#lu 1 year contest

[doitforthelentilsoup]

My entry for @moosemann404’s art contest! Based on scene from Ch 9.

[jkampart]

@moosemann404 my submission for the Learned Unhelpfulness contest, this fanfic has had me in a chokehold for the past year I swear to God.

[mothgomery]

@moosemann404 Here's my submission for LU 1 year contest.

I never make fan art, but you have inspired me, please continue to fuel my portal 2 addiction

[moosemann404]

Learned Unhelpfulness is one (1) year old today (+ contest announcement at the end)

And we have not made it out of the fuck ass mines, shit-

Wow! What a ride so far! I’ve decided to mark the occasion because fuck it! I do what I want! (I could have finished but school said no.)

Let’s look at some stats to see how far we’ve come!

Since starting I have gained:

2,508 hits

150 kudos (wow!)

222 comments (about half are my own replies shhh)

27 public bookmarks

And written over 100k words, 98.5k of which are published! Wowie!!

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

Fanart shout out to:

@underhell69 who knocked my socks off with their short comic on chapter 4

@beanzabear for the little explosion of artwork they drew, and also this little boy kisser ass comic

@shr00mie-rat for a short animatic and beautiful thumbnails

@aerosolsprite for a wonderful little comic based on exile, vilify and a few doodles

And @sciencewife for this lovely fanart from Doug Rattmann appreciation day!

Big thank you to @byrdffv for leaving a bunch of mammoth comments that have inspired me to continue writing even when things got tough

Mega thank you to user starj3lly on ao3, not only the first person to comment and kudos, but also commenting on every chapter thus far! AND making lovely beautiful fanart you can look at here and here!

And the biggest most hugest most AMAZING WONDERFUL THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to @seven-gill. Not only have you been the best beta reader and friend a moose could dream of, but you’re also to blame for the crime of asking politely if we could play portal 2 co-op together. How dare you enable my nonsense, I love you. You are mostly the target audience (sorry everyone else)

What else? Oh yeah, that contest I mentioned up above.

I wanted to do something special, anniversary and all, and I figured since I seem to have so many artists reading, why not an art contest? The rules are simple:

- any scene or image or moment from the current 13 chapters you want to draw, go for it.

- it can be in color or black and white, digital or physical (as long as the picture quality is decent aka I can tell what I’m looking at), there’s NO limit to medium or style or what have you. Shit make it pointillism if you want, who am I to stop you? (I trust you all to be smart cookies and not use AI though)

- MUST be posted to tumblr. I do not have any other social media, and it’s important for the image to have a grabbible url for something later. Mention me in the post or use the tag #lu 1 year contest

- Submissions must be made before March 25th. Winner will be announced March 29th (that Saturday).

The winner will have their work featured in the fic and I’ll link your tumblr in the end authors note (if/when I figure out how, god I’m so old person using technology sometimes). Though I will absolutely reblog everyone’s work because damn you, I know it’s all going to be beautiful.

I’m so extremely nervous about doing this because I know I’m going to disintegrate if I get zero submissions. I will die of embarrassment. You’ll never see me agaaaiinn.

Thank you all for a wonderful year of this thing I created on a whim. It’s been a blast and I look forward to sharing the rest with you when I actually sit down and write the damn thing.

- Moose <3

[moosemann404]

ACTUALLY GNAWING ON YHE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE SPRINGINT AOINRD IN A CIRLCE

IM GONNA BLOW UP

THIS IS SO COOL. YOURE SO COOL WTF???

Me And My Husband || Learned Unhelpfulness animation

this was REALLY fun to make, AND i made it in a total of 9 hours!

Come get breakfast @moosemann404!

[prozd]

my favorite things this year

Best Games I Played in 2024

Balatro

2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

3. Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit

4. Final Fantasy VI

5. The Walking Dead: The Final Season

6. Celeste

7. Portal 2

8. Yakuza 4

9. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

10. Yohane the Parhelion: Numazu in the Mirage

Best Shows I Watched in 2024

Delicious in Dungeon

2. Pluto

3. Game Changer

4. Sound! Euphonium 3

5. Pokemon Concierge

6. The Apothecary Diaries

7. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

8. Vinland Saga 2

9. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

10. Skip and Loafer

Best Movies I Watched in 2024

Blue Giant

2. The Bad Guys

3. Klaus

4. Lu Over the Wall

5. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

6. Wolfwalkers

7. Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble Contest

8. Ringing Bell

9. Wicked

10. Suzume

Best Board Games I Played in 2024

1. Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West

2. Charterstone

3. Slay the Spire: The Board Game

4. The King's Dilemma

5. Dune Imperium: Uprising

6. Thunder Road: Vendetta

7. Bullet <3

8. Clever 4Ever

9. Ubongo 3D

10. Loopin' Louie

[numberoneacetrappolafan]

My TWST OC

Lucette Delcroix, One of my Yuusonas

I. Identity

> Based off of | Cinderella

> Nickname(s) |

Mademoiselle Citrouille(Rook)

Koi Fishy(Floyd)

Luce(First Years)

Lu(Everyone)

Princess(Ramshackle Ghosts)

Pumpkin(Vil)

> Age | 16

> Gender | Female

> Sexuality | Bisexual

> Pronouns | She/Fae

> Dormitory | Ramshackle

> Grade, Class, and Seat | 1-A, Seat 26

> Voice Claim | White Lily Cookie -Cookie Run Kingdom

> Theme song | Sing Sweet Nightingale

II. Appearance

> Eye Colour | Blue

> Body Build | Thin, very dainty

> Height | 167.64 cm | 5'6

> Magicless

IV. Personality

> Positive Traits | Kind, gentle, hardworking, clean, proactive, witty, romantic, and humble

> Negative Traits | Anxious, Naive, self sacrificing, too obedient, non-confrontational, and fearful

> Likes | Bubbles, pumpkin pie, dancing, singing, animals, Sebeks smile, dreams, horse riding, romance, and sewing

> Dislikes | Her Step mother and step sisters, being yelled at, uncleanliness, laziness, Constantly losing her shoes, and mistreatment

> Hobbies | Cooking, dancing, singing, horseback riding, teaching Sebek how to dance, and daydreaming

> Fears | Her stepmother and stepsisters, failure, making mistakes, and losing her friends

> Pet Peeves | Mistreatment, people overlooking her, and Crowleys laziness

V. Extra

> Ambidextrous | Dominant Hand

> Club | Newspaper club

> Favourite Food | Pumpkin Pie

> Least Favourite Food | Olives

> Best Subject | Music

VI. Relationships

Specifics

Sebek: Has a crush on her. Thinks shes the most stunning girl ever.

Floyd, Jade, Azul: Scared of her after she broke both Azul and Floyds noses. She was angry about the contracts and lost her cool.

Malleus and Lilia: She beat Malleus in an arm wrestling contest, and broke the table in the process.

Leona: Nap buddy.

Rollo: Had a small crush on her, not major.

Sam: She works at his shop part time, he's like an uncle to her

Trein: Ultimate Father Figure.

[bearterritory]

WE'VE (still) GOT THE AXE!!!

THE BIG GAME … – Was first played on a field on the corner of Haight and Stanyan Streets in San Francisco on March 19, 1892, was played twice that year (also Dec. 17), and has been played every year since other than 1915-17 (World War I) and 1943-45 (World War II). – Was the first game played in both Stanford Stadium (Nov. 19, 1921) and California Memorial Stadium (Nov. 24, 1923) with the Golden Bears winning both contests (42-7, 9-0). – Is the sixth-longest active running series between two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams and the second-longest in the West – The Golden Bears are going for their 4th win in a row over the Cardinal. Except for the pandemic season, Cal has held The Axe since 2019. – Has been decided on the final play five times including The Play - Cal's five-lateral, 57-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 1982 to give the Bears a 25-20 victory that is arguably the most iconic moment in college football history.   SENIOR DAY – Cal is slated to honor 30 seniors in a pregame ceremony Saturday before their final game at California Memorial Stadium with the list including Mavin Anderson, Jake Arguello, Hunter Barth, Teddye Buchanan, Kadarius Calloway, Xavier Carlton, Ryan Coe, Ricky Correia, Collin Gamble, Trond Grizzell, Marcus Harris, Lu-Magia Hearns III, Dylan Jemtegaard, Liam Johnson, Jeffrey Johnson, Matthew Littlejohn, Will McDonald, David Reese, Rush Reimer, Chandler Rogers, Nate Rutchena, T.J. Session, Victor Stoffel, Josh Stovall, Derek Wilkins, Miles Williams, Myles Williams, Nohl Williams, Lachlan Wilson and Craig Woodson.   2004 TEAM 20-YEAR REUNION – Cal's 2004 team led by head coach Jeff Tedford will celebrate its 20-year reunion and be honored at the 2024 Big Game. The 2004 squad was one of the best in school history, finishing with a 10-2 record to equal a school record in victories and ranking ninth in the final national polls.     CAL … – Will become bowl eligible with its next victory in 2024 to mark the first time Cal has been bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons since 2018 and 2019. – Despite its .500 record Cal has outscored opponents 283-207, with its five wins coming by an average of 20.6 points per game and its five losses by an average of 3.4 points per contest. – Features the ACC's top scoring defense (20.7 ppg) that is allowing 12.1 points per game fewer than the 32.8 it allowed in 2023. – Shares the national lead with 17 interceptions and is among the country's top 15 in a total of five team categories related to turnovers, also including turnover margin (3rd, +14, +1.40 per game), turnovers gained (T6th, 22), fumbles lost (T7th, 2) and turnovers lost (T13th, 8). – Is ranked in the top 40 nationally in a total of 19 team categories, including rushing defense (15th, 105.2 ypg), completion percentage (15th, 67.6), team sacks (17th, 2.90 spg), defensive touchdowns (T17th, 2), net punting (20th, 41.77 avg), blocked kicks (T20th, 2), team passing efficiency defense (21st, 112.88), punt return defense (24th, 4.46 ypr), passing offense (25th, 273.8 ypg), passes had intercepted (T29th, 6), scoring defense (33rd, 20.7 ppg), third-down conversion percentage defense (T33rd, 34.5%) and kickoff returns (T36th, 22.00). – Is 7-1-2 in the turnover battle with its first loss of the season against Syracuse when the Bears threw two interceptions and did not force any takeaways for only the fourth time in their last 48 contests.

[moosemann404]

Very understandable about the legs. Those bastards are hard. Also today I learned that weird hair dot has a name??? Teresin’

BUT WAAAAA YOU GOT IT DONE!!!!

aaaaaaand screeching in with a half hour to spare, it’s deco!

honestly i could color this but i like it better as a sketch. although if it were digital i could just sorta… scoot them a lil closer so it works. wheats looks perfect, dougie looks… passable.

IGNORE MY MISSPELLED WORD I AM EEPY

ref image under cut (EDIT: also a better shot of doug since the light is glaring off the graphite)

fun fact i never draw ahoges. idk smth about them just prickles me. i figured this weirdo looked good with one tho. also find it very funny how in the pic the lady looks all cool and rich and then in my art the very same pose is just. l deathnote. skringly skungly.

wheatley’s clothes hang off of him at the elbow btw.

this is the story of the legs in the drawing: once upon a time there were legs in the drawing. they looked like utter shit. the end.

@moosemann404

[somer-writes]

another month passes by

farewell to summer AND WELCOME FALL (fucking finally)

CAMPERS! START! YOUR! ENGINES!

it's time for.......

✨SOMERS DODECANNUAL MONTHLY BEATDOWN✨

september edition

SEPTEMBER 👏 WORD 👏 COUNT 👏: 50,058 WORDS TO Ao3

CURRENT 👏 WORD 👏 COUNT 👏: 927,728 WORDS ON Ao3

THE GOAL OF 1 MILLION IS WITHIN REACH!!!

(my mental health allowing)

WORKS (new/continued in September): 32!!!

MOST POPULAR: Memento Mori

IN REVIEW: ah september, the season of sickness. sicktember 2024 was a fun challenge! it was my fourth month long writing challenge completed in the past calendar year AND since joining this fandom. on top of the daily one-shots, we celebrated our dear and lovely @rebornofstars birthday this month! i wrote the boys having a spitting contest as a gift for bee! also, i continued Memento Mori, the sequel to Burial Rites (reader discretion advised)!

and speaking of burial rites! i used Barnes & Noble's publishing service to print a hard copy of my fic!

my father is reading it. pray for me.

UPDATES: i am was not planning on participating in whumptober 2024 as ive done 3 whump challenges in the last year! my brain could use a little breaksies. i might write for some of the prompts but we'll see! but fuck that i see prompts and i have a little cutesy chew toy blorbo who needs to be drawn and quartered out of love so fuck it

i will be using the AI-less prompt list for whumptober!

also! im finally free to participate in the @lu-community-write-a-thon starting 10/1 at 12 am PDT!

new works/chapters may be delayed whilst i handle some irl stuff, recharge, and play ECHOES OF WISDOM! im having such a fun time with it. old school zelda my beloved <3

ive also been playing pokemon violet and the new famicom detective game as of late. so many purple themed games.

i wish all of you a happy fall!

as always! ty so much for all the support!! i love reading all your comments, reblogs, tags, and whatever else! thank you everyone who reads, kudos, bookmarks, or comments on fics!! ily!!!

[melthed1saster]

Here's How I'd Fix S1 Ep5.5 of Link Click

I originally posted this outline on AO3 some time ago, but I wanted to share it here as well.

Link Click is one of my favorite animes/donghuas. For the most part, the show's writing is spectacular, but not everything is perfect. This is my attempt to constructively rewrite certain aspects of Episode 5.5 “Marrying by Contesting.” I’ve also reordered the episode to appear sooner in the series for a couple of reasons.

If someone has already figured this out, please feel free to add your thoughts and/or direct me to where this has already been said! I'd also love to hear your thoughts!

Warning: I haven't renewed my Crunchyroll subscription so I don't have access to screenshots right now, and the other sites I know of don't have Ep. 5.5 listed at all fsr.

Here’s how I’d rewrite this episode: 

1. (Timestamp: 8:36) Delete or rewrite this line calling the Nokia an “antique.” For instance, just change it to, “Put that away!” Let’s say CXS dived to the year 1990. This year is plausible for two reasons: Nokia phones were common, and Xu Wen has aged since then. Let’s also say that the current year in the present timeline is 2020. (Worldwide pandemics obviously do not exist in this world lmao) 

2. (Timestamp: 9:25) Remove this shot of Qiao Ling entirely. It could be a flashback, but it mostly looks like she’s watching them use their powers in real-time when she shouldn’t know about them. 

3. Change Xu Wen’s and Ouyang's present ages to approximately 50 years old, not 70-80. Change their appearances from all gray hair and hunched backs to brown hair with subtle grays. Making them look middle-aged makes the situation and timeline feel more believable. If they’re approx. 20 yrs old in 1990, they’d be approx. 50 yrs old in 2020. (Still a hella long time to stay unmarried because your gf’s dad beats you up every year lmao, but that’s the point.) 

4. Retitle/reorder Episode 5.5 to Episode 3 for two reasons. 

Reason 1: It wouldn’t suddenly interrupt the Doudou arc as an abrupt filler. 

Reason 2: The callbacks to Emma’s death make more sense and would line up like this:

Same — Episode 1 — “Emma”

Emma dies. 

Same — Episode 2 — “Secret Recipe”

CXS looks through noodle lesbian photos and asks, “I wonder… if we were ever to disagree, would we still be friends?” Lu Guang thinks back to the news of Emma’s death, but does not answer the question. 

Change — Episode 3 — “Marrying by Contesting”

Qiao Ling hears the news about the serial murders and wants to protect herself. She meets Xu Wen at the dojo and hears his story about how he’s fought his lover’s dad for approval for years. (Side note: Although she hears about the news, neither she nor CXS can know that Emma was one of the victims.) 

Change — Episode 4 — “To Lose, Not To Win”

The basketball episode becomes Ep. 4, not 3. Opens with Qiao Ling jogging. She may or may not be listening to the news again. It’s not necessary because both she and the audience know about the serial killings as implied at the beginning of Episode 3. It doesn’t hurt to add it in either because it adds the signature Link Click tension, though that in itself may be laying on the tension too thick. 

In the present, Chen Xiao approaches her, and the scene alternates with the gang training with Xu Wen. This is another reason why I’m more inclined for her to not listen to the news in this episode’s present because we already see the tension build up by showing Xu Wen’s dojo as Qiao Ling and the others are training. The characters could even have a conversation in which they briefly mention the serial murders, and there could be a single frame showing Lu Guang’s subtle apprehension over Emma’s death. 

Xu Wen is tough on them but supportive. Qiao Ling needs to fight her way to be strong. She and CXS progress at the same rate. Neither is more overpowered than the other, which would demonstrate the status quo for both sexes and not pander for just one or the other. (We need to show Qiao Ling’s development, not a live-action Mulan situation.) This would also offer an opportunity for more sibling dynamic behavior as Qiao Ling and CXS make mistakes and tease each other together. 

Back to the present. Instead of Lu Guang protecting Qiao Ling from Chen Xiao, Qiao Ling protects herself. Leads to funny interrogation—Chen Xiao is truly harmless, and Qiao Ling hasn’t fully harnessed her self-defense skills yet. 

Putting ”Marrying by Contesting” before this interaction also explains why Qiao Ling is able to fight both in this scene and later in Season 2. The only flashback we see of the gang learning from Xu Wen in the dojo (excluding that one mini short) is right before CXS sucker-punches Aunt May as Doudou. So having an additional flashback of Xu Wen’s dojo in “To Lose, Not To Win” develops Qiao Ling’s abilities and even CXS’s when he dives as Xu Shanshan twice and defends himself.

And the rest of the Season 1 episodes carry on as usual. Basketball -> Earthquake -> Doudou -> Xu Shanshan -> Liu Min’s capture -> Finale. 

[tandonshows]

That Vampire Show, our fiction podcast about fandom, turned 1 year old this week!

Hey Everyone! Our fiction podcast, That Vampire Show, turned one this week. Season 1 follows Kat Wright, a high school senior who is obsessed with the hit TV show, “Bloodlines.” After winning a fan fiction writing contest for the show, Kat is given the chance to visit set and meet the cast and crew. When the trip doesn’t go as planned — and she and the creator of the show, Warren Young, have a major fight — Kat’s life and the future of “Bloodlines” both spiral out of control.

Season 1 was 10 full length episodes, and 8 mini episodes that explored the world of "Bloodlines," the vampire hunter teen TV show within our podcast. Season 1 was written by me (Marissa Tandon @marissakumari, creator of Super Ordinary and The Sword & The Stoner), Gabriel Urbina (Wolf359), Alex Whisenhunt (His Royal Fakin' Highness, Life on Pause) and Cassidy Lu Jones. Season 2 is heading into production this month (we're currently casting for a few new roles) and a new writer, Berklie Novak-Stolz (who you may know here as @icaruspendragon) joined us for the writers room.

That Vampire Show is a love letter to fandom and creatives alike, and we had such a fun time making the show, and are so excited to bring season 2 to everyone!

If you're new to us and into the power point kind of thing, here's our quick starter guide to the show:

You can listen to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts (podlink here for all platform links!) Or, press play / follow on the embed of the first episode below. If you're into it, let us know with a reblog/ask/review, and subscribe for season 2!

[carladuquette]

I was tagged by @dragonsoftheeast to write about my writing - thank you!!! If you know me, you know I love to go on about this, so be prepared, this is a long one.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

15

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

312,657

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Elite Elite Elite, baby. I have one Money Heist fic (Nairobi, la puta madre para siempre 🔥) and one Class fic, but that's an Elite remake, sooo… I'm pretty much a one-trick pony haha.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Close your eyes, count to ten (duh); The ties were black, the lies were white (next chapter coming soon!); Midnights in October; Summer state of mind; It's the most wonderful time of the year

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I'm so grateful for comments and love chatting with people about their thoughts, the characters, my interpretation of them, etc.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm, I don't know that I really do angsty endings. Lots of angsty stories and chapter endings, for sure. But the ending-ending is usually at least hopeful, or perhaps melancholy. Maybe Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Fics like Midnights in October or Best Friends Forever are sad, but I wouldn't say the ending is angsty.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Close your eyes, count to ten! No way was I going to give Lu anything but the happiest ending after everything I put her through ❤️

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No! Honestly surprising considering I write so much VaLu and they're a little controversial, but I guess I got into Elite fic when the fandom was already pretty small, so not that many people were around to care anymore, haha.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Only very brief scenes.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Midnights in October is a ghost story (that's really a story about friendship) inspired by The Haunting of Bly Manor. And, uh, 12 points go to… is kind of a crossover with the Eurovision Song Contest? But my only real crossover is I put a spell on you, Hocus Pocus with the Elite characters.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not yet.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Lu and Valerio will always have my heart.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have a laaarge number of story ideas that only exist in my head, but I don't have any unfinished WIPs right now. I'd like to think I'll end whatever it is I started, even if it may take me forever 🙃

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm good with plotting- I have good ideas that I can turn into fairly good stories, I'd like to think. I give different characters room to grow, or at least give them little moments to shine, too, not just my favorites/ main characters. With characters I know well, I can make them "make sense"- dig into their motivations, their character traits, how they've been treated and have it be clear (maybe not for the characters around them, but for the reader) why they act the way they do and why they make certain decisions, even when they're bad decisions.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

There are some physical reactions people have that I repeat too often. I love angsty drama and in longer stories, I put in so much sometimes that it loses its effect a little, I think. I'd like to be able to write more lyrically, but I can't, so most of my stuff is pretty straight-forward. And I can't write good smut to save my life.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I personally don't believe in it. The occasional pet name or whatever thrown in is fine, but apart from that it a) doesn't make much sense to me; whatever language you write it, to me it's implied that this is the characters' mother tongue- like, I write in English, but the Elite characters live in Madrid, so the assumption is that they all speak Spanish, which would make switching to actual Spanish weird. And b) it's more work for readers then having to use online translators to figure out what people are saying.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I started to put down a Grey's Anatomy fic about Izzie and Denny yeeears ago that didn't go anywhere.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Obviously Close your eyes, count to ten will always be my baby. I spent close to three years with the characters and I'm proud of the story. But depending on the day and my mood I have other favorite fics, too.

I tag @dhyanshiva and @cangse-sanren, two incredibly talented Class fic writers. I can't think of any other mutuals who write, but if you do and that has escaped me (apologies), PLEASE DO THIS TOO! I'm serious- all fic writers, feel tagged!

[moosemann404]

Contest winner time!

It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction at the turnout of this event!! (there, seven, I made the joke)

I must say that it was incredibly difficult, oh my god you all did such an amazing job on your pieces. I’ve decided I’m going to provide links in the ANs for them all regardless because you guys deserve it!!!

Still, there can only be one winner, so, without further ado,

Congrats @jkampart !!

Beautiful piece, it’s exactly how I pictured it.

Once I figure out how to insert hyperlinks, I’ll have it inserted and, with the other pieces, linked.

Thanks each and every one of you for your participation, it’s been so fun. I can’t wait to show you the rest of this story. Thank you all for a wonderful year.

[delusionsanonymous]

ENHA's 8th Member | 1

ONE. Into the I-Land

Lucia gets invited to participate in a survival show to secure her debut after 2 years of training. However, the casting is not quite as she had anticipated. She definitely stands out among the crowd from the very beginning.

"Thanks for coming in today. We wanted to offer you an invite to a new project."

A girl sat on one side of a lengthy meeting table, a small collection of management across from her. She had made her way into this room a few times before, but it had never really been with so many people or so much mystique.

"It's a show we're running to secure the debut of a new group. We discussed many options and thought you'd be a great fit."

The girl peered over as if to eye some of the paperwork the man shifted around in front of him. "A new group? Is it a survival reality show? I'm just curious is all; still interested though, really."

"That's good to hear!" The man offered a sharp smile, "You'd be competing amongst several of your peers, including some of the male trainees we have here."

"We're running a co-ed concept?"

The manager before her remained tightlipped.

"Its only in consideration right now. We can't reveal any more than this at the moment."

The scene played back in the girl's head as she trekked down a dirt path towards the show's set, cameras moving along side her every which way while her opening partner chatted idly beside her.

Daniel Kim was a trainee she had met not too long after being offered the spot on the show. He was a nice kid who spoke fluent English, and when he found out about her addition to the show, he quickly offered to partner for the opening performance. They're performing a dance and vocal showcase of Zico's Boys and Girls, which Lucia found a bit cheesy, but Daniel was so excited about it she couldn't find it in her to say no.

"Are you nervous, Lu?" His voice brought her back to as the set became visible to the pair, "You've been kind of quiet since we arrived."

Lucia offered a curt scoff, "I'm shaking back here." The boy glanced over his shoulder to see the girl's curious gaze, sarcasm lacing every syllable the fell off her lips, as usual. "If I recall correctly, you were the one about to throw up all over the parking lot not too long ago."

Her teasing earned her a playful punch to the shoulder, Daniel scrunching his nose in embarrassment. The pair were equally nervous as they approached the obnoxiously large entryway, and even more so as the other contestants slowly came into view, eyes needing time to adjust to the lighting change inside.

In fact, this was the moment Lucia's nerves reached a peak. Sat before the two were several other contestants, all boys, that stared back at her with confusion written all over their faces. They leaned around and whispered to each other as Daniel found the two a spot to sit.

"If this is a co-ed show, the ratio seems a bit off." Daniel leaned over, whispering into the girl's ear. "The rest of the girls must be arriving later, right?"

But that later never came.

Lucia waited as each contestant after her stepped out onto the moving stage piece, but not a single other girl found their way through the building's entrance. The presentation screen displayed her name bright and clear among the others, and as announcements began, she quickly realized this was the final line-up for the show as of now.

It didn't really make sense to her as to why. The feeling was akin to walking into the wrong class at the beginning of a school year, sat among her male peers as a very obvious sore in the future group line-up. However, Lucia bit her tongue and reminded herself: she's here for the same reason everyone else is. It doesn't matter what idea the producers and managers had in selecting her for the show, she was here right now for a chance to debut at the end of all this. That was it.

She watched others perform and judged according to the rules. It was a stressful experience for everyone, having to fight for your turn and then rely on your direct competitors to vote your outcome. The second a chance opened, Lucia grabbed her partner's hand and marched towards the stage. The other boys that hesitated to get up sat right back down as she moved forward.

Daniel had chosen Boys and Girls for its bright and playful melody. The two came up with a choreography around the original, altered the lyrics to suit the pair better, and added witty adlib to top it all off. It was a performance that impressed, especially the judges that evaluated from elsewhere, and lightened the heavier mood.

Lucia had a charm to her that couldn't really be explained by people. It wasn't hard for the guys to vote her up to I-Land, finding her witty dynamics on stage to be quite captivating. Luckily, Daniel safely made it alongside her. leaving the two up to voting for the rest of the performances.

They chatted and bantered as they observed the last few groups, growing nervous for the results each time, raising and lowering their hands as hesitantly as everyone else. In the end, more people made it into I-Land than spots available for the contestants. This left an uncertainty as to what was to come, but everyone made their way to their respective areas regardless.

. . .

'Alright, its awkward now.' Lucia was already a bit withdrawn as a person, but being in a new place surrounded by rowdy boys, all running from room to room ogling at the bland decor, she found herself lagging behind on her own to check things out. Even Daniel had been swept away from her in all the excitement of making it through.

She would stay behind a few minutes until the boys disappeared around the next corner before she made her way into whatever room they were shouting from, trying to figure out what was so riveting. By the time she made her way back to the rest of the group, they were called to the lobby for a new announcement. Something about I-Land being over limit and needing to vote each other out.

The girl honestly wasn’t paying too much attention. Eyes shifting around the room nervously as her fingers twisted around each other in her lap. It wasn’t long before her gaze locked with someone else’s, a gentle smile instantly lighting up their features as they sent a wave Lucia’s way. She raised a brow and checked behind her before hesitantly waving back, still not sure if she was the target of his inviting gesture.

The boy laughed a bit and shuffled around until he made it to her side. “You okay over here?” Lucia gave a small nod, “I’m Sunoo! I loved your performance today, it was a really fresh take on that song.”

“Oh? Thanks!” The girl relaxed a bit in Sunoo’s presence, noticing another boy peaking around him. “I’m Lucia, or Lucy if that’s easier. I loved your crown cover. ~ It suited you guys really well.” She tilted her head to lock eyes with the boy who tagged alongside Sunoo.

He blinked back a bit of surprise, awkwardly stepping out with a sheepish smile. “It’s Jake. We just thought we’d come introduce ourselves.” Him and Sunoo shared a glance, “You just seem a little…”

Before Jake could finish his thought someone came running up to the trio. “Lu!” The girl glanced back over to Daniel who seemed to finally make his way back to her. “2 hours to decided on our votes. Isn’t that crazy?! I don’t know if I can decide that soon.”

The girl seemed a bit confused, brows furrowed slightly. “Were you even paying attention?” The boy continued, not surprised by Lucia. “We’re voting out eight people in 2 hours time. I’m worried! How are we supposed to decide? I don’t want to leave a poor impression. I don’t want to leave either of us behind!”

“Woah!” Lucia held out her hands, stopping the boy’s rambles. “Relax. ~ There’s no need for all this. We’ll just, uhm..” The girl glanced around, “We’ll be alright, yeah! Don’t think about it too much.” She looked back to Sunoo and Jake for reassurance, who held thumbs up in her direction with a nod. “Let’s just get to know some of the other contestants,. No harm in making some friends right about now.”

The next while was spent at least trying to do just that. Lucia found it difficult to approach anyone, and it seems outside of Sunoo and Jake, the others felt about the same towards her. Daniel was right about 2 hours not being enough time.

She got a couple waves and hellos here and there; and caught a couple stares as she passed by. Some she could feel lingering on her back, but couldn’t figure out where they were from. Most of the boys were pleasant enough, at least the ones that talked to her. But it did seem mostly like they wanted to ask a particular question.

Heeseung was someone the girl recognized as a Hybe trainee for a while, having seen him in passing several times over her last two years in training. The boy turned on his heels suddenly, almost crashing into Lucia as she tried desperately to seem less like she was staring him down just a moment ago.

“Uh-“ She took a step back, “H-Hey, you.”

He chuckled a bit at the awkward greeting. Heeseung was familiar with the girl as well, she was somewhat mysterious to him as a trainee, having never really had the chance to talk before. “Hey!” He offered a reassuring smile, “It’s nice to see a familiar face here. Too bad we couldn’t have met sooner.”

Lucia was thankful she ran into the boy. For the next while she chatted with him about the mundane of everything. About the show, about training, about… well, not much else since not too long into their conversation the announcements sounded over the speakers once more: it was time to start voting.

“Ah, already?” The girl swallowed the lump in her throat.

Heeseung also seemed a bit unnerved now. “Too bad, I guess.” He brought his hand to the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. “I’ll see you around?”

Lucia nodded with a tightlipped smile plastered on her features.

The voting took a little while but when it was up, tensions were higher than they had been earlier. The unknown of being voted off scared the contestants. Lucia tried to look past her nerves, but she wanted to debut too. This opportunity was not one she would so easily just let slip through her fingers. This was the chance she had been waiting for, as strange of a situation as it was.

But luck had other things planned.

8 votes. Lucia had 8 votes under her name that was displayed on the screen as the third person to get voted out. She was only shocked after having had so many positive votes during their earlier performance. Was it just out of convenience that she was voted? A pit formed at the bottom of her stomach, but she remained neutral as she listened on.

Daniel and Sunoo seemed to find themselves right beside the girl, equally as shocking of votes for the pair as for Lucia. It seemed this competition might be a bit more hostile than initially anticipated. Certainly something to keep in mind moving forward among everyone.

Teary goodbyes were left in some contestant’s wake. Lucia spent her time leaving the I-Land building trying to comfort Daniel. She rubbed his back and held his arm as they crossed the field towards a second building on set. The staff called it the ‘Ground,’ a second practice space for contestants who didn’t make it into I-Land. A second chance of sorts for the first part of the show.

Reuniting with the other grounders seemed to clear up any confusion left on what kind of show this was going to be. Much more convoluted than initially introduced, and much more uncertain than initially predicted.

‘Here we go… again, I guess.’ This was certain to be a one-of-a-kind experience.

[bongdaso12]

Goalkeeper Ederson to miss final two games of the season

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will miss his side's final two games of the season with a ruptured eye socket.

The Brazilian shot-stopper sustained the injury in The Citizens' bong da lu 2-0 win at Tottenham in midweek, where Erling Haaland's brace moved them to within touching distance of a fourth straight Premier League title, and condemned Spurs to another season without UEFA Champions League football.

Ederson had collided with Spurs centre-back Cristian Romero.

Now, Ederson, who showed his fury at being advised to come off in north London, will miss his side's two biggest games of their season and will be replaced by Stefan Ortega, the able deputy who performed excellently when he was introduced in midweek, making a number of fine saves, including one from Heung-Min Son.

This is not the first time this term that Ederson has missed a crucial part of City's season.

He was forced off in City's 1-1 draw at Anfield at the beginning of March, and he was absent for City's huge title clash with Arsenal later on in the month - a 0-0 stalemate at the Etihad Stadium.

Ederson's injury also means that he will not be available for the FA Cup final the following week, where City face Manchester United in what will be a hotly-contested affair, especially if City miss out on the title and United are still fighting for a place in Europe.

Ederson's absence could well give Arsenal a small boost of encouragement ahead of the title-deciding final weekend, where the Gunners will need West Ham United to take points off Guardiola's side at the Etihad Stadium in order for them to lift a first trophy in 21 years.

The latest Man City vs Westham odds are available on Vegas79 Bet