asks if the goldfish is lonely. Mhok is able to con Day in to leaving his room by leveraging the health and safety of one of the few things Mhok has seen Day care about and connect with in the short time they've known each other. Day gets outside for the first time in god knows how long, to find that the jasmine is in bloom and to have a lovely conversation with Mhok about it. Mhok asks about Day's vision, how he sees, what he can see, and he tries to adapt to Day's necessary distance requirements. Day of course, has his head turned away and thus does not see Mhok coming in to Day's eyesight range, and bumps his nose against the top of Mhok's finger.

This little, accidental movement is one of my favorites of the episode, mostly because it opens up the conversation where Day asks what Mhok is doing and Mhok asks if Day wants to see his face. And this scene establishes exactly what I mean about timing as it relates to building sexual tension. Day ponders for a moment, the camera lingers on his face, the audience begins to feel like Day is caught off-guard, like maybe he does have some sort of crush on Mhok and he does want to see his face. Only for Day to break that tension right before it gets awkwardly long and tell Mhok he does not. This is closer to the shit that friends would pull. And thus we see that in a very quick period of time Mhok is becoming more important in Day's life as a waypoint. He is listening to Mhok, he has a slight bit of banter going with Mhok when they watch a movie, and even after Day fires Mhok (for the physical touches I will talk about next) Mhok's influence on Day's general day to day (haha) existence is clear in the fact that Day is sitting on the couch and trying to pick a movie entirely independently of anyone.

Things are starting to go smoothly, when Day's friends show up asking when he got back from America. Day panics at the unexpected arrival of friends who seem not to know about his condition, spills his popcorn, and falls to the floor, where he is desperately scrambling to get back on his feet and Get The Fuck Out. Mhok tries to help him up, but he's pretty quickly brushed off. This is the first time we see Day reject a touch from Mhok. Knowing what I know now about where we end up in Episode 3, I am realizing how important this entire scene (from Day tripping to Mhok getting fired) is for establishing a comparison point for change. Because the unwanted touch continues when Mhok breaks in to Day's room, also in a panic when Day is bathing.

gif by @btwinlines

We get such a juicy moment of Mhok and Day's trauma clashing with each other in a way that is unintentionally terrible all around. Day does not know about Mhok's backstory, Day does not know that by putting in his headphones and intentionally ignoring Mhok he is accidentally triggering Mhok regarding the death of his sister. Mhok knows that Day is upset, but only hears the room fall quiet, he does not know that Day is in the bathtub (read: naked) when he comes barging in. Again, to reference the post whoever it was made that talked about the rates of abuse/assault of disabled people by caregivers, this is a horrifically vunerable position that Day finds himself in. Mhok is far enough away from Day's range of vision for Day to see him immediately duck behind a wall to give Day privacy while he wraps himself in a towel. And before Day can really process what is happening, with both his emotions and Mhok's running high, Mhok is grabbing at Day's wrists to check them for cuts. A beautiful (and terrible) detail.

Personally, I do not think anyone's reaction to that situation is wrong, but it does give Day a second round of extremely uncomfortable and unwelcome touching from Mhok, when he's already escalated, and trying to process the fact that Mhok just barged in to his room while Day was naked and got a little peek. Here Day demonstrates that he does have autonomy, and that Mhok respects that autonomy with Day firing Mhok after two particularly awful physical interactions, and with Mhok not even saying a word in protest and just accepting his termination and leaving the house.

photo from @thescrumptiousstuffs

Now. Mhok isn't completely going out fighting, and Mhok I think has really started to realize that he cares for Day (even if he doesn't necessarily have feelings at this point) because of how badly he was triggered by Day falling silent. Mhok is a thoughtful person and respects Day's boundaries by sending Porjai to the house instead of going himself. Much to Day's chagrin, because the second the doorbell rings, you can see this hopeful look that maybe Mhok is going to walk through that door. Porjai hands Day the present Mhok bought him, and Mhok does hold the slippers close, but he relies heavily on his hands to feel the slippers to figure out what they are and what they look like. He knows immediately that Mhok has been paying attention and trying to get to know Day immediately because the slippers solve the problem Day has had with hitting his feet on furniture corners, and the slippers look like goldfish, one of the few things Day has seemed to care about since knowing Mhok.

Beyond the fact that I think Day already felt bad about what happened the other day and regrets firing Mhok, this really does demonstrate to Day that people still care about him, want to get to know him, and understand that adaptation is a constant in Day's new reality. But Mhok takes it further, by committing to the motherfucking bit to understand Day better.

Aside: I fucking *love* Aof for how often his stories focus on the overlooked or disenfranchised people, and I think that while it is going to be a feat for Last Twilight to become my favorite Aof piece considering how important Moonlight Chicken is to me, the backstories of Mhok and Day and the way they inform character decisions is perhaps my favorite of all of the shows I've seen of Aof's. I *love* the conversation that Mhok and Aon have where Aon says Day is scared of being looked at and judged by people, and how Mhok is like "why?" because he has spent the last year a visible criminal, trying to get a job, and being constantly rejected for exactly the reason he thinks. Mhok has spent so much time and energy over the last year trying to reintegrate himself in to society, while Day has spent so much time and energy over the last year trying to remove himself from society as completely as he can. Even if I am not sure that he believes it wholly, I do think Mhok understands that he isn't an inherently bad person because he was locked up, but that he is a victim of circumstance, and yet even reformed from his truancy past, Mhok found it impossible to get a job because people stopped caring about him as a person the second they saw his ankle monitor. Thus, Mhok knows exactly what it is like to be written off, to be abandoned, to be forgotten and I think it is for precisely those reasons that Mhok decides to spend the time and effort to understand the world that Day is living in.

The ankle monitor has served as an embarrassment for Mhok in such a way that I truly do not think Mhok is concerned about seeming like a complete and utter fool. And even so, he starts to understand the fear that Day is living with existing as a blind person in public, because Mhok is extremely used to seeing what people think of him without them having to say anything, and now he has no idea.

gif by @btwinlines

Which I think is a good segue in to the next physical touch we get, which is Day feeling Mhok's face in the marketplace after he asks Porjai to take him there. Again, the distance of the camera, the timing of the movement does not come off as romantic, at least to me. But it does come off as comfortable. I think Day is fucking with Mhok a little bit when he touches his face, and we don't actually acknowledge or get any conversation around the way Day has just demonstrated what it feels like to be touched without warning.

And YET AGAIN Aof has their bond strength not through touch, but through conversation. Because they aren't falling for each other yet, they are still learning about one another. And so they have a conversation where Mhok apologies and Mhok explains what he was trying to do and Mhok identifies what it is that makes Day so afraid of being in public. And we end Episode 2 with Mhok being re-hired as Day's caregiver. But wait!

Remember the last touch we get in Episode 1 is not a touch at all, it's Day taking his ID back from Mhok. Well, the last touch we get in Episode 2 is not a touch at all, it's Day throwing his hands to the sky on the back of Mhok's motorcycle and letting the wind hit his face. It's Day sitting on the complete opposite side of a glass tank, and using his moment of improved vision to catch a glimpse of Mhok. They aren't touching, yet we end the episode with the understanding that Day and Mhok have strengthened their relationship and are on the fast road to friendship. Personally, I feel like it is extremely responsible of Aof to not treat touching a blind person or having a blind person touch you as inherently romantic, and to have the more stomach swoopy moments come from actions and observations entirely devoid of touch. But, I'm not blind so I don't know how much something like that might actually matter to blind people who are engaging with this story.

Episode 3

IT IS TIME FOR FEELINGS!

There are so many physical touches in this episode. The first we get is Mhok unwrapping a bandage on Day's foot, with Day looking extremely at peace with the action. The second we get is Mhok kind of poking at Day and then jokingly moving to pick Day up when he refuses to start cleaning his room. Day doesn't seem like a person generally fond of man-handling, but you can tell very easily that Mhok is just fucking with Day because Day fucked with Mhok. We are witnessing friendship! Which persists throughout the entire episode.

photo by @athousandbyeol

I like too that Mhok using the blindfold to better understand Day is not a one and done situation. Again there are a few friendly touch moments that do not at all read as romantic.Mhok steals Day’s sunglasses and is perfectly at peace with Day feeling up his face to try to see if the sunglasses Mhok is wearing are his; and when Mhok's hand envelopes Day's when they are trying to guess the shirts in Day's closet by feel alone. Day does not tense up, he doesn't suck in a breath, he doesn't really let that touch linger. He shakes it off quickly and is like "that's my hand". And again, as an aside (I hope this does not come across inappropriately but) I kinda like that Mhok is almost gamifying Day's blindness. What I mean by that is that Day and Mhok are engaging in friendly competition to see who can accurately guess the article of clothing. It seems like a great way to bring some joy and levity to helping Day get better at understanding his surroundings without the use of his vision.

I am an absolute sucker for couples in shows that have an established friendship beforehand. I don't mean friends to lovers necessarily, but too often in BLs I have noticed that romantic interests are only ever that and we don't get a lot of moments of stupidity, tomfoolery, and fun. So you better believe I was living my best life in the next physical touch scene when Day and Mhok are fighting with the dinosaur costumes on. And this is where the physical touches start to change, because we start without physical touch and end with it, where we have up until this point been ending every moment of connection and relationship progression ending without touch.

gif by @raypakorn

For the dinosaur fight, we get the non-romantic, entirely platonic assistive touch of Mhok helping (poorly) to guide Day to the driveway (this fucker was so ready to wrestle he forgot to tell Day to mind the stairs at first lmfao). The actual point of connection starts with Mhok intentionally trying to dive out of the way of Day’s touch. And once again Mhok Day’s blindness to elevate a game between them, by clapping and then diving out of the way to try to avoid Day’s movements. But that avoidance of physical interaction very quickly devolves in to a wrestling embrace, laughing, having fun, and then settling on the ground to chat until Day hears his mother’s car and they run back inside to hide the evidence of childish glee.

Day’s mother returns to find a very different Day from who she left, he’s out of his room, he’s eating in the dining room, he’s seeming much more confident in his ability to navigate around the house. And of course, she has to go and ruin the moment by pushing too quickly on a nerve about going back to school. Day wants to withdraw from school and he needs to go in person.

Now.

We have seen Day taking massive strides in his own healing process in the last few episodes because he is starting to ask for help when he needs it, and Mhok is getting better at caretaking because he is started to ask if Day wants help for certain tasks or if Day is going to do them himself, thus allowing Day to set his limitations. Knowing that Day is going in to school, he asks Mhok to help him fix up his hair, and we get the first of many more crush-level physical touches in the show.

gif by @jimmysea

I’m not Thai, so forgive me if this is wrong, but I am pretty sure that in Thai culture the head is considered sacred and having people touch your head carries a significance that I do not think Western audiences really understand (speaking as a Western viewer). If this is indeed true, then the scene where Mhok is fixing Day’s hair gets even more intense, even when there is a clear change in Mhok’s view of Day from friendly to starting to see something more. Mhok even makes a comment about how Day is a stunner (or something) when his hair is done, and when Mhok asks Day if he likes it and Day returns the question, there is a pause that is not at all dissimilar to the pause Day had after Mhok asked him if Day wanted to know what Mhok looked like.

But where the tension from Episode 2 when Mhok asks the question is broken in a way that makes it seem more like Day is just teasing, I don’t think Mhok’s deflection of “it’s alright” really returns the same level of dismissal. Because Mhok is starting to realize something about the way he is feeling for Day.

We get the inside of the Thai subway for the first time in maybe ever? As Mhok and Day make their way to Day’s college. And thus the not-a-date-kind-of-a-date adventure begins. Day is clinging on to Mhok’s arm as they navigate on to the subway car, at which point Mhok breaks off from Day to try to ask for a seat for Day. But Day grabs him and pulls him back, choosing instead of hold on to Mhok’s arm. Like I have been saying, Aof has been doing a really great job at differentiating the types of touches, and up until this point, the more intimate touches between Mhok and Day, such as when Day feels Mhok’s titty in his bedroom or Mhok’s face at the market, don’t read as romantic, because Day is taking in information to supplement his vision. Similarly, the moments where Day is holding on to Mhok for assistance in environmental navigation, such as when Mhok helps guide Day to his professor’s office or helps him down the stairs the physical touch is matter-of-fact on both ends.

photo by @athousandbyeol

But here, in the subway, we get the first instance of physical touch from an environmental navigation standpoint that reads more like a man who is developing a crush rather than Day just being guided…

…but that comes from Day, not from Mhok. Which I appreciate massively from the standpoint of ensuring that Mhok as the caretaker does not appear to be taking advantage of Day. In the subway, Day could have sat down, he didn’t need to stay standing, he didn’t need to continue holding on to Mhok. But he chooses to do that. He chooses to keep his arm linked tightly with Mhok’s, he chooses to get a little flirty with Mhok when he says as long as Mhok stays close to him, that’s all Day needs. And we get the close up of Mhok and Day’s hands when Mhok moves to tap Day’s hand gently, and the shot lingers. Because things are starting to change.

I said in a previous reblog last week when Episode 3 came out that Aof does this really interesting thing in his direction and cinematography when characters share intimate moments, in that he breaks from his standard visual format. The lighting often changes, the camera isn’t held as steady, the moments are zoomed in much closer than we are used to. We get it with Heart and Li Ming playing that spider game with their fingers the night that Li Ming sleeps over and we get it in the subway when Day stumbles slightly and swallows hard, embarrassed and avoiding eye contact while Mhok looks at Day kind of fondly.

gif by @taeminie

So we see the spark in the subway and then watch that spark begin to catch when they end up in the dressing room together. Day and Mhok both establish that they have never been in a dressing room with another person to cut the tension and nerves a bit. Afterall, this is the first time that we’ve seen where Mhok is getting up close and personal with Day’s partially nude body, when they are both calm, collected, and not amidst a panic attack about a potential medical emergency. No one is feeling violated, no one is feeling scared, no one is having their privacy forcibly removed from them. But that makes them all that more aware of how they are feeling, physically, when they are touching and being touched.

And we get a secondary Aof Camerawork Moment where the style of shot changes and we get that gorgeous zoom in on Mhok’s hands and Day’s chest when Mhok helps Day back in to his shirt. And isn’t it wonderful that the most sensual and intimate moment that we have seen from Mhok and Day so far is putting Day’s clothes back on?

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Check out @btwinlines’ post about this scene.

Day and Mhok continue their day, find the Last Twilight book, and are hanging about the market where Mhok leaves Day standing against a pole while he runs to grab a drink. As a result, we get a bombardment of physical touch, the most overwhelming to date because Day is getting just absolutely shunted around, bumping elbows and shoulders with the people at the market with no idea of where he is or where he is going. And this is where we really get an understanding of how terrible physical touch can be when you don’t have any bearing of your surroundings and can’t see where people are coming from or anticipate contact.

We got a scene in Episode 1 where we see how dangerous being blind has the potential to be, but Day isn’t being touched by anybody at that point until he is pulled off the street by Mhok. But this time while Day does have a moment where he is in more physical danger because he stumbles on to the street, he is relatively much more safe getting lost in the marketplace than when he ran out on to the street in Episode 1, cause the few cars that are present are moving slow and know to be looking out for pedestrians. Day is grabbed and directed by random strangers who are trying to help him and kind of just…drag him along until he is out of the street when he is visibly panicking and then just…left on the side of the road with an offhanded statement from strangers that he is “safe now” and they just…leave him alone and continue on their way. Even there, with a helpful touch, there is no safety or comfortability in Day’s posture, he is not calmed by hearing that he is safe. Which serves as a really great comparison point for how comfortable Day has pretty much always been with Mhok (minus the one moment of severe dysregulation after being surprised by his friends and then by Mhok when Day was buck ass naked).

Especially when compared to the relief that just rushes through Day’s body when he and Mhok are reunited and they embrace.

AND LIKE OKAY, CAN I GO ON A BRIEF TANGENT TO TALK ABOUT THE PINK SHIRT?

gif by @tomystars

You know how in a lot of romances you get that moment where you get the like, love at first sight thing? Time slows down, one half of the romantic pair picks the other half of the romantic pair out of the crowd? WE GET THAT HERE, WITH THE BLIND CHARACTER BEING THE ONE WHO PICKS THE FUTURE LOVE INTEREST OUT OF THE CROWD.

The pink shirt is brilliant, and I love how it both acts as an anchor point for Day who is able to calm down upon seeing it, and not panic or freak out when being grabbed and embraced by Mhok after having a decently traumatic experience with physical touch just minutes before while also reaffirming that Mhok is learning and internalizing the adaptations he needs to incorporate in to his own life to make Day’s daily life easier and more accessible. Mhok understands how Day’s vision functions, he remembers that Day has said he could see that shirt from Mars it’s so bright, and he provides an in for Day to maintain his autonomy by making it possible for Day to potentially see Mhok before Mhok sees Day.

ANYWAY

@athousandbyeol

The embrace they share when Day and Mhok are reunited is not charged, is not romantic, at least not to me. But what it does show is how much care Day and Mhok have for each other, how quickly their friendship is developing, and the safe spaces these two will find in the other. Day calms so quickly the second he and Mhok are touching, as soon as he has an anchor. And he won’t let go of Mhok either.

Aof and co have been playing well with dichotomies, here, a situation that pulls Day and Mhok physically apart ends up bringing them emotionally closer together. It is clear that Day does not blame Mhok for what happened, even if Mhok was gone much longer than anticipated, and that is affirmed by Day defending Mhok to his mother when she questions Mhok’s caretaking skills and holds his criminal record over his head.

And, let’s not forget, this is just writing about the physical touch, this post does not discuss whether or not the lack of touch is important. I wrote a decent chunk of this in the airport without wifi, so I could only talk about physical touch from memory, I didn't rewatch anything like I normally do, so apologies if I missed stuff.

#last twilight #last twilight the series #last twilight meta #last twilight analysis #jimmysea #mhokday #mhok x day #morkday #mork x day #physical touch in last twilight #sorry for the delay anon I know you sent this ask the other day #but fun fact it does take me an ungodly number of hours to write things so I hope you did not feel ignored #wka long post

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soolh1k · 11 months

Text

Skz ghosting you !

notes: it's my first time trying to post this type of content, english is not my first language so apologies for any misspelling or grammar. i hope u like it !! :)))

type: text post | narrated text

genre: angst w no fluff

WARNINGS: swearing, a little bit angsty, let me know if you'd like me to tag u :)

Hyung line pt 2 | Maknae line

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༊ Christopher Bang

dating chan was not easy, the job he has keeps him busy all the time but at the end of the day, he is doing what he loves, so you are happy no matter what, because you love him.

however, it was not the first time that he ghosted you, since he was always busy, he rarely checked his phone and it didn't bother you because you understood it, but little by little that attitude tired you out, no matter how much love him, he was not going to change.

as much as it hurt you, you had to get out of there, not only from the place where you lived together but from that relationship, it was destroying you. You packed up your things, your memories, your feelings and you left that place towards nowhere, thinking that you would feel better but it didn't.

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

༊ Lee Minho

more than angry, you're worried about Minho, it's been 9 days since he ghosted you. you didn't want to bother any of the boys by asking them because you felt it would be a burden.

dealing with minho's attitude was complicated, and you knew it from the beginning but that was one of the thousands reasons why you fell in love with him. Despite the fact that the ghosting has bothered you a little (a lot), you know that things can be solved but there must a clear communication, something that for the moment doesn't exist.

you would have to find a way to be able to talk to him, and at this point you weren't even thinking of giving up, you're going to talk about it, you're going to work things out and after that you'd be mad at him for being a bastard.

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

༊ Seo Changbin

this had never happened and you didn't expect it to happen either, you were very confused because you didn't know if Changbin was upset with you or why he ghosted, but you felt devastated.

you, being a very clever person, made you look ay the smallest details, therefore you didn't find any clues in the last days as to why he has ghosted you.

the only thing you knew is that it was horrible. those days without him were like hell, but you were afraid to text him again, maybe he would get more upset or what if he broke up with you.

you couldn't stop thinking about the odds, leading to misery.

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

༊ Hwang Hyunjin

yes, you know how dramatic this dumbass can be, but nothing really had happened in previous days for he to be acting this way. that was very strange, because when something bothered hyun, he tried to talk about it with you, he always considered that communication is the key point of a relationship.

ironic, isn't it? right now he was ghosting you, for no reason and that made you angry, you just wanted to have a good time with your boyfriend but apparently he was not willing to give you his time.

you didn't know whether to look for him, ignore him too or simply break up with him, even though it didn't seem very convenient, you love him and you would continue loving him for a long time, so you simply decided to wait for him to do something and get you back, and if he didn't, you would give up that beautiful relationship.

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

Tags !!

@albaficaslover

@lovesunshinefelix

@damselettism

#skz reactions #skz angst #skz x reader #skz imagines #skz stay #bang chan #lee know #changbin #hyunjin #han jisung #lee yongbok #seungmin #jeongin

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raythekiller · 10 months

Note

hi there, i just wanna say i really love your writing 😭😭 i hope u’ve been doing well too!

cld i request.. your hcs on what u think the creepypastas’ ideal S/O’s wld be like? maybe hobbies, or mbti types, or stuff in detail.. hehe

🗒 ❛ Their Ideal S/O ༉‧₊˚✧

Featuring: Jeff The Killer, Ben Drowned, Ticci Toby, Eyeless Jack, Laughing Jack, Masky, Hoodie

#Notes: ty!! I don't think any of them would care for hobbies, so this is more personality wise. I also added the MBTI's :)

pronouns used: they/them

˗ˏˋ back to navigation ´ˎ˗

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Jeff The Killer

Honestly, he's a little complicated to figure out, and I think he doesn't even know what he wants. While he would love a partner that is completely dependent on him and pays attention to no one else, he hates partners that are too clingy and need a lot of attention. If you need reassurance that he loves you or get offended easily, it's a hard no. He wants someone easy to manipulate and who'll do whatever he says, almost worshiping him, but also has tough skin. An introvert would also be best, as it would mean they don't have many other people they are close to. As for MBTI, maybe an INTP would be best suited for him.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Ben Drowned

In all honesty, he doesn't take dating very seriously and would prefer a partner that doesn't, either. He hates having to be deliberate about pretty much anything, so someone who's all about fun and not afraid of letting loose would be perfect. Also, someone a bit pervy. I said it before that I think he got stuck in that pre pubescent boy mentality after he died, and we all know how those kids are. Basically, he's looking for a copy of himself: someone generally fun to be around and a bit out of pocket. For MBTI, a xNFP would be best (either introverted or extroverted, he doesn't care).

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Ticci Toby

He needs someone gentle, caring and understanding, not only to him but to others as well (mostly to him, though). His partner must feel like the light at the end of the tunnel, the Sun after a storm, someone who gives him hope that maybe, just maybe, things could be better. He didn't have much compassion in his life, both growing up and now in the manor, so someone who gives him that will undoubtedly become the love of his life. Also, preferably they won't mind being suffocated by his affection a little. He's quite clingy, so you won't get much alone time. For MBTI, his ideal type would be an ESFJ.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Eyeless Jack

He would like someone a little like himself. Quiet, a bit nerdy, calm and collected. Someone to give him a little bit of the peace he's been craving for so long. Most of all, though, he needs someone that can reassure him. To tell him that he's not a monster and that he's loved and cared for, not only say it but show as well. He can get quite self conscious at times, so a person that is patient with him and his insecurities would be perfect. Also, he doesn't show it, but he's severely touch starved, so someone a bit too cuddly would steal his heart in seconds. As for MBTI, an ISTJ would be perfect.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Laughing Jack

Not gonna lie, he needs someone a bit bossy. He's used to just doing whatever he wants when he wants, so someone scolding him and putting him in his place would catch him off guard, but in a good way if that makes sense. Like EJ, lots of reassurance. He needs you to tell him you're not going anywhere almost constantly and gets insecure quite often, so please be patient. But back to the bossy thing, telling what to do goes a long way with this guy for some reason. Generally, someone who's more dominant but can still be gentle. Also, they should probably be okay with PDA, because it's gonna happen whether they like it or not. For MBTI, an ENFP.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Masky

Weirdly enough, pretty similar to LJ. He thinks he would like someone obedient and submissive, but his last crushes say otherwise. In reality, he needs someone who can stand their ground when he gives them some shit, not just sit there and take it. Someone opinionated and who's not afraid to speak their mind. Hell, kick his ass if you have to, he'll be into that shit. Also, they have to be kind of a ride or die. Tim doesn't do relationship lightly, and he expects you not to, either. Someone who's willing to give him a lot of praise also goes a long way. He has a massive ego, so feeding into it is definitely going to earn you some affection points. For MBTI, an ISTP.

꒰⸝⸝₊⛓┊Hoodie

Now this motherfucker has the biggest corruption kink known to man, so he normally goes after people he considers cute and fragile. Being patient while trying to communicate with him is a HUGE bonus. If you try to learn ASL because of him he's getting on one knee right then and there. Likes people who are chatty, but also thinks quiet people are adorable, so it's a win-win for either. Wants someone who wouldn't question him much (the phrase he tells them most often is "Come on, don't you trust me?") and is a bit naive and easy to manipulate. As for MBTI, a xNFP.

#creepypasta #creepypasta headcanons #creepypasta x reader #ticci toby #jeff the killer #ben drowned #eyeless jack #laughing jack #masky #hoodie #jeff the kiler x reader #ben drowned x reader #ticci toby x reader #eyeless jack x reader #laughing jack x reader #masky x reader #hoodie x reader #ray.writes

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beneathstarryskies · 2 years

Text

will you still love me tomorrow?

Cloud Strife x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2,290

Summary: Cloud and Y/N have been friends for a while, but there is a yearning that makes their friendship cross the line at times. Cloud has an idea to relieve their sexual tension without going too far that doesn't exactly go as planned.

Warnings: smut, excessive use of "just the tip" trope, thigh riding, unprotected sex, may be a bit ooc

A/N: MY FIRST CLOUD FIC!!! WOO!

Sometimes being around Cloud is unbearable. The two of you had agreed long ago not to complicate things by acting on your feelings. With so many mutual friends and living in uncertain times, it just seemed best to preserve the friendship, even though at times the two of you couldn’t help showing weakness. Lingering touches happen more often than they should for two people who are “just friends”. In shared spaces, Cloud makes it a habit to place things a little too high for you to reach so he has an excuse to press his palm against your back as he leans up to grab whatever item required your attention. He screws lids on too tight so you’d ask him for help with that cute little pleading look on your face.

At times it wasn’t so innocent. Heated makeout sessions tucked away in a dark alleyway usually end with the two of you blushing, clearing your throats, and then hastily going your separate ways. Sometimes it was easy to pretend it had never happened, but other times you find yourselves avoiding each other for a few days afterward. Your friendship always seems to recover in no small part due to the burning desire that pulls you back together at every turn.

The last time it happened, though something was different. You almost went too far, past the point of just kissing. Cloud was worked up after an argument with Barrett over something trivial. Most of their arguments are trivial, but they know how to get under one another’s skin like no other. You’d followed Cloud outside to help him calm down. Your hand rested on his shoulder and you let him pout in silence. You’d thought that was the end of it until he suddenly had you against the wall, soft lips pressed furiously against yours. It was different this time. There was a frenzied need fuelling each kiss. He pushed you against the wall, caging you in with his strong chest against yours. His thigh pressed between yours, and you found yourself grinding against it for relief. Cloud didn’t let you pull away from the kiss to utter an apology. He kept his tongue shoved in your mouth, exploring your warm velvet tongue.

You whimper when his hands grip your waist and he begins guiding you to keep up your grinding. The warmth in your core spread through your stomach all the way to the tips of your fingers that were tangled in his blond hair. When he finally pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath, you were panting.

“Cloud, if we don’t stop…I’m gonna-”

He’d cut you off with another sloppy kiss that he kept up until you were trembling in his arms as your orgasm shook through you. As shame-filled you up, you’d found the strength to push him away. Somehow it felt like you’d taken things too far this time. Tifa would be upset if she knew what you’d done. She’d feel betrayed as you knew deep down she was waiting for the day Cloud would want to be with her, and to be honest you expected the day to come as well.

After that, you ignored Cloud for longer than you ever had. Your cheeks would burn every time he’d look at you, and when he entered a room you were very quickly searching for a reason to leave as soon as you could. He didn’t understand what he’d done wrong. It was unbearable to see you avoiding his attention, and not knowing if you’d ever slip back into your friendship or not.

He’s in his room tossing and turning on the creaky bed. He’s trying to stop himself from thinking about you. His mind keeps wandering to you, wondering if you’re across the hall in your room thinking of him. He thinks he might be going crazy again then suddenly he hears a soft rasp on his door. He tries to ignore it, but then your little voice accompanies you.

“Cloud, are you asleep?”

He sighs softly when he hears the door open. Yous stand in the doorway in your tattered robe. Your hands are balled up nervously at your sides, and your shoulders are a little slumped. Like you’re trying to make yourself as small as possible.

“Can I come in?” you ask weakly.

“Sure,” Cloud sits up on the bed and watches you cross the room.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Cloud’s brows furrow, “What’s wrong?”

You sit down on the bed beside him, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

His breath hitches at your admission, and he reaches out to drag his knuckles over your arm. You want to lean into the touch but you pull away instead. He huffs but lets his hand fall limply to the side.

“I’m sorry,” you say finally. “About what happened. I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

When you look at him, you feel yourself falling into the well of his Mako eyes. You lean forward despite the feeling in your gut that you shouldn’t. Cloud stops just when your nose brushes against his.

“Don’t pull away if I kiss you,” he says.

“I won’t.”

As soon he kisses you, it feels like fireworks erupt in your stomach. Your hands curl through his soft hair, pulling him closer so your tongue can slip between his soft lips. He moans softly, only spurring you on to shove your tongue a little deeper. It pushes past his teeth to rub against his tongue.

Everything between the first kiss and him having you pushed onto your back is a blur. His mouth is on your neck, biting and sucking the sensitive spots he’s come to know so well in your stolen moments. His hips grind against you, making warmth pool in your panties. Your thighs tighten around his waist.

“I want you,” his whisper is hot on your ear.

“We shouldn’t,” you mutter. You know deep down you only mean it halfway.

“Just let me put it in a little,” he whispers. “We’ve gotta do something. I can’t focus like this.”

Cloud’s words make your cheeks burn. In your time together, he’s been known to only utter a few words at a time. He’s not known for being verbose, and that’s what makes your hands press against his chest to push him away so you can look into his face. You have to make sure this is really your Cloud. The quiet, shy man you’ve come to know. The same eyes stare into you, but they’re darkened with lust now. There’s desperation you’re not used to seeing.

“Just the tip,” he says quietly. “I promise, I won’t go further. I just…I need to feel you.”

“Cloud,” your eyes widen as you try to get your thoughts in order. “What’s gotten into you?”

He doesn’t miss a beat, “You.”

“Just the tip?” you ask.

“I promise.”

“Okay.”

You bite your lip as he opens your robe. You’re just wearing a big t-shirt underneath with some panties. You sit up so he can remove the robe properly and toss it aside. Your cheeks burn as he tugs the t-shirt up over your tits. He kneads them softly, his eyes focusing on your soft nipples. He soothes his thumb over them until they’re hard, then he leans in to lick and suck on them. You whimper and whine under his touch. Your thighs rub together to give yourself some relief.

“You like that?” He teases softly.

“Y-yes.”

He chuckles before leaning in to take your nipple in his mouth again. His tongue rolls over the sensitive nub before he sucks harshly on it then switches to the other. You keep rubbing your thighs together, feeling the wetness seeping out of your panties to wet your inner thighs. He pulls away from your chest, panting softly as he sits upon his knees.

His long fingers loop around the waistband of your panties to pull them off. He quickly relieves himself of his clothes before pressing his body against yours. He kisses you roughly. His tongue sloppily pushes into your mouth, tasting you eagerly.

When he sits upon his thighs again, he grasps his cock and gives it a few lazy pumps. His eyes are focused on your dripping pussy, already imagining what it would be like to be buried in your hole and-

“Just the tip,” you remind him desperately.

It turns out that for Cloud “just the tip” had many meanings. With just the tip of his cock he splits your folds with ease and drags the tip over your swollen clit. He does this over and over, spreading his precum over the little nub as he teases you. Whines fall from your lips, and you realize you could cum just from this. He brings the tip to tease your hole, waiting for your to hold your breath in anticipation of him pushing it in before he drags it back up to tease your clit some more.

“Cloud, just put it in,” you whine. “Please.”

“Just the tip,” he reminds you mockingly.

The ridge of his head hooks on your clit as he drags his cock back down to your hole. You whimper when he slides the tip in slowly. Already he feels dizzy from how wet and tight you feel. Even the tip of his cock sliding into your entrance manages to stretch you out. Your walls clench, only managing to catch him at your entrance. You whine as he begins thrusting shallowly, only using the tip as promised. It’s just enough to spur on your intense longing, but not enough to get you over the edge. You wish nothing more than for the fullness at your entrance to spread.

“Fuck,” you whimper.

“You’re so wet,” he mutters.

Just thrusting the tip into you is making you feel so dizzy. Cloud shudders as he keeps thrusting slowly. You need more. Maybe more than you’ve ever needed anything, you need him to fill you up. Your fingernails dig into his forearms as you moan softly. Cloud pulls out when he realizes he’s getting too lost in the pleasure.

“You feel so good.”

“I don’t think this is helping,” you blush.

You look down at his cock as it rests heavily on your mound. The head is swollen and leaking. You reach down to grasp him and begin stroking him slowly. You’re playing with fire now, but you can’t help wanting to take things further.

“Do you think you could handle putting more inside?”

“How about I put it all in?” he grunts.

You swallow hard before guiding his cock to your hole again, “Just the tip.”

He rolls his eyes, but he follows your instruction. He pushes the tip of his cock into the ring of your entrance, groaning when you clench around him. His thumb rubs against your swollen clit as he shallowly thrusts his tip into you over and over.

“More,” you whimper. “I need more.”

Cloud doesn’t hesitate to slide deeper into you, your velvet walls suck him in. He’s halfway sheathed when your hands press against his stomach. He places one hand on top of yours.

“Did I hurt you?” he asks softly.

“No, it feels so good,” you whine. “I just…I don’t know if I can stop.”

“Me neither,” Cloud kisses you softly. “I wanna put the rest in.”

You lay back against the pillows and whine. You want nothing more than to have him fill you up, but you know you won’t be able to stop him. Once he’s buried to the hilt, there’s no returning from this. But maybe there’s no return anyway.

“Do it,” you pull him in for a frantic kiss. “Please.”

Cloud pushes the rest of his cock into you, his thick girth stretches you out and his tip hits the sweetest spot hidden deep inside. Your fingers tangle in his hair. Your legs wrap around him tightly.

He pulls almost all the way out until the head is nestled at your entrance, then he slams back into you. You cry out, but soon find his hand over your mouth to keep you quiet. He repeats the same motion with his hips until he finally falls into a rhythmic pace.

Soft, desperate moans fall from his lips. Your nails dig into his back as a coil tightens in your stomach, filling you with warm tingles of pleasure. You keep whimpering against his hand, your hips rocking along with his. It’s not long until the coil snaps. You leave a long, red scratch down his back. He moves his hand off your mouth so he can hear all of your sweet little moans. Your walls are clenching around him so tightly, that he knows he won’t last much longer. He’d be embarrassed if it weren’t for the yearning he’s carried for so long finally getting realized.

“I’m close,” he whines. “I-I’m gonna pull out.”

Before you have time to say anything, he’s grasping the base of his cock. He pulls out of your pussy, and he pumps himself to completion. Thick ropes of warm cum cover your stomach by the time he’s done. He falls back on his knees, panting softly. He searches your face for any signs of regret, but you just reach out to take his hand. You squeeze softly. He leans down to pick up his shirt and uses it to wipe the cum off your stomach. Then, he settles in beside you. You snuggle against his chest, placing a kiss on his soft skin.

“So, now what?” you ask, wondering if you’ll still be friends in the morning.

“How about we worry about that over breakfast tomorrow?”

You smile, “Sounds like a date.”

#cloud strife #cloud strife x reader #cloud x reader #final fantasy vii #ff7 #final fantasy 7 #cloud ff7

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xxlemon-chanxx · 10 days

Note

heyy I have a question abt Philip and/or Belos and idk if it's stupid or not but imma ask it anyway :)

Soo imagine Philip/Belos has a partner who got prego and it's childbirth time, how would he react?

Also another question, would he treat his partner differently after childbirth?

Last question I promise, how do u think he would treat his child??

These are all fantastic questions and they're all things I've had long, in-depth discussions about! I have a lot of thoughts on this.

1. Childbirth

Philip during child birth is pretty useless. He doesn't know what to do but also doesn't trust any witches or demons near his S/O enough to let one assist in the birth. (though, if the birth is truly horrible and there's tons of complications, he will run to fetch a healer. If it comes down to choosing between his partner and the baby if things go horribly wrong, he's almost always going to choose his partner to be the one to survive.

Belos during childbirth is a lot more competent. He’s going to be a lot more calm and isn't going to just be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. This is mainly because now he has an entire hospital wing’s worth of healers attending to you at any given time. He absolutely refuses to leave the room, though. For any reason. If his S/O doesn't want men present in the room, he thinks he is the exception because he is the father, if S/O tries to tell him directly to get out, he chalks it up to hysteria and stays anyway. (side note on Belos: he takes the baby immediately after birth and cuts it's ears to match it's parents’ ears. He’s the first one who gets to hold the baby, so the S/O doesn't see the baby until it has little gauz wrapped around its head.)

The childbirth discussion was one I had with @sariacreedsthirst and was inspired by the AO3 story “And In Her Gilded Cage, She Sang”

2. Post-partem

Philip would give his partner a few days/weeks to recover until they weren't literally bedridden from a massive, gaping, bleeding hole that just shot out something the size of a watermelon. He's definitely more inclined to lay next to his partner, resting his forehead against theirs, caressing them lovingly, etc. Just overall being far more romantic and gentle with them than he ever would be otherwise. This lasts for a couple of months before he slowly goes back to his old self.

Belos would treat his partner like they were made of glass or fine china. He did this during the pregnancy too, but especially now with them being so bedridden and exhausted after the birth.

3. Parenthood.

I think no matter what Belos/Philip would be a “I put food on your plate, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, be GRATEFUL” parent.

But when the children are babies he's sooooo much more affectionate with them. And then when they get older he starts to turn stricter, just in different ways.

I can also imagine him using prayer as a form of punishment because it's God’s will for children to obey their parents, so I imagine him saying this at some point: "Be thankful for what you have here. You have a roof over your head, a comfortable bed to sleep in, food in your belly. The only reason you have any sort of life in this place is because I grant you those things. Now, you are going to go up to your room and pray for forgiveness for defying God and his word by not honoring your father, *understand*?"

Also, physical punishment is very much his cup of tea because, well… *gestures wildly at Hunter.*

I've always thought that he would expect his daughter to grow out of “playing” much faster than he would a son. Like, it's super unfortunate, but when his daughter is a baby/toddler he practically fawns over her. She can do no wrong, she is the apple of his eye…but then she turns ten/eleven and she's expected to act like a proper lady while his son would be able to act like a kid and play in the dirt for a few more years. Her punishments aren't as severe when she gets in trouble, but she will get in trouble far more often over stuff that wouldn't even matter if she were a boy, like getting dirty, roughhousing, wanting to go out and play in general.

#philip wittebane #toh philip #belosfanstakeover #toh #toh emperor belos #emperor belos #belos wittebane #the owl house belos #toh belos

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lorei-writes · 1 year

Text

HC: If he were to be a parent - Chevalier, pt.2

Continuation of HC: If he were to be a parent - Chevalier. Because I've developed some sort of Family AU by now, and I want to share it :)

Sponsored by the idea I had that would work best as a comic strip, but alas, I do not have the ability to make that. Extra fluffy bit below the cut, I just needed to lay ground for it first.

There may be more in the future.

Content Warnings: all things parenthood and pregnancy related

Chevalier

>>Children

Chevalier has two children, a son (eldest) and a daughter (youngest).

It isn't that they didn't want more children. However, the second pregnancy was harsher on his wife than the first one, and the delivery itself was complicated. In the end, Chevalier doesn't want to risk losing both his wife and a child, so they decided to stop at two.

The boy is named Arthur. Yes, after King Arthur. It is hard having book nerd parents. Appearance-wise, he took after his father, but he has his mother's warm eyes. However, unlike Chevalier, he isn't a prodigy child -- he is bright, and he tries his hardest, but even so, he feels that he can't measure up to his sister.

Arthur tends to be unaware of his own strengths, though. He's social, considerate of others, has some innate charisma, and most importantly: knows how to work well with others. He's fairly similar to Leon in many ways.

The girl is year and a half younger than her brother. Her name is Rosalie, and... It should suffice to say she's almost as if little Chevalier was born a girl. She excels in academics, and asked to be trained with a sword too. However, unlike little Chevalier, she has parents who care about her, so although not fluent in emotions, she isn't completely lost either. However, even so, she doesn't understand why her brother feels this way about her. Even if she was born a boy, she wouldn't want to become a king. It'd be too boring.

Clavis is her favourite uncle.

>>Morning Routine

For one thing, Chevalier gets continuously harder to wake up in the morning as they grow. First, because baby Arthur needed for somebody to take care of him. Then, because his wife was pregnant again, and Arthur was still very little. Then, because they had one toddler, and one newborn. And then, because they didn't have another child for long enough for foreign forces to realise that Arthur is the only heir to the crown that will probably be there. And Chevalier does not want for his child to be hurt, so he stays vigilant.

At this point, the Queen just lets him sleep in. She's been with him for years, she knows why he's sleeping poorly.

That being said, she also has some plans. Arthur is five at this point, Rosalie is three (and a half). First, the Queen sends Rosalie to wake Chevalier up. When that doesn't work, she asks Arthur to go and try as well.

Roughly what happens is:

Rosalie: Papa? Papa, wake up! *pulls at Chevalier's arm*

Chevalier: *opens one eye to identify who dares to wake him up*

Chevalier: *sees that it's just his daughter*

Chevalier: Five more minutes. <- an attempt at being responsible about setting an example

Rosalie: You always say that, papa. Wake up!

Chevalier: *inaudible mumbling*

Rosalie: Papa?

Chevalier: *pulls her onto the bed to cuddle with her*

Rosalie is not a morning person either, although for no particular reason. She's content to have achieved her goal, and falls asleep.

~ 20 minutes later ~

Arthur: Papa, wakee uuup!

Chevalier: *no reply*

Arthur: Come on, papa! Mom's making breakfast!

Chevalier: *the same manoeuvre as previously, this time with Arthur*

In the end, Chevalier gets between hour and an hour and a half of extra sleep each morning. His wife is the last one to come to wake him up (or well, them all up).

Her approach is very strategic. Not only is her husband (generally) unable to move freely at this point, and thus cannot pull her onto the bed. She also gets to watch Chevalier asleep, with their children cuddled into his sides. Even though he's not aware of this, he always pulls them closer as soon as he hears steps anywhere nearby.

(All that being said, the protocol of open-one-eye -> identify-the-intruder -> if:family;then:pull-in-for-cuddles is still attempted each time. Sometimes just to the laughter of his wife, though).

TagList: @cilokgoang @violettduchess @fang-and-feather @pathogenic

#chevalier michel #ikepri chevalier #ikemen prince chevalier #ikepri #ikemen prince #ikemen series

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wasyago · 8 months

Note

Love your art! I was super inspired by your Gillion design specially. He's so squishable (positive).

Do you have a specific process for designing characters? Be it original or reimagining canon designs of fandom

thank you!! :D

hmm, well, i don't remember the last time i properly designed an original character, so nothing on that front. for reimagining designs... i don't have a step by step way i do it, it varies from character to character, but i can point out some of the things i do that might be helpful?

i largely base my designs on the vibes the character gives me: their manner of speech, their actions, their story and personality. and also the world and environment around them if it affects the character. it sounds pretty obvious but like, duh.

im gonna try and explain on gillion's example since its the one you mentioned. he's a himbo, a swimmer and a paladin, so he's gonna be buff or at least a little thicker. he's a triton, so he's short. he's also short for the reason that he is in an unfamiliar for him world and he might feel small in it. he's also short because it makes him look almost child like, connecting it to his trauma and lack of childhood that manifests in his behavior now. gillion is kind or at least trying to be, so his features will be softer and rounder. but sometimes he's chaotic or harsh, so he has some sharp features too. though they're secondary, the softness is still the main focus.

i also really like to think and overthink the designs while drawing. i try to keep everything simpler and less detailed, showing personality with shapes rather than uhh presence(?), but that means that details i do include have a lot of thought behind them.

one of my favorite things is practically. i love to think about what a character would realistically wear in the climate they're in, which clothing would be comfortable for their anatomy and field of work. would certain things get in the way or would they be helpful? how would they style their hair, do they need it tied back or do they not care? would they wear make up, why yes or why not? etc etc etc. i like asking myself questions and answering them in the design.

continuing with the gillion example. he's constantly wet because he's a triton (again, yes), so it would be more comfortable for him to wear a wetsuit. other clothes may stick to him and be uncomfortable, or get stuck on his fins, etc. he doesn't have any piercings, there's no way he would've gotten them in the undersea, and on the surface i don't think there was anything meaningful enough to promt him to get it. plus fin ears. he doesn't have his hair styled in a complicated way because of the coral on his head. doesn't wear a lot of jewelry because he jumps in the water a lot and it'll easily get lost. no belts or flowy bits because they constrict the movement and might get in the way.

and then like. all the personal headcanons and preferences and little bits and things. there's a lot of elements that i draw just because i like how they look. or because that's a comfortable thing for me, or because it's cute or hot or sad or whatever. or because i saw it while looking for inspiration and i really liked it. just bullshitting with the design and making it my own, yknow?

for gillion. gave him a cool long tail and lots of fins everywhere because i like it when inhuman characters are openly and visibly inhuman and have distinct features. and gillion is VERY much not human, part of his personality is being confused about humans. big ol yellow eyes with slits — look cool, also doubles as an inhuman feature, also makes him look curious about the world. small black stripes all over his body — make him look more fishy, plus because there's a lot of them and they're all the same they form a pattern that looks more like a natural anatomical feature and draw less attention. coral that goes around his head and not only the front like a tiara— makes it feel more three dimensional and looks cool in perspective (also i kinda just drew it wrong and never fixed it). coral and fins are pink — adds some much needed color variation and contrast, plus pink is one of the more natural colors which again make him look animalistic and not magical, plus ties in with pretzel. his skin is closer to green than blue — removes blue from the color pallet (especially with his eyes being yellow instead of blue), making the design more coherent and pleasing, allows me to properly introduce reds and purples without it looking like a mess of colors (although it still does sometimes). sharp teeth — fish, cute. yellowish underbelly — supports the yellow for the eyes and makes it stand out less, plus again, animalistic feature. little to no details on the clothing — creates good negative space that lets the eyes rest and focus the attention on everything else. his fringe and hair are floating around and don't follow the laws of physics — personal headcanon that it always looks like he's under water, plus adds roundness to the design because of the waves and curls.

ookay haha sorry didn't mean to write down literally every design decision here-- kind of derailed the post again.

basically yeah, for me designing is like a dialog with myself where i ask and answer questions. also something that wasn't mentioned are references and inspiration. if i don't have a good idea when i start, i usually scroll through my gallery or pinterest for some time to get ideas and figure out the general direction i want to take the design, maybe also find some fun stuff to include, etc.

hopefully this long ramble was at least somewhat helpful or gave you insight on my progress. i wanted to draw some things to also visually explain the design decisions for gill, but i think I'll do it later and in a separate post, and maybe include chip and jay too...

umm good luck 👍👍

#yagotalk #how to yago

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pricechecktranslations · 4 months

Text

Mothy RealSound interviews for Miku Symphony (2023)

A summary of the key points of two interviews for the 2023 Miku Symphony linked here and here

(September 22nd)

-Mothy is pretty chuffed (positively) that the series has lasted as long as it has. He began making songs in the early days of VOCALOID, well before it was profitable (people hadn't even done CD releases yet), so it was really just a hobby he did for fun. He cites this as the reason he's been able to go on for this long (as it was low-pressure for a while).

-He didn't have this huge story in mind at the very start, but he did come up with the characters' stories over time--part of this is because he noticed back in the day that songs with good illustrations tended to be more popular, so he also wanted something that could have good illustrations (talking about Servant of Evil specifically). VOCALOIDS were easy to use for his (and other people's) stories because they didn't have concrete stories of their own (he even cites how Rin and Len are weren't even strictly twins, but a lot of people think of them as such because of his series).

-He doesn't think Servant of Evil would have been as popular if he'd released it today, citing his success to it being the early days of NicoNico (and shortly after Rin and Len were released, when their popularity was high), as well as a lot of luck.

-Early on, mothy would come up with the songs first and make the story for it later, but around the time of Judgment of Corruption he began to make songs with the whole story in mind first.

-Mothy was in a metal band in college, and was also very influenced by the metal bands he was listening to the at time, a lot of them having fairy-tale and fantasy themes in their work (Scandinavian and melodic speed metal). He again also references Makihara Noriyuki, who he liked in highschool.

-For his stories and plot twists, mothy mentions inspiration from novelist Tsutsui Yasutaka, especially his short stories, saying that he's always liked the way they'll have a twist at the end. He also thinks it's more impactful for the songs as well, that they leave more of an impression on viewers of his videos on NicoNico. He's walked back on this a tiny bit though to keep it from becoming too overdone, so sometimes he will have things end the way people expect them to. He intends to make his new series a bit less dramatic along those lines, although it'll still be with the same tastes as his other work.

-mothy feels there's benefit both to mechanical sounding VOCALOIDS and ones that sound human--that each have their own uses in making music. He essentially views voice software as a type of musical instrument.

-He's gotten the impression that games like Prosekai have increased his audience, and that while most of his fans have been women, he's seeing more men getting into the series from it too. He's also seeing a lot more diversity in the age-range of his fans, seeing some people who were kids when they started and are getting closer to middle-aged now. This is a little complicated for him because he wants to appeal to both new and old fans alike. He's been thinking about re-releasing some of his old music, but it's tricky for him to do alone.

-While he doesn't currently let his fanbase influence him much, in the past he would usually take into consideration the fact that a lot of his fans were female when working on the story. As he's a man, though, this had its limits, and ultimately he decided to focus on what he wanted to do instead. He can do things as requested, but ultimately prefers his work to be free of limitations.

-He's excited for the Miku Symphony, thinking it's perfect for the tone of his work and that it'll get a large audience for the songs. It's also important because it's just about the music itself, rather than visuals or story.

-He considers the orchestral remakes a learning experience, since they sound nothing like the original music used to make the song. They also sound different depending on each performance, as well. Classical music is also considered a much more respected medium, so he was also happy to get that recognition as a songmaker. Essentially, he enjoys them a lot and it's a fresh take on the series.

-He also talks about the other symphony performances that have actual VOCALOID singing in them--he uses a lot of technical language I'm not familiar with here but essentially he was skeptical it would work and was pleasantly surprised by how it sounded.

-mothy feels that while those who like his work are often very devoted to them, he does not view himself as being or able to become popular. He's fine with that. It's not a matter of him disliking popular stuff, he's happy VOCALOID has become mainstream, but he doesn't desire popularity for himself. He just wants his work to be remembered after he's gone.

-More of him being humble--essentially he seems to view himself as filling a niche rather than being a great player in the VOCALOID landscape, and he encourages the interviewer (and reader) to see some of the other work out there that's been getting popular as well. There's so much content out there that someone's bound to like some of it.

2 (December 6th) (note, this interview was done alongside MitchieM, who was also involved in the symphony--I am not summarizing anything in here's strictly about MitchieM, focusing only on things that are relevant to mothy)

-MitchieM talks about how inspiring mothy's work is in the creative story genre, which is something they've been interested in doing more of lately. mothy talks about realy impressed with MitchieM's work as well, such as their tuning of Miku and the wide variety of musical styles they do.

-There's a bit of contrast between them, as mothy works on one story while MitchieM does multiple, but MitchieM points out that mothy also likes to experiment with genre a lot (which mothy insists is to keep himself from getting bored doing just one thing all the time)

-mothy talks a little about the making of his two new songs, how he wanted them to feel a little orchestral since it's on the symphony album, but since it's a digitally made song and not a live performance he gave it more of a rock-like feel. "Thousand Year Vow" is intended more as a series synopsis to capture its tone overall, while Grim the End is more of a nod to long-time fans who know more of the story. They're both intended to stand on their own without feeling like a continuation of the series, necessarily.

-They talk a little about the Miku symphony performances they like, their impressions of it, etc. Mothy mentions that it's not really something you listen to while dancing, but more something you listen to while relaxing. Also the importance of it being a performance with live instruments rather than being purely digital like a lot of music out there now (furthermore being a performance in a proper auditorium with all the acoustic benefits that provides).

-Also apparently the symphony this year is being recorded on an SACD, which is a super fancy CD that can record more nuanced and delicate sound than traditional CDs?

#()mothy interviews

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petrichor-idyllic · 1 year

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Heyy first of i want to say that i really enjoy your writting! I think its incredible! I wanted to ask if you can write a minho x reader with she/her pronouns where the reader and minho meet outside of the glade? like in the scorch trials and when they arrive in save haven they slowly fall for each other? I hope this isnt too complicated 😅

(sorry english Isnt my first language 😬)

I'm loving all the post-tmr requests atm, it lets me add some variation to my writing :))

Though I'm slowing down on the longer pieces because they take so damn long, so this might not be as descriptive- sorry if it's not quite what you wanted.

This took longer than I thought it would to get out because I couldn't settle on a plot, but I think I got there eventually.

IT TAKES TIME

MASTERLIST | MINHO MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: See above. Right Arm Member!Fem!Reader x Minho. Movie based fic for simplicity.

You've been a member of the Right Arm for a while, and things are finally starting to wind down in preparation for moving to the Safe Haven. Which is where you meet Minho. After things go wrong, you focus on helping those remaining, only to be surprisingly reunited with the boy you only met once- but haven't stopped thinking about.

WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, some violence.

Somehow, you've survived this long.

Despite the odds, you're still here. You never thought it would happen, but now you're surrounded by like-minded people, and the end is in sight.

You're sat with Vince and Dr Mary Cooper, along with some random teenagers you rescued from WCKD's Mazes. You know, the usual. The three of you come from very different walks of life.

Mary is an ex-WCKD scientist who used to actually experiment on the kids you've spent the last few months trying to save. You were a Scorch-bound thief who tried to swipe Right Arm gear and got swept into the mayhem. Vince is kind of a mystery- he doesn't really like talking about his life.

When he caught you, you managed to prove yourself useful, and you quickly joined the ranks of the higher end of the Right Arm- despite being considerably younger.

You shuffle on the box you've decided to turn into a seat, looking over Vince's messy plans. It's basically a foreign language to you, but as long as it makes sense when he tells you what to do, you're not really bothered.

He's more stressed than usual, and Mary is running around like a maniac trying to sort out medical supplies before the move.

It's definitely not an easy situation.

But it's nearly over.

"(Y/N)! Vince!" You look over your shoulder, hearing Harriet's familiar voice as she approaches you in the distance- a group of unfamiliar faces behind her.

"Who the fuck are they?" You grumble to your boss. Due to being born and raised in the Scorch, you tend to be more forward and slightly less lenient. Especially towards new people.

"Not a clue."

The group approaches you, and Vince stands first.

Harriet seems pleased, and Sonya is talking to one of the boys, and it doesn't take a genius to be able to tell that they know each other.

Harriet has proved herself beyond useful and you put a lot of faith in her. She's a dedicated leader with sharp wits and a sharper tongue; not to mention she's incredibly intelligent- so why she's brought a group of strangers here without permission is beyond you.

"I thought the Right Arm was supposed to be an army," an Asian boy states, not yet caught on to Vince's presence as he walks towards them, with you reluctantly following.

"Yeah, we were," the group freezes as Vince speaks up. "This is all that's left of us."

You stand behind him, examining each of the group as they blankly stare at Vince. That's until you look at the boy that had previously spoken- who, for some reason, is looking at you.

He's handsome, about the same age as you and is well built. His hair looks suspiciously good for someone who has been through the Scorch. Then again, somehow, the majority of the group seem relatively unscathed.

"Lotta good people died getting us this far," Vince continues as you hold the boys gaze, only breaking eye contact when he looks away, finally cracking under the pressure.

"Who are they?" Vince finally asks.

"They're Immunes," Harriet responds,almost sounding bored. "Caught 'em coming up the mountain."

"You check 'em?" Your ends land on a girl. Her hair is short and she's pretty short- but she's sickly pale and almost a shade of purple. Something is definitely not right.

"I know this guy, Aris," Harriet points to one of the boys, "I trust him."

"Well, I don't. Check 'em-"

"Vince-" he grab his arm, stepping forward and gaining his attention, he looks at you as you point at the girl "-I don't know about you, but she ain't look like a Munie to me."

As if on cue, the girl gasps, her eyes rolling into the back of her head before she collapes. Falling forward, she crashes into the ground, surely conscious.

"Brenda! Brenda!" The elder of the group dives to her side and Vince looks at you.

"What's goin' on?" You shrug, but pull a pistol from its sheath attached to your leg.

The man pulls Brenda up, letting her head fall backwards as he cradles her.

"I'm sorry," she gasps, "I'm sorry."

"What's going on with her?" Vince asks- but you know. You were raised around Cranks. Hell, you were raised by Cranks. The Flare affects people differently; some people could go for months before even showing signs, and others were a couple of hours.

The scavengers and people you surrounded yourself with were picked off by the virus, one by one.

You know what it looks like better than anyone.

"I don't know," the man says. "Brenda, are you alright?"

Vince spots a bandage on Brenda's leg, peeling it away and revealing a bite mark. "Oh shut!" He dives back and your suspicions are confirmed.

You immediately point the gun at her. You're not risking everything for this random girl. Vince does the same. "Crank! We got a Crank!"

"No! No!" The group immediately splits, with one of the teenagers diving in and blocking Vince whilst the man is grabbed by two of your own men, yanking him away.

"Stay back!" Vince yells but the boy doesn't move.

"This just happened, okay? She's not dangerous yet." The boy tries to bargain but you just scoff.

"You shouldn't have brought her here!"

"I know."

"We let Cranks in here now, the Safe Haven doesn't last a week!"

"I understand," the boy continues to argue, but you're more than ready to end this, "Alright, just listen. Please. Please, okay? I told her that you could help."

Brenda is panting on the floor. Her body is limp and gasping. You feel bad for her.

"There's gotta be something you can do."

"Yeah, there is," you step forward, "we can put her out of her misery."

You cock your gun and the still restrained man keeps screaming "no". You suck in a deep breath, preparing yourself to pull the trigger when a familiar voice stops you.

"(Y/N)! That's enough!" Maty shouts from behind you. "Vince; let him go!" She marches over, repeating herself. "Let him go!"

The men do as she says and you lower your gun, even if Vince doesn't do the same. "She's infected, Doc. There's nothing we can do for her."

"No, but he can," Mary looks at the boy that was trying to bargain, making you and Vince exchange puzzled looks. "Hello, Thomas."

Like something out of a comedy skit, the other four teenage boys look at each other. And then, for some reason, look at you for an answer- which you don't have. So, you just shrug, looking at Vince.

Who also just shrugs.

"You know me?" Thomas asks as Vince lowers his gun.

"Interesting. It makes sense they'd put you in the Maze." Mary walks over to the sick girl. "Though, I must admit, I was worried they'd kill you after what you did."

"What I did?" Thomas manages to stammer out.

"The first time we spoke, you said you couldn't take it anymore, watching your friends die, one by one. The last time we spoke, you gave me the coordinates of every WCKD compound, trial and lab."

"He was our source," Vince looks at Thomas in some kind of awe.

"We couldn't have pulled all this off without him. Take her to the tent," Mary instructs the nearest guys, "and get these guys some warm clothes."

She instructs Thomas to follow her, leaving you and Vince with the confused group of teenagers.

He blinks blankly as they wait for a response. He looks at Harriet and Sonya before he looks at you, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Deal with this."

"Wait, what?" Vince immediately turns around, walking away even though you're speaking to him. "Why do I have to deal with this?"

"Because I said so!" He shouts over his shoulder. "Just do it!"

You turn back to the boys, and the remaining girl, swallowing and composing yourself for a second- you're not a people person. You don't deal with people; Vince does.

But since Vince has decided to pussy out, apparently it's now your job.

"Are, uh... are you guys hungry?"

One of them shrugs, he has dark skin and a contagious smile. "Sure, I could eat."

"Alright, follow me, I guess." You turn around, the boys behind you exchanging another round of nervous glances before doing as you say.

You can hear the mumbling behind you, even if Sonya and Harriet have decided to tag along; mainly so they can bond with Aris and catch up. You can hear them explaining some basic things- stuff about Dr Cooper, how things work around here, the departure at first light, etc. Nothing you need to pay attention to, at least.

The boldest of the group becomes apparent pretty fast. "So, you help Vince run this joint?" The Asian boy from before sparks up a conversation, and you squint at him.

"That's right."

"How'd that happen?" You shoot a glare his way. "I mean, you look pretty young- compared to Vince and... uh..."

"Mary?"

"Yep," he clicks his tongue as you remind him of the name. "That's the one. You don't quite fit in with them; a leader, a doctor, and a teenage girl- how'd that happen?"

"What's your name?" You ask, looking at him out of the corner of your eye. He's curious, that's for sure. You might as well learn the name of your interrogator.

"Minho," he states, "and you're (Y/N), right?"

"Hm, well observed," you hum, "can't remember the name of the woman who's saving your friend's life, but you can remember mine?"

This seems to catch him off-guard, and his bold demeanour slips for just a second. "Well, what can I say? It's memorable."

You reach a small table, signalling for them to sit down before you call someone over, instructing them to bring food.

"So, you gonna answer my question or what?"

"Trust Minho to start flirting with the first girl he sees," a boy you're pretty sure you heard someone call Frypan says, earing a sharp kick to the shin from Minho.

You scoff, deciding to ignore the comment as you take your own seat. "I'm a lowlife thief, to answer your question." Minho raises his eyebrow at you, silently pushing you to continue.

"Lived my whole life in the Scorch; everyone- family, friends, you name it -caught the Flare and died. I'm the last man standing. Used to fuck about stealing shit from WCKD, then ended up tryna swipe guns off of these assholes. Obviously, I didn't know it was the Right Arm, but Vince liked my uh... what did he call it? Spark? Whatever, doesn't matter- but that's how I ended up here."

Minho hums. "That's quite the story."

You shrug. "Not really. Ask anyone here; we've all got the same sob-story. Well, not you guys, I guess. Can't imagine what you've all been through."

Somehow, this leads into a brief conversation about the Maze and what the boys have been through, including actual introductions. The only girl, Teresa, has been so quiet you've barely even acknowledged her presence, until she stands up and walks away without saying a word.

The group eats, and eventually, you leave, choosing to let Sonya and Harriet catch up with Aris, and the boys settle down before moving again.

You find Vince, continuing your discussion of plans when he makes a surprising comment.

"You've definitely got his attention."

"What?" You perk your head up, blinking from your seat in the shade. Vince nods his head towards the Gladers, who have decided to take their seats on top of a slight hill. Minho, once again, holds your gaze.

He's not shy. That's for sure.

"See," he scoffs.

"I think you're looking too much into this." You look away, back to your plans. "I've done literally nothing to gain any attention."

"Yeah, well, by the sounds of things, these boys haven't really seen any girls, remember?"

"They literally arrived with two." He glares at you, obviously jokingly, which makes you chuckle. "What does it matter? Have you reached the low point of indulging yourself in teenagers' non-existent love lives?

"Ha-ha," he says dryly, making you genuinely grin at him.

You might not have known Vince long, but him and Mary are the closet you have to family.

Which is probably why what happens next hurts so much.

Teresa's betrayal happened so fast you could barely even process it and the entire thing is kind of a blur in your mind.

WCKD blasted through the remaining Right Arm like it was nothing. They killed Mary and kidnapped Minho, along with several other Immunes.

It was a hard blow.

Vince made the executive decision to leave you in charge of the Safe Haven. After the events of the betrayal, the remainder of the people either decided to help Thomas or retreat to safety. With Mary gone and Vince still leading the rebellion, you're now in charge of the peaceful Safe Haven.

Even if anxiety eats at you every day.

You're left entirely in the dark, waiting every day for Vince and the others to show up.

And every day ends the same; you're still in charge and you're still stressed.

It's shit, to be honest.

Just over six months pass, and you change a lot. You've gone from the slightly sarcastic nihilistic thief that Vince recruited to a well-respected leader who cares for her people.

"Ma'am!" One of your men bursts into the medical tent where you're cheering up a pregnant lady that you've befriended. Her partner got killed at the battle and you've become close, often helping her in the medical tent.

You look over at him, shock plastered on his face. "They're here."

You don't say anything as you rush out of the tent, the blaring mechanical beating sounds of the Berg come to a halt as you start to sprint across the sand. The doors of the Berg open, and for a second, you're thrilled.

Until you see a bleeding and unconscious Thomas. "What happened?" You ask as you arrive at the Berg.

Definitely not the reunion you wanted.

"He got shot," Vince struggles along with the help of Jorge and some random dude you've never met.

You rush them to the medical tent, enlisting the help of one of your trained doctors, who immediately assembles a small group to prep for surgery.

"You've grown up," you meet Vince at a secluded part of the Safe Haven, his back towards you as he soaks in the ocean in the distance. He doesn't even need to look to know it's you.

"I'm not sure I agree with that," you scoff.

"You have, kid. People have been gushing about you since I got back- you've achieved a lot."

"Still got a lot to learn, though."

"Don't we all?" A silence settles in, the shadows on his face are dark and his hair is much longer.

"What happened, Vince?" He looks at you, almost like he's in physical pain.

He explains everything. The struggles they've all faced that you weren't present to bear witness to and the losses. He explains that Gally is a boy that the Gladers used to know and he helped them into the Last City. Which is where they'd lost Newt and Teresa helped them escape, only to fall victim to the crumbling WCKD tower.

They're safe now, but healing isn't going to be easy.

You spend the next couple of hours letting Vince take over your duties, and showing him around. It's nice to feel the weight be lifted off of your shoulders, but some of the folk you've been tending to seem reluctant for you to pass the torch back.

Once night falls, and Thomas is up walking again, you catch a glimpse of the boys you'd met once. And for some reason, the urge to talk to them comes over to you.

"Well," you say as you approach from behind, "I honestly thought I'd never see you assholes again." You step over a box, using it as a seat.

"Same to you, shuck-face," Minho grins at you and you scoff.

"Yeah, I still don't understand your shitty Maze insults," you drop your head, smiling to yourself before pulling it back up again. "Seriously, it's good to see you guys."

"(Y/N), I'm assuming?" An unfamiliar boy asks and you nod as he holds his hand out for you to shake. "Gally."

"Ah, yes- Vince mentioned you." You take his hand in a firm grip, stiffly shaking.

"All good things, I hope."

"Please, he barely has anything to say at all."

Minho clears his throat, bringing your attention back to him. "Heard you've been running the joint, that true?"

"Aye, well, someone had to," you stretch slightly. "Can't complain, though- this place is full of people willing to do what I say."

"You letting the power get to your head, yet?" You jut your lip out at him and he grins.

The conversation is cut short as you listen to Vince's speech, watching as the boys get up one by one to carve names into the stone.

The boys seem to settle surprisingly fast, and with your status, your moments with them are cut to few and far between.

"Hey," you look up, the voice pulling you out of your daydreams. You normally spend the early mornings in Safe Haven sitting on the sand, letting the water splash at your feet hours before anyone else has woken up. Except this morning, you're apparently not the only early bird.

"Hey," you respond as Minho sits next to you.

"Do you even sleep?" He scoffs. You're normally the last person to go to bed and the first person to rise.

"Eh, depends on the day," you joke, sending a friendly smirk his way.

You sit in a comfortable silence for a while, until you clear your throat.

"I'm sorry about your friend," you say, and he smiles sadly. "I'm sorry about everything you went through. Vince has told me what he knows- Thomas has mentioned pieces, and it sounds horrible but that doesn't compare to the actual thing."

"Yeah, it's kinda weird, yanno? Feels like I've been on survival mode for so long, I don't know what to do with myself now."

"Yeah," you nod along, "I get that."

"What was it like? Living in the Scorch?"

"I'm sure Brenda and Jorge have told you all about it," you stare off into the sea, watching the waves roll over themselves.

"They've told me about their side of things- but Jorge has a whole group of psychos doin' his bidding until klunk hit the fan when we showed up. Haven't really told us anything about the Scorch."

"It was... Hard. Years of contact survival, moving one place to the next when someone got infected. It was just years of damage control that never really worked."

This became a routine. You and Minho would get up early, meet on the beach, and spend your time until the others woke up talking.

It's actually kind of nice.

Turns out, Minho isn't always sarcastic and full of wit; he's actually surprisingly emotionally intelligent and you confide a lot in each other.

You'd be lying if you said you hadn't started to develop feelings for the boy. How could you not?

You'd never had a crush on someone before. You didn't have time in the Scorch and no one stuck around long enough to develop much relationship. But this is different.

You're safe here.

And unbeknownst to you, Minho feels the exact same way.

"What the hell are you doing?"

It'd been weeks now. Minho gushed about you to the Gladers, who made nudging gestures and knowing glances to each other. They'd been pushing him to make an actual move for what felt like forever.

Though, they didn't mean to stand shirtless in the salt water at the crack of dawn.

"Goin' for a swim? What's it look like?"

"Dude, it's like five in the morning- I'm not fucking up my hair this early," you stand with your arms crossed, head tilted.

"Aw, c'mon, you gotta slim it, Captain- you're runnin' round here every day. Just tryna help ya relax."

"I'm plenty relaxes- No! Hey! Don't come near me!" Minho plows through the water, grasping towards you. "No! Minho! I swear to-"

You manages to grab your wrist, yanking you towards him and you shreik as he pulls you in with him. The water consumes you and the taste of salt is overwhelming.

"You prick!" You voice breaks as Minho laughs. He laughs with his whole chest, something you've never heard from him before. Scrambling to your feet, you catch him off-guard as you dive at him.

You both crash back into the water, he's submerged for a second but the water is shallow. He lifts his head, resting on his elbows to push himself up as he smiles at you.

You can't help but laugh as you hover above him, your legs tangled together.

Whilst you're having your fit of laughter, Minho just stares at you. You're the most gorgeous thing he's ever seen- like a Goddess in the flesh.

You look at him properly just as he leans forward. Pressing his lips to yours, you freeze for a second before melting into it, shifting slightly to sit on his lap instead. Your hands coming to his face.

"You know," he mumbles as he pulls away from your face, "I always wanted this. Safety- a place to actually call home. But I never thought I'd have this."

"This?"

He scoffs. "I like you, (Y/N). I don't know what's gonna happen- I just know I wouldn't mind having you with me."

Instead of responding, you kiss him again, deeper this time.

And for this first time ever, you think; maybe things aren't that bad.

This took me embarrassingly long to do so I do apologise I am running out of new ways to do this. Definitely not my best work but I decided to not make things too complicated since things move fast in the films.

I hope you enjoyed regardless :))

#🌿 petri writes tmr #🌿 petri tmr minho #🍃 petri tmr #🌿 petri writes #tmr fanfiction #tmr minho #minho tmr #minho the maze runner #minho tmr x reader #tmr imagines #minho maze runner

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heymeowmao · 4 months

Text

2023.12.17 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321324979512155701380

Carnation Music Festival 3.0!!

LYN: Hallo everybody, good evening. We are the Modern Brothers! There are so many people here, right? LYN: Can you hear the laugh track, though? That's the most important thing. Very important. // You can? Ok. LYN: Welcome to our 3rd Carnation Music Festival~ It's been a long time since our last one, so many friends were missing it. The reason why I decided to hold it today was in order to thank you for all of your support/protection.

C: Where are the carnations? LYN: WE are the carnations!

C: Sit down! LYN: No. Let me tell you- I'm going to spend this whole thing standing. Today's proceedings will be like a true music festival. We've done this twice already, so this time we need to upgrade. I'll do this whole stream standing. LYN: All the other ones I was sitting and singing, so this time I have to be standing. So I can show you something new. But somehow it seems like I'm about to hit the ceiling. I'm about to make a slam dunk. /looks up/ Oh? Why are the top lights on? Those make me look ugly... Well, it's okay. I'm ugly enough. It doesn't make a difference.

LYN: Today is nice. It'll be fun. This is Da Fei, our keyboardist. A lot of people ask me why I'm called "Modern Brothers" Liu Yuning. Where are my brothers? Did they run away? No. This is my keyboardist, Da Fei. He is a member of the Modern Brothers. And this is my guitarist, Ah Zuo. We used to be a small band; we were working our butts off every night singing in the bar. Then one day we finally made it- we debuted. LYN: But lately because I've entered the acting industry, their work became less. Now it's hard for us to meet up. But YNGS is about to finish airing, so I figured we could get together again after such a long time away. It's a small reunion. C: Da Fei-ge got rounder. LYN: Yeah, but Ah Zuo is not any better off. He's standing further back so it looks like he's thinner, but he actually gained a lot. LYN: Anyway, today we're just going to be singing. I hope you can spend a relaxing and wonderful night with us. The equipment is a little lacking, because we're just in my house. The camera broke, so we're making do with what we have- the quality might not be as good. But we're just going to have fun, so don't expect too much from me and consider this a concert. I want to say, though- my concert definitely won't look like this. If you're expecting to come to my concert next year, please don't let this lower your expectations.

C: I need to go to class! LYN: Many of you are busy. If you're busy you can do your thing. There's always the playback. You can watch it then.

LYN: Let's start this off with a song! And let me also warm up my voice! Friends- it's like this. I wrapped up at 12a last night and I came back home and we were rehearsing until 5a. You thought we just moved the instruments and were ready to go, but no- we were rehearsing until 5a. We are offering this concert up to you. It was made for you. My voice is so fricking tired; it's hoarse. So please be magnanimous if the results are not too good. Let me sing a small song first and we'll test out the sound. Earlier, before we started the stream, the computer just died. We were all flustered.

LYN: Let's do a small song first, and see how it goes. This is a benefit- a gift for all of you. This- I want to sing while standing, but it makes controlling the computer more complicated... LYN: Look at these- we prepared a lyrics book, too. We're being serious, today. Okay. Let's try it. - /Ah Zuo starts playing the first notes/ LYN: ! Wait! Ah Zuo hasn't been in a stream in so long he's anxious to start. He can't wait to get the song started. LYN: Don't panic. Don't panic. Because I am already panicking. - /tells Ah Zuo to stand more in the front bc he's gonna block him from where he's standing/ C: Ah Zuo's excited! LYN: No, he... he's just got a rushed personality.

春风十里

LYN: Thank you! Thanks for your support. C: I'm excited! LYN: You are? I am too. When I was singing I also started shaking a little. My hands started shaking, because it's been a really long time since I've properly sung a song in my stream and especially as the whole band. I'm a little flustered but it's okay. We have a long time for tonight. I'll spend a long time with you tonight, okay?

C: There's a glare on the mirror. LYN: The mirror? What mirror? Oh, you mean my glasses? That's the way it's supposed to be. A singer can't let you see their eyes clearly. That way you'll think they are mysterious and you'll desire to see into their inner heart. It's on purpose.

C: Why is Ah Zuo wearing slippers? LYN: They're my slippers, what's wrong with that? Do you want to steal them away?

C: How long do you usually stream for? LYN: I usually start with around two hours. I'm not like a lot of other artists out there who only stream for an hour at most. Here with me, I make sure you're full. That you've had enough. I start with two hours. To this day the longest I've streamed is around four + hours. My livestream is more like a security monitor- I leave it on for hours so you can come once in a while to look at me. I want to make sure you have enough. People in Dongbei have big portion sizes.

LYN: The next song is one of mine- it's called Fall in Love. When you heard I was going to do 3.0, did you buy light sticks home? Did you? No? LYN: I just saw a comment that read, "Ge, I have already put my makeup on and gotten my nails done. Now I'm ready to watch LYN's stream." You don't need to be so polite. You put on makeup at home, in order to watch my stream? That's a big honor. C: I bought snacks. LYN: Oh, you bought duck necks and snacks in preparation to watch my stream? C: I don't have light sticks, I have a small sun. LYN: Wow. That's warm. LYN: Anyway, this song- Fall in Love- if you're watching on your phone, then turn on the flashlight! When you're watching my stream, you can dance along. We want an online-offline experience. Okay? Sway along. C: I have Harbin sausages. (stick-shaped) LYN: Wow, amazing. C: A cat toy. LYN: Okay- I don't really care what type of "棒" (stick) you have, as long as you move along with me. This song is called "Fall in Love."

Fall in Love (remix)

LYN: How is it? C: He gave me a heart! LYN: Yes, I'm just that greasy.

C: Where are the people? LYN: You must be lagging.

LYN: This /gestures at DF/- yes, this is LYN. He's gotten fatter lately.

LYN: Hold on, let me make some adjustments. // We don't have such refined stage design like different angles or anything. I thought if I had the follow-effect it would bring the mood up. Right? It makes the room look much more lively. LYN: Let me introduce myself again. I am Modern Brothers Liu Yuning. If you like us, then please subscribe. Thank you to everyone who has come to watch my stream today. LYN: It's our Carnation Music Festival... ! Oh- we didn't set the logo up. Hold on a second. I need to advertise this. - /making the logo/ LYN: Red looks festive. How about that? Isn't it fashionable? I think this design is worth 200RMB, what do you think? C: Looks tacky. LYN: Let me tell you the origin of the Carnation Music Festival. Why is it called that? One day we were singing and streaming and it just so happened to be Mother's Day; so we named the music festival "carnation", because that's the flower you gift to mothers. LYN: Is it too tacky? When something is tacky to an extreme it becomes fashion. // Let me see if I can change the font. Which font do you want? - /taking audience input and changing the font/ LYN: This isn't any better! C: What about yellow? LYN: Yellow isn't eye-catching. /changes it/ This isn't any better! It doesn't matter. Then, let's make it smaller. I'll put it on DF's face. Isn't it suitable? // Let me find somewhere to put it... C: You don't have an artist on your team? LYN: What team do I have? My "team" is just a small studio- it's only a few people. LYN: Let's just leave it somewhere it won't get in the way. (bottom right) Here is fine. Let's not worry about it anymore. LYN: It may look tacky, but it's what's at the core that counts.

LYN: Is there anyone watching who is studying graphic design? You can come to my company to work. Your job will be to make the Carnation Music Festival logo. C: How much is the salary? LYN: 30k(RMB) a month. But the probation period is five years. In those five years you'll spend it "learning." After five years, your benefits will be one month's worth of salary. C: The probation period is three years? LYN: No. Five years. Even worse. That's a black-hearted boss right there.

LYN: These few days- because everyone knows I was going to hold the festival- so I looked up songs that you all requested. There are some I always sing, but since you keep requesting them I figured we would try to reminisce back on those times. So now I have a bunch of songs I used to sing before. I even made lyrics sheets for today- how professional is that? LYN: These music stands- I bought them yesterday. I tried to buy them and couldn't find a single one in all of Hengdian. In the end we found an instrument store- you'd think a place that sells musical instruments has music stands, right? They didn't. So I asked them if they could sell me any second-hand. But the owner said, "If I sell these stands to you, what about my students??" I told him, "I don't care!" XD In the end we bought each for 50rmb. 150rmb for three. But the owner said, "I'll sell you two, and let you borrow the third. Return one to me and I'll return you 50rmb." Deal. So we bought these at the last minute and they're a little rough.

LYN: Let me introduce myself again, because there could be a lot of new friends here. You might have seen my drama, and I hope that through this stream you can get to know me better. People always ask why I am called "Modern Brothers" Liu Yuning. It's because we used to be a group- a small band, even though we weren't very famous. We were called the Modern Brothers, so I always say I am Modern Brothers' Liu Yuning. This is Modern Brothers' Da Fei. This is Modern Brothers' Ah Zuo. They are my keyboardist and guitarist- very cool. Now because most of the time I'm shooting dramas, so they are out of work. They're at home just idling.

C: Are there any benefits for new fans? LYN: You mean how if you buy an iQIYI membership for the first time you get a bit of a discount? Is that what you mean? Are there any benefits for new fans...? Yes. This next song is just for you. You don't have to think about the meaning behind this song. I am just forcefully saying that this is your gift. This next song is for all the new friends who have just "won" (learned about) LYN. If you haven't subscribed to my weibo yet, please do so.

男孩别哭

LYN: Okay. We've sung some faster songs, now let's move on to something more gentle. There were a lot of songs people really liked, but we never could find the accompaniment for them. But now I have my band, so now they can help me play the song. Now I can sing all the songs you want to hear and I want to sing. Don't worry- I have a lot of fun things planned. We were rehearsing until 5a! So I want to thank all of you who come to watch my stream on time. Thank you all.

C: I want to hear 赤. LYN: Ok. If I'm in a good condition, we'll try it. Don't rush.

C: Can you take th logo away? LYN: How much do you hate our Carnation Music Festival logo?? This is! The soul of our music festival. Without this logo, this whole thing would lost its strength/meaning. Don't hate it.

LYN: This next song is something a lot of you requested, and I did sing some of. But I didn't do a good job then, because the accompaniment was for a woman's key.

问风

LYN: I want to remind you again- if you're watching my stream it would be best to do so with headphones. We're all wearing earbuds, so what we hear is pretty much what you hear. If you're just playing through phone speakers it might lack a little.

C: There are no lyrics... LYN: You want to sing along with me? We don't really have the complete equipment. Because the accompaniment is live, so there are no lyrics. I'm sorry. But later there are some songs for which I will play a track and those WILL have lyrics. I can't turn the lyrics on. C: You can't remember the lyrics? LYN: ... LYN: There's nothing we can do, because the track is live.

C: I'm broadcasting it to my tv. LYN: Nice. If you're watching my stream and your equipment allows, watch with headphones. We want surround sound- Dolby sound effects.

C: The volume of the music is a little low. LYN: Are you serious? It's low? Is it because you're not wearing headphones? LYN: It probably is a little low. When we first started, the computer froze a bit. So now it's... It's not low? Ok! Try to wear headphones if you can, though. This stream is a little rougher because we didn't have a lot of time to test the equipment.

C: Ning-ge, do you have a lottery today? I want soybean oil. LYN: /sigh/ It's been so long since I streamed, and you bring that up? But thanks for mentioning it, because it IS a shame. I should have prepared some real benefits- gone to the market to buy ten jugs of soybean oil to raffle off. I'll admit it- that was my lack of oversight. I really should have made this stream full of benefits. The grand prize would be ten bottles of oil. Ten jugs. Bottles are a little small. LYN: Many of you may not know. If you check in to my Super Topic- it's called Modern Brothers- when you check in for 300 days you can win a jug of soybean oil. 1000 days and you can take away a bag of rice. We'll send it to your house. No eggs, though. Those things are too easily breakable. C: Ning-ge, I've checked in for more than 500 days now. LYN: Let us owe you. It's like this- one day if you see me on the street you can say, "Liu Yuning! Give me my soybean oil! You owe me soybean oil!!" How incredible would that be? You've chased stars to the extend that the stars now owe you. That's impressive. LYN: Our main theme is "owing each other".

C: Ning-ge, can you sit closer? I can't see. LYN: Send me your address, I'll go to your house. Send me your address, I'll grab a plane ticket. No matter where you are, I'll go to your house. I'll send the goods straight to your door. If you can't see me clearly, send my studio your address. I'll go to your house. I'll let you see me clearly.

LYN: The next song is another slow one. /to AZ & DF/ Is everything okay? I've been talking for five minutes, waiting for you. Did you forget the sound? It's okay. You can take your time to look for it. Based on my skills, I can hold out another five minutes for you. business abilities have degenerated so quickly. Let's leave him some face and allow this mistake today, alright? I won't dock his pay for this. We'll look for it together. LYN: /sighs/ ... /snores/ - /lets them figure it out while he preps more coffee/

C: Why don't they have chairs? LYN: I'm bullying them. No- they have chairs, look. I'll be standing later when I'm singing, too! I was planning on giving them chairs to sit on while I stood, but then I thought that if I were standing and they sitting, it would look like the didn't have anything to do with me. Look- Ah Zuo has a long seat he could sit on. I'm sitting now but later I'll also stand. It's all to make the mood. You think their legs aren't numb??

C: What are you drinking? LYN: Coffee. So I can maintain my levels of excitement. C: If you drink too much you'll need to use the restroom. LYN: At concerts they even give me five minutes to change outfits! You're really not planning on letting me stop?? It's like you're afraid. "Ning-ge, don't drink water or you'll need to use the restroom." I get five minutes to change my outfit during my concerts. This is just a small livestream.

LYN: Hold on, I'm not ready. YOU are, but I'm not. What key is it? LYN: See? I gave them time and now they're turning it around and rushing me. LYN: It's alright. I'm joking.

LYN: Isn't it amazing? This keyboard can even play the sound of a pipa. Our musicians are so professional~ It makes Da Fei look a lot more handsome. Play it again. I haven't heard enough.

落了白

LYN: Ok. Let's move straight into the next song. What did you think of it? It's a song I wanted to sing a long time ago and it's something you really like. So this time I asked them to make an accompaniment so I can sing it. Just listen for entertainment.

C: I don't dare go to the restroom. LYN: You can take your phone in there with you, okay? It doesn't matter. Don't think that if you take me into the restroom it would be an insult to me. I'm not afraid of being insulted, at the moment.

LYN: Anyway- this next song has unexpectedly become hot again. Wait- it's always been hot. Excuse me. But! You've heard my cover of it and thought it sounded nice, so... I'll use the Carnation Music Festival 3.0 to sing it again. It's a song I sang many years ago, but it seems like my audio has been circulating around the short video platforms. It's called 等我先说. - /AZ revs up/ LYN: /who just took a sip of coffee/ !! Wait a minute. Don't rush. Let me recover a bit. These two... once they're familiar with the song they're ready to go with it. 等我先说. It's a song I did a cover of before. - /warms up his voice/ LYN: My throat hurts a little.... /sigh/ Let's do it.

等我先说

LYN: It's been a long time since I sang this. But I was going through it when we were rehearsing and I found out I still remember how to sing it. So... we can use it to reminisce. I know that you've requested a lot of songs, but I can't sing them all. This one, I felt, was more meaningful. So I decided to sing this one.

LYN: The next one is called 乌兰巴托的夜 (Nights in UlaanBaatar). It'll be a little difficult for me, since my voice condition is not very stable. But I hope- you don't have to use your light sticks. For this song you can close your eyes, and listen quietly.

C: You even rehearsed? LYN: Of course! I wrapped at 12a, we came back to eat a little, and it wasn't until we rehearsed until 5a that I let them go. THEN I was removing my drama makeup and washing up. It was all for presenting to all of you a good condition and relatively more complete performance. It's my first time singing this song, so... you all can just listen for fun.

- /promptly drops his lyrics sheets/ LYN: Look at this- a 50RMB music stand is just basic. It doesn't even have a sheet clip. We need a bottle of water to hold the papers.

C: I'm lagging. LYN: Is it lagging? There's nothing I can do about it, since my stream today is a little more popular than usual. Many of you might be watching me in YNGS, and came to check out my stream. I want to thank everyone who is supporting YNGS and hope you continue to do so. Thank you. If you haven't subscribed to my weibo yet, you can do that too.

乌兰巴托的夜

LYN: The next song is 茶底世界. It's something you've always been requesting. I don't think I've sung this song since my debut. But it's also a very nice sounding song. I saw you requesting it again, so I decided I would sing this rock n' roll style song for you. - /warming up/ C: That scared me! LYN: Oh, did I scare you? Sorry.

茶底世界

LYN: Thank you. Oh- I suddenly thought of a song. 花房姑娘. We haven't sung it in a while. It's not in our song list, but it's okay. I just remembered that you liked when I sang it, before. LYN: /to DF/ Give me a key. Let's see if I can still sing it. - /tries to sing 恋语1910 instead/ LYN: No, that's not it right? - /gets the right one/ LYN: Ok. I can try it. Let's go. LYN: Hold on... I want to fake-play my guitar. I just want to make myself busy. - /the strap is not on, so he asks DF is he can squeeze it on there/ LYN: ? I think I have another strap there?? You can take it first, see if you can get it on.

C: Ka-ka. LYN: /grabs his kazoobie (kazobo??)/ Kaka will always be here. Kaka will never lose an opportunity to present itself. If I don't show it off, then I bought it for nothing. - /starts playing Offer (奉上) & Don't Dream of Cold (别梦寒) on it; then My Heart Will Go On/ LYN: I can play anything. It's unbeatable.

- /DF comes back/ LYN: Does it work? It's a little unstable? Ok. Even if this hundreds of dollars guitar gets smashed today, this stream would be worth it. LYN: For the sake of this stream- - /tries to put the guitar on but the strap is too short/ LYN: Can we make this longer? I'm too tall. - /makes it longer/ LYN: Now it's too long. Whatever. I'm fake playing anyway. LYN: ! Where's my phone? I need to look up the lyrics. LYN: I'm so busy. I feel like I'm going to die. But it's okay- every good performance comes with some sacrifice. C: You look pretty rock and roll. LYN: Do I? Great- that's the look we're going for. You don't have to think about what sound it's making- it's just for looks. Now, where should I put this (kaka)? /laughs/ As if I weren't busy enough! Should I hang it off my belt/pants? I'll just put it here (on the music stand). I can just grab it and start playing. Okay. LYN: You go first. ! Wait- my lyrics!! How do I make the screen stay on for longer??

花房姑娘

LYN: I almost busied myself to death. The main theme of my stream is to be busy and bustling. But it's alright. LYN: Do you like this type of mood, friends? If you do, we can... do another. LYN: How does 一块红布 go? // Hmm. I won't sing this one. Let's sing something gentle. We got a little hyped up, and we'll still be later but I want to be gentle and warm right now.

LYN: This next one is a song I really really like. And- /confirming the key/. Sometimes when I'm emo I'll listen to this song and it will make me happier. Or rather, it will make me even more emo. XD But I really like this song. C: What song? LYN: You'll know when I sing it. I'll have to sooner or later. I don't think we did this one well in rehearsal, so I've forgotten how it goes.

給你給我

C: I'm sleepy now. LYN: Then go to sleep! If you can't stay up, then go to sleep. Thank you. Friends, if you're sleepy, you can go. I'll never force you to stay. If you're sleepy you can go rest. If you're not, then keep me a little company while I stream. LYN: I was planning to sing this one next- 熬夜 (Stay Up All Night). But now you're telling me you're sleepy?! I was planning to sing this song next, but now I don't really want to. Will it seem like I'm forcing you? LYN: I'll let everyone rest. DF & AZ can go out and play. I'll sing Stay Up All Night for you. Hold on- let me find the track. ~ 我熬了一整 YEAH! (夜)~ LYN: Now it's a happy song. For all the friends who like to stay up at night. C: It's just past 6p and you're sleepy?? LYN: It's good- sleeping early is good for your health. // Young people nowadays... start getting sleepy at 6p? /smh/ Alright then. What are you doing in the morning?? Are you going to climb a mountain? Go jogging? If you really have such good habits, then it's okay.

熬夜

LYN: This song is called Stay Up All Night- its one of my singles, I guess. If you like it, you can go give it a listen. C: You really can stay up all night... LYN: Right?

LYN: Anyway, this stream is to thank everyone who might have come to know me through a drama. I'm very happy and honored to become your friend. Today is our very amazing Carnation Music Festival, version 3.0. I took a look the other day and the last one was in 2021! We took two years to get this even up and running again. What we're aiming for is... longevity. Since 2021 was so long ago. LYN: Our stream today is to give back to my family, all my good friends and fans, to the people who like LYN- or even if you don't like me, those of you who came to check me out. This stream is for you. I hope this stream lets you have a relaxing, happy, and wonderful night. Okay?

LYN: This next song is a relaxing one- it's called 撞地球 (Earth Collision). There are some lyrics in it that I really like. ~ Sometimes I don't want to live anymore, but then I think that there are others more deserving of death. ~ LYN: I started liking this song just because of one lyric. I think the mentality of this song is really great. LYN: Oh, this song- am I worthy of picking up the guitar for this one? But is it really that rock? If it's not, then I won't hold it. As long as it's a little bit rock, I can hold it. But then, does this (kaka) go to waste? I can't use it, right? - /setting up/ LYN: You know- we make all these adjustments as an excuse to stall for time. Because I feel like we're running out of songs! So I need to rely on these tactics to stall. XD - /starts but then stops, bc he feels like he's singing too low of a key/ LYN: Sorry, friends. You got hyped up a little too early. We made a mistake. You've already started dancing, but then suddenly we stopped.

撞地球

LYN: Thank you. Oh hey- is my speaker all charged up? That speaker? Friends, let me go use the restroom. And then... do you want to sing DF? He doesn't want to. Then, Zuo-ge...? XD LYN: We'll do a 3 minute intermission and I'll play a video. We have all sorts of tips and tricks, here. How about this- Zuo-ge can solo a little. - /gets distracted by staff/ LYN: Wait a minute, hold on. I need to go to the bathroom. I need to pee, what am I holding on to this (the mic) for?? LYN: Let Zuo-ge, my guitarist, do a solo while I use the restroom. They were going to bring the speaker over to me!! I'll go and come back. Wait for me a sec. It's a straightforward stream today, I'm not going to give excuses.

LYN: Wait, friends- there are a couple customers down here who are fighting. They're throwing water bottles. I need to go take a look. // Oh? The lights reflecting on my glasses is so interesting. I look like a robot. :) // There are customers fighting off stage. Let me go take a look.

AZ Guitar Solo!

- /LYN comes back advertising for collecting old washing machines with his speaker/ LYN: Why is the sound so low?? - /tests it and there's feedback. LYN: 😨!/ LYN: Now the sound is too loud. Then- we'll also just use it as a prop. I won't turn it on. But my computer can imitate the sound. :)

LYN: ~ Walk on, walk by, but don't miss out. Everything here is 10yuan, friends. 10yuan.~ C: Are you 10 yuan, too? LYN: Wait a minute! Wait- let me take a breather. // Don't you all say that I am your "baby"? How can you take me home for just 10 dollars?? You all say that I am the most precious to you, but apparently "most precious" is only worth 10 dollars. /sigh/

开到荼蘼

動情祭

LYN: /is tired/ Let me... sit a while.

LYN: Once again I want to thank all of you who have come to watch my stream today. If it's your first time watching, please subscribe to my weibo, okay? Thank you, thank you. It's not shameful to follow me. Thank you. You can follow my small/lowly weibo. I'm just a... a small singer, who is trying out acting. I hope you can support me. LYN: Thank you!

C: Watching your stream makes the rice go down! LYN: Am I a savory dish? Am I shredded pork with garlic sauce (yu xiang rou si)?

LYN: Right now.. YNGS should have already been uploaded. It's 7p now. It should be up. I was planning to stream from 5-7p- a two hour music festival. Self-proclaimed music festival. I thought it would be enough time, but it looks like we've messed up the timing.

C: Watching you stream makes me do my homework faster. LYN: You're not just writing nonsense are you? You're watching my stream while doing your homework, and you end up writing down the lyrics to the songs I'm singing as the answers?? It's asking you- "what's the principle behind the atomic bomb?" and you write "Because... Offer. I'm willing to take a thousand difficulties and dangers on my soul."

LYN: Normally I'll stream at least once month. I used to stream a lot more but lately I haven't had the time so... if you really like to see me then you can subscribe to my weibo. Sincerely. That way when I stream next, it will notify you. LYN: I really want to thank everyone who is in my stream and spent such a long time with me. Really, thank you. I especially want to thank those of you who are watching me in YNGS and have now come to my stream. Thank you for your support. I'm very brave, and I'm also very strong (minded). Thanks for your support and I hope we continue to head the same direction.

LYN: I have one last song. It's one that I absolutely must sing. No matter how tired I am, I have to sing it.

奉上

LYN: Thank you! LYN: It's about time. Again, thanks to everyone who has spent the night with us in this stream. Of it's your first time watching the Modern Brothers you can subscribe to our weibo. I hope in the days to come we can meet again. Thanks for watching and participating by leaving me comments. Thank you to the fans who always protect me, and those of you who are watching the drama and protecting me there, too. I don't want to say too much. In any case, I am grateful for your support and protection. LYN: I hope you had a relaxing, happy, and wonderful night. It was great to have you, and I hope you enjoyed yourself. Let's meet again at the next music festival, friends! Good night everyone!

LYN: YNGS has new episodes out, now. Go watch the drama! Check in to iQIYI and search for YNGS. You can check out our drama. Thanks for your support. Bye bye!

#Liu Yuning #lyn livestream #(2:19:10)#everyone should know this alr but he's such a great singer

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lolia21 · 2 months

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Well I feel down a Sanders Sides rabbit hole and now I have one fan fic idea that keeps playing in my head:

Remus and Roman are twins but they don't attend the same school because Remus was... himself and his parents were kindly asked to transfer him to a school that "fits his personality better". So he goes to a school a whole district over. He gets along with Roman and he loves him but they are very different people so they don't hang out a lot. Remus also can't stand the blatant favoritism they're parent give Roman. He thinks it's sweet that Roman tries to tap it down but it doesn't change anything.

Sp Remus spends most of his free time at his friend Janus house with his other friend Virgil. Janus also shouldn't be attending their school cause he's loaded but he hated the prep school he was sent to and transferred behind his parents back. Money can get you literally anything. Expect real friends which is why Janus loves Remus and Virg so much. Virgil is actually living at a near by boys home. As a kid his home situation wasn't great and he doesn't talk about it a lot. He ended up at Sanders House four years ago though and it's not too bad.

So anyway Roman has never meet Remus' friends and Remus has never met Roman's friend Patton and Logan. Whenever they come over is always at Janus' house. He knows they exist just like Roman knows Virgil and Janus do but they've not met in person over the last two years.

So it all starts pm a long weekend because Halloween is Friday. ( fun fact my school in gerogia gave us Halloween and Valentines off and used it as teacher workshop days.)

So of course the dark side trio is hype, roaming the mall, scaring people, judging costumes, and trying to find accessories to improve their own.

The light side trio is also their because Patton waited too late to get a "decent" (Roman's words) costume, and Logan was hoping to avoid getting one at all.

The crowds get so bad that everyone is separated. Luckily both sides actually have designated met spots, tho for very different reasons. The darks sides met spot is the horror section at Barnes and Nobles. It's large enough that Virgil won't feel claustrophobic and he can read some Poe while he waits and not have people constantly asking if he needs assistance. It was a place chosen, so he doesn't have a panic attack while he waits for his friends since he's the only one without a phone.

On the other had the light side trio chose the lgbtq+ teen romance section as their meet spot. Mainly Because it'll distract Roman enough that he won't get bored of waiting and wonder out to find his friends before they get there. Defeating the purpose of the spot all together.

You can see where this is going.

Patton has been trying to get on the elevator for the last five minuets but everyone time he tries to get on the same time as someone else he let's them all go first and theres no room for him. This goes on until a nice but kinda rude stranger just days "oh my gawd" and pulls him in as he in goes in. The stranger honestly looks way to well dressed to be here and doesn't even introduce himself. He just starts playing on his phone and Patton doesn't know whether saying thank you would be annoying or not. Janus on the other hand is texting Remus about how just met someone who reminds him a little of freshman Virgil and how he hopes he's not freaking out.

Logan has decided to take the stairwell because he knows that people arr less likely to use it over the escalators or elevators. He looks a floor above him and someone who kinda sorta looks like Roman sliding down the railing on his ass and laughing the whole time. He barely has time to dodge as someone yells " dodge nerd" and flies past him. Honestly Logans so surprised by whatever the hell that was that it take him two whole ass minutes to start walking again. Remus is just having a blast. He didn't think this would work and he saw a pretty cute nerd on the way down.

Roman is having a complicated time. He lgbtq teen romance section is usually in the front if the store but it's been switched with the horror section for the month. So here is is not being able to decide whether he should just stay here because the ia the physical spot he normals what's at or go the the actual section with all the books about the boys kissing that he likes to read. Virgil on the other hand is on the virge (ha) of kinda freaking out. He's happy that the sectionnis getting more love, even if it's only for money. But he liked that it was in the back and away from the crowds of people coming in and out. Not to mention theirs someone dude dresses like a prince yelling on the phone to someone named Patton about whether he should "go to the section of love and acceptance or stay in emo hell". Virgil is insulted enough by this to tell him Roman to please stop yelling and go to whatever section isn't here. Roman rolls his eyes calls him knock off Gerard way and ignores him. Virgil completely forgets how nervous he was becuase now his piss3d and they get into an arguments.

It ends when Patton walks in and calls for Roman at the same time that Janus calls in and calls for Virgil. They look to their friend seemingly coming in together and are about to complain to their respective friends when Janus, Virgil and Roman here a familiar voice go

"Brobro what are you doing here. Hey Jan, hey virge," and Remus walks in completely unaware of the fighting that was just happening. Virgil tries to actually get a good like at this guy's face and realizes that without the make up and general zanny disposition he does look a lot like Remus. Before anyone can respond tk that, an another person asks

"OH God Roman what did you do? Who are they?" And of course it's Logan.

So now are dark sides are standing on one side and all the lights on the other. As the two siblings and their two different friend groups collide. Teen hurt, comfort and angst ensues.

#intrulogical #prinxeity #ts patton #ts janus #ts remus #ts virgil #ts roman #ts logan #fan fic writing #sanders sides #high school au #from meet cute to meet demons to meet enemies

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nanabansama · 4 months

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Why does teru hate supernaturals so much

I think the best chapters you could read to get a feel for Teru's dislike of supernaturals would be 9, 10, 72, and 97.

Teru explains in ch. 72 that because being an exorcist is a 24/7 job, he hasn't had a day off in years. We've seen that Teru has been working as one since he was at least 8, which means he had zero time to enjoy his childhood.

Just look! AidaIro even drew art of him staring longingly at an arcade. Poor little guy...

This isn't the long and short of it, but it paints a pretty bleak picture. I wouldn't exactly be able to blame him for hating supernaturals out of resentment for this alone.

Being forced to fight supernaturals since he was young has given Teru many opportunities to see the uglier sides to them, as well. We've already seen some pretty nasty ones in the manga, haven't we? And I'm sure Teru has seen supernaturals bring real harm to people, whether that be through lifelong injury, mental scars, or worse, death itself.

Not only is all of that traumatizing, but he was indoctrinated into being an exorcist at a ridiculously young age. I haven't heard a single character bring this up as problematic in the manga itself, despite the very real danger Teru was facing. Kou admires him and was even jealous about it, since Kou was stuck doing household chores instead.

This just goes to show that Kou has been indoctrinated, too, but Teru feasibly has no reason to blame anything but supernaturals for his lot in life. If there were no supernaturals, he wouldn't have to keep doing this--and why would he ever blame the very people he's working for? They're the good guys, the ones fighting to protect the innocent. It could even be his very own father making him do this. How ungrateful he would look to cast any blame on his father and the senior exorcists...

Eh, now that last part is me guessing a little, but given that we've only ever seen Teru express dislike for supernaturals, I think it's a valid reading of his character. That said, I don't think he's entirely brainwashed, and I could still easily see him acknowledging that what happened to him wasn't fair and harboring secret resentment towards the exorcists. It's just inappropriate to express that aloud, and especially in the very loud way Teru expresses hate for supernaturals. It also makes more sense for him to like the exorcists more by default because he associates positive things with them, unlike supernaturals which have been nothing but bad news.

Teru is a great character in the manga since I feel it's easy to understand why he is the way he is, but he hides so much behind a facade (like Hanako) it's hard to know what he's really thinking sometimes. Writing this post has made this very clear to me. Given that we have seen Teru react very immaturely at times, though, I imagine that his hatred doesn't stem from some super deep and logical reason. And since his mother was revealed to have died from postpartum complications, I doubt there was some tragic childhood event involving supernaturals that made him this way, either. His childhood itself is the tragic event. (._.`)

So in conclusion, I think Teru hates supernaturals because he was indoctrinated from a young age to fear and eradicate them, that this constant exposure to the ugly side of supernaturals has only cemented this hatred, that his 24/7 exorcist job has been a source of great stress for him and ruined his childhood, and that hating supernaturals is not only a socially acceptable form of stress relief, but that it's the only valid form of resentment his upbringing has conditioned him to have.

I hope this helped! I do urge you to reread the manga and jump to your own conclusions, though. And who knows? Maybe you'll reach a conclusion you like more than mine!

#asks #teru minamoto #jshk #tbhk #toilet bound hanako kun

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tennessoui · 2 months

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i decided to reread ur foolproof, foolhardy fic, and "“You dropped into my lap about five meters away from both our masters in a very unsoundproofed ship and asked all sultry, Wanna fuck? How could a man say no?”" how WOULD poor master skywalker have responded if baby!obi-wan had done that instead of his long seduction? (maybe not where qui-gon could hear)

fun fact!! one of the original ideas for the last chapter of foolproof foolhardy was to go full-circle with this moment and have them fuck before they talk it out - fuck in the ship "because we should just get it out of our systems" on their way to the mission, a fling obi-wan proposes by dropping into anakin's lap and asking him wanna fuck?

and then after they have rough angry sex, they go do the mission they're assigned and something goes wrong and they talk about their feelings then in a big and dramatic way

but that would have meant like. 3 more chapters at least and the last step of the plan was to "be honest and direct" so i figured i had to make them be honest and direct lol

BUT! obi-wan does the lap sitting and proposition thing twice in the story, both times with vos (the one you quoted and then once in the interlude chapter when vos gently turns him down because he's not going to be a stand-in for anakin skywalker)

and then in the last chapter when he and anakin are kissing, it's referenced again:

He doesn’t think he realized until this moment that there is no need to coax Anakin into anything. He’s already wanted, past all logic and reason. He does not need to play on Anakin’s possessiveness, his anger, his jealousy. All he has to do to be wanted by Anakin Skywalker is to drop into his lap and say please.

so really 'dropping into his lap and saying please' is sort of padawan obi-wan's MO lol i think master skywalker would have turned scarlet and i think he would have caved but it would make their love story even more complicated if they had slept together before they talked about anything

(aka in a stacy's mom au au, let's say instead of master skywalker comming ahsoka to tell her to come back in the first chapter, he goes to get her and decides to personally escort all padawans back to the temple - not vos though as he is a knight and can choke. ahsoka ends up passed out in her bed and obi-wan is really planning to leave but now it's just him and master skywalker and there's something about the man that makes him seem...approachable right now...willing. it may be the exhaustion around his eyes, it may be because this is the first time they've really been alone together since zygerria, it may be because master skywalker had his hand on his lower back the entire time he escorted him and ahsoka back to the temple, it may be because he caught master skywalker looking at his lips at least once tonight, it may be because obi-wan has had way too much to drink really and anakin's pouring a drink of his own because apparently there's important paperwork he must do and and and and it may be a thousand different things that make obi-wan feel just confident enough to drop into master skywalker's lap and ask him if he wants to fuck around - but they have to be quiet because ahsoka is asleep in the next room

and because neither would be able to just do it once, because they're both still in love with each other, they start sneaking around to do it more. there's no bet, just a lot of guilt. quinlan doesn't know, ahsoka doesn't know, and it turns out in the shadows is a good place to kiss and a bad place to have the conversations they need to have....so they don't have them and they don't have them and they don't have them and obi-wan tries to tell himself this is enough this is more than he deserves, more than he ever thought he'd get and anakin tries to tell himself that this is all he deserves and more than he ever thought he'd get)

#asks #phew that got long im sorry #stacy's mom au #obikin #no worries in any iteration of those two characters there would be so much angst and guilt and love #it would be a completely different story tho #which ngl im sort of fascinated by

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kandyrezi · 9 months

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—galaxy;

PROMPT: Angels of Fumus with a human lover.

. . .

i. Taffy does not want to deal with inevitable heartbreak that comes with having a mortal lover. literally and figuratively, you are worlds apart and so, he keeps his heart closed. he's committed countless atrocities and sins and he wonders how he's still (un)mercifully living and breathing only because his god allows it. you find a confidant in him and he likes listening to you, in return he finds a friend in you and you console his grief to best of your ability, but that's as far as that'll go. it's for the best if he wants to keep you safe and out of reach from lord fumus.

ii. Yuu strays from romantic relationships generally, the chance of happiness is tempting but he resists the temptation for his own sake that would end up being ephemeral in any case. bringing you with him to his world is not an option, so he'll end up asking for advice from taffy – his closest friend and comrade – on the matter, though he has a feeling he already knows what kind of answer he will receive. he doesn't want you to cry over a caged bird like him, he leaves as many kisses on your face as needed until your tears have finally dried. "for... good luck," he'll tell you, not realizing it's the last you'll be seeing of his gentle, red eyes.

iii. Lei Hitotose cannot get enough of the wonder and awe you praise him with, asking how he manages moving around with those three huge wings ("wow, they're even soft like cotton!" you'll tell him) and trying to poke at his halo by standing on your tippy-toes. his sin is that he is self-indulgent to a fault, but he cares very little about it. he'll allow you to touch and pat him wherever you please, so long as he can return the favor with a 'curiosity' of his own by getting to fondle you – you can trust either way that this pervy seraph won't be keeping his hands to himself.

iv. Zero Hitotose reasons to himself he should focus on duty and mission above all else, but he's a fool in love and his mind drifts back to you, inevitably. he can live just fine without you, but he certainly doesn't want to. he's impulsive and not graceful in the slightest and always comes crash-landing out of the blue somewhere near your current location. you'll find him sprawled in a rose bush, and he's embarrassed out of his wits, but when you say you're laughing not at him, but because you're happy to see him, any regrets or second-guessed he had previously fade away in instant.

v. Engetsu may enjoy a little self-indulgent fling of his own, not at all shy to go after something that catches his eye. it's certainly fun for him too, to pretend to just be a normal boyfriend (who just enjoys crossdressing) that you have, to your family or friends, instead of an ethereal being from an entirely another world. he thinks some of them can probably sense something odd about him, those who are more susceptible to the otherworldly. yet at the end of it, he is still a realist through and thorough, knowing you won't be with him forever, as much as he does like you – amongst other complications and it's perhaps best to end it, but trust he'll give you something to remember him by; with long, passionate hours into the night in your room and clothes discarded on the floor.

vi. Fiore enjoys long conversations with you, how you see the world around you is so fundamentally different from his own, and your differing viewpoints keep his interest and attention. it's highly likely he can understand the language you speak, but you can't understand the writings and scripture that's written in the books in his world, so he would enjoy teaching you how to read it. it's undeniable by the feelings of deep affections he holds that it's more than friendship on his side. he doesn't visit often, but he writes letters. some of them are never sent. things he thinks should be said out loud, but won't (or can't) bring himself to do it.

vii. Inga never tells you of the violent conflicts and punishments he endures, but he doesn't always clean the blood and nurse the wounds effectively enough for you not to notice it anyway. he rarely talks about himself, preferring for you to do it instead. being in love with you is just being in another war with himself, and it's an easy victory (or defeat) to accept the hardship of loving someone so pure and worlds away from the source of all his pain. your presence to him is really the epitome of the phrase, "you gave me peace in a lifetime of war".

viii. realistically, Tsurugigozen has no interest in mingling with anyone that much of a lower status than himself. your unrequited yearning fuels his ego, but he keeps you at arms' length, not believing you to be worthy of him. yet he gets pissy when you lose interest due to his 'apathy' and he doesn't get the attention he expects from you, so he'll subtly degrade and make you feel small, but you won't let him get away with it, ("i thought god's angels were creatures of enlightenment, but now i see you're just some phoneys wearing stupid costumes!") and he's deserving of every nasty word – but one has to wonder why has he not just left if he really thinks of you as that insignificant. maybe he isn't as complex as he likes to think of himself as.

ix. Youran is a romantic in every sense of the word, it's possible he'll look at his surroundings with rose-tinted glasses and live in fantasy constructed of false ideals, ignoring all the macabre and the ugly. and you believe him too, with his kisses sweet as honey dew and words of romance like something from your collection of poetry books – but it is him who becomes lost in his own grandeur delusions and wringing you along, one of his comrades will likely have to remind him of the gravity of the situation and who it is he keeps sneaking off for not-so secret trysts under the moonlight and clear skies of stars. it is possible he'll be out of your life as abrupt as he came once the realization finally sinks in for him, making his presence feel like nothing more than a dream due to a fever. but it's certainly enough to leave a lasting ache and a hollow feeling because of it.

x. Aes doesn't remember the last time he really fell in love with someone – it could've been centuries or even eons ago because he's never really been the type to form romantic connections with anyone, but once he actually realizes it, it's an indescribable feeling of being at peace. the sweet blond angel, if only he could, would grant you immortality, but he would never want to subject you to the violence and bloodshed he's surrounded with daily, no matter if it's the devil's or his own god's world he's residing at said moment of time. he wonders of the possibility – if erasing your memories of him would ease his and your pain, knowing there isn't a reality out there where you could be together without a war in between, but he really doesn't want you to forget about him. in and outside the battlefield, his heart remains weak as always, and he himself can't deny it.

#funamusea #mogeko #deep-sea prisoner #okegom #dsp #angel x reader #taffy (mogeko)#the gray garden #angels of death #ficlets

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pynkhues · 8 months

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So I know people tend to have lots and lots of opinion about dog pound but more often then not, I’ve seen a tendency for folks to give Roman’s recollection of the game (that dog pound was bulling/abusive/messed up in some way shape or form) the most weight…and this candidly baffles me for a bunch of reasons. I know the actor's opinions don't need to be given weight, but I see tons of weight given to actor interviews for Succession in other contexts and both Jeremy and Kieran (per an interview with Kieran around S3) signed on to the read that dog pound wasn’t traumatizing but was instead a rewritten memory because Roman generally felt like a victim and I tend to agree with that read. It also kind of fits in more with the dynamic we generally see Kendall and Roman have throughout the show and especially in Seasons 1-3. Add to this that Roman was around 4 when this took place if we're taking his word for it (making Kendall under 10 and Connor early 20’s-ish?) and again I’m wondering why his memory is given so much more weight than Connors. Do you have any view or thoughts as to why Roman is treated as the more reliable narrator when it comes to dog pound and more broadly how do you tend to think about the siblings various contradictory childhood memories?

It's an interesting one, isn't it?

I agree with you (and the actors, haha), that I think the dog pound wasn't traumatising or that it even really meant anything at the time they were playing it. It's just a children's game that took on a different meaning in their adulthood as Roman and Kendall's particular dynamic crystalised. I talked about it a little bit in this post about games on the show if you're interested in reading more about that in particular!

I do think the context of Roman bringing up the dog pound game when he did is also important and not talked about as much as it should be. After all, Kendall's kind of seen to have the more defined arc over these episodes between the failed coup, his relapse, then the upswing of him getting in bed with the enemy (Sandy and Stewy).

Roman though has a really complicated arc too - it's his inability to stand with Kendall which makes the coup fail, and his elevation as prized son in Austerlitz is undermined by what I tend to interpret as a mix of guilt and shame first over letting Kendall down and then over his relapse, which bleeds into a degree of protectiveness which we don't usually see from him, both in that episode and in the next (it's an underrated moment, but Roman offering to make everyone stop doing drugs at the party before they go in in 1.08 is very special to me).

But there's a shift then in 1.08 which is triggered by Stewy pretty blatantly cutting him out of something and folding Kendall back in. It's this teetering new power dynamic where any guilt he felt is swallowed up by the realisation he doesn't want to lose this new station as the dog at their father's side, and I think he uses this distorted memory from childhood to justify his anger and try to reinforce this position. Kendall thought Roman was the weak dog once, but he's not, Kendall is. Kendall's the one out, Kendall's the weird one, Kendall is, as Shiv aptly put it in 1.01, not emotionally strong and has addiction issues.

(Interestingly too, while it's not in the episode, in the 1.08 script it shows that Roman's there when Kendall realises their dad's sent Greg to keep an eye on him, and I think there's this interesting emphasis there in Roman realising Kendall needs a babysitter twice - himself in the last ep and Greg in this one - which for him reinforces Kendall as the 'weak' one.)

He weaponises a long past memory that he treats as an immovable truth to not just play victim, but I think as a yardstick to show how far he's come, and how far Kendall's fallen.

As for why Roman's treated as the more reliable narrator, I think there are a few reasons for it. In particular, I do think Kendall is the Known Liar of the show, haha. All the kids lie to varying degrees of course, but Kendall really lies in a way that I tend to think can feel more insidious, particularly as he lies in such a wildly broad spectrum - sometimes it's aching self-flagellation, sometimes it's mortifying self-aggrandisement, sometimes it's just straight up pathetic, and sometimes it's just the awkward vulnerability of trying to save face (particularly when he's relapsing).

We don't see Roman explicitly lie all that much on the show, at least not in the way many of the other characters do. In some ways he's actually the opposite to Kendall because Kendall tends to use lies as a means of defense or a way to hide while Roman absolutely and often weaponises a truth. Orrr at least I'd say that's what he would like to think of himself? I actually think Roman lies all the time, it's just less through actual lying like Kendall does, and more through undermining the truth or playing around in the grey of it. He likes to lean on a question and see what it does to the truth, like he knows that it's malleable and wants to see the shape it could take, and that's overall something I find super interesting about his character, and I think feeds into a distortion of truth / memory.

But back to your question about why people see Roman as the more reliable narrator of their shared past, yes, I think it's viewed through the prism of Kendall being the one more likely to lie, but I also think it's due to Roman's abuse being easier to understand and more textual than Kendall and Shiv's. We see him get hit, both Shiv and Kendall talk about Roman being hit, Roman jokes about it and diminishes it, and even in 3.09 blames Kendall and Shiv for it (I actually think there's such an interesting parallel there to Roman being abandoned with the waterpistols and the story of Shiv being abandoned with the chocolate milk in the car, but that's a whole other story, haha).

We get childhood stories from Roman more than any of his siblings, so he feels like the one who thinks about it the most. Is that true? I don't know, but I get why that would make people put more stock in his role as the narrator of it.

As for the contradictory childhood memories, I do think the show is interested in the subjectiveness of memory overall, and the way people influence the past and make history malleable, and I think that exploring that through the very specific context of a family like the Roy's, who have a loose relationship with the truth at the best of times, is a pretty remarkable way to do it.

#my nephews were playing puppy and person again last night while i was facetiming them and the 5yo licked my sister's phone screen lmao #the look on her face in the background was hilarious #i actually just wrote up a huge second part of this about trauma on childhood brain development in regards to the roy's but it was long #and kind of off topic #and also a bit science-y #so i took it out #but let me know if you'd like to read that too #i've just been working in that space again so it is f r e s h #haha #succession meta #kendall + roman #i'm also always interested of these little moments where roman actually is protective of kendall #and particularly how shiv weaponised it against him in living+#kendall roy #roman roy #hbo succession #welcome to my ama

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