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z3nitsusgf · 7 days

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I, The Sun

Ch. 1 - In My Mind

ford pines/reader: NSFW, murder, violence against women, possession, manipulation, occult themes, dark fic.

first chapter of something I’ve been working on, it’s more of a introduction/exposition rn but I promise it gets better.

1976 - Gravity Falls, Oregon

Ford has been having these dreams lately. Unpleasant ones. Ones that leave him feeling sick, where he wakes up with his tongue stuck to his gums, and his body is in a cold sweat.

Where they feel so real that when he wakes he checks himself for injuries to see if it was a memory or not. He can't grasp the material reality with full intensity, a part of him seems to reside far away and beyond what's tangible.

His mind playing tricks on him, a cruel joke. Because the next flash of dreams is him on top of a woman, his hands strangling her until she gives way to the darkness and he’s plunging a knife into her abdomen over and over until she’s nothing more than minced meat. He realizes too late it’s you.

“Doesn’t this feel good?” A voice purrs in his ear, Ford is feral and bloodthirsty, ripping apart human flesh as if it were animal. A laughing soprano rings through his head and it hurts.

Ford wakes with a gasp, clutching his chest. He’s in his room, in his home, safe and sound. He attempts to slow his breathing, the dreams reeling through his head like a spool of film. The moonlight shines through his stained glass window, filtering in through shades of light pink and blue.

He sighs in relief, “just another nightmare.”

Something wet drips on his forehead and he wipes it away, when he looks at his fingertips it’s not water. Something thick and dark is smeared across the pads of his fingers. And Ford looks up slowly, he almost screams. Almost, another splat of blood falls into his parted mouth and Ford scrambles.

There, mounted on the ceiling of his bedroom, a doe head has been nailed to the wood. Mutilated and dripping its fresh wounds onto the scientist, its heart stabbed with a dagger and left to rot.

A painted message of red is smeared next to the head, it reads; ‘can’t run’.

Ford’s vision goes black.

You chewed on your pen cap, the smooth plastic sliding against your molars.

You sit at your cubicle, which was for a lack of a better word - missable; covered in pages from your previous articles and various bands. Rings of coffe stains and energy drinks line your desk, pens and notebooks scattered like autumn leaves. You stared at your computer screen, your new story a sort of meloncholic evil.

A man in your city had gone mad with schizophrenia and slaughtered his entire family. When the police entered the scene, there were decorations of blood and entrails around the apartment, the suspect rocking himself in a corner and wailing. You can imagine him, 45 year old Richard James. Skin and bones, reeking of innards and cigarettes.

Wondering how he got to this point of his life. When just a couple years earlier he was a school teacher and going to dinners with his wife and kids.

It’s a half-written entry, a simple narrative of the events. There was nothing special about it. You look up only when your editor called you into her office.

Miranda Perkins, a fat older woman who wore Hawaiian shirts and smelled of cat litter. Her office is straight out of a 60s JC Penny catalogue. Her window overviewed the parking lot, a shitty sight. But for the daily post in Sacramento, it was as good as it was going to get.

You sit in her uncomfortable chair, moving side to side until you feel any semblance of relief.

“How’s your story coming along, hun?”

She tapped her French tip nails along her desk, looking at your through big rounded coke-bottle glasses. A string of pastel crystal beads hanging from the sides.

“I’m almost done.” You were nowhere near that.

“Good, good. Abandon it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Abandon it!” She singsongs, waving a gaudy looking pen in her hand, “leave it for someone else.”

She was soft with you, probably because you reminded her of a daughter, or because you were soft. You sat in an uncomfortable silence, listening to the ticking of her wall clock and the hum of the FCU.

“How do you feel about Gravity Falls?” She asks suddenly, holding her pen to her temple. A small dot of ink left behind.

“It’s a small town, smack dab in the center of Oregon,” Miranda loved the facts, she got her socks off when writers knew the basic demographics of small unnoticeable towns. You preferred not to discuss your hometown however.

“It was founded by Nathaniel Northwest in the 1800s, it’s got a big touristy lake and the biggest business is logging. It’s full of old money, trash, and tourist traps.”

She hums, “So what’s going on down there?”

You sat in silence, thinking of anything important that you might of missed. Gravity Falls was a town that was not noticed, tucked away beneath Evergreens and trailer parks. The most that befell it was the occasional flood or simple robbery. You had hoped that when Miranda called you in, it would be to compliment your work, or even give you a raise.

“Your family still there?”

“Mom. Estranged dad.” And your half siblings that were born after you had left. You always forget their names though.

“You ever talk to them?” Not since Christmas when your mother sent a gimicky card of St. Nick that read, ‘Have a Joyous Holiday!’ It was polite, you figured after downing four whiskey sours that you could give her a call.

“Not recently.”

“Jesus, read the news once in a while. There’s been a murder. A woman slaughtered in the woods.”

You nodded like you knew, your mother was the only one you had little conversation with and she had said nothing. Curious.

“There’s been three in the past four months, police are saying it’s a cult. Sounds like a serial to me.”

You fiddle with your sweater, a gnawing feeling in your stomach.

“Go drive up there, get the full story.”

No fucking way.

“We’ve got freaky stories here, Miranda.”

“Yeah. And we have half the staff as we used to and half the cash.” She adjusted her glasses, the beads making a small clinking sound.

“This is our chance at a big story.”

You still didn’t want to go, hands gripping the arms of the chair as if she’d force you out. Miranda sighed, “Look hun, if you can’t do it… you can’t do it. But think about it, it’d be good for you.”

Miranda was a surrogate mother in a way you never expected. She always backed you, even when you fell short of expectations. You had the strange feeling of not wanting to disappoint her. You gnawed on your lip.

“I’ll go pack my stuff.”

You packed enough for seven days, confident that you’ll be back by next week. Also taking with you the notes and articles about the case and your notebook. You threw in a pack of Marlboro green and some shooters. As you glance around your apartment you realize how messy it is. Scattered articles, news clippings, take out containers, dead plants.

As you take a final look at your place, you look at a framed picture by the door. A young twenty-something year old you in 1972, hand in hand with your best friend and first ever boyfriend from college - Stanford Pines. You’re in front of BU Univeristy, freshly graduated with your degree in journalism and Ford in his anomalies.

You’re laughing, about what you can’t recall, but you haven’t ever had a smile that big in years. You hold his palm, lovingly. You wonder what he’s up to now, it’s become a mystery. You knew he had grant money for his research, you never followed up to where he went. You fell apart after college, the tether straining when Ford started to dive head first into his career, he became distant.

You like not knowing. In reality, you don’t know why you still have it. Especially displayed in your home as if you were still together. Perhaps that romantic side of you enjoys the nostalgia of it all.

You’d rather not divulge that can of worms.

The drive to Gravity Falls would take eight hours, by the time you make it to the shoddy motel on the outskirts you’re no more than ten miles outside of your hometown. It makes a thick seedy feeling creep up your spine. To be so close had vomit pooling in your stomach.

You down a couple shooters in your motel room, the sheets are dusty and leave you itching. You should probably think of questions to ask the detectives, you decide to down more shots of fireball and vodka. You pass out dreaming strange things; you dream of your childhood, the occult nature of the case, the eerie events that happened so long ago you weren’t sure they were real - you dream of Ford.

When you wake, you snatch a stale bagel from the open kitchen downstairs, heading to your beat down Buick and driving into town.

Gravity Falls couldn’t be spotted from a distance, the tallest building was the water tower near the center of town. The drive is nostalgic in a sickening way, the scenery is visceral. The majestic trees are broken up by the strip of road in the center. You pass the welcome sign, big wooden letters before you’re driving by the gas station.

You know this place like the back of your hand. On the Main Street, you find remnants of the charming town. A beauty parlor, a clothing store that sold exclusively knitted sweaters and skirts, the up-in-coming VHS store that sold second hand movies. There’s only one real place to eat here, and it’s a greasy spoon called ‘The Greasy Spoon’.

The people in this town were what you called - complacent. They grew up here, lived till they got old, and died here. People out here, it’s like they don’t even know the outside world exists.

You see familiar faces as you drive. Susan Wentworth, the diner woman who always called you honey and wore too much blue eyeshadow. Dan Corduroy, the large ginger lumberjack who inherited his family’s pass-me-down flannel and could eat 20 hot cakes without puking. The Valentino’s, who were funeral directors and were some of the nicest people you’ve ever met, fucking strange though.

You decided to drive to the police station first. When you approached the receptionist desk, she regarded you with chilled contempt. Filling at her red acrylic nails and motioning you to sit and wait.

“Deputy Blubs with be with you shortly.” She smacked her gum at you. You sat like a patient dog, the shitty AC churning in the afternoon heat. You read the outdated magazines splayed on the small table, the scent of old paper and dust filling your nose. The magazines were from the 60s, full of outdated trends and styles.

When Blubs walked in he was already sweating through his uniform. Blubs was the upcoming deputy of the town who had a handlebar mustache and never took off his aviators. The receptionist motioned to you with her pen, mouthing the word “journalist” with disgust.

“Deputy Blubs, I’m with the Daily post in Sacramento.” You shake his hand, giving him your name as you follow him to his office.

He raises a brow, “Why are you all the way up here?”

He plops in his chair, “I want to talk about the recent events happening here, the women in the woods.”

“Good lord, how the hell did you hear about that all the way in Sacramento? Jesus.”

You shrug, “it’s a big deal, women going missing and showing up dead.”

“Listen,” he sighs, heavy and tired, “I don’t want this to get out.”

You gesture with your hands, “not really up to you Deptuty, the public deserves to know the danger going on.”

Blubs scoffs, looking out his window, “why’da you care now? You people never cared before about Gravity Falls.”

“You’re right. But this isn’t gonna be some exposé. This is important. And besides, I’m from Gravity Falls.” You let your voice die off at the end, like admitting it was some awful curse. He stares hard.

“What’s your name again?” You tell him, he rubs his stubble.

“My mother married out of her maiden name. It’s Evans now.”

“Ah, I know ‘em.” Everyone knew everyone here.

“Listen I can’t tell you much,”

“I don’t need much.”

Blubs sighed, contemplating.

You left the police station with a location of where the most recent woman was found. The old church back up in the woods.

Mallory Windsor, 22, found in the ruins of the old church. Couple of raw-boned, edgy teens found her when they were vandalizing the decrepit building. She’d been strangled, bound, stabbed 25 times, and her teeth were missing. Safe to say her funeral was a closed casket.

You trek through the woods to the taped off crime scene. The cawing of ravens bounced off the trees and your boots crunched the pine needles on the ground. You notice traces of dried blood on the cracked floorboards, claw marks from where she was dragged, and a tuft of blonde hair that’s stuck in between a broken branch.

You noticed in the plank on the wall, carved into the wood, was a triangle with an eye in the center a circular ring around it with markings unknown to you. You drew it in your notebook, you’d have to look that up later. As you walked around, you collected as much as you could with what Blubs told you.

Mallory worked at the boutique in the town square, she was considered playful and gentle by her family. They said she recently started going to church, that she had found God. Others say she was a no-good sneaky whore, running off in the night to hang with married men. Her mother was devastated to learn of her daughters death, saying her sweet little girl was taken too soon. The people of Gravity Falls were gossipy, they loved having “friends” over to discuss their neighbors or coworkers or what have you.

You, despite being a journalist, hated picking apart peoples lives like they were nothing more than a dead frog on a table. Perhaps that’s why you’re not a top story writer.

Your mind wandered, thinking about pre-teen you, running through these woods and scraping your knees and getting bug bites the size of pennies. Those strange little creatures that would run past you, growling when you got too close. You stopped and touched the crumbly dirt, picking at stones and watching little ants march their way through the muck.

You shivered at the feeling and felt as through you were being watched. But when you whipped around to stare, all the stared back was the towering evergreens and the sunlight filtering through.

This place always did leave a bad taste in your mouth.

You decide to end your night at the Greasy Spoon.

Walking in the log shaped diner, the scent of butter and too much maple wafted through the air. The tables were 50’s linoleum, the booths sticky with syrup. When you entered you noticed Susan still serving, some things never change.

“Just take a seat hun, I’ll be with you in a moment.” She swivels on her kitten heel, her big up-do bobbing. You always wondered how she could handle the weight of that on her head.

You pick a booth close to the back, the only other patron a man with his head glued to the local newspaper. You didn’t need a menu, and you’re sure as shit it hasn’t changed. Simple as a rock and cheap as dirt.

When Susan approaches, she holds her notepad and pen. She looks up with a smile that turns into a gasp.

“Oh! Oh my goodness gracious, why sweetheart I haven’t seen you in ages!” She leans over the table to give you a side hug. It’s awkward and leaves you drifting on one side as you pat her back. Cheeks hot with the attention.

“Hello Susan, nice to see you again.” You give her a half smile, nails digging into your jean-clad thigh.

“My, you’ve grown! Gosh you look like your mother. Anyways, same as before right? Steak and eggs?” You nod, a little awed she still remembers, and you don’t have the heart to tell her you’re not in the mood for meat right now.

“I’ll whip that up in a jiffy.” She singsongs, happily trotting back to the kitchen, shooing at a raccoon that had crawled into the window sill. You glance around the diner, looking over the jukebox and the stool-top. It’s all the same picture perfect small town diner like when you left.

You glance up, happening to look at the booth across from you. In it, you see a ghost. Or at least, that’s what you tell yourself. Your breath hitches, you’re starting to pick at the skin at your fingertips, feeling the raw bite of plucked flesh.

Stanford fucking Pines. In the flesh.

He’s staring, looking at you with wide owlish eyes, the brown gleaming under his lenses. He’s grown older, the lines of his face getting deeper, more textured. The crows feet between his brows is more prominent now.

“Ford-“ Susan plops your plate down in front of you, a heaping steak with eggs over-medium and potatoes. She puts a bottle of hot sauce on the table and winks,

“What brings you back here, hun? Seen your momma yet?”

You nod, a lie. “Just up here for work, Susan. Writing about the Windsor girl.”

Her smile drops, a flush of red creeping up her puffy cheeks. “Oh, that was a horrible thing. Poor girl, I can’t believe it.”

You nod, poking your egg yolk till it pops and spills golden liquid all over your potatoes. There’s a beat of intense silence, it’s uncomfortable.

“Well, I best let you enjoy your dinner, hun.” She waves her red acrylics and smiles, turning around to busy herself with the register.

When you look back at Ford he’s still star-struck, almost as if he’s looking at someone’s faded memory of you. He stands quickly from his booth, collecting his newspaper and book. He dresses almost the exact same as he did in college; dawning a soft red turtleneck, slate colored khaki’s, and a beige trenchcoat. His hair is still long, the ends fluffed up and starting to grey. Streaks of white striping like paint. His eyes were tired, heavy bags that were almost purple. He looked exhausted.

For a moment, you think he’ll walk past you without saying anything. Thinking that after all this time, he’d not want to speak to you. You’d rather that than make painful small talk about your life.

But he stays, sliding into your booth with nothing more than a shy, “Hello, it’s been a while.”

You nod, sipping your tap water. The tension is unbearable, you have no idea where to start or end or if you should even be talking to him in the first place. Things didn’t end so sweetly.

“Listen-“

“I-“

You both speak at the same time, blinking hard and looking down. You breath in, almost choking on the smell of a burning skillet and the insufferable feelings molded on your stomach.

“How have you been, Stanford?”

You offer this, a small olive branch.

He gives this grin that’s more of a grimace. Smoothing his hands over his journal, he can’t see the way you grip the booth cushion. He nods, “I’ve uh, I’m good. Research is going good.”

Always awkward, even in college. He was a nerdy little thing, more boy than man. So wrapped up in his books and notes and anomalies. You liked it, you were obsessed with the way he was so passionate. No one back home did anything with their lives except smoke, drink, and gossip.

At first, you hated him. Hated his ego and how he thought everyone around him was a sorry excuse and a waste of space. Something changed, things happened, you hate-fucked and bit one another, then you thought about how secretly sweet he was. You remember your first kiss with him, how he held your face and you panted into each others mouths.

“How did you end up here?” You ask, stabbing a potato with your fork. How long has he been here? Becoming infected with your town; grocery shopping where you first worked, strolling through the park you beat up a bully on, passing by your elementary school. How long has he lived in the place you wanted to forget existed?

“I, um, I moved here right after we graduated. Built a cabin, started my research, even had Fiddleford come help me a bit.”

Fiddleford, your cookie-cutter southern country boy. He was interesting, thick accent and smarter than most. You hung around him when you were seeing Stanford. They were buddies, college roommates, and now you learned - research partners.

Your food was growing cold, you could not stomach any of it. A rotting feeling of apathy was gnawing at your stomach. Ford waved his hands in the air, “Enough about me, how are you? Why are you here?”

It makes a fish-hook bite of anger pierce through you.

“I’m from here.” You mumble, shoving a forkful of runny eggs and potato in your mouth. Ford’s eyes widen, like a slap of realization.

“Right. Right you are, I had-“ forgotten. He had forgotten almost everything about you. You expected as much.

“You haven’t been up here in a long time.” It wasn’t a question, he was stating the obvious. You knew that if he was here since college and you weren’t such a coward, you’d have seen him sooner. Perhaps, you would have come up to reconcile had you known. A falseness you tell yourself.

“You mentioned you’re writing about the Windsor girl, how’s that going?”

You flick your eyes to his neck, trying to look anywhere but his eyes, it’s mostly shielded by his red turtleneck. But you see the creeping of an ugly hickey, dark maroon splotches sucked like leeches onto his skin. You clench your jaw.

“Fine, all’s fine. Gotta interview a couple people. Why? You knew her?”

Ford sips at some coffee leftover, eyeing you over the rim. You’re different now. So… sullen. He still remembers the softness of your voice, even now with the rasp of time and cigarettes. You’ve still got that snappy little bite, the one that had him wrapped around your finger.

“No. Never met her.”

There’s a trickle of something faintly sulphuric in the air, you think you’re hallucinating or Susan has burnt yet another hot cake. Probably just tired from today. Ford gives you a small smile the lifts the corner of his lips.

You and Ford make more pitiful conversation on the way to your car. It slowly dissolves into something that could be considered good-natured. A distant association, something platonic.

“Where you staying?”

Where indeed. You could go back to the motel but you haven’t got much money. Or you could stay with your mother. You grimaced at the thought and Ford notices your contemplation. You might just sleep in your car.

“Could stay the night with me.” He shrugs, hands deep in his pockets as the nighttime breeze drifts through the air. You look at him out of the corner of your eye.

“Not like that!-“ he holds his hands up, “I have a spare bedroom.”

You nod, toeing the dirt path with the toe of your boot. It’s like being in college all over again.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah.”

He smiles, gesturing to your car.

“I’ll give you directions.”

You take your keys out and unlock your driver door, “You didn’t drive here?”

He shakes his head, “No, I was out collecting specimens for my research.”

His research, he never did tell you what exactly he was studying. You shrug, “Okay then, hop in.”

Stanford’s cabin is out of the way of town. Far out into the woods, surrounded in towering trees and foliage, you pull of the main road and onto a dirt one. A clearing in view, there sits his home.

It’s nothing special, simple construction with a lopsided roof and creaky splintering wood. It looks haunted, you don’t say that out loud though. That would be rude and you don’t want to be rude to the man about to share his home with you, no matter how dark and creepy it looks from the outside.

Inside isn’t much better, it’s hardly decorated. You almost chuckle in a way, it’s so similar to your own apartment. Papers and notes are tacked into the walls, jars and bottles of strange things are lining tables and shelves. He has warm citrus colored lightbulbs, it illuminates around the cabin and makes it glow with an orangey hue.

“I apologize for the mess, I don’t have many visitors.”

He scrambles to collect notes and papers strewn like confetti, huffing at the state of his home. You wave him off, “Nah, don’t worry about it.”

You’re getting eye level with his shelf; there’s jars of eyeballs, mysterious goo that shimmers iridescent, and other weird stuff.

“What is all this?” Ford straightens his back, adjusting his glasses.

“My research. I’m here investigating the anomalies of Gravity Falls.”

You purse your lips, a strange feeling creeps into your body.

“What do you mean?”

Ford gives you a stifled look that screams ‘really? Gonna play that game?’ And you shrink away.

“Are you saying you never experienced weirdness here? Strange things in the woods?”

The woods. Blonde hair, hanging entrails, missing teeth. Your breath quickens, you feel yourself sinking. Everything is fuzzy and you can’t breathe, he shouldn’t be poking around a place like this. He touches your shoulder and you flinch harder than you should.

“No! No, the only thing weird around here is how the people are so fucking happy to die in this shithole.” You swipe his hand away from you, flashes of childhood summers spent exploring those woods.

When you would wade in the creek with your head poking out to watch the gargantuan wooden monsters slowly drag themselves through the forest. Creatures that would follow just two steps behind you, cracking joints each time they moved. Monsters that would take shape of familiar animas, then skitter away when you got close. Screams would echo throughout the evergreens, things unseen. How can anyone witness a tree falling if they didn’t hear it?

Ford retracts his hand, looking at you with worry. Eyes softened, lips slightly parted, brows furrowed. You hate it. You hate when people look at you with pity and anguish, like you’re a soft underbelly of a doe waiting to be sliced open.

You shudder, “I’m sorry, sorry. I just, I’m tired. This case got me all worked up.”

You rub your own arms in comfort, avoiding to look at Ford in his big watery browns. He nods, “of course, I’ll show you to the room.”

He leads you gently to the spare, bag in hand and other on the small of your back. The room is clean, neat, and painfully sterile. Devoid of any personality or substance. It’ll do just fine.

“Not many people use this, sheets are clean and there’s a bathroom down the hall to the left. I’m only the next door down.”

You nod slowly, the wearing exhaustion is making your head throb and your bones ache from sitting for so long. Ford pats your shoulder, “don’t be afraid to knock on my door if things go bump in the night.”

You want to hit him. He chuckles at your sour frown, turning to leave you when you call out to him.

“Thank you, Stanford. I really do appreciate it.”

He gives a half-pained, half-sincere smile and walks into his room. You hear the clicking of his lock, you do the same.

There is an ominous silence that makes the cabin, so deathly quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat in your ears. You scramble to turn on the lamp, exhaling in relief at the warm glow on your face.

Ford is next door, you are not with your mother, things are fine. You are fine. You will not acknowledge the scratching at the walls, nor the tapping at the window. You will pretend everything is normal, that this town is normal, that you are normal.

You fall into a restless sleep, tossing and turning until you succumb. Ford is prowling, just beyond your bedroom, he has slipped outside into the cool night and has disappeared into the woods.

You won’t even know he’s gone by the time you wake up in the morning.

#val.writes ❦#ford pines x reader #stanford pines x reader #ford pines #gravity falls stanford

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baejax-the-great · 5 months

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In the version of Ajax's story that would have been around during Homer's time, Ajax didn't lose the contest for Achilles' arms because he is dimwitted or because Odysseus is clever. Neither of these things had anything to do with it (and I would argue the former isn't true).

Ajax wanted to prove himself. We'll never know exactly what he'd accomplished in his life pre-Iliad because two of the sections where these things would have been laid out, the catalog of ships and Helen's introduction of all the Greek generals to Priam, were in all likelihood tampered with and erased (probably by 5th century BCE Athenians). You ever wonder to yourself why Ajax's section in the catalog of the ships is so short and also contradicts other parts of the Iliad regarding where Ajax's camp/ships are? So have historians. And the Megarans (who took Ajax as a hero of their city), who wrote their own satirical version of his section mocking the one that got canonized in the version of the Iliad we have today. The exact why and how of that erasure is an unknown, but it's a fairly accepted theory (and more supported than my original thought on reading it--wow, did Homer hate Ajax or something?).

Regardless, Homer does mention repeatedly that Ajax is the second best of all the Greeks in the Iliad. He is also, notably, the one main hero who doesn't receive direct help from any of the gods. The closest he gets is Poseidon giving him a burst of energy, but that's about it. Compare to Diomedes who has Athena driving a chariot for him, or Paris who is spirited away in combat before Menelaus can kill him, or Achilles who has Athena tricking Hector and retrieving Achilles' spear for him--Poseidon handing Ajax the equivalent of a Red Bull is pretty paltry. But it's enough, because Ajax can get shit done.

By that same token, Ajax doesn't ask the gods for much. Notably he never prays to Athena, and she never interacts with him at all. Because she hates him.

As the older story goes, Ajax believed that the way to prove himself the best of the warriors was to eschew the help of the gods and show that he could accomplish his great feats alone. In a less sympathetic version of this, his invulnerability makes him cocky enough to believe he doesn't need the gods to prove himself (I actually think both these sentences mean the same thing, but the framing is a bit different--is he saying that the gods' help is beneath him? Or is he desperate to prove himself without getting a leg up from powerful beings?). Athena likes her little toy soldiers, and dislikes being ignored by great warriors who by all accounts should be begging for her favor, so this didn't sit well with her.

In eschewing the gods' help, Ajax does prove himself more capable than the other Greeks. His accomplishments are his alone. Nobody is going to compliment Paris for surviving his duel with Menelaus because they all know a goddess helped him. At various points throughout the Iliad, warriors accuse each other of having the gods helping them (such as when Little Ajax eats shit while racing Odysseus and blames Athena for favoring him), thus cheapening their victories.

Nobody can say this about Ajax. Everything he did, he did himself.

And for his pride, Athena hates him. And because of this, she will deny him the one thing he wanted--recognition of his abilities. When the time comes for the Greeks to give their respect to Ajax as their greatest warrior, something they all know he is, she rigs it so that they don't. Ajax is snubbed. His abilities will go unrecognized.

He goes mad--and we already know he's not the kind of guy who can ask for help--and so he is killed by the only warrior strong enough to defeat him--himself.

#he had it all #the skill the beauty the accomplishments the seven feet of height #and it wasn't enough #it could never be enough #there was no way for Ajax to win on the path he took #I love him #sorry but sophocles can choke on a dick for his interpretation #ajax the greater #tagamemnon #greek mythology #trojan war #the iliad #once again diagnosing greek heroes with gifted child burnout #forty years of frustration and despair pouring out at once until a guy throws himself on a sword #5th century bce athens release the forbidden ajax knowledge

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project-sekai-facts · 1 year

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The complete guide to the Project SEKAI April Fools Unit Swap

Attempted at least. This post refers to the official unit swap AU that was available on the Japanese server in 2022, and the Global server today. Not this years JP April Fools event, and not the Virtual Singer universe merger from last year. Just for clarity.

Introduction

For April Fools Day in 2022, Project SEKAI introduced an alternate universe where the five main units didn't exist. Instead, the 20 main characters were sorted into five new units, based around the same themes as the original five. These units are: Aoharu/friends, YUME YUME JUMP!, FANTASISTA SQUAD, Happiness Sentai Sunny Sunny☆Wonder!, and Kyujitsu, Shumijin Doushi de. Each unit was given a game-sized cover song with an accompanying 2DMV, as well as a few area conversations to give us some information about the unit. In this post, I will be going through everything we know about each unit, as well as how each character's history is altered in this universe.

Note: Tumblr image limit is a thing so you are just going to have to take my word on some of this. Or, y'know, play the game.

Fan TL used (also sekai.best)

The rest of this post is below the cut because it is LONG.

Total word count: 3788

Lore

The biggest question here is if the SEKAI still exist. And the answer is most likely no. SEKAI are never mentioned or even alluded to in the special area conversations. This actually makes sense, since most of the SEKAI (Empty excluded) would have no reason to exist, due to the circumstances causing their creation not happening in this universe. I'll cover this more when talking about alterations made to character history.

While, yes, three out of the five special covers included Virtual Singers, from a production standpoint this was probably the easiest option. Aoku Kakero!, Ifuudoudou and Positive☆Dance Time all featured Virtual Singers in their original SEKAI covers, and all had their audio recycled in the April Fools covers. This was probably because it would mean less recording and less time reworking line distribution. Also the lack of Virtual Singers probably would disappoint a lot of fans, considering the entire game is themed around Vocaloids.

So for now, we're just going to go with there being no SEKAI in this universe (except maybe the Empty SEKAI, more on that later).

That said, there are definitely motivations held by the new units or individual characters that could potentially create different SEKAI, due to being similar enough to the causes of the creation of the main universe SEKAI.

Unit Overview

Unit 1: Aoharu/friends

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Aoharu/friends (Youthful/friends on the EN server) is the April Fools universe equivalent of Leo/need, being a band unit comprised of childhood friends (in this case, two separate pairs rather than a single group). The members are Ichika as vocalist and guitarist, Saki as keyboardist, Airi as bassist and Ena as drummer. The band was formed by Saki when she returned to school after a long hospital stay, because, like in the main universe, she wanted to make the most of her time in high school.

The unit name translates to Youth/Friends. Aoharu is actually a lesser-used reading of the Kanji 青春. The more common reading is "seishun" meaning "youth", while "aoharu" directly translates to "blue spring". The reading used is probably a reference to their cover song, Aoku Kakero! (Run into the blue!).

So what do we know about each member?

Ichika is still a big fan of Hatsune Miku, and mentions that she can play some Miku songs on the guitar. She expresses interest in going to see a Miku concert with her bandmates.

Saki spent some time in the hospital prior to high school, where she became a fan of Airi. When she returned to school, she created a band to make the most of her youth. She invited Airi to the group because she gave her energy and courage in hospital. She says that she wants to go camping in the mountains and visit the beach with her bandmates. Saki maintains her ambition to try everything she can while she's still in high school.

Airi used to be an idol, but suspended her activities for unknown reasons (presumably the same reason as in the main universe). However, in the official translation, she says that she is an idol, and consistently talks as if she is still active as an idol. She was invited to join Aoharu/friends by her fan, Saki, and joined because she had wanted to try playing in a band. She later invited her friend Ena from a different school to join the group. She's still very serious about practicing and puts her all into the band's activities. Airi mentions that she wants to see an old idol colleague's debut concert with a new unit. This group is probably YUME YUME JUMP!, meaning that Shizuku and Airi still know each other in this universe.

Not much is known about Ena. She was invited to the group by her friend Airi, is learning to play the drums, and still attends Kamiyama night classes, but not much information is given beyond that. She is a little nervous about being around Ichika and Saki and isn't always sure how to address her underclassmen. It's also mentioned that she still maintains a friendly yet teasing relationship with her brother Akito. Extremely important to note is that she doesn't make any reference to art or being an artist at all, meaning that she might have quit art in this universe.

Also of note is that there is no School SEKAI. The School SEKAI was created by Leo/need's collective desire to rekindle their friendship and fulfill their promise to form a band in high school. Ichika and Saki do not mention or reference Shiho and Honami at any point, and they instead formed a band with Saki's idol (and her friend). From this we can gather that either Ichika and Saki were never friends with Shiho and Honami, or that Leo/need's friendship fell apart permanently.

Another interesting thing to mention is that Airi and Ena use recolors of the School Rock shop costume. The blazers are switched to their respective image colors and Airi's skirt is given a plaid pattern.

Unit 2: YUME YUME JUMP!

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YUME YUME JUMP! is the April Fools universe equivalent of MORE MORE JUMP!, though the similarities are minimal outside of the idol theme and Shizuku being present. The members are Shizuku, Shiho, An and Kanade. It is implied that the unit was formed by an agency, with Shizuku being the only permanent member at first. Their manager encouraged the other three to join, even if only temporarily.

The unit name translates to DREAM DREAM JUMP!. According to the unseen manager, the "Yume" refers to the big dreams An and Shiho have (despite the name being decided before they joined permanently), but also refers to the term "yumeyume" (努努). When written in Kanji, it uses the character for Effort. YUME YUME JUMP! contains hope that they overlap their efforts to reach their dreams.

As for the characters:

We don't actually know much about Shizuku at all, other than that she was an old colleague of Airi's. YUME YUME JUMP! is a new unit, which means that Shizuku was formerly part of a different unit. Presumably, her past is intact and she was formerly in the unit Cheerful*Days. She is still very doting towards her sister as well.

Shiho joined YUME YUME JUMP! as a temporary member. She initially didn't feel that she was cut out for being an idol, but realised that it's not bad being a professional musician. This implies that she never took up bass at any point in this universe, or at least never pursued it professionally. This is basically confirmed in the official translation, as she states that part of the reason she joined is because she thought working as a musician would be a good opportunity, suggesting that it's not something she has done before. Despite the gig not being permanent, she still plans on taking it seriously.

An also joined the group as a temporary member. Again we don't know too much about her. She makes a reference to Haruka, confirming that they are still middle school best friends in this universe. She doesn't make any references to RAD WEEKEND, RADder or street music as a whole, suggesting that, like Shiho, it isn't something she pursued in this universe.

Kanade was hired as the group's composer, but was encoraged by the manager to perform as an official member. Kanade became the group's composer to try and save people with her music, the same as in the main universe. By the time of the group's debut, her goal changes from wanting her songs reaching the audience, to wanting the group's songs reaching the audience. She still has incredibly poor fitness and Shiho mentions that during the first week of practice, Kanade had repeatedly been running out of breath during warm-ups. However, by the time of the unit's debut, she is able to perform an entire song. She also mentions that she stays up late at night composing music and struggles to get up in the morning, another trait carried over from the main universe.

Once again, there is no SEKAI. The Stage SEKAI was formed by Minori's dream to become an idol, and Airi, Haruka and Shizuku's desire to go back to being idols/be able to enjoy it. We know Airi (on JP) and Haruka both quit the idol industry and Minori doesn't mention wanting to be an idol. Shizuku is the only member to still be there, and her story has been altered enough to make the Stage SEKAI impossible.

Their outfits are recolors of MORE MORE JUMP! outfits. Shiho wears Shizuku's outfit (with an extra armband), An wears Haruka's outfit and Kanade wears Minori's. Shizuku keeps her usual outfit.

Unit 3: FANTASISTA SQUAD

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I tried so hard with this one because they only exist for fanservice but I can't just say that and move on.

FANTASISTA SQUAD is the April Fools Universe equivalent to Vivid BAD SQUAD, though they also take a lot of influence from WonderlandsxShowtime due to the member line-up being the boys from both groups. They are blatant yaoi fanservice. In the words of Tsukasa, they are backstreet entertainers. Similarly to Vivid BAD SQUAD, the unit is formed of two duos who had previously been performing independently of each other. Tsukasa is the leader of the group and invited BAD DOGS to join his unnamed duo act with Rui, thought this is slightly different in the official translation. In the translation, Akito mentions that he tagged along when he heard that Rui and Tsukasa were forming a unit, with no mention of Tsukasa inviting the younger two.

The unit name is derived from the Italian noun "Fantasista", which can refer to either "a football player with technical and imaginative abilities", or a variety performer. The terminology fit the description of the group, so Akito suggested it as a name for the unit, having vetoed Tsukasa's original name of Pegasus Dogs (derived from Tenma, meaning "pegasus").

The members also come up with stage names that are derived from their family names. Tsukasa is Pegasus Tenma, Toya is Blue Willow Aoyagi, Rui is God Generation Kamishiro, and Akito is Daybreak Shinonome.

Akito and Toya's story remains completely unchanged up until Vivid BAD SQUAD Main Story 1. BAD DOGS is implied to have existed prior to FANTASISTA SQUAD, with Tsukasa using "Dogs" in the original group name, and Toya stating that the group name does not contain a reference to Rui, confirming that the "Dogs" part is a reference to Akito and Toya. However, their goals seem to be different in this universe, as once again RAD WEEKEND is not mentioned. In spite of this, Akito still is serious about pursuing street music and still met Toya. There are multiple possible explanations for how they still managed to meet, some of which include:

RAD WEEKEND still happened and caused Akito to get into street music seriously, finding Toya as a partner, he just doesn't mention it

Something else caused this

the pair met through other means, and ended up getting into street music

or arguably the most likely option, the developers didn't consider if it made sense, they just wanted to supply fanservice

Toya and Tsukasa maintain a brotherly relationship the same as they do in the main universe. Tsukasa actually invited Toya to join him and Rui's performance unit, and Akito followed after Toya. Akito still finds Rui and Tsukasa weird and annoying like in the main universe, and was initially reluctant to perform with them, but says that he can't leave Toya alone with them.

Both Rui and Tsukasa still show a strong passion for performing (and also directing in the case of Rui). Rui keeps his skills in engineering in this universe, with An mentioning that he built the power suit seen in his untrained Runaway Thought Process 3* card in a YUME YUME JUMP! area conversation. Tsukasa also keeps his ambition to achieve world fame, hoping that FANTASISTA SQUAD will advance into backstreets worldwide.

How exactly they met and started working as a duo is unknown. The events are not referenced and it can't have been the same as the main universe since WonderlandsxShowtimes does not exist in the April Fools Universe. While the explanation for this is fanservice again, I came up with a hypothesis that aims to explain how they met. We know that in the main universe, Rui was a street performer. Prior to Tsukasa recruiting him for WonderlandsxShowtime, he used to perform one-man shows in the city or illegally in Phoenix Wonderland. It's heavily implied that Tsukasa still has an interest in acting, and he still aspires to become a world-famous star, so it is possible that they met through a street performance. Again, this is an assumption and there is no evidence to suggest this, hence I called it a hypothesis.

The Street SEKAI doesn't exist in this universe, since RAD WEEKEND doesn't seem to exist in this universe, or at least had no significant imapct on Akito or An. Since the Wonderland SEKAI creator is in this unit, I will discuss that SEKAI too. Wonderland SEKAI probably doesn't exist in this universe. The Wonderland SEKAI was created when Saki asked Tsukasa why he wants to become a star actor, with the SEKAI forming due to the fact he forgot the reason. Tsukasa's dream to become a star is mentioned in his home screen dialogue, but he doesn't pursue acting in this universe. It is possible that some version of the Wonderland SEKAI could exist, but it might not be the same. However we don't know enough about Tsukasa's past in this universe to make a confident judgement.

Akito and Toya keep their usual clothes in this universe, while Rui and Tsukasa use the Street Parka shop outfits. Tsukasa wears the default version and Rui uses variant 3.

Backstreet's back, alright!

Unit 4: Happiness Sentai Sunny-Sunny☆Wonder!

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Happiness Sentai Sunny-Sunny☆Wonder! (The Happiness Rangers Sunny Sunny☆Wonder! on the EN server) is the April Fools Universe equivalent of WonderlandsxShowtime, being a show troupe at Phoenix Wonderland's Wonder Stage. The member line-up is Emu, Haruka, Kohane and Mafuyu, with Mafuyu taking the role as leader due to being the oldest. The group was formed as an extra-curricular group (outreach group on the EN server) with the aim to make children smile with shows.

Their unit name refers to the persona's the characters use in the troupe. The quartet take on the roles of Sentai (rangers) who defeat bad guys and make children smile.

Emu is still scared of Mafuyu's false persona in this universe, but everyone thinks that she's just nervous about spending time with a second year student. She strives to make Mafuyu smile genuinely, but has had no luck so far. She is the one who gave Mafuyu her sentai name, because she finds Mafuyu's persona to be "unshakeable" whenever she tries to make her smile. However when Mafuyu questions it, Emu lies and agrees with Kohane that the name was chosen because Mafuyu is a great leader. Emu's sentai name is Sunny Sunny Happy Emu - "here to put smiles on your faces today!".

Haruka joined the group despite her lack of acting experience because she liked their motive to make everyone smile. Other characters refer to her as an idol and we learn from Minori that she was formerly part of ASRUN, presumably leaving for the same reason as in the main universe. Her sentai name is Stoic Challenger Haruka - "you can't become an idol in just a day!".

Kohane is still a huge fan of the Phoenix Wonderland theme park, so Emu invited her to perform on stage with her instead of always watching from the audience. In the unit's first area conversation, she has her original appearance with longer hair and glasses, but changes to her regular appearance from the second conversation, which is referenced in her sentai name. She becomes incredibly flustered by Haruka's "idol smile", consistent with the main universe. Kohane is initially embarrassed about performing as a sentai, but starts to get used to it after a while. She's also still an incredibly gifted singer, as mentioned by Nene. Her sentai name is Makeover Beast Kohane - "behold my indomitable hammie spirit!".

Mafuyu still struggles with depression in this universe and puts on a false "nice girl" persona when talking to other. She ends up dropping it to play a villain role, but everyone except Emu thinks she's just a talented actor, and fails to realise that it's her genuine personality. Mafuyu herself just tells the others that she was excited to play the villain role. Haruka and Kohane then unknowlingly write a story for this villain character that heavily resembles Mafuyu's reality. Her sentai name is Goodness Smile Mafuyu - "the unshakeable senior who's always sparkling!". For her 'villain' character (later rewritten to be Goodness Smile's true identity), she is known as Darkness Smile Mafuyu.

There is an extremely high chance that the Empty SEKAI exists in this universe. It is explicitly shown that Mafuyu is still dealing with depression and although not stated, the cause is presumably the same as in the main universe. The Empty SEKAI was created because Mafuyu lost her sense of self and needed a safe space, which is implied to be the case here, since she acts the same way as in the main universe.

Emu keeps her normal performance outfit, while Haruka, Kohane and Mafuyu use recolors of the WonderlandsxShowtime Virtual Singer costumes. Haruka uses MEIKO's, Kohane uses Rin's, and Mafuyu uses Luka's.

Unit 5: Kyujitsu, Shumijin Doushi de.

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Kyujitsu, Shumijin Doushi de. (Hobbyists on Days Off on the EN server), is the April Fools Universe equivalent to 25-ji, Nightcord de., being a group hosted on Nightcord. The member line-up is Mizuki, Honami, Minori and Nene. The group was created by Mizuki as space for people to relax and talk about hobbies. They have recently started offline meetings, shown in their area conversations, where they go to different places such as restaurants and Phoenix Wonderland.

Like 25-ji, Nightcord de. their unit name is very literal. They are a group of hobbyists who meet on weekends.

Mizuki is the founder and leader of Shumijin. They like making videos and collages, as well as fashion, watching anime, and reading manga. They have given the circle members advice on different fashion brands to buy. They are really happy they made the group because they don't have a lot of friends to talk about their hobbies with (lost touch with their friends on EN) and they hardly go to school.

Honami's hobbies include gardening and walking her dog. She maintains her fondness for apple pie, and asks the group if they can buy some during their first offline meeting. In a homescreen voiceline, she mentions that the circle will be visiting her house, and she's making them her special apple pies. She and Minori grow quite close once they start meeting offline, and they start walking their dogs together prior to the second offline meetup.

Minori is still a massive fan of Haruka, but she also enjoys learning idol dances and writing in her diary. She has given the members suggestions of ASRUN albums to listen to, which Mizuki really liked. After watching Haruka perform at Phoenix Wonderland, she becomes so enamoured that enters a trance and believes she was walking through a field of flowers. Something that should be noted is that she never mentions wanting to become an idol, or audtioning to be one, suggesting that she either gave up, or simply never had that dream. Regardless, she seems pretty happy to support from the sidelines.

Nene's hobbies are still playing PVP video games, watching movies, and going to see musicals. She has recommended movies to the other circle members before, and Honami particularly enjoyed a comedy that she suggested watching. She mentions that she isn't good at interacting face to face, and discovering the chat group was really nice because she didn't have to face that problem. That said, she does enjoy their offline meetings. Like with Minori, Nene never mentions her ambitions from the main universe in this one. Her dream to become an actress in musicals is never brought up, which could mean that she never returned to acting after forgetting her lines in the school play. Her giving up on her dream is actually extremely likely, especially when you consider that in the main universe, Rui was the one who encouraged her to try again when he got her a job in WonderlandsxShowtime. Since Rui is a part of FANTASISTA SQUAD in this universe, this probably never happened.

Unfortunately we can't really talk about SEKAIs here, since the equivalent would be Empty SEKAI, but Mafuyu is in a different unit. Instead I want to talk a little about something Mizuki says in the English translation. In the original Japanese, they say that they don't have many friends, which is consistent, considering that this is alternate universe is set very early on in the game's timeline. However on the English server, they say they've lost touch with a lot of friends. But who exactly are these friends. Based on their comments about skipping school, we can infer that their past is almost identical to the main universe, with the exception of being part of N25, since it doesn't exist. Going off of the main universe, the only possible answer is Rui. Why they use a plural for one person is unknown and was probably just an oversight by the developers but I'm in too deep now and decided to write about it. It's possible that the developers were trying to hint at 25-ji, Nightcord de. having existed in the past of this universe, but I doubt they were thinking anything that deep. Thank you for your time.

Something else that's very interesting is how this is the only unit that isn't related to music. The original N25 was an underground music circle, whereas Shumijin is just a chat room.

The outifts that the members use are recolors of the Midnight Fiction shop costume, with the exception of Mizuki who uses their regular N25 costume.

Outro

Unfortunately this is only two sections long, but we really don't learn much about this universe, since all we get is three area conversations per unit (some of which supply absolutely no useful information) and some homescreen dialogue. I originally planned to review the area conversations between the SEKAI Virtual Singers, but ultimately scrapped it because it would be too much content to cover in a realistic amount of time.

Anyway, I hope this is useful for fic writers/fanartists, or just people who were a little interested in the event.

Does any of this even make sense or should I be banned from loreposting

Extremely disappointed in the EN server for not adding a single Backstreet Boys reference in the Fantasista Squad area conversations. The opportunity was Right There.

#this is literally longer than my final project for my course I am going to cry #project sekai #lore #we'll put this there for now #aoharu/friends #yume yume jump!#fantasista squad #Happiness Sentai Sunny-Sunny☆Wonder!#kyujitsu shumijin doushi de.#not tagging characters

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sergeantsporks · 1 year

Text

Dadrius Week Day 4: Free Space

“So. Hunter.” Jasmin swirled her cup around. “Do you go to Hexside?”

“I start next month.” Hunter sat ramrod straight in his chair, keeping his hands still on his own glass. Darius’ family seemed friendly enough, perhaps overly friendly in Jasmin’s case, but that didn’t mean anything. They’d raised Darius, after all, and he’d been a bubbling hot rebellion under a surface of cool disdain for the world and everyone in it. Anything could be going on underneath their polite, friendly exterior. A chef critic who might be evaluating Darius’ cake for any slight mistake, and a designer with an eye for detail—both of them professional judgers. Anything could be a test, and small talk was not a subject he was well versed in.

Darius seemed tense, too, but not the same nervous tension from before. More… upset. Had he already failed the introduction? Had Darius’ father said something when he was out of earshot? Darius didn’t seem to be talking to Marcus, despite having come over specifically for Father’s Day, and his mother’s attempts at small talk so far had all fallen flat, with short, one sentence responses from Darius.

Jasmin’s laughing eyes slid ever so slightly to Darius. Hunter had to wonder if she couldn’t sense the tension in the room, or if she was doing her best to slam into it with a blunt baseball bat and twirl it up like noodles. “Oh, you should look up the Blight kids while you’re there. If you’re interested in abominations, their youngest might be helpful to know.”

“Oh!” Finally, something he could talk about. “Amity! I know her, we’re friends.”

“Really? History does repeat itself, doesn’t it?” Her nose crinkled, as if she were in on some joke that Hunter wasn’t. “Odalia’s been fishing around for a new business partner for a new business venture, so I’m guessing Alador’s single these days.”

Darius choked on his drink, coughing. “Jasmin.”

Hunter tapped his glass, giving in to the nervous energy that spiked through him. “Yeah… We… may have had something to do with that.”

“Really? Nice. Hey, Hunter, out of nowhere question, how do you feel about stepsiblings? How good of friends are you and Amity?”

“I,” Darius wheezed between coughs, “am going to cause you physical harm.”

Hunter shifted in his seat, trying to put any sort of polite distance between himself and the ticking time bomb that was Jasmin Deamonne. “Um…”

“Jasmin, don’t tease your brother,” Ariana ordered, “Or poor Hunter. You don’t have to answer that.”

Jasmin held her hands up. “I would never.” She leaned her chin in her hand. “Although, speaking of, maybe I should pay Alador a visit. He was always fun.”

Hunter scooted out of his chair before Darius could respond. “I’m going to get some more water. Excuse me.”

“Jasmin,” he heard Ariana sigh deeply as he left the dining room, “You’ve embarrassed him.”

Well, Hunter reflected, this was going spectacularly. Except for Jasmin, Darius’ family didn’t seem to know what to do with Darius and himself any more than he or Darius knew what to do with them.

Think of how it must be in their shoes, all of them.

If I’d just ditched Uncle for years with little contact and suddenly showed up again—

Hunter’s right hand trembled uncontrollably at the thought.

He had left. He’d left, had fled, and he’d lost nearly everything. Control over himself. Flapjack. His life. He’d nearly drowned in the soil of Belos’ mindscape, and then only months later in water while he struggled to surface in his own mind.

Sometimes it felt like Belos was still crawling through his veins, and Hunter could feel him like a second heartbeat right now, pulsing against his skin.

Why would you think that?

Why would you go there?

Why would you think that, why would you think that, why would you—

His glass shattered, and the sound of it breaking against the floor snapped his thoughts back into the Deamonne kitchen, shards of broken glass all around his feet.

The quiet conversation in the other room halted.

“Hunter?” Darius called, “Are you alright?”

“Titan’s bones,” Hunter hissed under his breath. He crouched down, frantically fumbling for the pieces of the glass. “I’m fine!” he called, “I’ve got it, I’ve got it, don’t worry about—”

“Don’t move,” Darius ordered.

Hunter flinched, and the motion closed his hands, pushing the shards of glass he’d picked up into his palms. Blood dripped out of his clenched fists, and he bit his lip to hold back a yip of pain.

Abomination matter slid into the kitchen, sweeping around Hunter’s feet and collecting the broken glass. The swirling mass brushed against his boot, sluggish and—Hunter could tell, even through his heavy leather boot, he could just feel it, in his bones—slimy.

One of Hunter’s knees dropped out of the crouch and onto the ground in a half-kneeling position. His arms dropped to his sides, still curled into fists of painful cuts. He stared at the floor, struggling to control his breathing and squashing any thoughts that tried to pop up.

Throne room

Nope

Flapjack

Not thinking about it

That horrible stench and that shuddering, slimy feel

No. We’re not remembering that. Not today.

No, no, no, no, no, no, nononononononono

“He’s bleeding—hey, are you holding glass—”

“Jasmin, wait—don’t touch—”

Something closed over Hunter’s hand, and he yanked backwards, skidding in a patch of abomination goo and landing on his tailbone in a big puddle. Darius swore, and the abomination cleared up, removing all of the glass from the floor. Marcus and Ariana stood in the doorway between kitchen and dining room, watching with something in their expression that was concerned but… it wasn’t quite pity; more like they were solving some puzzle that he stood in the center of.

Jasmin stared at him, her hand still outstretched and her eyes huge puddles of concern in her face. “I’m sorry!” she cried, “I was just trying to—”

“Don’t worry about it, Jasmin.” Darius knelt next to him. “Hunter, take a deep breath. You’re in my parents’ house. You’re safe. You’re—well, you’re clutching a handful of glass, so I won’t lie and say you’re unharmed. But you will be alright. Deep breath.”

Hunter gulped for air as if he’d been drowning. “I’m sorry,” he managed to Ariana and Marcus, “I’m sorry about the glass, and—” He pulled his hands close to his chest, checking for blood on the floor.

“Don’t worry about that,” Darius said crisply. He made a motion as if to take Hunter’s elbow, but paused just before he did. “May I?”

Hunter nodded, and Darius hauled him to his feet, standing in front of him and half hiding him from his family.

“Hunter and I are going,” he announced briskly, “Thank you for dinner. Enjoy the cake. It was lovely to see you all. Happy Father’s Day, Dad. Goodbye.”

Darius steered Hunter out of the house and halfway down the street. He summoned his Penstagram scroll, typing quickly.

“What are you doing?” Hunter whispered hoarsely. Out of the house and away from staring eyes, his hand stung, and the sick dread in his stomach was starting to turn into a more active horror over what had just happened.

“I’m messaging Eberwolf for a ride. I don’t think trying to use my abomination warp is a good idea at this particular moment in time.”

“Oh.” Hunter’s stomach sank. What a failure of a father’s day. “You should just go. I can use my flashstep to get home.”

Darius shook his head. “No, I won’t leave you right now.” He dismissed the scroll and tugged his gloves off. “He’ll be here in a quarter of an hour. Let me see your hands.”

Hunter slowly uncurled his hands, holding them out. Darius hissed softly. “That looks… bad.”

“It’s just bloody,” Hunter said dismissively, “it’s not that b-AD!” his voice rose in a yelp as Darius pulled a shard of glass out of his palm.

“Warning, I’m doing it again.”

Hunter looked anywhere but at his hands, refusing to watch the glass pull out of his skin. “You didn’t have to leave early.”

“Please don’t start this.”

“Start what? You can go back, I’ll go home with E—”

“No.” Darius crushed the bloody glass shards into a harmless fine powder under his boot. “Before you go further down this road and think yourself into a hole; leaving isn’t your fault; I’m happy to go home with you, and I think you needed out of there. I promise this isn’t an insurmountable burden of terrible weight for me to bear. You’re fine. And once Eber arrives, we’re taking you to a clinic.”

Have we really had conversations like this that many times? Darius’ reassurances didn’t really make him feel better—if anything, the realization that Darius could distill a conversation down to his side because he’d needed to have this talk with Hunter so many times made him feel worse.Hunter examined the cuts in his hand to distract himself from the lingering sick feeling in his stomach that he’d irreversibly screwed up. They still stung, and they still bled, but he’d seen worse. He opened one of the pouches hanging from his belt and dug around, shoving past his father’s day card to find a roll of gauze that he wrapped around his palm. “It’s not that bad. I don’t need a clinic.”

“Are you sure? You have a day with Dell tomorrow; won’t a sliced-up hand be painful to carve with?”

It probably would be, but the last thing Hunter wanted was for Darius to spend his father’s day in a clinic, filling out paperwork for cuts that would heal on their own anyway. He’d caused enough damage today. “Darius. Please. Can we just go home?”

“Alright,” Darius said softly, turning away to watch for Eber. “If that’s really what you want.”

#toh #the owl house #dadrius week 2023 #day 4: wolves/free space #dadrius #sonter #darius deamonne #hunter deamonne #my writing #toh fanfiction #implied aladarius #is that a tag? idk. sure.

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gmwsuperfan5467890 · 1 year

Text

Never Have I Ever Season 4: My Extensive Opinions on all the plots

I will go through various plots and characters (in no particular order) and give my opinion

Margot

I don’t like Margot. Her introduction this season was her being furious at Devi because she was mad that Ben ghosted her but Devi literally has a right to mad. Margot’s reaction was very unwarranted and a lot for the situation at hand, especially because she wasn’t giving Ben any of that energy she was giving Devi. She isn’t wondering why Ben ghosted Devi out of the blue? She isn’t thinking that this could be a potential red flag? She is still protecting him and doting on him?

This isn’t even the only time this happens. Every time Margot is on screen, they have to get her mad at Devi for some reason, which is usually a misunderstanding. Sometimes she is justified, for example when she finds Devi’s notebook and when Devi almost gets her suspended.But why was she mad at Devi when Ben brought the flowers to her house? Why did she not give the same energy to Ben? He was the one that brought the flowers.Then she admits that she is embarrassed of Ben after she spent 6 episodes fighting over him? Girl, what was the fighting even for??

It just makes me mad that her character got so much screen time and the conflict that she has with Devi is so repetitive. I just think about how her screentime could be given to other characters (cough, cough Aneesa) and that makes me even more mad.

Episode 1

Should be called “Never Have I Ever Risked it all for a man” This is not a criticism to the writing of the episode, this is more of a message to characters that don’t exist. Devi, Margot, stand up, please. No man is worth fighting for, no man is worth ruining your reputation for and no man is worth ruining your chances of getting into your dream university for and I’m saying that as someone who loves Ben as a character (for the most part).

Ben x Margot

Was very unnecessary. Ben stop dating girls to get over Devi challenge I beg of you.

Ethan

Also unnecessary but at least he got Devi to take her mind off of Ben.

Fabneesa

They had so much chemistry in their interactions together and they were trying to tell us last season that they don’t have any romantic chemistry?? Nah, sorry I don’t believe it. During the scene where Fabiola confided in Addison about her fight with Devi and Addison told her that she would make new friends in college, I was thinking about how Aneesa would get it since she is in the same friend group (tho props to Addison for listening to Fab and getting it in the end.)

Aneesa

I adore Aneesa so I was disappointed that she was barely in the season. I wish we could’ve gotten more information about where got recruited to.

Nalini

I adore her and I love how much she has grown. In seasons 1 and 2, she would have called Devi ‘stupid’ or used other harsh words without a second thought. Now she corrects her mistakes and is more gentle and comforting to Devi. I also really like Nalini’s relationship with Margot’s dad, they had chemistry.

Nirmala

Funny as always.

Kamala

I am glad that she took that job in Baltimore and I am so glad that she didn’t get married. I feel like a big part of her character is that she isn’t ready to get married and needs to figure out the timing of things in her own terms. I am also very happy that she is still with Mr Kulkarni.

Paxton

I was worried when he dropped out of university but the writers handled the plotline so well. The first thing they did was drill it into our heads that Paxton made the wrong choice and that he was running away from change. I adored his friendship with Devi and I really liked his relationship with Miss Thompson. I really like Miss Thompson’s personality and I like how she isn’t phased by his charm and holds him accountable for his actions. They are also bi4bi, I don’t make the rules.

Fabiola

Fabiola was right in applying to Princeton because she can apply anywhere she wants but wrong in not telling Devi at all. I definitely felt bad for her because you can tell that she adores Devi and would never want to hurt her. Luckily, it all worked out in the end.

Ben

He really needed someone to slap him in the first few episodes because what the hell was he thinking?? First, ghosting Devi after they slept together, dating Margot, refusing to speak to her and lying about it being Margot’s decision. I was ready to fight him. Luckily, he redeemed himself in the last few episodes.

Devi

I am a Devi stan first, person second, have always been from season 1. I am so proud of how much she’s grown and of how far she’s come. Most of all, I am so glad that she got her dream college, her dream boyfriend and started embracing her culture.

Benvi

The moments in the last few episodes were perfection. Ben defending Devi from the creep? Amazing. Them interacting with each other and everyone knowing that they’re in love? Spectacular. Them gazing at each other with heart eyes at graduation when you know season 1 Ben would have been so mad that Devi won valedictorian over him. The scene where he flies all the way from New York to confess his love for her and they run away holding hands and the scenes after that? The most romantic scenes on the show. Benvi is definitely one of the best slowburns in recent television.

#nhie #nhie spoilers #devi vishwakumar #ben gross #benvi #bevi #paxton hall yoshida #aneesa qureshi #fabneesa #fabiola torres #nalini vishwakumar #nirmala vishwakumar #kamala nandiwadal

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brittle-doughie · 2 years

Note

Had an idea ever since I read the 'biggest fans' thing....what if they fell for y/n when y/n was on a rival team...like y/n also plays 3 cookie volleyball and plays against the cherry stars? How would the obsession start and how would they take care of the...opposing sides problem? Also curious how they'd act when they play against y/n!

Foul Play (Cherry Stars)

I actually had a bunch of ideas for this one too lol

It was after a match that the 3 cookies of Cherry Stars return to their break room after escaping the reporters that tried to swarm them, exhausted and out of energy after another effort to win is out the window. The sudden knocking at their door made them jump, weren’t reporters kept from this area?!

Cherry Ball knowing this went to answer the door and came upon a supposedly new face to her that greeted Cherry once the door opened!

You introduced yourself as Y/N Cookie that came by and wanted to congratulate them!

Purple and Green Cherry Star Players wondered what you were talking about, they didn’t even win the match!

You added on that it was the effort they put in the match that made them winners in your eyes, they came a long way from their beginnings to where they were now at the big leagues here, it was like their first match back at your local town was just yesterday.

That line made them pause for a second before the memory of their first game got to them, you were that enthusiastic cookie in the crowd that cheered them on! One of their very first fans…seeing you here just as enthusiastic as you were back then did lift up the players’ spirits, but they didn’t get ahead of themselves, they still lost the match..

“Happy to hear you’re behind us all the way, but we’re sorry for disappointing fans like you back there.”

“Yeah..we hoped we could win something to make you fans proud..”

“Sorry, Y/N Cookie. We hope we can do better this next match! We won’t give up just yet!”

You had faith in them, they just needed to be led in the right direction and what better way to do that then to receive help from the other cookies in the stadium! You knew a couple of them, so it was easier on the introductions and get straight to the advice! The Cherry Stars were taken back by your will to help them out, you didn’t seem to want anything out of it and you’re here willing to lend them a hand? They…don’t know what to say!

“Thank you, Y/N Cookie. You truly are a fan!”

———————————————————————

“Y/N Cookie!”

When you said you knew the cookies around the stadium, the Cherry Stars players weren’t expecting Orange and Lime Cookie to straight up head towards you as they gave you a big hug. They were willing to give the players advice on what they knew about coordination and working together, but at the same time, they were also split on speaking to you as well. Seeing this, for some reason, it wasn’t sitting well for the three players

“They..really like Y/N Cookie it seems. Like they’re fans of them of too!”

“I know they’re here to help us out, but I can’t shake off this feeling when they speak to them..”

“What is Y/N’s history with these two…?”

———————————————————————

“Ah, Y/N Cookie. Have you seen my match?”

You admit that you did as you handed her a handkerchief, she was pretty cool in scoring victory in the last act of her match, she kept her cool under the pressure.

“You’re too kind, Y/N. Say, do you happen to be free after Sports Day?”

Oh! You appreciated the offer, but you were actually here to see if White Choco can offer advice to the Cherry Stars on what they could do to improve themselves!

“Of course! But just know, I didn’t hear a no for my offer hm?”

You chuckled as you awkwardly rubbed the back of your head as White Choco gave you a smirk.

If Orange and Lime didn’t raise alarms before, White Choco certainly was.

“White Choco is so bold..I wish I could be like that..”

“Y/N…really knows a bunch of cookies, huh?”

“They’re awfully close for fellow players…”

———————————————————————

“You helped me too! Talking with you helped me organize my thoughts! Let’s keep enjoying what we love! I know that no matter what, there are still cookies out there who will support me and my team no matter what!”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, like Y/N Cookie! They’ve been there since the start and I want to make them happy for all they’ve done for me today!”

“Wait, Y/N Cookie? THE Y/N Cookie?!”

“Yeah! What’s the matter?”

“They didn’t tell you, did they? Well…”

———————————————————————

The Cherry Stars next match was up as they took to the field, the opposing team making their way out as well, Cherry Ball didn’t want to believe what she was told, you didn’t look like the volleyball player type, you were too gentle for a high stakes sport.

The look on their faces when they spotted you coming out last in the line as you took to the center of your team, the role of team leader. Your team voiced their enthusiasm and support for you as you gave words of encouragement to the reporters.

Your team were the hyped bunch, you were their star player in both the games and as a person, you were able to unify a team that worked hard and played hard! They gave you a pre-game congratulatory group hug as good luck for the match. A gesture the Cherry Stars didn’t appreciate, how come these cookies get a hug from their fan before they did?

The Cherry Stars’ admiration for you peaked when the match was occurring, being able to coordinate your team well and with such sync, they thought you all shared a brain. Having to play against didn’t help the Stars, but you’ve helped them throughout the day, it would be a shame if all that help went to waste if they choked up now!

You called out to Cherry Ball that she needed to make this shot to win!

She didn’t want to do it, she didn’t want you to lose! Your team looked so stoked to be here and a loss for them worried Cherry that they’ll begin to resent you! She didn’t want that for her earliest fan!

She’s worked up the whole day for this moment, do it and make the shot! She’ll not only make her team proud, but you proud as well!

SO DO IT! TAKE THE VOLLYBALL SHOT!

And so she did it. She jumped in the air and slung the volleyball back into your court with all she had, she closed her eyes while doing so. Green and Purple gasped as the ball flew right back into your court…and straight for you.

The resounding hit echoed across the stadium as the spectators came to a silence, as did both teams. Cherry Ball hesitantly opened her eyes…and was horrified to see that the ball had struck you and sent you to the ground.

Not caring about anyone else at the moment, Cherry rushed to you as she held you in her arms, pleading for you to get up and please…forgive her. She’s sorry, so sorry! She didn’t care for the stares of horror and anger sent her way by your team.

You coughed awake as you looked at her way, tears streaming down her face as she apologized over and over again. Green and Purple head on over to you as well to check on you, completely blocking off your team from getting to you.

You…you….YOU DID IT, CHERRY!

The cookies on the field and the ones watching were baffled that you were happy that the Cherry Stars won as opposed to being furious that they hit on the side of the face with the ball. Well…if you were okay with it, the sports commentators declared the Cherry Stars as the winners of the match!

The three girls wouldn’t stop apologizing to you as you returned to reporters with an ice pack for your face. It was water under the bridge, their victory made you happy so you didn’t care you got clocked on the face. Your team didn’t share the sentiment, how did these cookies think they were to show their faces again after what they did!

The Cherry Stars butted heads with them as they took you into their arms, if you were okay with it, then you were okay with it! Your team shouldn’t be allowed to just ban them from seeing you again! You were their earliest fan and no way will they allow the competition to ruin that!

“It ’s for the best that Y/N Cookie comes with us! We can get food to celebrate our win and for all the help they’ve given us”

“Not to mention that you cookies sound crazy, you can’t keep Y/N from us forever!”

“We’re only spending time with our fan here, what’s the big idea?”

And if your team started to cause far more trouble in the future..well, the Cherry Stars will cross that bridge when they get there..you should be on a team that will treat you with the love and care that they can show you…

Your team will just have to accept that facts that when it comes to vying for your affection, they’ve already struck out

#cookie run x reader #cookie run x you #cr x reader #yandere cookie run ovenbreak #yandere cookie run #cookie npc x reader #cookie run ovenbreak #cherry ball cookie #green cherry star player #purple cherry star player #white choco cookie #orange cookie #lime cookie #choco ball cookie

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teabreakpancakes · 2 years

Text

Ardent Sentiment

Wanderer x GN Reader, slight Baizhu x GN Reader, Little Lulu, Little Meng, Little Fei, and Qiqi

He accompanies you in meeting a doctor, only to be hit with jealousy. Also, who knew that he was good with kids? he doesn't really look like the type no?

@fruityvegetable

hey lovelies, DO YOU GUYS LIKE YOU OR (NAME) MORE aka second person or third person, yk what, here, a poll

also, they're all ooc... probably

A scowl paints the wanderer's face as you drag him by his wrist but despite his visible displeasure, he still continues to accompany you on your day-to-day errands, of course, mixed with your typical nonsense. Indigo eyes roamed the bustling street, listening to you prattle on about how you were excited to see an immortal herb gatherer named Qiqi.

"And last time, Qiqi and I explored a rui—ack!" you yelped out, stumbling after bumping into someone. Scaramouche catches you, to your relief. He sends the kid a pointed glare, "Watch where you're going brat" he hissed out, opting for a more family friendly word instead of cursing at them.

Little Fei bowed towards you both, "I'm sorry! I'll look where i'm going next time, a, are you alright?" he asked, a frown resting on his gentle features. You smiled, approaching the kid only to be pulled back by a hand on your upper arm. Looking back, you meet his unsure eyes—you give his hand a reassuring squeeze, lacing your fingers together before tugging him with you to talk to the kid.

"I'm alright kiddo, but be careful, had the person you bumped into not had been so lenient, you would've been in a lot more trouble" you huffed softly, chuckling while ruffling Little Fei's hair. The kid's frown is replaced with a small smile, and for a small period of time, he begins to focus on how pretty you both are. His ears are dusted slightly with pink, wondering about how such pretty people could exist. A distant voice breaks him out of his stupor, forcing him to return to reality.

"Fei! there you are!" another boy calls out, running up to the three of you. The boy nearest to you, presumably named Fei, looked towards the other boy. The other boy crosses his arms across his chest, sending Fei a pointed stare "Lulu and I have been looking for you y'know!" he exclaimed, almost pouting.

Little Fei looks to him before looking back to you, "Goodbye! sorry to leave but my friends are looking for me" he says, waving goodbye to you and the wanderer.

"Meng! sorry for disappearing" Little Fei apologises sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Little Meng rolls his eyes, putting his arm over Little Fei's shoulders, "Yeah yeah, whatever, let's just go already" he says, pulling Fei along with him.

Before they disappear from view, the two boys look back, waving goodbye to you both for the last time. You wave back at them—with a lot more energy might I add. Scaramouche stares at you with fond eyes, They remind us of me and you, just a bit he smiled slightly, shaking his head.

He rubs the part of your palm below your thumb, drawing your attention back to him. "Didn't you say that you had to meet Qiqi? let's hurry up then" he remarked, narrowing his eyes at you. Snapping your fingers, you point towards him with sparkles in your eyes, "Right! let's head to Bubu Pharmacy then!" you chirp, once again tugging once more on his hand.

"Oh? (Name)? I see that you've come to visit us once more, here for my little Qiqi I assume?" the green haired doctor spoke, smiling genuinely towards you. His snake-like eyes fall on the wanderer behind you, meeting his skeptical gaze, "And who might this be?" he inquired.

Scaramouche remains aloof, "Wanderer" he replies in a curt manner. Changsheng huffs, "How rude, not even a proper introduction" she berates, stilling slightly when the anemo vision user glares at her. You laugh nervously, patting Scaramouche's shoulder. "Hello once more, Dr. Baizhu and Changsheng" you greet, cutting in between the heated stare your travel partner was sending towards the both of them.

The wanderer keeps his guard up, not wanting to trust the doctor, something about him just felt off. "Sorry about him, he isn't really quick to open up, and yes, i'm here to see Qiqi, well, not just her of course, but to see you too" you spoke, bashfully tucking a strand of stray hair behind your ear.

Baizhu waves off your apology with an odd quirk in his smile, "It's quite alright, Changsheng is just a bit sharp tongued, please do excuse her, but I'm afraid Qiqi isn't here, you see, she went out to deliver some Lotus Heads to Little Lulu at the harbor" the doctor smiles, an unreadable glint appearing in his gold eyes when they land on your intertwined hands.

You smile, letting go of the wanderer's hand in order to run up to Baizhu. "Thanks! I missed you by the way" you crooned, wrapping your arms around his exposed waist. Scaramouche could feel his anger levels rising, irritated by the smile on the green haired man's face. Baizhu smiled, sending a smug teasing look towards the other man as he wraps his own arms around your small frame. "I missed you as well, a lot more than you think" he whispers against your ear, having to bend down so he could reach.

Scaramouche rolls his eyes, frowning, not missing the way you shuddered because of the doctor's actions. "Let's hurry up, I still want to go to other places today" he grits out, pulling you away from the green haired man. You pout waving goodbye to the handsome doctor as you're dragged away from the pharmacy.

"Hey! what was that about" you sulked, frowning at Scaramouche. He huffed in irritation, staying silent, he won't tell you because how the hell do you expect him to say that he felt jealous of the green haired man, he'd rather not, already knowing how you'll react.

Soon enough, you spot Qiqi, along with the two boys you both saw beforehand, and in addition to them, a little girl.

As you both near them, the little girl spots you both. "Are they the pretty people you told us about Fei?" she questions, a bit too loudly because soon enough, Little Fei covers her mouth. "H, Hey, don't be so loud, they'll hear you!" he chided, embarrassed. "Well, they might've already heard you" Little Meng scoffed, pushing up his glasses.

You couldn't help but giggle and feel bashful, he thought you both were pretty you smiled. "You hear that? they think you're pretty!" you faced the wanderer, only to tilt your head to the side—you were a tad bit confused on why he looked a bit stunned.

"Hey," you spoke, closing the distance between your faces. "You alright there buddy?" you ask, worried. You cup his face, rubbing his cheeks, blinking owlishly. Gorgeous indigo eyes bore into your own, his eyes that were wide slowly relaxing until they returned to their usual size. Unintentionally, you had began to admire his face; his eyes sparkled naturally, nose high yet not too pointed, his porcelain skin soft, his cheeks rosy with natural blush that noticeably kept getting darker? huh, I wonder why they shrugged it off, eyes still trained on the man before them.

Your eyes wandered to his lips, you didn't know why but you wanted to touch them. His lips were plump but they remained on the thinner side, sure enough, with a gentle swipe of your finger, they really were as soft as they look. The pinkish red hue dusting your cheeks began darkening as thoughts of how they'd feel against your own lips clouded your mind. Scaramouche, noticing your flustered state, smirked slightly, "I do wonder about what you're thinking about, mind telling me?" he teased, lacing one of his arms around your waist. He pulls you closer to him, leaning down towards you.

You squeak pathetically, nearly whimpering as he closes the distance even more. He smirks down at you, caressing your side with his nimble fingers.

"Mister, please let go of them" a periwinkle haired child interrupts, tugging on one of the tassels attached to his hat. The wanderer, stares down at the zombie, begrudgingly letting go of you. "This isn't over" he mouths towards you, brushing his hand through your soft locks briefly.

"H, Hey there Qiqi" you greet, looking at her as if she were your savior. Qiqi smiles, hugging you with her small arms. "I missed you, did you miss Qiqi?" she asked, voice holding a tinge of expectancy. You chuckle at her question, wrapping your arms around her and giving her a bearhug, "Of course I did Qiqi!" you said. You asked about her day and from then on, the conversation flowed like water.

The wanderer eyed you both, smiling, only his peace to once again be interrupted. What now? he grumbled internally, looking down at the source of disturbance. The sight of another child greeted him, a bashful one at that.

"W, We were wondering if.. you'd play with us?" Little Lulu asked, eyes never leaving the ground. Scaramouche's lips parted, hit with another wave of surprise. His mouth moves to utter the words no but before he could, the two boys backed up the girl. "We'd really appreciate it if you did!" they chimed in, looking at him with a hopeful gaze. Y'know, usually, he'd just outright refuse but he felt a bit hesitant—they resembled you whenever you'd "solicit" him for something and that made him hesitate.

He sighed, utterly exasperated with his decision. "Alright you brats, what do you want to play?" he asked. The kids all looked at each other as if communicating with each other through simple glances, the wanderer could only watch with interest. Upon finishing their "discussion" and coming to a verdict, they face him once more.

"Let's play hide and seek!" Little Meng proposed, the other two cheering with him. Scaramouche felt rather amused, you really were similar to these kids. "I assume that I'm it?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow. Little Meng nods, "But, there's a catch," Scaramouche hums, as if to show that he's interested, "Once you find us, you have to catch us" Little Meng continues, smiling almost cheekily.

Little Lulu and Little Fei possess the same smile, no longer showing the shy demeanor they portrayed beforehand. The wanderer held no expression, a complacent glint in those gorgeous indigo eyes.

"Found you!" the wanderer called out towards Little Fei, the first one to be found. "You won't get me!" the boy cries out, running away with a smile on his face. Scaramouche laughs slightly, racing after him.

With the help of his anemo vision, he captures Little Fei, lifting him up to the sky. "Who said anything about me not getting you?" he singsongs, spinning the boy around before returning to the ground to let him off.

Little Fei was in awe of his ability, wanting to be picked up by him again. "It must be so freeing to fly" he whispered, staring up at his figure. Everyone in the harbor marvels at the display, including you of course, "Wahh, he got even better at flying" you praised, clapping, Qiqi copying your gesture as she nibbled on some sweet flower and henna berry jelly.

He soars above the ground, eyes landing on the figure of Little Lulu peeking behind a crate. He lands behind her without a sound, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Boo!" he exclaims, laughing slightly as she jumps.

"You found me mister!" she cheered, only to be picked up. He jumps onto the roof of the vendor selling fish, using platforms he made using his vision to leap towards the area he set Little Fei down. Setting Little Lulu down, he turns to leave, only for his sleeve to be tugged.

"Mister, you're really pretty y'know" Little Lulu says, smiling with an honest face. Scaramouche turned away, lowering his conical to hide his growing smile. "Thanks" he blurted before leaving in pursuit of the last hider. Getting genuine compliments from people wasn't anything new to him—getting called pretty was another thing though. He always liked it when he was called pretty, well, unless he didn't like you.

He takes his time, walking around the harbor in a leisurely manner. Little Meng watches him from a boat, smiling at the thought of him not being found. But before the kid got too complacent, Scaramouche zeroed in on his figure, once again soaring through the air. He picks him up, a mischievous smile plastered on his handsome face.

"Found you, now, let's get you back to your friends" he mutters, barreling past all the obstacles below them. Little Meng held onto his glasses, fearing that they may fall off his fave without how fast they were going.

Little Lulu and Little Fei cheered once Littls Meng was put down on the ground. "I can't believe you found us all so quickly!" Little Lulu beamed, visibly impressed. The kids went on to comment about his abilities, asking if he could do it again. Surprisingly, the wanderer entertained their requests, taking them on a short trip around Liyue harbor.

It was a pleasant surprise to see him smiling so genuinely as he manoeuvred in the air so gracefully with each kid individually. Perhaps, this was one of his real sides that he kept behind those icy walls of his.

Soon enough, once the kids had to leave and he had bid them farewell. He met up with you at Yansheng Teahouse. Upon climbing up the stairs, he's met with the scene of you enjoying your tea, a content smile on your serene face.

"I didn't know you were good with kids" you began, speaking in an almost teasing manner. He fights the urge to roll his eyes, taking the seat in front of you, "Yeah, believe it or not, kids actually like me" he retorts, fiddling with the tea cup in front of him.

You raise the teapot, pouring him an appropriate amount of tea. "So, was it still a waste of time to come here?" you asked, smiling as you gazed at him with earnest fondness.

He met your gaze for a moment, eyes soft with uncharacteristic tenderness. "Perhaps I may have been to quick to judge this place" he spoke, trying out his tea.

He smiles from behind the tea cup, enjoying the bitterness of the tea you picked. The two of you bask in the moonlight, enjoying each other's presence. There's no need for conversation when you both feel at ease and comfortable with the silence—perhaps, this has been the most idle moment of the day.

#lawless.writes #genshin.writing #wanderer x reader #scara x reader #scaramouche x reader #kunikuzushi x reader #genshin x gn reader #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin x reader #gn reader #genshin scenarios #scaramouche x gn reader #wanderer x gn reader

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autisticgirliesbracket · 1 year

Text

What makes Clara Valac from Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun the autistic girlie ever of all time? Here's what the people have to say:

Clara-related asks/reblogs: x This post will be updated after each round!

Image ID in alt text and under the readmore.

[Image ID. White slide with a screenshot of Clara in a semi-chibified style. On the left are several text boxes which read,

"My main argument is: please. Resident weird girl who the people around her don't really get until she meets other weirdos who love her. She (and the rest of the main characters) are literally in the class at their school called "the misfit class" (and I could go off about how much I love them all but that's a different topic). Unapologetic about being unconventional, never really follows social cues, and I personally feel like she could have RSD and auditory processing issues. There's an episode where she's following a book's instructions on how to seduce someone (long story but I need you to know that she's trying to platonically seduce someone into hanging out with her more) and she's doing each step in a way that is technically what it says but does not follow the social nuances. I love her so much and would die for her and I want her to get the recognition she deserves."

"audio processing issues, trouble understanding personal space, uses sound effects in day to day speech, almost never still, a high schooler but still into "childish" things with bizzare twists, starts the series with the very relatable insecurity of feeling like nuisance and feeling that she has to make up for the trouble (in her case, using her family's special magical ability to give others snacks in hopes they'll play with her in return). Dislikes complicated things, has trouble making friends, has made being unpredictable a strength in several areas, terrible at remembering names (usually just gives people nicknames instead). Also I'm autistic and like her, of course."

"Her entire character introduction is about how people think she's overwhelming bc she constantly wants to play. She's isolated from her peers and they all avoid her because she's super hyper and overactive. The only people who "play" with her are a group of bullies who are basically using her for her special ability (she can recreate anything she's seen before from her pockets). They ask her for drinks and snacks and stuff and then tell her to count to 50000 for hide and seek and she does. But they're all long gone. Anyways Iruma the MC comes and because he can't say no to anyone, gets roped into playing with her and they become friends. From her wiki: Clara is one of the stranger students at the school, acting very much like an excited child. She has abundant energy that most students can't keep up with. Other students find her weird and hard to deal with, but are drawn to her because her inherited power is so convenient. Since she had no friends, she would give students snacks and drinks as "payment" for playing with her. Her immature nature makes it difficult for others to get along with her, so much that most of the class can't stand her and wonder how Alice and Iruma can tolerate her so much. Despite her childishness, Clara is fully aware of how people view her as an annoyance yet still gives in to their demands in an effort to fit in. After befriending Iruma and Alice she learned to stop letting students use her for snacks and embrace herself and learn to befriend others in her class." End ID.]

#autistic girlies bracket #autistic girlie masterpost #welcome to demon school iruma kun #clara valac

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be-netz · 6 months

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a quick recap of the previous episode opens up this week’s show, reminding the audience of the twenty-odd idol hopefuls who have joined this year’s competition. it’s certainly a colorful bunch this time around with a few familiar faces peppered in among the crowd; do better plays in the background as the screen focuses on STEVEN and the winners of last season, now coaches for the new contestants, before bursting into the title screen and logo.

the scene shifts abruptly to the three judges, ceos YOON JIHUN and SEO RAN of studio delta and sr media respectively and YUNA, the face of lime entertainment. the trio sit at a shared table draped in a thick black cloth, elevated just slightly to give them a good view of a stage specially set up for this week’s evaluation, decorated in purple, teal, and pink like the show’s logo.

“who are you most looking forward to seeing?” yuna asks her fellow evaluators, hands clasped as she leans forward to glance over at both ran and jihun.

“personally, i can’t wait to see more of HANGYEOL,” ran admits. a short clip of the contestant’s audition from last week and his subsequent first-place rank at the end of the episode plays across the screen. “he’s a talented young man and i have a feeling he’ll do well with this challenge.”

“actually, i think i’m looking forward to STEVEN,” jihun considers his words for a moment before continuing, “he’s already familiar with this type of mission, even though it’s a different song and dance from last year. i’m hopeful that he’ll show us a new side of himself this season.”

“since i asked, i should answer as well,” yuna smiles, “while i agree with both of you, i’m personally looking forward to seeing AHYOUNG’s performance. she has a strong personality and a lot of energy, so it’ll be interesting to see how that fits into the group.”

it’s no wonder that the judges are looking forward to the top three from last episode. they chatter for a few moments more before the talented emcee RHEE JIAN takes her position in center stage, ready to announce the first contestant.

ASAKURA TOUMA is the first contestant up, taking the stage shortly after a brief introduction from jian. the camera focuses in on his silhouette, silent except for the exaggerated sound of his breathing, as he waits for the music to start. just as it looks like the performance is about to begin, the scene abruptly changes to the very same contestant in the practice rooms provided for the NEXT GEN participants.

it seems that touma is quite the practice-bug, staying late hours in the practice rooms with KAITO and separately with HYUNKI, and stretching with JIHYUN. “i understand that i was doing more than i can chew, back then.” touma’s voice plays across a scene of him helping jihyun lean further into his stretch. “i’d like to think that i was able to balance things a bit more clean this time, focus on what i can do first.”

the scene fades back to the judges, their sharp eyes digging into the contestant even as the song has yet to start. “this will be… interesting,” jihun remarks. the two women remain quiet.

do better starts playing and the very first performance begins. touma is clearly enjoying the stage and while he starts strong with the rapping and his dancing isn’t bad, it’s singing where his performance begins to fall apart. the edit seems to highlight this, featuring every shaky note or slightly missed beat and making the boy’s performance out to be much worse than it may have been without the repeated cuts, replays of imperfect moments, or quick zooms into the slightest shake or wobble.

even touma admits that he struggled; “it’s different from training,” he tells the camera, the scene suddenly cutting to the young man seated in a simple room. “i had to keep in mind the pitch and everything. i had to keep it stable while dancing too, somehow it’s easier with rapping.”

the performance comes to a close with an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air as the judges seem to collect their thoughts.

“i suppose i’ll start,” ran picks up her microphone and begins to address the contestant directly. “touma, i can tell that you took our advice to heart from last episode. we appreciate a trainee who’s coachable and applies feedback to their efforts, however…”

while ran seems at a loss for words, perhaps looking for a softer way to say what’s on her mind, jihun has no such delicacy. he takes over immediately: “just because we thought you were doing too much last time doesn’t mean you should have neglected your vocal training now.” he sighs, perhaps regretting that they were not more clear with their expectations, or that the contestants understood the assignment so poorly.

“it’s a good thing that you can rap and dance,” yuna takes a more balanced approach to her critique, the carrot and stick method in a sense. “but for your sake, you should focus on learning to sing better. no matter how good of a dancer or rapper you are, the public will always perceive you as untalented if you can’t sing.” she speaks from a place of experience, her advice genuine.

there’s one last scene of touma in the interview room. “i’m happy i did it. i’m confident that i did my best, and i’m sure all my hard work will shine through somehow.” his optimism despite the rough critique is admirable. perhaps he’ll become a contestant to watch closely as the competition goes on.

“ah, well,” jihun sighs, “hopefully the next will be better.”

perhaps disappointed that the first performance was not a show-stopper, the judges moods brighten anyway as jian announces that CHOI HANGYEOL will be the next contestant on stage.

“mr. first-place,” yuna smiles warmly as the young man takes his place on stage. he bows politely and greets each of the judges.

“i’m sorry,” hangyeol announces, “i’m a little starstruck at the moment. thank you for this opportunity, and for your kind words of support from before. i’ll do my best to make sure you won’t regret them.”

“he speaks well,” jihun remarks, low enough that the contestant on stage can’t hear her just yet.

“he was working with my NAYOUNG this week,” ran informs the other judges, the scene shifting for a moment to show hangyeol and the trainee-coach in a practice room.

“how does it feel to have them say they want to sign you on day one? i'm pretty sure they didn't say that about anyone last season," nayoung asks her question of her student for the day, her competitive spirit obviously not at all dampened since her last appearance on television.

humble as always, hangyeol’s response is as perfect as if written in a storybook: “it’s an honor, but one that i still feel like i need to earn.”

the scene shifts again, this time to just backstage as the young man stretches in preparation for his performance for the judges. a paper armband displaying his number one position wraps snugly around his upper arm, lest anyone forgets who wears the crown this week. suddenly, his arm flops down. “tsk…it’s heavy isn’t it? nobody tells you that part.” his tone is light, as if joking, but the viewer can read into the meaning behind it. first place is a heavy burden for a contestant to bear. will he live up to last week’s performance that earned him the title?

hangyeol once again seems to be a professional on stage. his mistakes are overlooked by the camera and the editors, zooming into his flawless expressions and sharp-yet-fluid movements which suit the heavy beat of the song well. it’s like it’s his personal music show… the captions praise him, the cuts suddenly looking very reminiscent of an idol performance as it cuts between different angles of the same performance. he’s stable, if a bit imperfect, but it’s clear that the powers that be behind the scenes are much more forgiving of their first number-one than they had been of the previous contestant.

all three judges clap their approval in a tiny applause as hangyeol finishes his performance.

“i’ll be honest,” jihun doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t look displeased either, “i didn’t expect you to be able to sing. you were surprisingly stable for someone who hasn’t done this before… have you?” he suddenly questions; it’s not out of the question that there may be small idols that disbanded or retired without the general public’s notice.

“there were mistakes, but you never let them slow you down,” yuna nods her appreciation of the performance. “that’s hard to do, even for seasoned performers. it’s easy to get caught up on a mistake and make more because of it. your resilience makes you a stronger performer.”

“if i had one bit of advice to give, it would be to practice your enunciation more,” ran suggests, not unkindly. “your details with dancing are top notch, so i’d love to see the same attention given to your voice, whether you decide to pursue rapping or singing going forward.”

“good job, hangyeol,” yuna congratulates him, smiling warmly.

“if i can get yoon jihun himself to smile, i’ll consider it an accomplishment,” hangyeol’s voice is heard momentarily as he leaves the stage. for a moment, it seems as if his mission has failed. but after he’s gone, the tiniest upward curve is revealed on jihun’s lips.

“this is the part where i have to give you some not-so-good news,” jian announces to the judges, who frown as they listen to the emcee. “HAN YURA and MOON SOOYOUNG have both withdrawn from the competition for personal reasons. we wish the both of them the best of luck in their future endeavors and hope to see them on stage again soon.”

while the expressions of the judges don’t brighten they do give the two withdrawn contestants a round of applause to send them off of the show.

“with that, we’ll move on to our next contestant,” jian announces, “please welcome HAN JUEUN to the stage!”

the young woman walks out with a confidence rather uncommon among the contestants, which the judges pick up on immediately.

“she hardly looks nervous at all,” ran remarks.

“she doesn’t look nervous at all,” jihun corrects his fellow judge as all three stare down at the girl on stage.

“i’m pretty confident,” jueun herself confirms her aptitude for the stage, smiling at the cameras as she sits in the interview room. “with how hard i’ve been working, i don’t think i’m going to slip tremendously with this next ranking, at least.”

and she has been working hard; the scene cuts to the practice rooms, a montage of her sessions with various fellow contestants displayed. in each clip, she’s seen practicing a different skill, seeking advice from more experienced participants, and even giving advice of her own.

the scene settles on a moment shared between jueun and JIAYI, the two women talking together during a short break. “this whole thing is being televised,” jiayi reminds the other, followed by a confession, “i'm worried about that too, but i try to ignore all the cameras.”

“they’re kind of hard to ignore though, aren’t they? i mean, they are literally everywhere,” jueun laughs, perhaps betraying the slightest sense of nervousness with the sound. “but i’m trying my best as well.”

back to the present, to the woman standing confidently before the judges, and the music begins playing yet again.

jihun notices something, though.

“she’s staring at me a lot, isn’t she?” he remarks. the women to his left and right have to stifle their laughter.

the performance wraps up and yuna is the first to speak this time. “you’re comfortable on stage, aren’t you? your expressions are good, and you didn’t look even a little bit nervous. do you have any acting experience?” she questions appreciatively, curious more than anything.

“like yuna said, it’s clear that you have experience on stage. i just can’t help but wonder why you seemed to only perform for ceo yoon?” ran’s tone is light enough, though her words more biting than typical of the soft spoken ceo. perhaps this is a sensitive spot for her. “yuna and i are also here, and also judges. picking one place to look is good for ballerinas who need to keep their balance while spinning, but performing to one person alone in the audience can make the rest feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“it’s clear that you practiced hard and put a lot of effort into this performance,” jihun shuffles the papers in front of him as he speaks. “your expressions are good and make for an engaging performance, but your skills could use a little more work. keep practicing, you’re doing well.” small words are a large compliment from the pickiest judge.

jueun is seen in the interview room one last time as her portion comes to an end. “i would love to see how much i grow skill-wise. i came onto this show like a blank canvas, and it’d be nice to see how colorful i become at the end!”

“HAN YUWOL,” jihun realizes who the next contestant is, echoing jian as she announces the next name. “he’s one of the odd ones, isn’t he?”

“this should be interesting,” ran agrees, though she appears to be more looking forward to this than jihun is.

the scene cuts abruptly to yuwol in the practice room, coach SEOJUN talking him through his session and addressing the contestant’s weaknesses as he approaches this challenge.

“i’ve never actually done any dancing before, much less performing dance,” yuwol admits. no dancing at all? certainly he has a daunting task ahead of him.

“i can help with that,” seojun assures his student, “i’ll do my best to having you knowing the whole routine in no time.”

the scene changes in such a way that it’s hard to notice that it’s a different time, a different person in yuwol’s company. it’s AHYOUNG now, abruptly pausing the music during their dance practice session. “enough!” ahyoung shouts, seemingly frustrated with the lack of progress either from herself or her companion. “i’m putting a random song on and dancing to that,” she proclaims. the camera focuses on yuwol’s face, taking in his reaction.

“like we’re supposed to… freestyle it?” yuwol asks, as if it’s an entirely foreign concept to him. and, based on his discussion with seojun, maybe it really is.

how is he going to pull himself together for the judges? the captions drag out the tension, setting the contestant up for a disappointing performance if some miracle isn’t pulled off. the scene shows a few more seconds of awkward, stiff dance movements before fading to black. yuwol reappears on stage in front of the judges not a moment later. the young man takes a deep breath– is he also afraid of the results of his practice?

the poor thing. the cameras pan to the judges’ pained expressions as yuwol opens with an awkward rap, only made better by how the dance is somehow even worse. if ran and yuna try to mask their expressions, or at least soften them slightly, jihun does nothing of the sort. he frowns openly, disappointed with the performance before them.

an uncomfortable silence hangs in the air as the music concludes, the judges seemingly at a loss for words for a moment.

“yuwol,” jihun finally breaks the silence, “i think you know what we’re going to say. that just… wasn’t good. we thought you were a good singer in your audition, but we didn’t see any of that talent tonight. frankly, you have a lot of work to put in if you’re going to make it in this competition.”

“learning to dance is hard,” yuna tries to smooth over the harsh words of her fellow judge, giving the poor young man the benefit of the doubt. “it’s not something that can be done in a few days. i think you did your best to learn as much as you can in a short time. i can congratulate you on that.” somehow, even as she tries to find something nice to say, it falls flat.

“there’s nowhere to go but up from here, yuwol,” ran smiles, the kindest of the three despite the pity in her eyes.

the interview room makes another appearance, yuwol now seated in the center of it. “i looked… rather stiff, i’d be the first to admit that,” he confesses to the camera, “i’m new to all this, though that’s not an excuse… of course, it’s far from a perfect performance… there’s a lot to learn from it.”

“next,” jian’s lovely, smiling face takes over the screen after a brief pause in the wake of yuwol’s poor performance, “we’d like to welcome HWANG JINGREN to the stage!”

there’s not much preamble to jingren’s entrance to the stage. there’s only a short clip of him in the practice room, chatting with JAEYOUNG. “i don’t know if i’m any good. especially, considering how i ranked near the bottom,” jingren confesses, “i don’t have the natural beat at all.”

“everyone loves an underdog story,” jaeyoung offers encouragingly, “someone rising from the very bottom to the top. you have a whole arc ahead of you.”

will jingren rise or fall?

as the music starts and the young contestant begins his solo performance, smiles are seen across the judges’ faces. the audio finally kicks in so the audience can hear what the judges do; a surprisingly stable voice, despite shakiness during the rap and imperfections in his dancing abilities. it’s not a winning performance, but it’s solid.

the judges applaud him regardless when he’s finished.

“to be honest, i wasn’t sure how this would go,” jihun confesses. “i was ready for another trainwreck on stage. you pleasantly surprised us, thank you for that. it wasn’t a perfect performance, but we can see your improvement already.”

“like jihun said, it wasn’t perfect. but we don’t expect perfection at this point. you’re all looking to become trainees, not to debut tomorrow. so i wouldn’t worry too much about being the best right now and just focus on continuing to improve your skills. you’re doing well, jingren,” yuna smiles through her feedback, encouraging the young hopeful before her.

ran is the last judge to speak, a little slow as she tries to find something to say that hasn’t already been shared by her peers. “it might be nice to see you enjoy the stage a little more,” she comments, “you looked a bit scared up there. i know this is all new and nerve-wracking but i’d love to see what you’re capable of if you can become a little more comfortable.”

“thank you, jingren,” jian congratulates the man on his performance as he’s ushered off the stage. “next, we’re excited to welcome HWANG YEJUN!”

“i like the way you dance,” it’s actually INHO’s voice that’s heard, the scene cutting to a practice room where the two young men rehearse together. yejun, the one on the receiving end of the compliment, looks flabbergasted more than anything.

“thank you,” he sputters out.

the editors do him small favors to be a little more interesting, peppering the scene with rosy pink hearts and painting a picture of a practice room crush, at least on one another’s skills if not literally in a romantic sense. clips of yejun in practice, both in the main group classes, alone, and with inho and other contestants play in a short montage. and then, a clip of his singing voice, without dancing. he has skill, to be sure. will he be able to show it to the judges?

the camera catches his deep breath, the tremble of his hands as he stands before the judges.

“are you nervous, yejun?” ran smiles into her microphone. “it’s alright, we just want to see what you’ve learned.”

kind words can only do so much for the poor man’s nerves. but like it or not, the music begins regardless.

his nerves don’t completely disappear even as his performance starts, a shake in his voice and a wobble in his step even as he does his best to project confidence during his song and dance. that voice that was heard in the practice rooms lacks some of its power now, yejun’s energy split between singing and dancing. had inho been right to compliment the other contestant? yejun’s not terrible, but he may be his own worst enemy.

at least he hits the final note and pose, ending the song on a high.

the judges applaud for a moment before yuna is the first to pick up her microphone. “yejun, do you have stage fright?” she asks suddenly, “we could all tell you lacked confidence in this performance. you shouldn’t, you sing well and your dancing isn’t bad either. but when you make yourself seem so small, how are we supposed to react?”

“my trainees like you,” jihun adds.

his commentary is interrupted by a clip of RENYI and DOHYUN discussing the contestants they’re supposed to be coaching. the camera shows yejun’s profile photo in renyi’s hand. “i think he’d be really good at a company that encourages his creativity, and we already know we get along well with him,” the trainee reveals the friendship he’s already fostered with yejun, though it’s yet to be caught on camera.

“i agree,” is all that’s heard from dohyun, though the cut is awkward as if he had more to say.

the scene returns to jihun, who has more to say: “but i don’t see why just yet. keep practicing and show us a better version of yourself next time. whatever it is your friends see in you, i’d like to see that too.”

“you’re here because we saw star potential in your audition, yejun,” ran cleans up the conversation kindly, unwilling to beat down a nervous contestant more than he’s already been beaten by himself. “i hope you’re able to show us that side again.”

yejun bows, utters his thanks, and leaves the stage. a gloomy atmosphere seems to hang in the air.

“well then,” jihun claps his hands together and leans back in his seat. “what do we have next?”

ITO SEIRA is the next contestant to showcase her skills, but before showing her on stage the screen cuts to the girl working in the practice room with HYUNKI. and then the screen splits to show her with JAEYOUNG. it splits again, now in quarters, to reveal her practice sessions with JIAYI and EUNWOL, and then into eight pieces with TOUMA, INHO, JIHYUN, and YUWOL, with the coaches CHAERIN, NAYOUNG, and SEOJUN, with JUEUN, STEVEN, and JORDAN.

the audio is filled with each time seira introduced herself to her fellow contestants, the voices multiplying clip over clip until it’s a whole chorus of introductions.

is there anyone who seira isn’t friends with? the captions suddenly question. it’s clear that the girl is quite the social butterfly, already befriending most of the contestants and half of the judges in the first week of practice alone.

“almost everyone was willing to help me,” seira appears in the interview room in the next shot, telling her story with a fond smile. “i was so surprised, nobody turned me away when i asked for help… we’re all in this together, we help each other. i don’t think there’s a single person i’m thankful for, i’m thankful for everyone, i hope people keep being willing to help, after all, this is a competition”.

and then, finally, seira appears on stage. the camera captures her bright personality, making it easy for the viewer to understand just how she was able to befriend the majority of the competition so quickly. “hello i am ito seira, my korean name is sunah, i am twenty-one years old, i’m thankful you’re willing to watch my performance, i hope you enjoy it!” the girl introduces herself, seemingly without so much as stopping for a breath.

“she must be a rapper,” the cameras catch jihun making the remark quietly to his fellow judges, who smile and suppress their giggles at the man’s rare attempt at humor.

the music plays again and very little is shown of seira’s performance, perhaps neither so good nor so bad that the editors felt the need to draw any special attention to any point of it. they are sure to capture the ending though, zooming in on the woman’s face as if an ending fairy in a music show. the camera catches the way she breathes heavily, despite trying to hide it.

“you’re a hard worker, aren’t you, seira?” yuna is the first to address the girl on stage, a fond smile on her lips. “we have staff report to us on your activities throughout practice as well watching your final performances, to see if you’ll be a good fit in any of our companies. i have to commend you for your collaborative efforts, even on a solo evaluation like this. it’s easy to get caught up in the competition but it seems that you have a knack for bringing people together.”

“you have some skill,” the ever-unimpressed jihun rubs his chin as he considers seira’s performance, seemingly undecided about his feelings on the matter. “you’re not perfect, obviously. you’re not debuting tomorrow. but there’s promise. and, as yuna so aptly put it, you have other talents that are just as important to have in an idol group. i think we’ll have to watch you more closely.”

“i heard you had a fall in practice, are you alright?” ran is the first to show concern for the contestant.

the scene suddenly cuts back to the practice room and seira’s practice session with JAEYOUNG. as they begin the dance, the girl somehow loses her balance and ends up flat on her back in the middle of practice.

silence fills the room for a moment, uncomfortable as if about to welcome in bad news to the wannabes working so hard.

jaeyoung breaks that heavy quiet; he laughs aloud. “how did you get on the floor like that?”

it turns out seira isn’t hurt, she’s smiling in return. “who knows? maybe i was adding breakdance into the dance.”

the screen returns to the evaluation stage and ran smiling warmly at the young woman before her. “i’m glad to hear you’re alright. please be careful when you practice, we’d hate to have to send you home due to any injuries. i’m excited to see what you’ll be able to show us next time.”

with those kind words, seira is dismissed from the stage.

"it wasn't exactly pleasant to see my name so close to the bottom," the scene fades into the next contestant, JANG HYUNKI, sitting in the interview room. clips from the previous episode play, the judges’ harsh words echoing over a clip of hyunki sitting quietly, as if haunting him like menacing ghosts. “it did make me want to work ten times harder to show everyone here and at home that i'm much more than what i showed in the audition."

will hyunki be able to show a better side of himself this time?

the scene cuts to the practice room, of hyunki and JUEUN standing in front of the mirror. "look,” jueun instructs him, “everybody knows you're a skilled dancer, but you've got to convince people that you're really feeling the music, and that involves using your face!"

hyunki, responding to her advice, straightens his posture and adjusts his face. “believable?” he asks.

“it looks like a customer service smile, if you know what i mean. your eyes are pretty much empty." jueun is honest with him, even if it’s not the results he probably wants to hear.

as the pair continues to rehearse, hyunki’s voice is heard over the scene: "i worked exceptionally hard, and felt more confident this time around. i had the critiques to work off of and those all gave me a good starting point."

the scene changes again, this time to just backstage. SARANG is seeing the contestant off, playfully slapping his backside as hyunki steps up to take his turn on stage. "go kill it! one slip up isn't gonna kill you. you're gonna dominate this whole thing!" the trainee assures his student.

"all the coaches were super helpful," hyunki is shown in the interview room once more before his performance begins. "if i had to pick one, sarang's advice was probably most helpful for me this time around."

clips of sarang’s time on last season flash across the screen in a quick montage. if anyone could teach hyunki to be more expressive on stage, it would be mr. charisma sarang himself.

the camera pauses on hyunki as he stands on stage, building tension in the silence as he waits for the music to start. when do better finally starts playing, the young man begins moving, rapping, singing. it’s immediately clear that he took the criticism to heart; this performance blows his audition away entirely.

the song comes to a close and the young man bows, awaiting the judges’ response. all three are smiling, a much better sign than the last time they evaluated this contestant.

“well, hyunki, i feel like we owe you an apology,” ran begins, her smile wider than all the rest. “what you were able to accomplish in such a short time is a testament to your skill. we recognized your good foundation, but your ability to apply critique is unmatched so far. you worked closely with sarang? that was a good choice. he won last season for his charisma and stage presence, which was exactly what you lacked in your audition. excellent job.”

“i never regret my words,” jihun leans back in his seat, showing he’s impressed in his subtle mannerisms. “but you did make me eat them this time. you overdanced a little to the point your vocals suffered, but i can’t say you weren’t engaging to watch this time. good job.” rare praise from the strictest judge.

yuna pauses, smiling at hyunki before she speaks. “well done,” she congratulates him. “the audition was a bad time to have an off-day. i’m so glad to see we were right to bring you on the show, and that one off-day is not indicative of your abilities. i’m excited to see if you can continue to improve at this rate throughout the show.”

“great job, hyunki,” ran praises the young man again as jian gestures him off stage.

“he really did a one-eighty,” jihun murmurs aloud.

“did he actually impress you?” ran teases.

jihun shrugs. “maybe. maybe not.”

“i feel for whoever has to follow up that performance,” yuna remarks.

the lucky contestant is KIM ARA. a short clip of the girl stretching with KAITO in the practice rooms floods the screen. “next time, i’m going to bring my foam roller here too,” she announces, seemingly dissatisfied with the quality of her stretch without it. still, she bends in half easily, still having the breath and strength to chat with the other contestant even as she stretches. it’s clear that she’s flexible and a skilled dancer.

“i won’t be defeated by my placing,” ara tells the cameras in the interview room, suddenly reminding her that she’s fourteenth, rather low in the ranks. “but i will use it as fuel to further my ambition. there is room for me to improve and hopefully rise up.”

the girl is seen climbing up the stairs to the stage next, ready to show the judges what she’s prepared.

the music starts and her flexibility in the practice room pays off as she reaches out to each movement in its fullest completion, never skimping or leaving a step incomplete even if the choreography is easy.

“i really did try my best to give a balanced performance and work on my singing,” ara’s voice is heard over the music just before the singing portion starts. and in the next moment, it’s her singing voice that’s heard through the speakers, surprisingly stable despite the dancing. her performance passes by quickly, the camera continuing to highlight the best parts of her dance ability, until the final pose is struck and she’s being greeted by the judges.

“ara, you did well,” yuna praises her immediately. “i wasn’t sure if you were going to sing well or not, but you even did well with rapping. i don’t think any of us expected that from you, so i want to congratulate you if you learned that well in such a short time or apologize if we overlooked your skill during your audition.”

“i do wish we saw a little more of your personality come through,” ran adds to yuna’s thoughts, “but honestly, it’s such a minor critique in the grand scheme of things. this was a solo performance but it felt like you were holding back a bit. it’s alright to be a little greedy in this stage. this is a competition, after all.”

jihun is quiet for a moment, collecting his thoughts. finally, he picks up his microphone. “i don’t think i have anything more to add,” he admits. “ran and yuna have more or less said it all. you’re very talented and we’d like to see what you’re able to do with this talent going forward. thank you.”

“we’re excited to welcome the next contestant to the stage, MOON JORDAN,” jian announces as the camera shows a brief clip of the contestant climbing up to the stage to take his position in the center.

the scene cuts to jordan in the practice rooms, rehearsing choreography that’s distinctly unfamiliar. what is he doing? the captions question as the young man runs through movements that the other contestants certainly had not been doing. was he given a different assignment than the rest?

“i attempt to turn things into my own to make it fun and enjoyable for those watching me,” jordan tells the camera in the interview room, a sort of confidence in his demeanor even as he’s sitting there. some might find it attractive; others might find it cocky.

back to the present—or at least back to the stage and the performance in front of the judges. jordan’s performance begins the same as every other contestant, dancing, rapping and singing do better in front of the three people who will decide his fate in this competition. but, as he nears the end, something is different. it appears that jordan has added his own dance break, something that no one else has dared to do before. it’s a risky move; just how will the judges respond?

silence falls on the room as the performance comes to a close. the cameras pan across the judges who scribble notes down on the papers in front of them before they give their verdict to the young man before them.

it’s yuna who speaks up first.

“moon jordan,” she reads his full name off the paper in front of her. “do you have a problem with following directions?”

a hush falls over the room again. yuna has been kind, if a bit strict with the other contestants so far. her voice nearly shakes, as if she’s holding in her anger for the sake of all the people watching her through the camera right now. a veteran idol knows how to take care of her image, after all.

“this was a test of your performance skills so we could better evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. this was not a test of your creativity or an invitation to modify the song given to you. this song may not have been performed by anyone else before this group of contestants, but that doesn’t give you the right to change it on a whim.” she sighs, trying to relieve some tension. “you know you’re all expected to perform this together on mcountdown later this week, right? how do you expect to do that when you’re incapable of following simple directions?”

even ran looks rather displeased, though she lets yuna do the bulk of the scolding. this was a mission right up lime entertainment’s alley anyway.

“you should keep in mind that we’re looking to sign trainees from this competition,” ran’s words are phrased more as suggestions for improvement than yuna’s had been. “your performance skills are important of course, but we’ll also be teaching you to improve your natural talents throughout this competition and if you’re signed to one of our companies. your intangible skills are just as important to us. that includes things like teamwork and listening skills and your ability to take critique and direction.”

jihun, the scariest of the judges, is the last to speak. he’s silent for a moment, scowling at the young man in front of them. “i can’t say anything,” he finally raises his microphone to his lips. “you did not complete the mission assigned to you, you just made up your own. i can’t critique a performance that doesn’t even remotely fit the rubric that was given to you.”

perhaps the lack of comment is the greatest insult of all.

jordan is dismissed from the stage. the scene changes to a staff member approaching the contestant backstage, pulling him aside from the other contestants as they deliver a message from the judges.

“i’m sorry, but it’s been decided that you will not be performing with the rest of the next gen contestants on mcountdown this week. the judges’ decision is final on this.”

a camera hangs onto jordan’s face for a moment longer, displaying his reaction for the world to see.

a moment later the scene shifts to PARK AHYOUNG backstage, chatting with various contestants as she awaits her turn. a staff member taps her on the shoulder and lets her know that it’s her turn on stage. jian’s voice can be heard announcing the girl to the stage, but just after the camera watches ahyoung hurry off to her position it shifts to her in the interview room, speaking her mind.

"i guess i've never really danced before outside of like, the club,” the young woman shares, her words met with an uncomfortable silence after she speaks them. “i'm a great dancer in the club, don't get me wrong, but it's not really the same thing.”

the scene cuts to her practice session with YUWOL, the same that had been shown earlier in the episode. now, however, the camera focuses on ahyoung’s dance moves as the pair shake off their nerves with random dancing. how did you learn these moves…? the captions question, though no outright accusations are made.

finally, the camera cuts to ahyoung on stage before the judges. as the music begins, so does her performance, and the judges’ sharp eyes watch her every movement, their ears listening to every word, as they assess her performance.

she starts strong, as many of the contestants do, but as do better goes on, she seems to be losing steam. her voice becomes more strained and breathless, her dance lacks some of the energy it had in the beginning. the camera flashes to jihun for a moment, his stern glance as ahyoung’s heavy breathing is exaggerated on the audio.

as the song wraps up, the judges scribble down some final notes on the papers in front of them.

it’s jihun to speak first this time. “i think we may have rated you too highly based on your audition,” he admits a mistake, though only to point out the failures of the contestant in front of him. “let’s just say what you and i both already know; you lack endurance. if you smoke, quit now. work on cardio at the gym. you won’t survive this competition with your current condition. i’m saying this for your health.” he seems to attempt to extend some kindness, even if it’s still tough love.

“i’m more concerned with your work ethic, to be honest,” yuna frowns at the wannabe before her. “plenty of your competitors came in with little experience in dancing. they’ve improved their endurance a lot in the short time they’ve been with us. i think you’re taking practice too lightly. do you want to be here? or would you rather be at the club?” yuna becomes vaguely accusatory, perhaps a bit sensitive as an idol herself who has heard all of these criticisms before. maybe it’s better for ahyoung to hear them now from someone who genuinely wants to see her improvement instead of blasted a thousand times at her online by anonymous netizens who have nothing better to do but complain.

“you’re a naturally gifted performer,” ran starts with compliments, perhaps trying to soften the blow of her fellow judges before her. “you definitely shine and capture attention easily on stage. but that’s not enough past this point. please continue to improve your skills, you’re here because we saw your potential and we want to see how great you can become. thank you, ahyoung.”

the contestant is dismissed from the stage.

"i'm not gonna pretend i'm an expert, but i had fun.” ahyoung tells the camera in the interview room. it almost seems like she didn’t take the judges’ criticism to heart at all…

“up next, we’ll be watching the performance of RYEO JIHYUN!” as jian announces the next contestant up to the stage, the camera cuts to jihyun climbing the steps and waving to the judges with a smile, a confidence in his movements even as he approaches what’s likely the most nerve-wracking part of this competition so far.

“why are you even here?" the scene cuts suddenly, TOUMA and jihyun in a practice room stretching together as they prepare to run through the dance again. the camera seems particularly interested in touma’s question, however. it seems a bit inflammatory, bordering on accusatory. is this a rivalry budding already? touma sighs. "is this a side gig to you? are you here to feel something again?" neither is a very charitable interpretation of jihyun’s participation in the show.

“can you guess which is right then?” jihyun retorts, seemingly not giving an answer to the other contestant. at least he can handle himself well without starting a true altercation, verbal or otherwise.

“there was some fear and guilt that was lingering at the back of my head.” the scene cuts to jihyun in the interview room quickly. is touma bullying other contestants? the accusation is never verbalized or written anywhere on screen, but the viewer may start to get a sense of the story that’s being told here.

regardless of backstage practice drama, jihyun takes the stage anyway. his performance begins and jihyun seems to capture the spirit of the song well; tough, fighting for glory and recognition, and unafraid of anyone in the room, yet still having fun with every step. maybe his supposed spat with touma had helped him find his attitude for the performance. he’s captivating on stage regardless, almost sensual in the way he moves.

but the illusion of the competitor is shattered at the very end when jihyun sends a heart to the camera instead of maintaining the same persona he had for the entire duration of do better.

a laugh bubbles up from the judges without their permission, both jihun and ran having to cover their mouths to try to stifle the giggles. yuna just smiles, though it’s obvious she’s also amused.

“what happened at the end?” jihun questions immediately, too amused to think about anything else. “you spent the last three minutes convincing us that you were really here to ‘do better’ than all the rest of the contestants… and then ending with aegyo?” it appears that jihyun has not yet earned his way out of the ‘strange crowd’ among the contestants. “i’ll be honest with you, it ruined the performance. it doesn’t matter how well you sang and danced, all i’ll remember is feeling like you played a joke on us at the end. staying strong and following the mood for the entire song can make a performance. in this case, it broke.”

“aside from the heart,” yuna picks up her microphone next, “your rap skills are… well, they’re lacking. while not every idol needs to be an all-rounder, it is important to have some foundations in all skills. if you debut as a soloist, it allows you to release a more diverse portfolio of music. in a group, it allows you to fill in for a member if a situation should occur that demands it. you may not enjoy it, but i still recommend developing your basics better in the future.”

ran smiles warmly at the contestant before speaking. “first, i’d like to apologize for laughing. that was unprofessional of us, but you did take us by surprise. i didn’t think i could still be surprised like that,” she admits. “you’re already showing signs of improvement, but i think we would have liked to see a bit more from you this week. i don’t think we saw anything surprising, like your skills didn’t improve so much from the last time we saw your perform that there’s much to talk about. please continue to practice and improve. you’re here because we want to see everything that you’re capable of.”

“thank you, jihyun,” jian announces his departure from the stage.

“it was something relatively new to me,” jihyun admits to the interview camera, “i think i did quite well for my first time, and i’m satisfied with it. but of course, i’m not stopping at just being satisfied. i’m going to be even better the next time and come back with an improved version of myself.”

the camera flashes to touma’s face for a moment once more, gauging his reaction to his supposed rival’s critique and response.

“RYU INHO?” the scene cuts to the next contestant quickly, CHAERIN calling out a contestant’s name from a clipboard in front of her as she meets some of the participants she’s in charge of. "is this your first time singing and dancing at the same time?"

"ya, noona, so formal," inho starts joking with her immediately, obviously comfortable with the coach far more quickly than his fellow participants had been. is his familiarity disrespect to the young woman in charge of helping him grow?

he does admit it, though: "i'm not much of a dancer at all, let alone singing and dancing at the same time."

cutting to the interview room, inho addresses the camera. "i wasn't expecting such a high ranking," he admits, but then after a short cut to remind the viewer of inho’s fourth-place ranking, he issues a promising statement: "i plan on continuing to do what got me there in the first place. that is giving everything i do my absolute best effort, and then some. alongside ensuring i use my resources, such as the coaches.”

oh, so is the young man trying to schmooze with the coaches? the editing certainly seems to imply such.

chaerin, seemingly only slightly ruffled by his overfamiliar greeting, clears her throat and looks down at her clipboard again. "have you memorized the choreography, at least?" she steps toward inho, not backing down in the slightest, her brow knit together in concern. chaerin, at least, is all business.

the scene cuts to a different time and place, now with inho and SEOJUN. again, inho greets the coach with unprecedented familiarity: "didn't expect to see you here. how have you been? it's been a while."

seojun makes no attempt to hide the friendly relationship he apparently has with inho. "didn't expect to see you here either," he responds amicably, “i've been good. busy since i've been training a lot. glad i get to see you again."

the scene cuts abruptly again to seojun in the interview room this time. “would it be biased if i mentioned inho?” he asks.

yes, it most certainly would be.

at least the cameras don’t do anything further to damage inho’s reputation on the show, cutting away again to the young man taking the stage in front of the judges. his smile is confident, cocky, as if already in character for the performance he’s about to give.

the music starts; inho dances, raps, and sings. there’s moments when the camera catches that confident smirk fading from his face, unable to remember to hold it throughout the performance. it catches the moments where he pauses and catches his breath; while it’s in the choreography, the heaviness of his breathing almost becomes distracting. his voice stays stable for the most part, and the raps are decent from a contestant who doesn’t have a ton of experience in this area.

inho is gasping for breath as he holds the final pose. the judges furiously scribble notes down in front of them, capturing their last thoughts for when they have to rank all of the contestants later.

“inho, i think you also need to work on your cardio,” yuna half-teases the contestant with a smile on her lips. “i was disappointed in your performance not because of your skills, but because i felt that your breathing distracted me from your abilities. ‘ah, if only he had the strength…’ that sort of feeling.”

“you sing well and your rap and dance wasn’t bad,” ran compliments the contestant, “especially for your first time attempting these things. but you’ll have to work harder to maintain your position in this competition. there are so many talented participants this season… it’s not enough to only be a good singer anymore. i hope you can improve quickly.”

jihun is the last to leave his remarks: “taking advantage of the resources offered to you is good. however, i’d be more careful to watch your image,” he advises on the content the coaches have seen of the practice sessions rather than the performance in front of him, which the other judges had already covered well. “please be sure to mind your manners with our trainee coaches. even if you’re friends outside of work, it’s important to give them the proper respect in our buildings and in front of your fellow contestants. they’re trying to help all of you improve, so they need to be taken seriously.”

“otherwise, your performance was mediocre. i expected better.” jihun shrugs.

inho is dismissed from the stage just after, the cameras following him to capture the initial reaction on his face to the judges’ critiques.

“RYU SIWOO is next,” ran reads from a cue card in front of her. “wasn’t he the one with all of the luxury brand clothes?”

the camera cuts to siwoo in the practice room, somehow still wearing luxury clothing items as the camera identifies the sweat-soaked t-shirt he’s wearing as ralph lauren.

a disembodied staff member’s voice is heard behind the camera in the interview room, the cut trained on siwoo and his reactions as they ask the question: “you were introduced as someone who comes from money and luxury brands. how do you feel about that?”

siwoo pauses uncomfortably, seemingly put on the spot. “i’m…thankful for the interest,” he words his response carefully, “i’m really interested in fashion and i like to dress up a little. so i guess they aren’t completely wrong.”

he seems to address the camera a little more directly in his next statement: “i’m a lot more than just that though. i hope it shines through on the show.”

and just what does he show? the scene cuts to he and NAYOUNG in a practice room, the trainee coach trying to help him learn do better and perfect his performance.

“fix your posture,” nayoung barks orders like a drill sergeant. “stand up straight and keep your head straight as you sing. it'll support your diaphragm and make this easier." she seemingly has an endless tirade of critique for his performance. the editors animate a hammer dropping on siwoo’s head. this is almost as tough as the military… the captions read.

but nayoung wouldn’t say such things unless the critique was warranted. the next several seconds play several of siwoo’s failures and shortcomings and nayoung’s quick corrections, her words as sharp as a whip as they lash out at every little mistake that her student makes. is siwoo really more than the money and luxury he comes from? at least he seems to take the critique well.

the scene cuts to the stage, siwoo already introduced by jian and ready to begin his performance. while he may seem a bit nervous in the beginning, he’s smiling by the end. there’s mistakes in his performance and he’s breathing heavily like many of the previous contestants; maybe nayoung wasn’t harsh enough on him.

“siwoo, do you think you can get by on looks alone?” jihun rips into the contestant early, not pausing for more than a moment before tearing into his performance. “i heard that you worked closely with the coaches, but i doubt that any of them would have let you come on stage with a performance like this. please take advice from the song next time; do better.”

“ah,” ran seems a bit taken aback by jihun’s harsh words. he’s not incorrect though. “this is still a bit unfamiliar, isn’t it?” she tries to sympathize, “you don’t look like you’re enjoying being on stage. when you smile, it looks like it’s just something you think should be done rather than something you’re actually feeling. even if you don’t like the song, you should be trying to make your audience fall in love with it. convince us that it’s the best thing ever, even if you secretly don’t agree. it’ll make you a better performer.”

yuna frowns into her microphone. “this choreography was rather simple, but you still struggled to execute it. i understand we’re trying to move quickly through this competition, but please do not neglect your basics. strong fundamentals will help you move farther down this competition than quickly learning one dance and forgetting about it immediately afterwards. this goes for your singing too.”

just as it seems that the judges are about to dismiss siwoo, jihun suddenly adds one more complaint: “also, what’s wrong with the name NEXT GEN?” he accuses the contestant.

the scene changes, giving context to jihun’s words, as it brings up a practice room with JAEYOUNG. “i was just thinking about the name next gen,” siwoo complains, “an idol survival show called next gen. who comes up with these names?”

the cameras cut back to siwoo before the judges, jihun’s arms folded crossly in front of his chest. “i thought we made it clear that we’re looking for the talent to lead the next generation of kpop. you might want to decide if you really want to be a part of that.” there’s a subtle threat to jihun’s words; disrespect the judges and face the consequences.

siwoo is finally allowed to exit the stage.

the scene cuts to the next contestant and, coincidentally, the very same as the young man siwoo had been complaining about the name of the show to: SONG JAEYOUNG. jaeyoung starts in the interview room, a disembodied voice questioning him from behind the camera. “you didn’t seem very happy with your current placement,” a soft feminine voice remarks.

“yeah, i’m not,” jaeyoung scoffs, “but that’s not surprising, is it? it’s not a very good ranking, all things considered.”

a quick reminder that jaeyoung placed sixteenth out of twenty-one total contestants last week plays across the screen.

“what did you find challenging during training?” the same voice asks him.

jaeyoung’s answer is unhelpful. “a bunch of things,” is all he says.

to try to shed some light on his practice experience, the camera cuts to jaeyoung and JUEUN practicing together. during a quiet moment, jueun strikes up conversation.

“i heard you’re good at spinning things,” jueun asks, “can you spin this?” she hands him a water bottle.

“i swear, people will only remember me for that now,” jaeyoung appears in the interview room once again, clearly annoyed with the question his fellow contestant had asked him.

"it's funny that that's what's making rounds and not the performance itself,” he responds just as wryly in person as well, though he ultimately takes the bottle to demonstrate his unique ability. “jueun. this is for you…” he somehow still sounds sarcastic.

and, frankly, the cameras focus more on jueun’s reaction than they do on jaeyoung.

little else is shown of his practice sessions before jian is announcing jaeyoung’s name on stage, inviting the competitor to begin his performance for the judges. his introduction is short, though maybe that’s for the best considering how hostile all of his moments in the interview room have been thus so far. instead, he wastes no time showing his performance.

jaeyoung is a little different from the other contestants. while there’s others also proficient in rap, he spits the words out with a particular kind of venom. the words seem like a challenge, like an attack on anyone who dares to critique him.

the performance is cut midway to the interview room again. “do you think you did better with this performance?” the same disembodied voice asks.

“i put my all into it, that’s what i can say,” jaeyoung responds, “i danced, i sang, i rapped. it’s not easy, anyone here can tell you. but i wanted to make sure people hear; that i’m not just yelling.”

it cuts back to his performance, where it does very much seem like he’s yelling as he sings and dances, his perceived anger boiling over in the face of the judges. jaeyoung bows at the end of his performance, punctuating it with a polite gesture at least.

“you certainly have spirit,” ran decides to speak first, cutting off jihun who was reaching for his microphone first. “and passion is so necessary in this industry, it’s good to see. i do think your performance was a little… intense for this song. we want you to do better like the song says, but it shouldn’t sound like you’re declaring war either. if you could work on your balance in your performance the same way you’re able to balance things on your fingers to spin them, you’ll be able to really shine in front of us.” ran, as always, advises kindly.

jihun is never nearly as kind. he’s ready to jump in and say his piece before yuna can also stop him. “you need an attitude check,” he condemns the contestant in front of the panel immediately. “you’re not the best contestant here. you’re just not. so instead of complaining about your rank, do something about it. being angry at us and our staff will not change your performance. if anything, it’ll make your life harder here. i’ll tell you the same thing i tell dissatisfied trainees: you can get with the program or get out.”

an uncomfortable pause falls over the room as yuna attempts to pick up her microphone and say her own advice and critique. that is, assuming jaeyoung and his supposed hot temper will still listen to anything after being scolded by jihun.

“one of the most important traits a trainee can have is their ability to accept critique,” yuna tries to explain. “it feels like you lack that ability right now. until you’re able to hear us with an open mind, there’s nothing we can do to help you improve.” she keeps her feedback short, turning her mic off and placing it on the desk in front of her as soon as she’s done.

jaeyoung marches off stage as soon as he’s dismissed. the judges don’t look worried about whether they’ve offended him or not, though the atmosphere still seems tense even in his wake.

“i don’t know about you, but i could use a break,” ran suggests to her fellow judges.

jihun shakes his head. “we’re almost done here. let’s just hope our next performer is a breath of fresh air.”

they watch as jian introduces SONG JIAYI and welcomes the young lady to the stage. jiayi smiles brightly to the judges as she takes her spot on stage. but the performances never start so quickly. instead, the viewer is taken back to jiayi’s time in the practice room, working with JINGREN. the pair are talking in a different language, mandarin based on the chinese flags that suddenly appear on screen around them. are they keeping secrets? are they gossipping about their fellow contestants?

after a few comments back and forth, the broadcast finally replays them with subtitles in korean.

“you seem to be a natural at catching on to the choreography compared to me,” jingren compliments the woman.

“i’ve always been a dancer,” jiayi explains with a rather vain flip of her hair. “i’m confident i’d do it perfectly.”

the cameras show jiayi in the interview room, now speaking korean with the staff asking questions from behind the cameras. “i have to rank myself number one until proven otherwise,” she tells the staff confidently.

she seems to have a bit of an ego… the captions spare no moment to criticize the woman’s confidence. however, it’s only empty boasting if she’s unable to back it up with her actual abilities. the scene shifts back to the stage in front of the judges and jiayi’s confident smile. "i practiced long and hard to show the judges something i'm proud of.” her voice echoes over the image of her meeting the judges’ eyes.

the music begins and it’s clear immediately that jiayi’s confidence in her dancing is not completely unfounded. she’s sharp, precise, and fluid when the movements call for it. where it begins to lack refinement is in her voice. yuna had called her voice weak in the previous episode, and it seems that that critique comes back to haunt jiayi even now.

at least her breath control is decent. by the time she’s wrapping up the song, she’s not half as gassed as some of the previous contestants had been.

the cameras cut to the judges, who don’t look nearly as frustrated or upset as they had been when giving feedback to the previous contestant. jihun may not be smiling and ran may smile even when she’s upset, but the smile on yuna’s lips tells the viewers all they need to know about the atmosphere at the judges’ table.

“jiayi, you’re right to be confident in your dancing,” yuna begins, addressing the girl rather frankly. “you clearly have a strong foundation there and there’s not much for me to say. but your voice is still lacking. work closely with your vocal instructor for the next challenge. just like your body, your voice is a muscle that needs to be trained and exercised. since you haven’t done that much before, it’s not going to develop overnight. but keep working at it diligently to improve.”

“just because you’re a good dancer doesn’t mean you’ll make a good trainee or idol,” jihun gives his critique much more harshly, as per usual. “do you want to be a backup dancer or an idol? listen to yuna and follow her advice, or else your future will be at the back of the stage supporting the main show.”

“be nice,” ran chides jihun gently, seeming to think he crossed a line with his latest criticism. “jiayi, you’re a beautiful girl and an excellent dancer. as yuna and jihun have said, that’s only half of what you need to be an idol. the good news is that there’s still time to work on the other half. we enjoyed your performance and i can’t wait to see you continue to grow.”

ran leads all three judges in a round of applause as they release the girl from the stage.

“up next we’d like to welcome back a familiar face,” jian announces from her spot in the center of the stage. “back again to chase down his dreams of being an idol, please welcome STEVEN PARK!”

a shaky smile from the young man floods the screen before fading away to a short recap from last season’s appearances. steven had been a little… unrefined at that point, to put it lightly. he joked around in practice, he never took anything too seriously. ultimately, it had been his downfall and the reason he was removed from the show before the finale. and despite the humiliation, the harsh words from the judges, and not even making it to the end let alone earning a chance at a contract, he’s back. not only is he back, but he took third place in the last episode. has steven park turned over a new leaf after all?

“i kinda missed the grind,” steven’s voice is heard as clips of him practicing with the new group of contestants flicker across the screen.

a voice is heard from behind the camera as steven sits in the interview room. “compared to last season, do you think you’ve improved enough?”

“i’d like to say that i have,” steven smiles.

the scene cuts to the judges briefly as they wait for the young man’s performance. they had already mentioned looking forward to him once; will he surprise them? or will it be the same old steven park who they had to eliminate last year?

“ah, finally,” yuna smiles as she watches steven take the stage. “he looks a bit nervous… good.” one might think that she wants to terrify the young wannabes if they didn’t know better.

“be on your best behavior in front of the cameras,” another flashback to the practice rooms shows steven with JUEUN, the latter receiving advice from the more experienced contestant on this show. he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “i’m not sure how great of tips i can give you… i didn’t last a long time here.”

steven’s performance finally is set to begin. the camera focuses in on him, capturing the slightest twitches in his expression that betray his anxiety. he’s taking this more seriously than he had last season, that’s immediately apparent. the music starts, and steven begins.

“he dances well,” ran murmurs to her fellow judges midway through the performance, the cameras suddenly picking up on her instead of focused on steven. “but he’s not making eye contact with any of us, is he?”

the other two judges shake their heads to confirm ran’s assumption.

steven is a talented dancer, that’s for certain. he controls his movements well, leaving himself with enough energy to breathe (and therefore sing and rap). “i think i could have probably worked a little more on the vocals,” his voice is heard over the dimmed sounds of his do better performance for a moment, before the original audio turns up again and the shakes and instability in steven’s voice can be heard more clearly by the audience now that they’ve been pointed out. he succeeds in finishing the performance though, and the judges remain quiet as they wait to dole out judgement.

“steven,” jihun begins, the slightest smile tugging at his lips, “are you afraid of us?”

a chorus of giggles goes up from the judges. of course steven is nervous around them, who wouldn’t be? perhaps steven doubly so after his previous experiences.

“you should know that we’re only hard on your when we think you’re not living up to your abilities or when you need a little tough love to reach your potential. there’s nothing for us to scold you about right now.” the man smiles a little more openly, suddenly softened in front of this contestant. “in fact, you did really well. it would have been nice if your voice had improved more since last season, but we can work with that.”

“congratulations on getting a compliment out of jihun!” ran exclaims, acknowledging that this is a major accomplishment for the man on stage. “those were probably the best words we could have told you, weren’t they? it’s true, we can tell already that you’ve matured a lot since we last saw you. however… i wish you weren’t so afraid of us.”

a short clip replays of every time steven had looked toward the judges but never quite at them, always above, below, or to the side of where they were actually sitting. the avoidance seems painfully obvious in the compilation.

“remember that until we invite others to sit in, we are your audience. you’re performing for us, so you should try to connect with us or… at least have the confidence to look at us. you’re a good performers when you’re focused, steven. i’d like to see you shine.” ran smiles warmly, hoping her advice is taken to heart.

yuna is the third and final judge to speak. “as a final word of advice, i’d try to keep in mind that you are the single most experienced contestant on this season. the others may start looking to you for leadership and guidance. try not to shy away from this opportunity; you’ll have more chances to shine by helping the people around you grow quickly as well. and it’s good to see you again, steven,” yuna smiles herself.

it seems the judges have laid aside their past perceptions of steven and are looking forward to what he can show on this season. the three whisper and nod approvingly among themselves as they prepare for the next contestant.

“up next is YAMAMOTO KAITO,” jian announces, but rather than show the contestant on stage the scene shifts instead to kaito in the interview room.

"what was the greatest challenge during this mission?" a voice from behind the camera asks him.

"i think that the greatest challenge was probably pushing myself too hard,” it may sound like a humble brag from kaito, but clips of him practicing until the wee hours in the morning, only to return nearly at the crack of dawn the next day fade into the screen, still overlaid with his own voice. he’s seen at different times with TOUMA, INHO, and ARA. “i tend to overwork myself when it comes to various things, in this case practicing and not being completely satisfied with my personal results."

the scene is overtaken by a particular practice session with TOUMA. it’s late, based on the quick cut to the clock on the wall, but things seem to running well as the two young men run through their rehearsal of do better again. it all comes to a halt as kaito makes a mistake, cutting himself off with a loud groan and kicking the air in frustration. “seriously!” he shouts out his frustration before turning to touma apologetically. “one more time…. just…. one more…”

kaito’s exhaustion is clear. from the way his shirt is soaked with his own sweat to the dark circles under his eyes, it’s hard to miss. touma picks up on it too, if the short temper tantrum hadn’t been enough to signal something was wrong.

“this is a pretty good place to stop, i think,” touma suggests, laying a hand on kaito’s shoulder gently, “you did a lot already, you can pick it back up another day?”

“touma actually I've known for a while now.” the scene cuts back to kaito’s interview. “he's one that really helped when i was pushing myself too hard, again, and helped me realize that i needed a break before i ended up probably passing out, or worse."

back in the practice room, kaito has to acknowledge touma’s suggestion. “maybe you’re right…” he admits.

“you’re already doing great. you’re getting fluid!” touma encourages his friend. “take a deep breath.”

you’re already doing great, kaito! even the captions cheer him on with soft sound effects, trying to ease the young man’s pressure on himself.

“i just feel like i could be better. you know?” kaito confesses aloud and surely the other contestants can relate. so many of them must feel the pressure as the competition is kicking off with such a difficult challenge, and the looming threat of a live performance.

"i'm actually really confident,” kaito tells the camera once more, “with the amount of practice that [i] put in i'd like to say that i did the very best that i could.”

the scene cuts to kaito standing on stage before the judges. the camera catches his deep breath, perhaps the only thing betraying his nerves, as he waits for the music to start. and kaito’s practice does pay off; he dances well, though his singing and rapping struggles some with the sheer amount of effort he puts into his movements. he’s breathing heavily by the end of the performance, not unexpectedly, and the judges give him a short round of applause as he’s finally able to relax and prepare himself for their feedback.

“you’re really fun to watch perform, kaito,” ran begins with a smile. “you look like you’re genuinely enjoying every minute on stage and that’s always a pleasure for the audience to watch you do what you love. i do think your singing needs some attention. we can tell you worked hard, but i’d like to see you improve further moving forward.”

“we heard that you’re quite the practice bug,” yuna takes over next, “and it’s great to hear that you’re taking this competition seriously. it’s what we want to see from our contestants. but we don’t want to see you get hurt. things will only get more challenging from this point onward so please be sure to keep yourself healthy even as you’re rehearsing. we would hate for you to have to exit the show early due to injury or illness.” the judges seem genuinely concerned for the participants’ health.

jihun is the final judge to speak, his words never overly kind or as soft as those that came before him. “ran saying you need to work on your singing was an understatement,” he’s as harsh as always. “even rappers need to be able to understand how to carry a tune. while the future will allow you to play to your strengths more, please do not disregard practicing your vocal fundamentals. they’ll only help you as a rapper as well.”

“great job, kaito,” ran congratulates him once more before he’s dismissed from the stage. “i like him,” she tells her fellow judges once he’s out of sight. yuna smiles her approval, though jihun only frowns.

“our final contestant performing today is YOON EUNWOL,” jian announces from the stage, drawing the judges’ attention back to the next contestant up.

the scene shifts to a practice room, eunwol sitting by himself as other contestants practice nearby. is he hurt? he seems to be fine, physically. but a rather forlorn expression on his face seems to betray that there’s more going on in his head that meets the eye.

“my greatest challenge?” eunwol is seen in the interview room. “working with others, acquaintances and strangers. well not strangers, fellow contestants, challengers. i’m not sure what we are called.”

is it awkwardness that keeps him from interacting with others? thankfully, there’s a social butterfly ready to help everyone out at next gen. SEIRA approaches eunwol with a smile. “wanna go over the moves with me? i keep forgetting them,” she offers.

"are you sure you want my help? i didn't place high and blanked," eunwol’s self-deprecation doesn’t cease even in the face of next gen’s friendliest participant. “i am currently debating with myself about walking out that door. i don't belong here."

the editors leave an awkward pause between eunwol’s confession, before seira has a chance to respond. she’s determined not to be rejected, though. “last year’s season, the person who originally placed last made it all the way to the final,” she smiles warmly again, “who says you don’t belong here? do you know how many people auditioned for the show, and only twenty-one made it, you passed the auditions, you deserve to be here”.

it seems to convince eunwol enough and the two begin to work together, seira helping him to feel more comfortable in this competition through being the one to ask him for help.

eunwol survives, despite the hardships, and finds himself standing in front of the judges for his performance. the three wait patiently for the music to begin again; they may very well be sick of hearing do better after about twenty times today.

the music begins, and it’s clear very quickly that eunwol has taken a different approach than many of the others. a cut back to the interview room, and the young man explains himself: “well i’m not sure if it will work, but i did try and be cute,” he tells the cameras. the scene cuts back to his performance and the movements he modified to fit his vibe better. the performance plays in its entirety uninterrupted, not once betraying the judges’ reactions to the rather bold choice until it comes to a close, eunwol smiling brightly as he holds the final pose.

a pause takes over the room as the judges frown into their notes.

“eunwol, what about do better made you think that it was a cute song?” jihun wastes no time with his criticism. “this is a solo performance, but keep in mind that you’ll be performing this with a group very soon. we’re here to evaluate your performance skills but you covered them up with your cutesy act, so i’m forced to believe that you’re actually quite lacking. is that the message you meant to send us?”

jihun doesn’t stop laying into the contestant with his harsh words. “if you don’t want to be here, you’re welcome to leave. there’s thousands of children and young adults around the world who want to be exactly in the spot you’re in right now. if you’re not grateful for this opportunity, you may as well do them a favor and drop out now.”

quiet uneasiness lingers in the few seconds after jihun finishes his tirade. it’s ran who’s bold enough to break the silence. “eunwol, even if you don’t trust yourself, you need to trust us as professionals who have been discovering and refining talent for years now. if we didn’t want to see more from you, you would not be here right now. i hope to see better effort from you in the next challenge, but i do hope to see you still with us for that.”

yuna sighs, the tension in the room still hanging vaguely in the air around them. she’s not so much of a fan of when jihun gets heated. “you’ll need to re-learn do better to do it properly for the mcountdown performance with the other contestants. in a team, you can’t just do your own thing. that’s going to be more important going forward, so please try to make an effort to be more of a team player. working with others is how you’ll succeed.”

eunwol all but sprints off the stage as soon as he’s dismissed. he’s looking a bit green, so the judges make no further comment.

with all performances complete, it’s time to gather the contestants to the stage as one big group. jian smiles at them as they take their places, the judges’ deliberation finishing up in the background behind them.

“contestants, you’ve been re-ranked based on your performances today. we’ll be revealing your positions from last place to first.”

one by one, the numbers are revealed. it shouldn’t be a surprise that moon jordan takes last place, his punishment for going rogue still weighing heavily on his shoulders. things start to get exciting with the top five, however. stevie, hangyeol, hyunki, and ara all have a shot at being the centers of their respective genders.

“in fifth place is… one of the girls,” jian announces. “so we’ll know who our female center is once this rank is announced. who do you think it will be?” she asks a few of the contestants, most declining to give an answer. jueun and ara’s faces are watched closely by the cameras.

“our fifth place contestant for episode two is… han jueun,” jian finally announces. the participants congratulate ara and applaud jueun, now that the battle has been decided. stevie, hangyeol, and hyunki are all still in the running.

it’s revealed, however, that stevie took fourth place for this particular episode. it’s still a great rank, but it brings hyunki and hangyeol, rivals set up by the judges since the first episode, into the final competition.

“in third place…” jian draws out the tension, the camera zooming in on each potential center’s face as they try to guess whose name will be on her lips in mere seconds. “please congratulate… choi hangyeol!” the top three ranks are revealed at once, hangyeol in third, just below ara, and hyunki taking first place for episode two. “congratulations hyunki, ara, you’ll be our male and female center for your performance of do better on mcountdown next week. everyone, please give yourselves a round of applause!”

a roar from the contestants goes up, though some may be lamenting their ranks.

“i have good news for all of you; there will be no eliminations this episode. however, next episode they will begin. those of you in lower ranks should do everything you can to rise quickly. those in higher ranks, don’t get too comfortable! you’ve seen how high hyunki jumped up, the same thing could happen in the wrong direction to any of you,” she warns the idol wannabes carefully, hoping they know how serious the next challenge will be.

“your next mission is the PERFORMANCE EVALUATION,” she announces. “this will be a head-to-head teamwork mission lead by our trainee coaches,” the camera pans to SARANG, RENYI, SEOJUN, NAYOUNG, DOHYUN, and CHAERIN briefly. “each of our trainees will be overseeing their own team. coaches, your responsibility is to be a guide and resource for your team, but not a leader. the contestants are being challenged to come up with their own unique performance of a senior’s song from each company.”

“this is your chance to show your creativity and how you can transform an existing song to be your own,” jian instructs the contestants. “but here’s the twist: two teams will have the same song. you’ll be battling head to head for who was able to create the better performance. the winning team will be entirely safe from eliminations. the losing team… not so much.” a hush falls over the crowd as the stakes are finally revealed.

“take a look at your team assignments,” she gestures up at the massive screen, which already shows six teams, their assigned coaches, and what song they’re tasked with making their own. “we can’t wait to see what you’ll show us next week.”

do better plays one more time as the title card takes over the screen, episode two finally complete.

#be:ngs2p2 #be:ngs2

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werdlewrites · 3 months

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masterlist - ao3 - twitter @ djomamma

summary: The pretty things like frail pieces of jewelry hardly worn, and the childhood memories pinned to cork. Then, the gun so cleverly hidden away in a shoebox beneath layers of old stuffed animals and summer clothes. All of the niceties seemed to only be a facade, now. No longer a girl, but a woman with hate in her heart. warnings: loss and grief, mentions of a gun, hallucinations, mentions of blood wc: 3,588

It all seemed to be an illusion. Standing out beneath the setting sun just at the edge of a clean-cut yard, though dead in color. It’s an out-of-body experience. Unable to feel the winds against her cheeks or the sting they left behind. The sound of passing cars was distant in her ears, rolling along freshly fallen snow. It was so…picture-esque. A perfect two-story home with curtains pulled closed, and the glow from within radiating outward, beckoning her closer. But, Autumn is left frozen to the pavement, watching as silhouettes pass by the window, and wondering of their rushed conversations. A mother works hard to tidy up before the arrival of a guest, giving orders to children to pick up after themselves. Or a father to merely bask before the light of the television, lazy and unbothered by the burst of energy. At least, that’s how Nancy describes him.

Autumn tells herself this is a bad idea, yet she’s unable to turn her back on the Wheeler household. She finds herself unstable and on edge. On a constant lookout for something that wasn’t there - or rather, someone. It’s a restless existence, and she doubts any ability to function normally with a new friend. A friend who knows only a shred of the life she’s lived. Should Autumn be so lucky, the long hours spent under the same roof won’t reveal much more. The teen remains unconvinced. And in a moment of bravery, she pushes herself forward to follow the path up to the front door. A chime of the doorbell rings out, and a hurried, “I’ll get it!” echoes from within.

Nancy arrives at the door with a huff of breath, neatly smoothing down windswept hair as she runs to greet her guest. There’s almost a sigh of relief, eyeing the bag that rests just over her shoulder. “I was wondering if you’d change your mind.”

She had many times.

“Well, come in. Let’s get the painful introductions out of the way,” the girl says with a laugh, stepping aside to give room for her friend.

Almost instantly, you can pick up on the clank of silverware against dishes. Beneath it, the scattered voices from a television nearby. But as the door falls shut, the cooking is abandoned and who she believes to be Nancy’s mother, makes her way around the corner with a curious glint in her eye. “So, you’re Autumn,” Karen states with a pleasant smile.

Timidly, the girl raises a hand. “Guilty.”

Karen takes her in the silence. It’s brief, but it feels like it lasts a lifetime. The shift from her curiosity to momentary judgment. Not out of hatred, but rather, a wonder as to how someone like Nancy could befriend someone so vastly different than herself. But, her daughter is kind and in the end, Karen is the same. Warm and inviting as her smile soon glows and lights up the room.

“Happy Birthday,” she says under a hushed breath as if to keep a secret. “Nancy told me. I know it’s not actually your birthday, but, it counts.” Karen soon sets the two teenagers free after her daughter insists on providing the grand tour, though pausing as they stand just at the entryway of the living room. Ted has his feet kicked up high, glasses set alight by the pictures his gaze remains focused on. Autumn takes a step forward to introduce herself out of politeness, but her friend takes firm hold of her arm to keep her back. “Don’t bother,” she grumbles with a distasteful scowl on her lips. “He won’t remember your name. Doesn’t care enough to.”

Autumn had always pictured the Wheeler’s as a perfect, cookie-cutter family. How else could they raise an angel wearing soft sweaters and an innocent smile? But the dream is tainted as she describes her family. Then, it’s stomped out entirely as she all but drags the teen away to avoid the embarrassment. She talks about the dinner her mother is preparing as they wander the main level, gesturing to various spaces before making their way up the stairs. The guest is far too busy taking it all in. Gaze locked on the family portraits hung throughout the halls, luring out the devil inside as he creates a moment of envy to darken her spirits. But his presence is forced back into the shadows as she lets a smile shine, even a laugh at something Nancy rambles about. And in a flash, the world seems to stand still as a familiar, lanky boy nearly collides with her in his haste. He’s thrown his door wide open, face red and clearly on a mission until he meets her startled eyes. Her fingers pry away from the strap of her bag and extend outwards, a small gesture of acknowledgment as things slowly slip into unease.

Mike’s face shifts. Once full of anger or sadness, now transformed into something…different. It’s a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Maybe even a shred of misplaced bitterness. Dark eyes scan her up and down with care before she takes note of his hurt. It’s buried just beneath the surface. A mound of fresh dirt is pushed over his own monsters, letting them choke on the soil as he crams them all down into the depths to be forgotten. But their will is strong, and claws sharp as knives. They carve out tunnels to slip through, rising like bile in his throat the longer their connection remains. They want to scream. They want to hurt. Even so, her lips part to say “hello” but he’s already pushing past her. Mike casts a glance over his shoulder before making his way toward the same steps they’ve climbed.

“Don’t mind him,” his sister says with a heavy sigh, arms crossed just over her chest. “He’s lost someone, too.”

Autumn tries to push through the hazy memory. Searching for mentions through school or inked articles in the paper regarding another tragedy. But it all seems to come up blank and her confusion only grows. Will had come home and his face was still seen in print. A town unable to grasp this bizarre turn of events. Already beyond the phases of mourning - if they ever had.

“Y’know that girl Jonathan mentioned? Back at his house?” She begins. Pulling in the other girl's attention, shaking away the weight of painful sympathy as her brother works his way through grief. “They were close. Now that she’s gone, it’s like reliving Will’s disappearance all over again.”

Another look is spared in his direction, finding the space where he once was now empty. But his pain lingered - seeping into the old paint of the home. She can hear Karen speak kindly to him, only to be left in the disappointing silence. The ache in his chest was too powerful to conjure up a response. Autumn is no stranger to pain. But she can’t pretend to understand just how deep a child's heartbreak was, and all it did to his mind and spirit. Losing so much in a matter of weeks. A never-ending cycle of sadness. One after the other, the reaper takes claim.

Or was it something else?

“How did she-?” Autumn begins to ask. Mind now wandering down the darkened path where that girl once sat. Her pink dress torn and dirtied with dried leaves hung from the coat. She had reached out. Or maybe the intricate web sewn through the universe had somehow pulled her in, binding them both until the silk snapped under pressure. It’s equally intriguing as it is devastating. To know such a sweet face could have belonged to someone the boy needed. Now, Autumn was unsure just how far she would need to reach out to find those severed strands. If only just to get a glimpse.

“We don’t really know. And I’m sure that makes it worse.” Nancy interrupts with a small shrug. “Come on. You can leave your things in my room.”

Together, they move down the hall. Following after the glow of soft light pouring out from a cracked door. And as she pushes past, her vision is filled with perfection and innocence. Pastel colors fill the room from down at the baseboards to the very edge of the wall. Stripes and bold patterns fill the space, yet somehow remain charming and very much Nancy. It's nothing surprising, though there's a smile of amusement seen beneath the warm lighting. It falters momentarily as she takes notice of a familiar face smiling back at her. Colorless yet beaming with vibrance. Autumn makes her way toward the headboard, closing in on the man, and with a look of offense, she jabs her finger against the shining surface.

“Tom Cruise is going t'watch me sleep?” she questions with a narrowed look.

Nancy seems to quickly grow embarrassed. Icy skin is now flushed and joy is long gone as she lunges forward with eager hands. It's something she's lived with - grown used to. The teenager hardly knows that he's there until his presence is called out, and now she seeks to stow it away. Unfortunately for her, Autumn is quick to interrupt. Grabbing at her wrists while the girl makes attempts to break free and hide a celebrity crush behind the dresser.

“”Stop, stop!” She cries out in a fit of laughter. “Tom can stay. I like him there.”

Her friend seems uncertain for a moment. Eyes fixated on her as if waiting to see the real truth behind teasing words. But Autumn holds steady and remains genuine. Patting down the girl's hands to rest at her sides before the bag slung over her shoulder is discarded on the carpeted floor. She didn't know what to bring, at first. Hours spent contemplating what to stuff inside of the empty bag, if anything at all. She hadn’t had a “sleepover” in years - especially in someone else’s home. Autumn had even called Nancy for instructions on what to bring, and she was none too helpful.

In the end, it was Hopper she turned to in a moment of distress. Her mind was blank from anxiety as he made a short list of things to bring. Autumn had even asked about medication. Being forced away from the house for a near 24 hours, there was anticipation for a rush of pain to come sweeping in without warning. But he encourages her to try. Saying, “You’ve done so well without it,” and she trusts him enough to find strength in his words. Unknowing every pill had been hidden away from her sight.

It’s not long before her mother calls up the winding steps, effectively pulling the girls away from the little things that had shown who Nancy once was. The pretty things like frail pieces of jewelry hardly worn, and the childhood memories pinned to cork. Then, the gun so cleverly hidden away in a shoebox beneath layers of old stuffed animals and summer clothes. All of the niceties seemed to only be a facade, now. No longer a girl, but a woman with hate in her heart.

At the dinner table, things are about as painful as the girl had warned Autumn of. Karen keeps the conversation flowing after every monotone remark is made by Ted. Unimpressed and unbothered by life. The guest can spot the twitch of skin just beneath her brown eyes and a forced smile as she swallows her distaste for the man she’s married. Her son sits across from Autumn, just as silent as he had been upon their close encounter. She swears that even for the faintest of moments, she can catch his near-black eyes glaring before falling back to his plate. The discomfort between them was like a barricade of electricity. Flaying her alive while the others bask in the stench of death. She can’t make sense of its source.

“So, Autumn,” Karen begins. “I don’t think I’ve met your parents before. What do they do?”

The question comes just as a fork full of asparagus enters her mouth. A sudden gasp of surprise sends her into a choking fit with watering eyes. “S-sorry,” she mutters through the struggle. Her thoughts are spiraling, hearing Hopper’s voice as they go over the plan in preparation for this moment. Something concrete, and easy to believe as they build up the story for the climax. “He works in management at a factory just out of town-”

“Ah,” Ted chimes in, luring in all curious eyes his way. “A respectable and hardworking man. I like him already.”

Karen is quick to steer the conversation back, noting the look of discomfort on the girl's face. “And what about your mother?”

“Mom,” Nancy warns in a hushed tone, fingers wrapped tight enough around the glass it poses a threat of shattering.

“No, no. It’s fine.” Autumn is waving away the bitterness. Finding this topic easy to speak on, yet curious about how Nancy seemed so sensitive to it. It wasn’t something she had given willingly. It had never become a point of interest between the two. Yet somehow, through either Steve or Jonathan, she knew of the abandonment. “She left when I was just a baby. It’s just been me and him.”

Hopper lingers in the shadows of her mind. Kindness in blue eyes as he uses words of encouragement to lay a path of lies, so that everyone may follow without question. “Tell them,” he says. “Make them believe it.”

“Up until now, anyway,” she adds with a trembling smile. The fork continues to stab aimlessly at her plate, pushing the food back and forth, anticipating the interrogation to come.

“What d’you mean?” The change in tone is enough to pull in the focus of all others, safe for Holly. Even Ted seems intrigued as he sets down his utensils.

“W-Well, he, uh,” Fire is rising from the ground up. Lava poured in to scorch the earth and leave her panicked with sweat on her brow. She wonders if they’ll see right through her, or ask the questions she hadn’t planned for. But Autumn pushes on. “He found a woman he really likes, I guess. Been datin’ for a while.” Her stare is averted to avoid piercing blues. Crystal-clear ocean flooding in to douse the flames and see through the smoke - the veil.

“Oh, that must be hard,” Karen replies with a small sigh. “Being a single parent isn’t an easy task. But seeing him with another woman isn’t easy, either. D’you like her, at least?” Her tone is sympathetic and soft, making the girl feel guilty.

Autumn swallows hard. A lump in her throat begs for forgiveness as she spills the truth out across their table. Instead, a manufactured lie puts all at ease as they eagerly await an answer. “She’s alright,” is her simple reply.

Once their plates are cleaned and the glasses are emptied, Autumn offers to help clean. A gesture of kindness and thanks for giving her not only a space at their table but the comfort of their home for the remainder of the night. Karen is quick to shoo her out of the kitchen with a laugh. Determined to keep a soon-to-be 17-year-old labor-free, but lets her gratitude be known. The girls successfully take over the living room once Ted bids them a goodnight, and together they sprawl out along the couch to enjoy John Travolta and Olivia Newton-Jon as they sing and dance their way across the screen.

As Danny stands over the car, his friends fawning over him, Autumn can’t help but notice the dazed look in Nancy’s eyes. She laughs at her expense, unable to break the connection as she practically reaches through the screen.

“Nance,” Autumn chimes in, luring in a look of surprise as if she’d forgotten her friend was just nearby. “You’ve got a little,” she gestures to the corner of her own mouth, a smile growing as the girl frantically wipes away at her lips, only to find nothing there.

“Oh, shut up,” she bites back with a laugh. “He’s nice t’look at.”

Autumn can only shrug in response, still lost in the bliss of what it was like to have girl time. Genuine, uninterrupted time without the worries of the outside world.

“Not your type?” she questions, earning a roll of the eyes.

“He’s fine,” is all the guest can conjure up as the song progresses, the screen painted a brilliant white with a cherry red car at the center of attention. “I’m more of a Kenickie fan,” she teases. “But, no. None of them are really my type.”

Nancy finds herself intrigued. You could nearly see the seamless motion of gears turning in her head as she sought out questions to ask. Ways to pull the two closer as friends. “Who is?”

A heavy sigh is buried beneath the music, pushing herself further into memories of old school crushes that never looked her way. The stars that scattered along their skin and the blissful smiles worn as they laughed along to jokes. The warmth that radiated before it was forcibly ignored, just to remain composed. It was pure innocence laced with heartache, never knowing what it was like to touch the sun out of fear.

“It’s more the person, and not the looks. Someone kind. A soft place t’land when things get hard.”

The movie ends and the girls find themselves back in her bedroom. Trivial Pursuit lays out before them, and their angered reactions to failed answers are hushed, the laughter dulled to not wake her parents. Conversations are hushed as they rest for the night, just after bickering about where Autumn would sleep. Nancy is kind enough to offer her bed, but the girl politely declines in favor of the floor. Back and forth they go until ultimately, they lay side by side beneath the covers.

Nancy thinks of Barb and the many sleepovers just like this one. Finding enough comfort and trust to rest easily only inches apart. But it’s somewhat new for Autumn - always having at least some space between herself and Steve - even Jonathan. This newfound closeness leaves her heart pounding with excitement, yet gut-twisting and churning with the bitterness of lost time. She could have had this all of those years ago. If only they had stopped turning their noses up at the new, weird kid.

Sleep comes easily for the two of them as they turn away to their sides, filling the room with gentle breaths and occasional murmurs. It’s the first empty, dreamless sleep Autumn has in what feels like a lifetime. There are no faces to stare back at her with sickening grins. No menacing cries of monsters beneath her feet or blood-stained clothes of the graying woman. There’s only blackness.

But that blackness fades into a blur as something pulls her out. Whispers in the corner of her mind. And in such a hazy state, she believes it to be the Wheeler’s and doesn’t question it further as lazy legs carry her out toward the bathroom. She finds the home now eerily quiet outside of the running water. Not a murmur to tickle her senses or the sound of shuffling steps as a body moves across the plush carpet. The sound of her steps are barely audible. The creak of the floorboards beneath slowly fades out until there’s…nothing.

There’s nothing.

Tired eyes pry themselves open with strained force. Weakened hands take hold of weighted curtains to drag along the stage and reveal something new. Something…haunting and unexpected. He stands before her in a once well-kept office. The tall plant is still upright and green in the corner, the paperwork still neatly organized on polished wood. The silver-haired man stands with hands tucked away into pockets, ready with the syringe should she choose to act out. The smile is the same, though it brings far more dread now knowing of his intentions. He steps forward, and she steps back into a wall that shouldn’t have been there. She had been standing in the hallway of the Wheeler’s home - except somehow now, she was hostage to the torment of memories. Once broken and scattered, now piecing themselves together to tell a story she only wishes to remain in tatters.

“Just as I remember.” he begins with a confident smile.

It hits her then. The statement once drowned out from the shock of it all, now settling deep in her bones. Breaking and tearing through muscle and slipping in through her veins like poison. Her mind is rotten and full of hallucinations. The walls at his back flickered in and out to a brilliant white, his name on her lips but left unheard.

He remembers.

A small figure moves through him, creating waves of distortion until her father's office fades out, along with the man just as he takes another step. Pale knuckles rub against darkened eyes, chewed lips mumbling something incoherent as he shuffles along the flooring. And as if sensing that he wasn’t alone, he pauses mere feet from her, hesitantly raising his eyes to take her in. It’s not her presence that’s startling, but more so how she appears to him. A pained expression with fingers wound tight into fists at her sides. He swears just as he spots the blood along her upper lip, that there’s a small whimper of terror. As if she had been trapped within her own body, fighting a war and losing the battle against something unseen

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