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l-in-the-light · 6 months ago

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How do the Heart Pirates celebrate Christmas and the time around (if there's sth in the OP universe 😁)? 🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻

I'm slightly late, but Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁🌟 Are you perhaps the same anon who asked about Law's birthday celebration? Even if not, I just wanted to mention it because both asks warmed my heart ❤

I will tackle your question in two, or actually, three ways. First, I will use my knowledge in the field of anthropology to try to break down Christmas-like traditions in the world of One Piece. Secondly, I will try to relate real-world customs to Flevance, basing it on (rather obscure) hints in the manga. You would be surprised what can be guessed about their culture just from a few facts we got. And lastly, I will try to sprinkle some ideas about how Hearts would choose to spend their Christmas ;) I hope you will enjoy the read!

Christmas in One Piece (seems it's actually Winter Solstice)

We don't get much information on that, not directly at least. Would they celebrate Christmas as the rebirth of the sun? That's the origin of old traditions (like Yule/Winter Solstice and Saturnalia); celebration of light and changing of seasons. It marks the end of the darkest days of winter, because days start to be longer so you see more sun around. Some folk traditions survived till today (like straw goats in the North or festivals of fire) or chosen elements got incorporated into Christian customs: wreaths, carolling, misletoe and gift-giving, among others. You could say in our world Christianity tried to get rid of "pagan cultures", but when it realized it can't unroot them, they started to incorporate religious imagery into their traditions. This way they didn't erase Winter Solstice, they instead stole it as their own custom, heh. Which is part of the reason why Christianity spread around the world so effectively. But this process wasn't peaceful everywhere.

But how does it relate to One Piece? I remember they mentioned a Winter Solstice in Elbaf: they eat semla, then are fasting till "sun gets reborn" (our advent used to be about fasting as well, btw. Nowadays that tradition died out). Winter Solstice is often tied to the Norse beliefs. There was also this legend about the two kings: Oak King (also sometimes called the Sun King) and Holly King, always fighting each other so one of them can rule the next season. Perhaps Giants, besides Semla, also cultivated the old Yule log tradition? I admit that would really fit right in. But I don't think every island in OP world has same traditions, because they're all so isolated from each other. So just because Giants have Winter Solstice doesn't mean it's celebrated everywhere and even if it's a widespread custom, it's likely it's not done in exactly same way.

Why are beliefs about sun god present among various people of the world (Shandorians, Giants from Elbaf, Bucaneers)? Is it the same like in our world, that in many cultures there's a concept of some kind of sun deity and sometimes it's even the most important one? We have traditions of various sun dances in native beliefs of North America (and a sun dance in one tribe can be drastically different from others, but a ritual called this way exists among most of Great Plains tribes). Ancient Mayan and Aztec beliefs also had their own sun deities, and even the most isolated tribes in Amazon Rainforest also had some. Egyptians and Japanese have their own sun deities etc.

We have no idea why everyone worshipped the sun, even though we can guess as to why they found sun important in general. And I think that mystery will probably stay unsolved in OP universe as well. We might find out that the origin of Nika comes from one, specific culture (be it Elbaf or something more ancient - my guess is on the latter), or we might find out there were always multiple sun deities beliefs in the world and the source of it's origin can only be speculated. But we still should keep one fact in mind: we saw Government use Mother Carmel before to spread religion around, which could be the analogy to Christianity swallowing up native customs, like it happened in our world as well. That could suggest the sun god church is a religion spread by the Government and would explain why they really wanted that Nika devil fruit so badly (but that would mean they want their own, acceptable version of a sun god, not Nika - that name is apparently forbidden). But at this point, it's just a speculation.

But back to the main topic: Law and Hearts are mostly from North Blue, so they might share similar traditions, not counting some of the crewmates they likely recruited on the Grand Line. I suspect traditions are somewhat similar in their respective Blues, but might wary drastically between, let's say, South Blue and West Blue, thanks to the impenetrable wall seperating them for centuries. North Blue seems to be based on wintery regions of our world, so their customs might be reminiscent of those as well (for example, focus on illuminations, lights and candles/lanterns).

Situation gets more tricky with the rest of the Blues actually, we know very little about South and West Blue. South has some regions looking rather exotic (Torino Kingdom or Baterilla) and some appear to be very dangerous places, suffering from high criminal and poverty rates, like the home country of Kid Pirates. We have also region clearly inspired by Russia and Brazil there. There's a lot of disproportions, but the mash-up of different cultures suggest that each of them probably has their own, unique traditions. In comparison, West Blue is home to many rich-looking kingdoms, as well as having some world-wide recognized heritage like Scholars of Ohara, Kano (with it's long standing traditions like China), mysterious european-looking Thriller Bark before it became an actual Thriller Bark, there's also a country based on Hollywood. It's not much to go by, but Christmas in rich countries tends to be more consumption-focused and multicultural (doesn't mean it erases the differences between cultures, but it makes them become less distinct). Even Bege, who comes from West Blue, is based on Italian mafioso who has taste in expensive things (I'm basing it solely on his clothes and hat choices, but also him being big on keeping appearances and high hygiene standards, lol).

We saw plenty of East Blue, and I would say they're the poorest, but also homogenous and peaceful region of the world (people living in small villages like Foosha or Coco Village, depending on harvest from groves or getting most income from "travellers" - mostly pirates and bandits - since Foosha is a really small place but has an actual bar and it's probably because it's also a port town. And port towns are usually richer than inland cities thanks to trade etc.), close local communities in small towns (Orange Town), and the only truly flourishing place is Shell's Town, because it has a Marine base, and Goa Kingdom (wouldn't really call it flourishing, more like parasiting). Most of their traditions would be probably centered around village life and agriculture. Seems it's also never snowing there, so Christmas celebrations are probably absent, but there are most likely feasts shared together as a community instead.

Heart Pirates would try a lot of different, traditional food and customs from all around the world while travelling the Grand Line, and that sea is for sure even more unique when it comes to cultures (it has Egypt and Spain and old Japan!). Maybe some countries don't really celebrate Christmas and instead focus on New Year (like in Japan, all they do for Christmas is eating christmas shortcakes, look at illuminations and go on dates. yes, dates. Often they also eat chicken from KFC, because it became trendy there in Christmas season. Of course, Christmas is an imported holiday there, they didn't have anything like that before). Maybe on some islands they have unique traditions akin to the Diwali, the Festival of Lights? Or perhaps they do Christmas picnics or barbeque outside (Franky would love the latter!) in summer-like weather, like in South Africa, accompanied by some mango and palm trees decorated with ornaments; after all each island has it's own distinct climate! It's also possible there are many different dates for Christmas on Grand Line, spanning the length of two months - which means a Christmas-focused tour would be possible, to experience all sorts of different traditions and food one after another :D

Does Santa Claus exist in One Piece world? (canonically - not yet!)

Santa is probably not widespread belief in One Piece world, judging from the Drum Island arc.

There's no guy with long beard dressed in red and white, riding sleigh, going down the chimneys and giving people presents; just some rumours of a doctor travelling with a pet reindeer curing people of illnesses and taking their money for it. If Santa Claus was a thing, it would be mentioned in this scene or in the arc, but it wasn't, not even once. Instead of being called a fake Santa abomination, Kureha earned herself a witch nickname. For me that's a proof Santa Claus never existed, not even as just a random story from some winter country.

But not all hope is lost yet! Now, that I think about it, Wapol made a fortune by making specifically toys for kids. Doesn't that ring any bells? And he comes from Drum Kingdom originally! If he ever gets back to his country and starts giving those toys for free, that would be the One Piece's own Santa's origin story, haha. All the pieces are fitting lol. And we would still get Kureha with the sleigh distributing the gifts! Like I know, Wapol is a terrible person and a coward, but he's also going through second biggest crisis in his life currently. If he ever gets brave enough to reveal the truth to the world about Imu, his hair might go white as the result of all the accumulated stress and anxiety, lol. Wapol becoming the future Santa Claus is not something I expected to foresee for the end of One Piece, but it sure is a delight to imagine, haha.

Short answer: YES, he would be grumpy, but he wouldn't try to destroy the fun for others!

Hearts Pirates celebrating Christmas-like traditions on their voyage around the Grand Line

I mentioned before that Law doesn't seem the type who celebrates his birthday, and considering his reasons for it I think it would be likely that he would avoid Christmas-like celebrations as well. They might remind him of his home and the family he lost, because those are family-centered holidays. But let's face it: even if he's the captain he wouldn't be able to ban his own crew from celebrating Christmas. But whenever Hearts do a celebration on the Polar Tang, Law will probably try to vanish quickly, to his cabin or to the deck (I assume they wouldn't celebrate while submerged, because then part of the crew would have to work on maintaining the submarine instead of celebrating, you know).

One of the possible compromises Law might agree to would be celebrating unique traditions on different islands, which means they stay somewhere on land to celebrate. This way his crew gets to enjoy stuff, Law is less grumpy, and they also experience some adventures. So, instead of doing the same thing every single year, they would make it a point to try out a different tradition each year! (a dream come true tbh) After they decide which island they visit, they start preparations, asking for local traditions, creating ornaments or baking cakes together to contribute. I mean, it's Law's crew, they're a bunch of planners, right? I bet he taught them well.

On the day of celebration they all go to the land and have fun together, dressing up Christmas trees (if the place has that tradition), taking part in the feast, participating in eating contests, getting souvenirs like a true tourists from Christmas markets etc. I bet you at least once they ran into Strawhats and maybe also Kid Pirates (or heck, half of the worst gen, because why not, lol). That ends in some idiotic competitions. For example, our traditional Christmas soup is borscht with dumplings, so they could be taking part in "who eats the most bowls of borscht wins". You would think it would become a close battle between Kid and Luffy, but surprisingly enough Law would stay in the run, probably thanks to cheating on the side (shambling his portions of borscht away as he pretends to gulp down bowls in one go, lol). Because he can be a brat as well and would use his skills to his advantage :D they would have to really blackmail him hard into agreeing to even take part in this contest in the first place though.

They would for sure convince him into secret santa gift exchange and he would dread it, because he has to get something for someone like Usopp or Urouge, and he doesn't know much about them. Thankfully he can get advice from Penguin and Shachi who became best buddies with Usopp in Wano and they end up choosing something together. Law himself receives a figurine made out of straw that oddly reminds him of someone and he is convinced Kid gave him that, to mock him about his hidden adoration of a certain pirate-king-to-be (the gift was actually from Killer, lol).

At the end of the day the Strawhats would make a family-style feast on the Sunny and invite everyone, and then in the middle of the night Luffy and Usopp would try to catch Santa putting gifts under the Christmas tree, but they end up falling asleep while waiting. After witnessing that, Law, who rarely gets a good night of sleep, would have mercy on them and ask Jean Bart to dress up as Santa Claus and leave some presents under the tree. Zoro caught him and teased him about it, thankfully Law had some alcohol he could bribe him with to keep it a secret. He decided to ask Jean Bart to do the same for the Heart Pirates, who are in tears the next morning as they shout excited to each other that there are mysterious presents under the tree. Some guess Law was behind it though, but some never find out (Bepo, for example, lol, who ends up believing in Santa ever since).

Mining customs of Flevance and celebration of the sun; advent was likely a big thing

Ever wondered how Flevance would celebrate Christmas? I sure did. Considering that Flevance had a church and the only religion we know of in OP is centered on the sun god, I would assume Christmas was slightly more Christian, with kids carolling, visiting the church at midnight to give thanks to the sun god, having a feast with families at home, traditionally without meat. They would have Christmas markets though, because German vibes. But since Flevance is also a mining country, I would assume mining traditions were important there. For example, miners parades (it used to happen as the grand finale at the Christmas markets, miners played some musical instruments as they walked around the town square, maybe even marching all the way from or to the mines). We saw that parades are part of celebrations in Flevance (and Law mentioned as a child that celebrations are common in his town in general), so this seems canon-accurate (and also close to our real world mining customs which often include parades of miners playing musical instruments!).

That figure of a winged lady on a fountain is probably a Patron of Miners, that's why she appears to be holding a torch of some kind. In our world that could be the Saint Barbara or some Lady of Flevance (as a possible analogy to Our Lady of Lebanon, because church is also important in Flevance). Or you know, a Sun Goddess, if sun god has a different image depending on the country you visit. Why would a Sun God be a patron of miners? Because miners worked deep beneath the ground and as the result really yearned for sun, especially in winter months, when both days and nights were dark. That's how the famous light illuminations traditions got born, so they can lead husbands to their homes after their work shift is done in the mines. Those illuminations back in the days were candles or lanterns. That's why Lady of Flevance holding a torch makes a lot of sense (and yes, I'm gonna call her that for now, I kinda like the ring of it, haha).

In the backstory on Flevance it's revealed that people there were really good in craftswork, and mining towns often have ties to that field as well, so It's possible Flevance also had things like this:

In some mining towns they often put a figurine of a miner and an angel as candle-holders. They put them on windowpanes, so the light of the candles illuminates the darkness on long winter days. Some traditions mention that the angel figurine was for the wife, while they could be multiple miner figurines, each symbolizing one kid in the family (which means Trafalgars would get two). Some other sources mentioned an angel was for the girl child and miner for the boy child in the family. Other possible popular figurines and motives could be old guys smoking a pipe and nutcrackers. And of course the Angel Lady Patron.

Or instead of that, they could place some decorative wooden arches in the windows, depicting wintery landscapes, everyday life or mining scenes, with candles displayed, like this: Schwibbögen.

The wooden decorations would be, of course, white, because forests in Flevance were also white, even the fir trees! Ignore that they're not white in the colored version of the manga, haha. Or perhaps the candle-holders would take the form of Christmas pyramids, considering how Law's nationality would be German? (those pyramids also originated from mining traditions btw) :D

I bet you anything though, that whatever they would display in their windows in Flevance, it would be made out of amber lead, so ouchie. Beautiful, pristine white and deadly :/ Flevance was known for skilled craftsmen so I'm sure their decorations were very beautiful and full of exquisite details.

In my country mining traditions were centered around the 4th of December, it was called Saint Barbara Day or Miner's Day, and focused mainly on appreciating the patron. Saint Barbara was the most popular/universal mining patron, but there were some special, field-specialized patrons as well (Saint Kinga for salt mines in particular). There were some minor customs accompanying it, like fortune-telling: picking up special branches (of cherry tree or forsythia) that indicated different wishes for the future (good fortune in coming year, easy marriage etc.). There was also a special gingerbread bread baked for this occassion (yes, bread made out of gingerbread :D this is most likely an even older tradition originally). In Flevance they could bake some traditional white pastry instead, maybe meringue which is often powdery and white, so it would fit really nicely with the fairytale wonderland image of Flevance. On the day of the patron they also held a ceremony for new miners joining who had to go through a special rite of passage, which included jumping over a piece of leather or a special miner apron. They also drank a lot, mostly beer, but I'm sure mulled wine was a popular drink in mining towns too.

Flevance probably also celebrated Candlemas - 40 days after Christmas they officially took down Christmas decorations, also in the town squares. Before Christmas they also celebrated last shift - basically finishing up work earlier and celebrating, singing and eating together. Mining celebrations used to be cheerful, included lots of singing/playing music and drinking, and also light illuminations and parades in towns. Since Flevance became a rich country, I would expect some Christmas markets emerging as well as the result. Let's not forget that Flevance was also religious, and that also checks out for mining towns. Miners would usually start their day by giving prayer to a Mining Patron figure (in this case the winged Lady of Flevance) or attending the mass before work, on special occassions performed even inside the mines.

Special torches/poled lanterns used for special occassions.

Mining was a hard job, exposing people to dangers like cave-ins and extreme temperatures, risks like standing close to explosions (and their possible miscalculated consequences), toxic air from excavation, and some long-term health effects. People working constantly underground, aware that if something happens they might never get out unless a miracle happens, often turned to religion. They prayed for safety and protection, that's why church also becomes important as the consequence. I bet Law as a child saw miners often in the hospital; serious injuries and accidents are one of the most common risks coming with this job. Of course miners dedication and commitment delivers irreplacable resources, not only for one town or whole country, but global economy in general. And yet even nowadays miners face many problems, also related to no good health care and no proper support from the government. We saw what Government did to help Flevance... oh right, they didn't help. They instead waited like vultures for the situation to get worse, so they can be excused for executing drastic measures.

Coincidentally, Jail Island in the game One Piece World Seeker, is also a mining town, and it holds many secrets and attracts extreme interest of the Government.

Geez, I wrote a lot. Anyone actually finished reading this post? 😅

#one piece #trafalgar law #heart pirates #christmas #one piece christmas #flevance #christmas at Flevance #traditions and customs of Flevance #anthropology of One Piece #expanding on One Piece's lore using real world traditions and adapting them to fit into the universe? totally up my alley!#Oda didn't provide us with much info #but I can work with that #cultures of One Piece universe #ask

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catch-me-hello · 4 months ago

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I-Land, Episode 1: Welcome to K-pop Supermax!

Hello, Enhypen fans! Before we start, let’s get something out of the way. Yes, The I-Land is also the name of a wonderfully bad show on Netflix. It comes up every time I try to Google information about the K-pop reality show. The Netflix show was clearly trying to be the next LOST and failed on a bewildering level. Check it out if you like so-bad-it’s-good shows. Alex Pettyfer from Magic Mike is in it.

Moving on. I mentioned that the name of the YouTube channel bringing us this show is “Enhypen ❤ Engene.” Engene is Enhypen’s fandom name. There’s more than one overly detailed explanation of the meaning, so common to K-pop, that I won’t get into right now. Also, a quick apology for the quality of the screen shots we’ll be getting. I’ll try to find screen grabs elsewhere if I can, but we’re working with a YouTube upload here. I’ll do my best to clean them up.

On with the show! We open on scenes of lush green forests and onscreen text about a bird fighting its way out of an egg and having to destroy the egg before joining the world. We then see a huge building in the middle of all this greenery and a man walking inside. His voiceover welcomes us to I-Land, an unknown place completely isolated from the world.

Our host’s name is Namgoong Min. I looked him up – he has an impressive resume. He’s a South Korean actor, director, and screenwriter. He’s been on a long list of shows, won an equally long list of awards for acting and directing, and even hosted SNL Korea in 2016. The K-pop group TVXQ sang at his wedding.

Mr. Namgoong tells us those on the I-Land who dream of being an idol can grow on their own and break out of their eggs. “It’s a perfectly evolved space for survival competition that has been designed for a long time,” he says. We get a screen full of camera views of this place, and wow. I see a gym, a fully-stocked kitchen, lounges, sleeping rooms, and practice rooms. The décor is a bit too cold and sci-fi, though. Maybe install some bright carpet here and there, or put up an accent wall.

The I-Land camera system

Our host tells us there are only two rules in I-Land. Limited time, and one’s own choices. Their own choices will determine their fate. I’m pretty sure that’s true for all humans, but go on. He then says it’s time to meet our coaches. Yes! Let’s see who’s on the celebrity team whipping these trainees into shape.

First up is Bang Si Hyuk. He’s the global producer credited with creating BTS. At first, I think it’s going to be tough to find another coach to match his stature, but then we get introduced to the next one. It’s Rain.

I’ve mentioned Rain before in these recaps. He’s a huge deal. He’s one of the biggest artists in South Korea and has legendary status, kind of like how Prince was and still is to Americans. He’s a singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and producer who has sold millions of albums, won lots of awards, and was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in both 2006 and 2011. This show is going hardcore with its celebrity coaches.

Our final coach is Zico, a big name in Korean hip-hop. He debuted as part of the K-pop group Block B, whose songs we’ve seen covered on other survival shows I’ve recapped. He runs his own label, KOZ Entertainment. It looks like this is the last show he filmed before starting his military service.

This is a really impressive trio of coaches, which will probably be intimidating for the 23 trainees we’re about to meet. We get a screen in front of a huge stone egg showing their pictures unfurling on banners. The whole thing looks like something out of The Hunger Games.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

With the introductions and setup over, our show officially begins. The coaches gather in a dark control room with its cold, angular décor. They greet each other and talk excitedly about the days ahead. Their conversation is then interrupted as 37 monitors flicker to life in front of them, showing all the rooms in the I-Land. Our trainees will be monitored from this control room. This is really kind of creepy, but then again, trainees are filmed 24/7 on all the other shows as well. We’ve just never seen those control rooms.

It does gets a little uncomfortable when Bang Si Hyuk says the trainees don’t know about the control room. Given Korea’s laws about filming people, the trainees must have had to sign a mountain of release forms. He tells Rain and Zico that while they’re watching these guys eat, sleep, do laundry, and exercise, they should focus on the guys not as they are now, but on their potential.

The main screen in the center shows them the beautiful pathways outside that cut through the woods, and I just want to flee this room and go out there. Our first unit of trainees are approaching the I-Land. They are very nervous. We get onscreen cards showing their names, but they aren’t translated. The coaches identify one of them as Jake, and we know he is one of the eventual members of Enhypen.

Bang Si Hyuk says he found this Korean-Australian trainee in a worldwide audition. I Googled Jake. He was born in South Korea, but his family moved to Australia when he was nine. He’s only been a trainee for nine months.

Jake and the other two are overwhelmed by the I-Land when they see it, but it looks computer-generated to me. I went to Reddit and found that this building does physically exist. One user found it on Google Earth. It was NOT built for the show, despite what the coaches are telling us. It’s part of CJENM Contents World, part of a huge theme park that was still under construction when this aired. A fan in Korea posted pictures of himself on Instagram standing next to the huge structure. So it’s real, even if it looks fake on the show. In fact, since the Google Earth image shows that the surrounding area was also under construction, it could be the trees that are computer-generated.

Our three trainees enter through the huge rotating door and walk down a hallway that looks like it’s made of steel and mirrors. The coaches watch them approach on the monitors and tell us that all three of them have had the shortest amount of training time. Zico chimes in that early in the training process is when the trainees are the most passionate and less jaded. The unintended implication is, “Just wait ‘til we’re done with them!”

Jake and his teammates reach the end of the hallway and see a huge strange room in front of them. This doesn’t look like a reality show. It looks like they’re about to have their organs harvested. I’m sorry, but I do not like this building. It feels like a prison.

The glowing floor panels move around in front of them and assemble into a path. The boys make their way across the room, repeating “daebek” (awesome) over and over. They get to the end and sit in the middle of one of the long benches. Large digital counters on the wall click up to three.

Back outside, which feels like a huge breath of fresh air every time we cut to it, we see three more trainees approaching. The coaches watching them on the monitors tell us this is the multicultural unit. Enhypen has a Japanese member, so I wonder if Ni-Ki is part of this unit.

We see Nicholas from Taiwan, Hanbin from Vietnam, and yes, there’s Ni-Ki from Japan. We learn that Ni-Ki has been dancing since he was a child. He’s sixteen years old on this show. He will go on to be the maknae of Enhypen, as well as the main dancer.

This second unit makes its way to the huge room, where the first unit has to squint to see them when they enter. This place is a cavern. The first unit is a bit nervous because they don’t know what honorifics to use. They’re anxiously discussing if they should sit or stand or bow. Jake asks, “Should we shake hands with them?” His teammate Youngbin says, “No, that’s too much.” The social rules in Korea sound like a LOT.

Now we learn that the third member of Jake’s unit is Sunoo, and he’s also in Enhypen! Okay, so we have eyes on Jake, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki so far. The digital counter on the wall jumps to six.

Jake, who’s been raised in Australia, is making every effort to reach out to the second unit. They say hello to each other several times but don’t really know how to get past that, so they start laughing. For all of Korea’s social rules, I don’t think there’s any specific procedure for “K-pop trainees meeting on a survival reality show.” By now, there really should be.

We hear another unit approaching in the hallway. We meet Jaebeom, a songwriter who’s been training for six months. Next is Jimin, who’s been training for eleven months and is currently in a band. Finally, we have 18 year-old Sungchul, a soccer player who’s been training for eight months. It’s tough to realize that they’re all so young and about to experience the heartbreak of being eliminated, since none of them are in Enhypen. They take their seats, and the digital counter goes up to nine.

We’re picking up the pace. The fourth unit approaches. There are just two this time. One is Daniel, the youngest trainee on this show, at age fifteen. He’s been training for a year. He’s Korean American and absolutely adorable when he compares this setup to the Avengers. His sweet nature reminds me of Takuto from Boys Planet.

With him is 19 year-old trainee EJ, who’s been training for eighteen months and was a competitive fencer in middle school. Neither of these boys is in Enhypen, although the show is putting a lot of focus on Daniel. They sit with the others, and the counter goes up to eleven. The floor starts moving again. Instead of just forming a path, it’s now turning into gliding platforms to carry the new arrivals over to the other side of the room. Our fifth unit has arrived. First up is 17 year-old Jungwon, the future Leader of Enhypen. He’s been training for sixteen months and competed in taekwondo for four years. He has a great smile. Back in the control room, Bang Si Hyuk tells Rain and Zico to pay close attention when Jungwon sings later on because he has an amazing voice.

Next is Taeyong, who is seventeen years old and was a child actor for eight years. Finally, we have Yoonwan, age sixteen, who’s been a street performer for two years. They take their seats, and everyone waits for the digital number to go up to fourteen. But it doesn’t. It only goes up to twelve and then stops. The trainees are puzzled. The coaches pretend to be puzzled. (Bang Si Hyuk is the executive producer of this show.) The trainees guess that twelve must be the number of idols that will be in the final group, and given how large some K-pop groups are, that’s a fair assumption.

The sixth unit arrives. We’ve met four future members of Enhypen so far, and I’m eager to meet Heesung, Jay, and Sunghoon. But we’re not meeting them just yet. This group consists of Geonu, Kyungmin, and Jaeho. Jaeho is the first one we’re told has experience in a survival show. Geonu dropped out of high school for his dream but got his GED.

Now we have the 7th unit, consisting of just one person. He’s Japanese, 24 years old, and a marathon athlete who’s been a trainee for two years and eight months. He goes simply by the initial K. When he arrives, the other trainees exclaim at how handsome he is. He has an innocence about him and still looks like a teenager.

Our 8th unit comes in, consisting of two trainees. They were both with Big Hit Entertainment for two years, which is BTS’ label. Here is where we meet future Enhypen members Sunghoon and Jay.

Sunghoon is 19 years old and a 2-year trainee who was a figure skater for eleven years. We see clips of him skating, and he’s graceful and athletic. I can’t wait to see him in the dance competitions.

Jay was born in Seattle and moved to Korea at age nine. (His future bandmate Jake moved from Korea to Australia at the same age. Those two will have a lot to talk about.) Jay is also 19 years old and has been training for almost three years. Now the only future bandmate we have left to meet is main vocalist and center Heeseung.

Sunghoon and Jay sit with the others, and right away we learn that Jay is a nervous talker. “We may not look like it, but we’re very trustworthy people. You’ll see,” he says as soon as his butt hits the bench. While the others are processing that, he looks around and says, “It feels like I’ve eaten a hundred sweet potatoes and then drank a glass of soda.”

Unfortunately, with so many trainees currently seated, there’s not a lot of room to move away from him on the bench. “You talk well,” Jaebeom finally manages in response. Koreans are nothing if not polite.

At least Jay’s gotten the conversation going. They start introducing themselves, and we learn that Youngbin’s been playing basketball for his school team since fourth grade. In the control room, Bang Si Hyuk notices that each unit has an athlete in it. He was the recruitor for this show and didn’t realize it until now.

Unit 9 is just one guy, and now we finally meet Heeseung. He’s 20 years old, also a former Big Hit trainee, and he’s been a trainee for three years and one month. That’s a long time. I’m so glad he makes it into the final group.

We get a confessional with Heeseung, who tells us when he joined Big Hit, the very successful group TXT was just about to debut. He actually trained with them for a while, so it wasn’t easy for him to see them go on to debut without him. It’s a story we’ve been hearing from so many trainees on every single one of these shows, from Shownu on No Mercy to Hyunyeop on Wild Idol and many others after them. I can’t imagine the crushing blow of training with a group and watching them go on to worldwide success without you.

Heeseung tells us his goal here is to debut, and he’ll put his everything into it. We have the advantage of knowing he’ll finally succeed this time. Most trainees say the same thing, and it still doesn’t work out for them.

When Heeseung arrives, his former Big Hit labelmates (and future bandmates) Jay and Sunghoon are excited to see him. The others are in awe because apparently he’s made a name for himself among the trainees. He’s been one of them long enough to have earned a reputation. They are excited to see him in person.

Back in the control room, Bang Si Hyuk tells Rain and Zico that Heeseung can do it all. In K-pop, that’s called an All-Rounder Idol – one who can sing, dance, and rap. I’ve lost count of how many trainees have arrived, but we have at least one more. Our tenth unit is one person. His name is Seon. He’s 22 and has been training the longest out of all the trainees on this show, at four years and ten months. Oof. My stomach hurts knowing he’s not going to make it this time either. Seon tells us that out of all the participants, he’s probably the most desperate one. I can only imagine. As he joins the other trainees, he tells us, “Until we debut, I see them as my competitors.”

We have another single arrival, and everyone is cooing over how adorable he is. Meet 16 year-old Japanese trainee Ta-Ki, who’s been training for ten months. The translation says he’s been doing “locking dancing” for three years. I think it means popping and locking, a style of breakdancing. When the camera zooms in on him, all I can think is, “He’s just a baby.”

In a confessional, we learn that his idol is Suga from BTS. He shows us a picture of him meeting Suga, and I hope he gets to meet him again on this show. Back in the gathering area, the other trainees laugh that he looks like he’s going on a field trip. I really, REALLY hope Ta-Ki gets to prove himself to them before being eliminated.

As the floor moves Ta-Ki closer to the rest of the group, he’s relieved to see fellow Japanese teenage trainee Ni-Ki. They’ve practiced together often and are good friends. OH GREAT. On top of not getting chosen for Enhypen, Ta-Ki will watch his friend to on to debut successfully without him. I need all the Pepto-Bismol.

Finally, all 23 trainees are present and accounted for. The room suddenly glows red, and an alarm sounds. Even the ouside of the building lights up. Lasers form a design on the wall of an egg in a cube. They’re just going to hammer this metaphor into the ground, aren’t they.

An authoritative male voice booms over the PA system. “Dear twenty-three applicants,” it says. “Welcome. This is the stage of I-Land, and this will be the place for you to prove your ability. After the gate opens, you will see the unknown place called I-Land that only existed in our imaginations.”

A wall panel slides open, but we can’t really see anything beyond it. Which is just as well, as the PA voice tells them that all 23 of them can’t go in there. The I-Land only holds twelve people, and who those twelve people are is up to them. The Entry Test is about to begin with the performances these trainees have prepared.

They will assess each other’s performances and vote to decide who gets to stay here in the I-Land. This isn’t an elimination. The other eleven trainees will just have to stay somewhere else, presumably less nice. Honestly, I’d ask to see the other place first. This place creeps me out. I’d happily stay in a tent in the woods instead. We’re already getting a glimpse into where Enhypen’s dark, goth vibe comes from.

The announcer orders the first participant to report to the stage. For all the creepiness of the building, I’m excited to see these performances. It’s up to the group to decide who goes first. After some discussion, a few of them start to stand up, but someone beats them to it, striding confidently to the stage. It’s Seon, the self-described most desperate trainee. He steps onto the moving platform that rises, lifting him above the others.

When the stage is in place, he introduces himself, saying his strengths are Chinese, English, and songwriting. The room goes dark. A spotlight shines on him. The announcer says in English, “Stand by.”

Seon is performing “Lullaby” by GOT7. I will always remember GOT7 as Shownu’s friends from No Mercy who went on to debut without him. They’ve remained friends with him and the rest of Monsta X ever since, even performing together occasionally.

We FINALLY see some happy colors in this place when the stage lights up in beams of blue and purple. Seon is clearly nervous, and I wish he hadn’t gone first. His dance moves are a bit stiff. Nothing flows. I do like his singing, but the dancing is just off.

The other trainees look uncomfortable. No one wants to start the Entry Test by downvoting the guy brave enough to go first. They applaud for him, and then the announcer tells them it’s time to vote. Jimin mutters, “What should we do?” Youngbin agrees, “This is very hard.” Usually there are celebrity judges to do this. Most of these guys have just met, and now they have to deal the blow.

The announcer tells them there’s just one standard for voting. “If Choi Seon deserves to go into the I-Land, then raise your hands.”

This is agonizing. He’s going to see who votes for him and who doesn’t. No one wants to embarrass Seon with no votes. So Geonu raises his hand first, and a few others follow. I didn’t think everyone would vote for him, but that’s what happens. He gets 22 votes because no one wants to embarrass him. He’s voted into the I-Land, even though his performance wasn’t good enough and it takes a spot away from the rest of them.

In the control room, the coaches are caught off guard. They shouldn’t be. Most of these trainees are young and idealistic enough that they don’t want to shoot each other down.

The trainees are aware of the problem. Sungchul says to his teammates, “I think the voting got influenced by each other. It shouldn’t be like this.” Youngbin agrees, saying “Everyone is looking around and raising their hands.” They’re learning a tough lesson. They’re not here to be nice or go with the crowd. They have to vote honestly, no matter what anyone else says.

We’re down to eleven spots left in the I-Land. The impact of that taken spot is really hitting the trainees. Not only is that spot gone, it’s taken by someone who shouldn’t have it. I started off thinking that having the trainees vote was a bad idea. I’ve changed my mind. This is on them. They have to take accountability.

The announcer tells the next performer to approach, and now there’s a mad rush for the stage. Everyone wants to be next before all the spots are gone. They play Rock Paper Scissors for it, and Sunghoon and Jay win. This is the unit of two future Enhypen members, so this should be good.

In the control room, Bang Si Hyuk is also looking forward to this performance. He knows these two and Heeseung well, since they all trained with his label. He affectionately calls Jay opinionated and says his stubbornness can come out on stage sometimes. I wonder how much of that can be chalked up to the American in Jay.

The English words come over the PA: “Stand by.”

The song is “The 7th Sense” by NCT U. And in the split second before they begin, I remember that these votes are for each individual. In units with more than one person, not all of them may get voted in.

Sunghoon and Jay give an incredible performance. It’s passionate and dramatic. I don’t think they’re doing the vocals, but the focus is on the dance. It’s modern dance set to a dark rap song, and they move separately but like two parts of one being. It’s stunning.

The applause this time is way more enthusiastic. In the control room, Rain says, “I can understand why you said Jay is stubborn. Because of his stubbornness, he can have that body line and feel when he dances.” I’m not sure “stubborn” is the correct translation for what he’s trying to say, but I still feel like I get it.

Now it’s time for the trainees to vote, and they have an even bigger problem than before. Youngbin says, “They are better than me. How can I vote?” His fellow trainees know the pain. If they vote honestly, they have to give away two more spots in the I-Land.

The first vote is for Sunghoon. He gets all 21 votes. Now for Jay. Seon doesn’t vote for Jay, which is interesting. Jay still gets enough votes to get in. We’re down to nine spots left.

I’m wondering why the voting isn’t anonymous. It’s clear that several hands are going up after the first two or three hands go up. If the voting had been anonymous, it might have kept Seon from getting in.

Up next, it’s Nicholas from Taiwan, Hanbin from Vietnam, and future Enhypen member Ni-Ki from Japan. They speak to each other in English and to the rest of the trainees in Korean. They will perform “Jopping” by SuperM.

I really wish I could get better screenshots, but the footage starts blurry and just gets worse in action scenes. I can tell you they’re electrifying. They do all of the song – rap, dance, and vocals. I have to wonder how Seon feels watching this. He has to know his performance didn’t measure up to this.

They get enthusiastic applause. Jay and Sunghoon put their heads together and agree that Ni-Ki is the one who stood out. The coaches agree he was the best in the group. When the voting starts, Ni-Ki is the first one up, and the ones who raise their hands do so without hesitation. “Everyone has the same eyes,” says Bang Si Hyuk in the control room, and I know exactly what he means. Ni-Ki makes it into the I-Land by a landslide. Eight spots left.

Now Nicholas is up for the vote. Heeseung raises his hand. For several long, painful seconds, he’s the only one. Trainees start exchanging looks as time is running out. Peer pressure is at work again. Just before time runs out, several other hands go up. Nicholas gets in by only twelve votes. Several trainees do not look happy. We’re down to seven spots.

Now for Hanbin. I have a bad feeling about this. Seven hands go up, but it’s not enough. He’s the first one not to get in and the only one on his team to get this rejection. My heart breaks for him. He looks crushed. And it gets worse. After the performers go back to their seats, white lights go up under the seats of the ones who get voted in. Hanbin’s seat gets lit up in red. Those lights stay on for the rest of the Entry Test. The trainees don’t know the rules yet and think this means he’s being eliminated.

Hanbin is disqualified.

Time for the next performer, and it’s 24 year-old Japanese trainee K. He’s the oldest one on the show, even though he’s only been training half as long as Seon, who’s been training the longest.

Then something weird happens. We don’t get to see K’s performance just yet. We jump ahead to future Enhypen member Heeseung taking the stage, and this performance is really being built up. The coaches start the chatter, saying he’s the one they’re expecting a lot from, especially since he was a Big Hit trainee. In the stage area, Jay and Sunghoon are talking him up to the other trainees. They want him to join them in the I-Land. Other trainees describe him as “legendary,” and Kyungmin says, “He’s definitely going to win the I-Land.”

Heeseung is perfoming “BOSS” by NCT U. He already looks like a star. He’s mesmerizing. At one point, he jumps high, lands, and does a turn so quickly I almost miss it. Human beings shouldn’t be able to move that fast. And he’s singing a demanding vocal part, keeping his voice strong and steady the whole time.

The vote is immediate and nearly unanimous. Even though it costs the rest of them another spot, most of them vote him in. Geonu is one of the holdouts. He says he expected better. I suspect he’s just trying desperately to save as many spots as possible. When Heeseung happily goes back to his seat, Geonu looks away. I think there’s going to be some tension between these two.

We’re down to six spots. Now, suddenly, we’re back to K’s performance. I have no idea why it was edited this way. He’s performing “Danger” by Taemin. I can tell he’s a talented dancer, but I think he’s suffering from the same nerves as Seon. He’s moving so fast, he’s off the beat in places. In the control room, Bang Si Hyuk says, “He’s nervous. He’s actually a much better dancer."

The stage area is silent when K finishes. I think he knows he messed up. Still, hands slowly go up, one by one, and he gets in with sixteen votes.

Five spots left. Good thing this isn’t an elimination ceremony, or I’d be fuming. K is very aware this wasn’t a deserved outcome. He takes his seat and hangs his head.

This is really intense. We have fifteen trainees left fighting for five spots. There may be blood on that stage by the end of this episode.

The next performances are Daniel and EJ. They are going to do a song by Zico. I don’t know if they know he’s one of the coaches. Also, the translators don’t put quotes around the song titles, so instead of being told we’re going to hear “Any Song” by Zico, we’re told they’re doing any song by Zico, which I found surprisingly disrespectful until they were halfway through and I figured it out.

I love this song. It’s a playful dancehall hip hop song, and Daniel and EJ capture its vibe perfectly. As much as I love these two, I don’t want them to get in because we’re still waiting on performances by three future members of Enhypen. I know those three are going to win anyway, but that’s the weird thing about watching these shows even when I know the outcome. They’re still stressful. My neighbors are still side-eyeing me after that whole Wild Idol Stolen Points Screaming Incident.

Daniel and EJ get well-deserved applause. In the control room, Rain isn’t so impressed, saying their performance wasn’t as strong as the others, but he sees potential in EJ. Zico agrees.

The trainees vote. Daniel is up first. He gets voted in, which surprises the coaches. I think the trainees are still feeling badly about not voting Hanbin in, so they’re going to keep voting for people until all the spots are taken. Now for EJ. He also gets voted in. This is getting nuts. Everyone is being way too nice. We’re down to three spots left, and twelve more performers to go. Are they just going to stop the performances when all the spots are taken? The twelve who haven’t performed yet are looking very stressed.

We have three performers up next. Sungchul, Jaebeom, and Jimin. None of whom are in Enhypen. But they could still take those three remaining spots, especially since they’re performing a great song – “Shoot Out” by Monsta X.

They start with one of them high-jumping over the other two. Great visual. But I have particularly high standards when it comes to Monsta X songs. These trainees’ vocals are too weak for this song. They also don’t bring the energy to the choreography. The original dance moves are aggressive, with arm movements like punching the air. The “walker walker walker” movements look threatening when Monsta X does them, like zombies are actually coming at you. These trainees can’t do any of this. They’re just going through the motions.

The performance ends on a limp note, and I’m disheartened by the applause, because it sounds like they’re going to take the last three spots.

The voting begins. Hands start going up. But not enough for Jaebeom and Jimin. Neither one of them gets in. When it comes to Sungchul, the votes are more hesitant, with hands going up and down. But he gets enough votes. We’re down to two spots. At least one future member of Enhypen is not getting in. Everyone is looking anxious, but they keep giving away slots to not-great performances. They only have themselves to blame. All survival reality shows are brutal, but wow.

Our next three are Geonu, Kyungmin, and Jaeho. None are in Enhypen, but I’m ready to see Geonu put his money where his mouth is. He didn’t vote for Heeseung’s amazing performance because he said his standards were higher. Okay, Geonu. Let’s see you meet your own standards. This group is performing “Chained Up” by VIXX.

I’ll give them this – they are really good. The singing is a little weak, but the rapping and dancing are both strong. All three trainees deserve to be voted in, but there are only two spots left, so things are about to get interesting.

Jaeho goes up for the vote first, and his own teammate Geonu raises his hand right there onstage. I will not criticize Geonu anymore. He has my respect. But it’s not enough to get Jaeho into the I-Land. In the end, Kyungmin doesn’t get in either. Only Geonu gets in. And he feels badly about it. He was willing to sacrifice his spot by voting for his own teammates, and in the end, he was the only one who got in. He’s clearly upset, especially since he still thinks this is an elimination ceremony.

One spot left. Our sixteen year-old Japanese trainee Ta-Ki steps up. He’s the one who’s besties with future Enhypen member Ni-Ki. We get a confessional in which he tells us he wanted to be a K-pop star instead of J-pop after seeing a Monsta X video. He wants to debut with Ni-Ki.

Ta-Ki

The song he’s about to perform is one of my absolute favorites – “Monster” by EXO. Already I’m worried. This is a full-on beast idol song, and Ta-Ki is so young and has a sweet, boyish face. It’s not a good sign that when our coaches find out what song he’ll be doing, they burst out laughing. “He’s so cute!” Bang Si Hyuk howls. This is going to be painful.

It’s so cringe. This is a sexually aggressive song with lyrics like “I’ll give you a hidden thrill” and “I’ll flip you over, break you down, and swallow you up.” And it’s being sung by a babyfaced teenager.

The other trainees look uncomfortable. Heeseung tells us, “He’s cute and charming, but in terms of his performance, I think he must improve more.” That’s a very diplomatic way to put it.

Let me put it another way. Baekhyun, the lead vocalist of EXO, changed his appearance drastically in the official music video to match the tone of the song. Baekhyun is in his thirties but looks half his age and has a boyish appearance, so the costume and makeup teams had to transform him so he could credibly sing lyrics like “I’m gonna mess you up.”

I’m bracing myself for this vote. For some reason, he’s being given a chance to state his case first. They play another song called “Funkastic James” by Common Ground, and he demonstrates his locking moves. This is MUCH better and what he should have done in the first place. He’s truly in his element here. The other trainees are dancing along in their seats.

It’s time for the vote, and I can hardly bear to look. The other trainees look anguished. One of them mutters, “I want to raise my hand, but I can’t.”

Then Ni-Ki raises his hand for his friend. I know it’s a bad decision in terms of strategy, but that is a true friend right there. Once his hand goes up, others start raising their hands as well. And then all hands go up. He gets 22 votes. That second chance saved him. I actually get misty-eyed when I see him bow in gratitude and relief.

All the spots are now taken, but the performances go on. Next, we have a team of three: future Enhypen Leader Jungwon and his teammates, Yoonwan and Taeyong. They’re performing “All I Wanna Do” by Jay Park. It’s a smooth-flowing R&B jam, and they dance in perfect synch. They’re confident and energetic. It’s a great performance.

They deserve to go to the I-Land, but all the spots are gone. Again, for some reason, they get to state their case before the voting starts. Yoonwan sings solo song, “Don’t Know You,” by Heize. And he’s completely off key. He’s clearly overcome by nerves. He stops mid-song to clear his throat, but that doesn’t get him back on track. He’s only sixteen. This poor kid. Back in the control room, Rain says Yoonwan chose the wrong song and can’t get the pitch right.

When the song mercifully ends, he gets applause, but he knows. When the voting starts his two teammates raise their hands. A few other hands go up, but he only gets nine votes. He does’t make it in. Neither does Taeyong.

Now Jungwon is up for the vote. He makes it in with 21 votes, but all the spots are gone, so I don’t know how this is going to work. The digital counter on the wall shows negative one. Is someone else going to get kicked out?

We don’t get an answer right now. It’s time for our last three performers. We have future Enhypen members Jake and Sunoo and their teammate Youngbin. They’re performing “Crown” by TXT.

They’re clearly having fun up there, more than any of the performers so far. I guess they figure this early in their trainee careers, and with all the spots already gone, they’ve got nothing to lose. They radiate happiness through the screen. I’m smiling just watching them. The coaches are smiling too.

Time for the vote. They don’t get to appeal, but they don’t need to. It was a performance they can be proud of. But hands aren’t going up at first. Now that we are at negative one slots, trainees who got in are afraid of being eliminated. The ones who got in despite performing poorly are especially nervous.

Heeseung is the first to raise his hand. He may risk losing his spot in the I-Land, but he has to give credit where it’s due. Now I know why one of the comments under this video says, “When Heeseung arrives, bro came to get his members.”

In the end, all three get voted in. Jake gets 13 votes, Sunoo gets 20, and Youngbin 12. We are now down to negative four slots.

The announcer says the Entry Test is over. Those who have the votes may enter through the gate and proceed to the I-Land. A huge panel opens behind them. Are they going to let all sixteen in?

The qualified ones are hesitant to move, not wanting to leave their friends behind. But those friends encourage them to go and hug them goodbye. They still think they’re being eliminated. This looks like the end of most elimination ceremonies we see on these shows.

Geonu, the only one on his team to get voted in, is in tears. Jaeho and Kyungmin practically shove him towards the gate, wishing him luck.

As all sixteen trainees move to the other side of the gate, text on the screen asks, “What will happen to the extra four?” We cut to the coaches, who seem as mystified as we are. (Again, Bang Si Hyuk, executive producer.) Survivial reality shows are NEVER this nice. There’s ALWAYS a catch.

Back in the main stage area, the seven who didn’t make it wait to be sent home. There’s a quiet resignation about them.

We go back to our sixteen I-Landers, who are getting their first glimpse of their new living quarters. Banners unfurl with trainee silhouettes on them. I count only twelve. I have a bad feeling about this. The trainees step into the main room and notice that there are only twelve chairs. Still, they are excited. They must be in denial. They clearly haven’t seen as many of these shows as I have.

The announcer voice tells them the I-Land will provide everything they need. Group and personal practice rooms, a recording studio, a fitness center, a huge kitchen, and bedrooms. All decorated with the warmth and charm of an automobile showroom. Seriously. I hate this place.

Now we get to the ominous part. The announcer tells them the facility is customized only for twelve people, which is the capacity of I-Land. This could not be more clear. The place only holds twelve people. There are sixteen of them. We. Have. A. Problem. The realization is slowly starting to dawn on their faces. Then the announcer says, “Starting now, in order to match the capacity of I-Land, we will execute the next stage.”

The voice tells them if they are sent out of here, they will be “released to the Ground, the space of dropouts.” The trainees don’t like the sound of this, but I have questions. Does the Ground facility have more color? Some plants? Windows? Natural sunlight? Can I go look at it before we execute the next stage?

It looks like we’re about to get answers as we cut to the seven dropouts who are going to the Ground. Right away, they arrive at a place with blue walls, which is already an improvement. They walk down a hallway, telling us they’re sad to be going home. A gate opens at the end of the hallway. My heart leaps to see grass and trees.

They enter another facility. It’s dark but it has windows, greenery, and natural light. The boys tell us it looks like a prison, and from the outside at night it kind of does, but I have to wonder what they’d think if they saw the I-Land.

A screen on the wall lights up, and they see instructions in several languages, clearly meant to set a tone of impending doom. “Dear I-Land dropouts, this is the Ground. Ground is the place where dropouts from I-Land gather, and there is no opportunity to debut while you are in here.”

Right away, even after realizing they haven’t been eliminated after all, these seven are ungrateful little twerps. “This isn’t much better than going home,” says Jimin. Really, Jimin? Seriously? Do you get to remain on this show at your home? Jesus.

He’s not the only one. In voiceovers and confessionals, the others bitch and moan, literally minutes after finding out they get to stay on the show and still maybe have a shot at debuting. I mean, we know they actually DON’T have a shot since none of them are in Enhypen, but STILL.

We cut back to the cold, sterile I-Land. The voice tells them they will have to vote to kick four trainees out and send them to the Ground. They will have two hours to talk among themselves before voting for “dropouts.” They keep using that word like it’s a bad thing. The countdown clock begins.

Now we return to our host, Mr. Namgoong. He tells us that all decisions on this show will be decided by trainee vote. He says that this is a privilege that will help them vote for their own future teammates. We’ll have to wait until next time to find out who gets to stay in the same desolate space that looks like it was decorated by the same team that did the judges’ room on Boys Planet, and who gets to breathe fresh air.

We get one last scene on the I-Land with besties Ni-Ki and Ta-Ki, grabbing drinks in the laboratory masquarading as a kitchen. They practice some dance moves and encourage each other ot keep their spirits up, but Ni-Ki tells us he’s worried that Ta-Ki will be voted out.

We also get to see one of the bedrooms in better detail, and this one doesn’t look so bad. It’s got some purple accent pieces.

But then we suddenly cut to two hours later, in the decision room. The trainees actually get to vote individually and privately instead of in front of everyone else.

And we get a truly surprising moment. Ni-Ki votes to remove his friend Ta-Ki from the I-Land.

I truly did not see that coming. I knew Ta-Ki wouldn’t make it to Enhypen with Ni-Ki, but I didn’t anticipate this betrayal. Especially when there were other candidates who could be voted out with a clean conscience.

Will Ta-Ki find out about this? I mean, before the show airs? Will he forgive Ni-Ki when he sees the Ground facility offers sunlight-provided Vitamin D and an increased will to live?

We’ll find out next time. See you then!

#kpop #recaps #survival reality shows #Enhypen #I-Land

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ghostlygardendelusion-blog · 2 years ago

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I hope this message finds you well. Firstly, I want to express my gratitude for the insightful interpretation you provided for my previous chart. Your expertise has been truly valuable in my journey of self-discovery.

I'm writing to let you know that I have finally come across the missing information related to D9 chart. I understand that you have already graciously interpreted one chart for me, and I truly appreciate the support you've given to your blog and content.

Considering this, I don't want to burden you with another interpretation request. Your work is truly inspiring, and I wholeheartedly wish for your blog and content to continue thriving and growing. Your insights have been invaluable to many, and I am confident that your dedication will lead to even greater success.

Thank you once again for your guidance and support. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, and I hope that your work continues to flourish.

D9 chart

D1 chart (as a reminder)

Hey Dear,

Again thank you so much for your kind words and support ❤ much needed.

And i am really happy that previous interpretation of your chart helped you in a way😊

So as for d9 interpretation here you go my dear,

First of all i am not a professional i am still learning and please take what resonates there are few things in your chart which is tend to be not so positive and i don't want to be sugar coated about anything.

You have venus in 1st house in both D1 and D9 chart. You Are blessed with sensuality and magnetism. You may enjoy surrounding yourself with beauty and you may have talent for creating Aesthetically pleasing Environments.

You may possess venusian qualities in you as for career you may be naturally skilled in being beautician, business related to beauty, entertainment industry etc.( some celebrities have placement as venus in 1st house).

You may be creative and Artistic when it come to mindset. You may have qualities of being creative, talented and skillful in your work.

you have jupiter Exalted in cancer sign it will give sound financial position to you, Especially as age increase. Intelligent, wealthy and well-Read Dignified Person.

You have moon debilitated in scorpio sign and Mercury debilitated in pieces sign. Two or more planet in debilitation in your chart you might face many difficulties and issues in life.

Moon and Mars Conjunction in Navamsa Chart Indicates Gynecological problems in women and Blood related problems in Men.

Moon debilitated in scorpio you may feel isolated from your parents.

With Rahu and Saturn Conjunction you may succeed in foreign lands because Rahu represents Foreign Culture Or Different Culture and Saturn Is planet of separation, so you can easily Separate From Your Home land and can get Success in Foreign Lands.

Saturn Rahu Conjunction in Navamsa also known as Shani-Rahu Yuti In Navamsa (shrapit yoga) or shrapit dosha Gives Problems in stability that never comes in life.

This shows some past bad deed this yoga came in this birth and sometimes this yoga gives Paranormal experiences also.

You have 7th Ruler in 1st house and your d1 Darakaraka is also in 1st house of Navamsa so you may marry someone you may know from childhood.

Your Navamsa Darakaraka is Moon and its sits in 8th house you may meet your fs unexpectedly or when you lost something in your life.

Saturn-Rahu conjunction in navamsa indicates foreigner spouse.

Hey dear please take only what resonates i am still learning and in the end Karma plays big roles in our lifes Be kind to others, help who in needs, stay humble, trust universe, be patient and always love yourself.❤🧿

#vedic astrology #astrology #vedic astrology learning #vedic chart #Navamsa Chart #vedic navamsa chart #vedic birth chart

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anakinskywalkerog · 2 years ago

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omg no way tumblr never bothered to tell me you replied. plus why is nothing showing up in my following feed??? a bone to pick for next time ig

ahaha i missed this too you're so good with advice! ❤ and thank you hehe i have been informed the new pfp it a character calld lust from an anime called fullmetal alchemist, but i just like the aesthetic

it really is and thank youuuuu! im sure it will! *sends ✨good luck✨*

hmm i dont wanna obsess over han at all, because first of all, ELI! that would be unfair. and han is sort of crazy, anyways. i am listening to i can see you from speak now tv but i shouldnt because it reminds me of han. it also reminds me of anakin. very anakincore track. i cant help it though, i can see you is so good, although it gives more of a reputation vibe than speak now tbh. still love it anyways and thank mother taylor for it. are you enjoying speak now tv? what's your favourite track? i think im enjoying mine, mean and back to december, but everything is ofc v nice! wish we had a mine pop mix tv and some more beat to enchanted, but its perfect as it is!

yess "there will be plenty more guys 😂 trust me." that's exactly what i thought, too! like, he's here now, but someday there's going to be someone else EXACTLY like that. although it might not be so bad if i did make a decision influenced by him because he and i have a similar objective - physics/engineering degree at oxford/cambridge so its a win-win no matter which way i go ig. plus we're academic rivals. competition is the norm for us. but about intrigue with han...

"oh? whos your friend? (i asked han to pose for one of my snaps hehe) is this friend good-looking?"

... dude? like, WHAT? that sounds like pretty blatant flirting to me.

but lets not forget that once we were in the corridor and bro leaned in super close (keep in mind this was months ago and this was in the middle of like 15 other people anyways) and i leaned away out of reflex 😂 i think he looked at me later with a very patronizingly disappointed

kinda expression. i think that was a test, and i failed miserably but thats fine 💀

eli really is we even have loads of similar interests!

yw and sameee! it is hehe she even send me memes and is a pedro pascal stan (as she should. pedro pascal is an icon. love him) ! very happy with that

oh no, is everything okay? can i do anything to help? if it helps, my life is only peaceful because i am in isolation from all friends, hehe i need time to regenerate. i am an ambivert at heart. my extrovert meter needs to recharge lmaooo

also, a part of me wonders if cranberry is mad at me? basically, he aksed me to write a steamy story abt him and han (thyre best friends) and didnt want his gf to find out incase she thought he was weird (bro she already does. shes ur gf. she knows what weird she signed up for smh)

anyways i made a small oopsie. i asked some people to critique it for me, and one of those poeple may have been the girl from my diary, whos friends with cranberry's gf, and who previously told machete i liked him when i wanted it to be a scret and explicitly told her so, and the one who i knew cannot be trusted with secrets because she will tell someone and lie about it 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

anyways cranberry was annoyed (and understandably so.) he said his gf was mad at him (impossible - if she was, shed be mad at ME first cos thats how women are. better than revenge is living proof. but she isnt! ) and i get it, but then people stop being mad, right? i mean, ive been really mad at him too, for a variety of reasons. i forgave him though and he didnt even apologize like i did! but he seemed normal at prom perhaps a bit icy? a guy friend told me im overthinkinngit and while he may have been annoyed it doesnt mean hd stop being friends with me or anything, and that he definitely wouldnt stay mad because its not a big deal.

but i texted him cranberry with a pretty obvious joke and he didnt even find it funny??? like thats HIS sort of joke??? how does he ot find that funny??? my friend says he must be mad then, but says theres the chance he just didnt find it funny?

like, i get it, but i want to make amends! and i wont even see cranberry in person so i can never tell. but if he was mad, he wouldve blocked me, or left me on delivered, or just opened. but he even sees my stories n stuff!

plus his friends would be mad if something happened. like guys are super gangy like that. but his friends are not mad at all, like han and this other guy are totally normal and no one sad that. even when han brought it up the day after the whole thing, he didnt imply it was serious and just dropped it after joking around abt it.

my friend did say if i was friends with cranberrys friends, it doesnt mean they have to be mad, but what if cranberry and his gf broke up over something as stupid as a joke???? and it was my fault??? i would feel awful and i cant even tell or say sorry.

nor can i ask han over text cos then hed tell cranberry and itd be weird. and i cant ask eli cos i dont want to set a bad rep.

he texted about it and i delved into a tiny argument he said its fine but "just think more next time". i think he and han both know i didnt mean for this to happen and that it was a genuine accident, but people gte hurt over things even if they know it wasnt meant to hurt them. shoulve said no is proof of this.

but they did send me a video of them reading the story together [cranberry and his friends, it was han who filmed (i did ask them to film their reaction)] and cranberry was cracking up as he read it! if he was mad he wouldve abandoned it. but they sill seemed to love it. surely if cranberry was mad at me, then that wouldnt have happened?

jesus christ, thats LONG. i apologize for troubling you, i didnt think itd get this long! its just been on my mind :( ironically it happened yesterday just after i was so happy. ugh. boys are awful

yes haha thank youuu :) if you're okay with my constant somewhat accidental drama dumps, i definitely will :D

love you and stay safe x

hi sythe so sorry it took me so long to respond to this!

I hope all is well with Eli. but GIRL have I been listening to “I Can See You” sooooo much it’s literally the delulu girl anthem! I love it. having a little crush on Han just adds some spice!! there’s nothing wrong with a little seasoning to an otherwise boring existence 😂

I am okay 🩵 just really been struggling with my OCD lately. I hope it gets better soon.

no fuckinf WAY cranberry asked you to write a steamy story!!? girl that is NOT platonic. what are these men doing out here 😂😂😂😂 but I agree, very unlikely that he is mad at you

I love the drama dumps, I wish we could vent together for real because I have been ALL over the place with my drama lately 😅 but it’s fine, it adds the comedy. i’m watching my own life like a work of absurdism. I would absolutely recommend that strategy.

#answered asks

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worldofedd · 3 months ago

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Dandy's World Verse

I know I haven't done much with this blog in a while, blame the Dandy's World hyperfixation. So why not make a verse for it?

It might be a bit of a reader, so see under the "read more"

Edd

"Edd is Poppy's carefree and fun-loving older brother that rarely misses an opportunity to make a pun. He is a certified cola fiend, he just can't get enough of it! Just don't expect him to share some with you..." - Information Card

Eddie "Edd" Sarsaparilla is an adult Toon that's a cola bubble, as well as Poppy's older brother.

Stats

Rank: Main Health: ❤❤ Skill Check: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars (Size 200/Value 2.5) Movement Speed: ⭐⭐⭐ Stars (Walk 15//Sprint 25) Stamina: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars (200) Stealth: ⭐⭐ Stars (5) Extraction Speed: ⭐⭐ Stars (0.85)

Abilities

Drink Break Active This toon can completely replenish his stamina with a soda. Has a cooldown of 90

Speedy Edd-scape Passive This toon receives a 15% speed boost when seen by a Twisted. Does not stack. His speed is reduced back to normal when out of sight.

Tom

"Tom is just as if not more sour than his cousin Zester*. But he's not afraid to get silly when he wants to. Deep inside, he does truly care for his friends. He just won't be the first to admit that." - Information Card.

Tom the Pineapple is an adult Toon, as well as Zester's cousin. Also he really doesn't like the Christmas toons for some reason...

Stats

Rank: Uncommon Health: ❤❤❤ Skill Check: ⭐⭐ (Size 100/Value 1.5) Movement Speed: ⭐⭐⭐ (Walk 15/Sprint 25) Stamina: ⭐⭐⭐ (150) Stealth: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (15) Extraction Speed: ⭐⭐⭐ (1.00)

Ability

Harpoon Active Tom uses his harpoon to pull himself towards a machine’s targeted position from a long distance. Has a cooldown of 35

*Zester is one of my Dandy's World OCs. He's a lemon.

Matt

"If there's one thing Matt loves more than anything; It's himself. He may not be the brightest bat in the cave either, but he's always happy to help a friend in need!" - Information Card

Matt the Bat is an adult Toon. Matt is friendly with Glisten...even though he has a bad habit of staring at Glisten's face.

Stats

Rank: Uncommon Health: ❤❤❤ Skill Check: ⭐⭐⭐ (Size 150/Value 2) Movement Speed: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Walk 20/Sprint 30) Stamina: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars (175) Stealth: ⭐⭐ Stars (5) Extraction Speed: ⭐ (0.75)

Ability

Not the Face! Passive Upon being hit by a Twisted, this Toon will not lose a heart. Instead, the Twisted will have their movement speed decreased by 10% for the duration of the floor. Only works once per floor.

Tord

"If you need something fixed, Tord's can get it done in a jiffy! He's not the most talkative (or the most careful) but his loyalty holds true no matter what." - Information Card

Tord the Robot is an adult toon. And no he's not related to Vee /gen /srs

Stats

Rank: Rare Health: ❤❤❤ Skill Check: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Size 250/Value 3) Movement Speed: ⭐ (Walk 10/Sprint 20) Stamina: ⭐⭐⭐ (175) Stealth: ⭐⭐ (10) Extraction Speed: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (1.20)

Tord also produces light during blackouts, specifically red light.

Ability

Bombs Away! Active This toon throws down a smoke bomb, making a Twisted that’s chasing him to lose interest for 5 seconds. Has a cooldown of 60.

Blaze

"You'll never find a Toon that loves spooky things or food as much as Blaze. Sure she can be a little off-putting to others, but she adores her friends more than anything else in the world." - Information Card

Blaze the Flame is an adult toon. She's also a witch and a holiday Toon (for Halloween). But unlike the other Holiday Toons, she actually doesn't isolate herself that much. When Halloween is over, Blaze just slipped into the shadows, taking what she needed, and meeting other Toons in private.

Though of course after the Gardenview Center closed, Blaze has no need to do that anymore, so she doesn't.

Stats

Rank: Rare Health: ❤❤❤ Skill Check: ⭐⭐ (Size 100/Value 1.5) Movement Speed: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (17.5) Stamina: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (175) Stealth: ⭐⭐⭐ (15) Extraction Speed: ⭐⭐ (0.85)

Blaze also produces light during blackouts, specifically orange light.

Ability

Toil and Trouble Active This toon places a random curse on the Twisted closest to her. Slowing them down, freezing them in place, or rendering them blind for 8 seconds. Has a cooldown of 70.

#{ Verse | Dandy’s World 🌼 }#{ Verse | Dandy’s World (Pre-Shutdown) 🌼 }#{ Verse | Dandy’s World (Showverse) 🌼 }

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thatonejimster915 · 8 months ago

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Hello.

I hope this message finds you well. I know this might seem strange and a bit random, and I feel embarrassed coming to you like this, but I wanted to reach out to you for help. My name is AshleymilesPhil, and I am a queer refugee currently living in Gorom refugee camp in South Sudan. I originally fled Uganda because living as an openly queer person there meant living in fear of persecution and violence. Unfortunately, the struggles have only intensified as I’ve moved from one refugee camp to another, and now I’m reaching out to you with a request for your help—yes, for help, but it may not necessarily be about money.

I represent a group of LGBTIQ refugees who, like me, fled persecution in search of safety. After leaving Uganda, I arrived at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where I hoped to find refuge. Instead, we faced violence, harassment, and hostility. LGBTIQ refugees in these camps are isolated and targeted simply for being who we are. We had no choice but to continue searching for safety, which eventually led me and others to Gorom camp in South Sudan.

In Gorom, our situation remains desperate. The anti-LGBTIQ laws here are brutal, and we live under the constant threat of violence and persecution. The hardships we face go far beyond that—starvation, lack of medical care, and a daily struggle for basic survival. We are battling a variety of diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), cholera, malaria, and typhoid, coupled with the homophobic daily persecutions we endure. Many of us are living with HIV/AIDS and cannot access the necessary medication, and some have even lost their lives because of this. Our community members are being killed, while others remain victims of severe persecution.

We desperately need the world to know that we exist. We have been silenced for too long, and we lack the platforms to reach out for help and support. Our voices are not being heard, and the global community is largely unaware of what we are enduring. We need help to survive, and we need allies to stand with us during this crisis.

I am humbly asking if you would consider using your platform to tell our story. By writing a blog post about our struggles, you can help us break the silence and raise awareness of the persecution and challenges we face as queer refugees in East Africa. With more visibility, we hope that people around the world will offer their support, whether by spreading our story or encouraging others to take action.

Please know that your efforts could make a real difference in our lives. If you need further information or personal stories from those affected, I am more than willing to provide them. We are counting on people like you to help bring our voices to the world.

Thank you for taking the time to consider our request. Your support would mean everything to us in these incredibly difficult times.

Warm regards,

AshleymilesPhil

LGBTIQ Refugee, EAST AFRICA.

Sharing this ❤

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homatantranslations · 2 years ago

Text

Lots of Places I Want to Go Okamura Homare (23.12.05)

Hello

I'm Okamura Homare🌼

Thank you very much for your likes and comments ⸜❤︎⸝‍

All of your warm comments are my motivation´`*

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

I posted some photos to! Instagram of my new costume from YokoAre on the 29th so take a look okay💛

Here

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 岡村ほまれ/モーニング娘。'23 (@homare__okamura.official)

instagram

Things like soy sauce are still irritating my throat too much to eat

But！！

On the 29th an collaboration between Opanchu-chan and Sushiro-san began、so I wanna go really soon-chamu〜

（Recently Gobi has been adding - chamu to the end of words and Homatan is obsessed)

I can't go outside while I'm self-isolating、so me and my dad rented a horror movie to watch together！！

Making the room dark made it feel like we were at the cinema 🎦

It was really interesting👻

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

T/N News and information has not been translated

┈┈┈┈┈

Homasha

I loved my makeup on this day🎀🩷

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

HoMataneー

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lenoresimpact · 3 years ago

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Scaramouche's relationship with singing (headcanons)

Hello! As I announced few days ago, I decided to write some headcanons about Scaramouche’s singing abilities. I found his boss fight theme really inspiring and even though his Chinese VA is not the one singing in the track, the main voice surely resembles our beloved motherless gremlin. Have fun and feel free to leave a request if you want more headconons from me!

Contains: Spoilers of Scaramouche’s past. Fluff/angst. + BONUS reader insert! It’s pretty SFW but if you find some parts triggering, please inform me about it!

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉

❤ Scaramouche's nickname The Balladeer wasn't incidental. Though no one ever teached him the art of music, he has a natural capability of controlling his voice in a flawless way. The thing is that he wasn’t aware of his gift when he was born.

❤ It’s hard to tell if he owed his talent to his mother’s good will. Ei never really talked to him and she simply thought of him as an experiment named Kunikuzushi. His main purpose was to store her Electro Gnosis if he could bear it, but due to his delicate nature Kunikuzushi wasn’t suitable for this role. His other predispositions were useless in her eyes, so she wasn't interested in observing them. She gave him a freedom without any clues about his strong points. He knew only about his weaknesses. Ei simply rejected him, believing she was doing him a favor.

❤ On the other hand Kunikuzushi was indeed a beautiful, divine creation. His outward beauty reflected his pure nature. He wasn't in posession of a high self-awareness, but he had a great emotional sensitivity. He seemed eccentric to ordinary people, but he was very eager to live among them and learn to coexist peacefully.

❤ At first, how could he even know what singing was? One day, however, he heard a song coming out of one of the Inazuman houses. He was interested in how people modulated sound and why they did it. Sometimes they sounded happy but sometimes the sounds seemed terribly sad. There was probably some greater meaning in it, unknown to the wandering puppet.

❤ One summer day, when his friend Katsuragi went to fetch some water, Kunikuzushi started playing with his voice while working in the field. These were his first attempts to imitate human action of singing. He surprisingly enjoyed the results of his efforts and got so into it that he couldn't notice when Katsuragi returned. Initially, yoriki himself wasn't eager to interrupt the puppet's secret performance. He hid in a nearby bush and listened to natural, spontaneous tones of extremely pure timbre. They were filled with melancholy from another world.

❤ When Kunikuzushi fell silent, Katsuragi came out of the bush. Seeing his purple haired friend's embarrassment, he apologized for the sneaky behavior and immediately praised his skills. Kunikuzushi found the answer to his questions in this event. For now he knew what singing was and why people sang sometimes. It was simply admirable! Maybe such a skill could pull him closer to them? Since humans loved him for singing, maybe it was possible that his mother would also appreciate it as well? What if she heard his voice just once? Who knows, maybe she would be more willing to take him under her wing again... At least humans loved when their young ones were singing, right? It mostly meant they were happy.

❤ From then on, Kunikuzushi hummed sweet songs more often to make his friend's work more pleasant. Sometimes he also received praise from other villagers when they suggested that he could earn great amounts of Mora thanks to his voice. However, he perceived it as too materialistic approach to his abilities.

❤ The Puppet's songs were nostalgic and sad. The lyrics often featured Ei's misty silhouette more or less directly between the verses. Kunikuzushi lived with the naive hope that perhaps one day the wind would take his words to his mother, but it was surely not going to happen, especially since she isolated herself from the outside world.

❤ After Katsuragi's "betrayal", Kunikuzushi stopped singing for a while. He had no one to sing to. Only later he sang to himself in the intention to lessen his feeling of loneliness on the roads of Inazuma. After all, this way he attracted one of the local orphan's attention. The child seemed similiar to Kunikuzushi, since they shared poverty and loneliness, as well as the ability to see the world through the heart lenses.

❤ The little friend often asked Kunikuzushi to sing, but they also wanted to listen happier songs. The doll quickly learned cheerful children's chants. Very soon Kunikuzushi was able to make up his own songs and dance to them with kids during the day. It was a happy time which allowed him to believe that he could have a real value in someone's eyes once more.

❤ At night Kunikuzushi would bring back his sad songs with which he lulled the child to sleep. His velvety, warm voice comforted the kid in the darkness of the night and soothed the suffering that accompanied the progress of terminal illness. Although Kunikuzushi saw sickness and slow death for the first time from such a close perspetive, he believed that just being there was enough to keep a little human by his side. Unfortunately, it turned out again that this wasn't enough.

❤ After the death of his little friend, Kunikuzushi decided to get rid of his sensitive identity. He stopped singing not because he never saw beauty in it. He just discovered it's uselessness. A trivial singing couldn't give him a permanent place beside someone.

❤ Singing was bringing his feelings to the daylight. He had a void in his chest that he wanted to fill with pure anger and strength. He wanted to destroy the weak Kunikuzushi persona in him.

❤ As Scaramouche, the puppet stopped singing because the human worms around him were not worthy of it. They would't return the honor of listening to him, and since he couldn't gain anything permanent with this pitiful talent, it was just useless for the fearsome Sixth Harbringer. His singing abilities were just one of the legends in the Fatui, since no one ever heard him singing there.

❤ The exception to this resolution was Scaramouche's song during the duel with Traveller and Lesser Lord Kusanali. The Balladeer ran away from Fatui and now he was the one to estabilish his power over the people. As the new god, he intended to obtain honors and glory by force. His last song was supposed to be a Psalm of the Victory, but it was actually an old cry hidden deep inside his hollow chest.

❤ It was a powerful swan's song before it's next death.

BONUS! (reader insert)

❤ Scaramouche's beliefs that grew around his own memories made him lock himself from trusting anyone. He wouldn’t be eager to sing for your entertainment, but if you questioned him about the sources of his nickname, he probably would mumble something about trivial activities in his younger days.

❤ Scara would be annoyed if you asked if he would ever sing for you. You shouldn't push him to give any performances, even in private.

❤ However, it is possible that when you get close to each other, you will sometimes catch him involuntarily humming for a few seconds when you’re alone together. It's best to appreciate his voice silently, without any comments which would interrupt him or make him focus directly on what he’s doing. He wouldn’t want to act cute willingly. Your silence at this moment would maintain a safe atmosphere between both of you. At the end the most important thing is that you can simply be yourself together.

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veronika-tserber · 2 years ago

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Hi, <33 I don’t know if you still do requests but here’s my info: October 16th 2004 11:20 am linköping Sweden. Sorry if I happened to be late! I hope you have an amazing day🖤

Hey, sweetheart! :)) Thank you!

The Data:

2nd house in Sagittarius

Pluto in the 2H

Pluto square Venus

Pluto sextile Sun

Jupiter in the 12H

Jupiter conjunct MC

Jupiter trine Neptune

Neptune in the 4H

Neptune trine Mars

Neptune inconjunct Venus

Air and Water Dominance, Lack of Fire, and Earth

I use the Whole Signs system! :)

Firstly, if you don’t know what Sabian Symbols are, please check my post HERE. ❤

Your 2nd house in Sagittarius tells me that your income and stability in life are closely linked to your beliefs about the world in some way. The two rulers, Jupiter and Neptune, are placed in the 12th and 4th houses, and they also trine each other in the Air signs. There is definitely a focus on the unseen realms of life, but I will need more information before I make any assumptions.

Jupiter in the 12H is a highly spiritual placement, and Jupiter feels comfortable here. You can possibly make money through your spirituality or healing abilities. The theme of this placement has to do with the need to develop your faith and trust in life - your intuition is your best compass. It’s at a Cancer degree, and the Sabian Symbol is called “A Group of Young People Sit in a Spiritual Communion Around a Campfire”. That made me smile! As I said, it’s a spiritual placement, and it further talks about your desire to connect with like-minded individuals who share your beliefs and values. It doesn’t matter whether you connect in person or on the Internet - it seems like are simply called to find your tribe! Jupiter in Libra natives have a strong need to form meaningful relationships and paired with this Cancer degree, the nurturing and emotionally satisfying role of these bonds is amplified. On the other hand, be wary of becoming too dependent on other people’s company and approval. It can definitely be the case with the Libra/Cancer combo.

With Jupiter in the 12H, there could be feelings of isolation and alienation because of your spiritual beliefs and views on life, but know that you aren’t alone. As I said, there are people out there who will gladly sit around your shared “campfire”, and keep you company. On the other hand, your friends don't have to be humans. This Jupiter grants you the powerful support of your spirit guides, and you can greatly benefit when you take the time to commune with them through art, meditation, or other spiritual practice. Find what works for you. This dialogue with your Soul is key to your abundance and blessings in life, as well as your 2H of values, money, self-worth, and stability in life.

Neptune, the modern ruler of your 2H, sits in your 4H of home, family, inner psychological foundation, and roots. This can definitely signify success in the field of psychology or hypnotherapy. It’s also at a Pisces degree, and the Sabian is called “People on a Vast Staircase, Graduated Upwards”. I feel like you might have grown up in an environment where your parents (or other caretakers) had many prejudices when it comes to social class and one’s place in the system. There could have been racial and other forms of prejudice, as well. Generally, Neptune in the 4H points to instability, possible losses, and confusion in regard to one's roots. Your inner foundation might be weak and I feel like you could lack confidence and trust in your own sense of direction in life, as a result of that.

Listening to outside influences and "authorities" can lead you off your path - your task is to find the authority within yourself, and to surround yourself with friends and groups of people that support your growth and individuality. You are relatively young, though, but even if you weren’t - the advice is not to worry! As I said, you have a powerful inner compass and intuition, and if you take the time to keep in touch with your inner spiritual support, as well as your physical community, your inner faith and self-confidence will strengthen.

As a result of your conditioning and early upbringing, you can be prone to comparing yourself to others, especially in regard to your social status. You might have also been taught to divide and judge people by their social status. Worrying about your own position on the metaphorical “staircase” isn’t conducive to your prosperity or spiritual growth, though. You might need to learn how to move in life with faith and be okay with knowing only your next immediate step. However, there definitely is nothing wrong with being motivated to climb the social ladder and achieve material success.

But once again, your success will greatly depend on your ability to follow your inner wisdom and spiritual path and think of the highest good of all, as opposed to being relentless, and doing anything you can to stay ahead of others. Jupiter also conjuncts your Midheaven, which is your highest calling in this lifetime, as well as your public persona and image. Essentially, this is what people want to see from you - someone who communicates their beliefs with love and compassion and has a deep reserve of spiritual wisdom.

Now, let’s look at Pluto. Pluto in Sagittarius in the 2H can definitely point to having strong philosophical beliefs and opinions in regard to money. Your Soul wants to evolve by learning tough lessons about money, stability, self-worth, and health. You can be holding onto deep subconscious beliefs that sabotage your growth in life. Essentially, there is a need for a major overhaul or change in your attitude toward the material world and your values in life. You will be asked to transform these values into something more authentic. If you have self-worth issues, they will be brought into the light, as well.

Pluto is the ruler of your Scorpio South Node in the 1H, which speaks of your past lives, and intuitively, I hear the word “survivor”. You might have learned a lot about your personal strength and ability to overcome critical situations such as death/scarcity, and now you are here to revisit these lessons, decide how you can use their gifts in a practical way, and let go of the stuff that doesn't serve your current reality anymore. Pluto here can signify amassing great wealth and power, but they might not come easily. The planet is at a Scorpio degree, and the Sabian is called “In Winter People are Cutting Ice From a Frozen Pond for Summer Use”. Interesting. As I said, the word “survivor” might be the one to accurately describe who you’ve had to be in the past. As a result of this, you have learned the value of planning ahead, preparing for tough times, and using what's available to make it through difficult situations.

My advice would be to use your skills and talents for managing money and resources to your advantage - you can be a great banker, for example. In its lower vibration, Pluto can make you obsessed, controlling, or greedy when it comes to money. You might be faced with many difficulties and losses of stability in life, so you can learn detachment.

Pluto sextiles your Sun. The Sun is at an Aquarius degree, and the Sabian is called “Chanticleer’s Voice Heralds the Rising Sun with Enthusiastic Tones”. Paired with your Scorpio Mercury at 0 degrees (which is quite special) in your 1H, and your strong Neptune, the message becomes clear - you have a really strong intuition when it comes to money, and you can be great at financial analysis, predicting the movements of the stock markets or doing analysis for large corporations and businesses. The “chanticleer” is a symbol of someone who “wakes” other people up and warns them about potential pitfalls or urges them to make a certain move.

Your past lives have taught you to think ahead and take into account the state of the politics and the economy of the world, and you have successfully used these skills to survive difficult times. Pluto supports this "chanticleer" role, and your Sun also rules your 10H of career, so you can definitely climb the social ladder with these particular skills. However, make sure you don’t become greedy, competitive, or someone who tends to put people in “boxes” and casts.

Pluto squares your Venus. Venus is at a Taurus degree (which is also considered a lucky one in Astrology, and it can bring potential wealth if you manage to use the planet’s gifts.) The Sabian is “Finely Lettered Names and Mysterious Lines are Seen; It is a Family Tree”. This speaks of your connection to your family tree and established traditions. You can draw great power from your ancestors’ wealth of knowledge and wisdom. However, it is a square, after all, so I feel like you are either really attached to your roots, or you may wish to break away from them. Since Venus is also placed in the 11H, this speaks of feeling like your family is found among your friends and the groups of people who share your ideals and work on shared causes with you. As I said, I feel like you are physically or emotionally disconnected from your roots and birth family.

Venus in Virgo is highly practical, helpful, and service-oriented, and in the house of social service, you could be devoted to serving your community or society and "the people" in a practical and reliable way. When we pair this with the meaning of your 2H Pluto, it can mean using your understanding of finances/resources to help others survive or get ahead in life. With Venus in Virgo, you can also be fond of analyzing charts, diagrams, and statistics, which fits the "financial analyst" role well.

Neptune aspects your Venus as well, and the inconjunction usually shows difficulties and “awkwardness” between the planets involved. I feel like your roots and family history can certainly be unclear to you, as there might not be a lot of information about your ancestors. However, your Venus at 14 degrees can potentially bring you blessings and wealth, so perhaps you can do some digging, and find out more about your family tree and even national traditions and history (Neptune rules our bloodline, but also our home country). There might be hidden power waiting to be discovered there.

Lastly, I will look at your Neptune trine Mars for some additional guidance. Your Mars is at a Pisces degree, and its Sabian is called “Miners are Emerging from a Deep Coal Mine”. This placement, considering that it’s also in your 12H, is all about doing shadow work. The “coal mine” is a symbol of your own inner world and subconscious mind, where you have been laboring and doing quite a lot of digging to find gold and precious gems. It does speak about working behind the scenes, and since Mars is the planet of your will to act in the physical world, you might have been rather passive in the physical world, but extremely active on an inner level.

You might’ve been searching for your Soul's abundance for many lifetimes now, and now you are at a point where you can finally stop and take a break. However, you might have gone really deep, and paired with the foggy influence of Neptune, you can feel quite confused and disoriented when it comes to your personal power, will, and desires. It has a similar meaning to the Neptune/Jupiter trine. However, the trine also shows a talent that you can readily use now, and it has to do with the great spiritual insights you have found. Now, the question is, how can you help others find their own inner gold, as well? This is a great aspect if you want to work as a psychologist, hypnotherapist, counselor, or anyone who helps others reach a deeper level of self-awareness and insight. Don’t forget that Neptune is the modern ruler of your 2H, and Pluto in the 2H can also point to working as a psychologist, energy healer, detective, or researcher.

Anyways, this is what I see for you! I hope you found it to be valuable, and I wish you a great day/night! <3

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