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bomberqueen17 · 3 months

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sketchy grocery store shit: a very middle-aged rant

Man so. I went to college in Rochester and so I did my first I'm An Adult Shopping For My Own Groceries shopping in a Wegmans. I got used to the way the store works, how things were laid out. And of course, i got a Shopper's Club card.

I still have it somewhere, use it occasionally, but I had to get another one when I misplaced it because they asked what phone number it was tied to and like, man, it was a Rochester number with a 716 area code, that's how long ago it was. (It's 585 there now.)

I got conditioned to try the Wegmans brand generic for whatever brand name thing I was buying, because it was often the same, and was cheaper. (Though, RIP to the old Wegmans box mac n cheese, they enshittified that in 1999 once we were all good and hooked and we all mourned and switched to Annie's and never looked back. Maybe it's better now but I don't rely on that stuff the way I used to.) I got conditioned to always swipe the card because sure they were collecting data on you but in a $70 trip I'd save five bucks easy, it wasn't nothing! And I also learned to look for their Family Packs, which were larger containers of the same item for less per unit-- if it was something not that perishable, or something you could get through, it was worth spending a little more now to stretch it later!

Anyway. I went to Wegmans yesterday, I live in Buffalo now and we have them here too, and we have a rotation of grocery stores we patronize but when I do the shopping, I'm still the most used to Wegmans, I know where stuff is, and I knew some of the stuff I wanted, they'd be the ones to have. (The organic co-op doesn't carry Doritos and sometimes in the doldrums of winter a bitch needs some of that poison, y'know?)

I'd noticed before that the Shoppers Club isn't a savings thing anymore. I didn't have my own card for one visit and the cashier went to great lengths to get me a swipe from a manager, and at the end I'd spent $200 and saved.... fifty cents.

This time around I'd taken advantage of a buy one get one deal to get a second box of something I didn't really need a second box of, only to discover it was buy one get a dollar off the second, so I saved a whole dollar and actually spent three I hadn't needed to. Well, whatever. It's not perishable and I'll eventually go through it.

But the other thing I noticed was the wild price swings by different packaging of the same item. I should've taken pictures. But like-- ok, raw baby spinach. I fucking love spinach. They had a smaller bag and then next to it they had a Family Pack. I hesitated-- it is hard to use up leafy greens but I fucking love spinach and I could make the effort-- and then I looked. I can't do math but fortunately they are required by law to have the price per unit breakdown on every price sticker. Because the small bag of spinach was $1.99, and was $3.99/lb. (A pound of spinach is a lot.) The Family Pack next to it? It was $3.99, which seemed like a good price jump. But on the per-item breakdown, it came out to $7.99/lb. It didn't actually have any more spinach in it. It was just a different-shaped bag and cost more. For no reason. And there was a whole shelf of the larger bags, and only a small display of the smaller ones. They're just expecting people, conditioned like I am, to say "ah i can use more spinach i'll take the savings" and buy the more expensive bag. But I did just do the math (which is difficult for me so you know I'm mad about this) and that is literally the exact same amount of spinach for twice the price.

Similar for stew beef but they went too far with it, it wasn't even plausible. There was a large pack for forty-nine dollars and I didn't even look to see how much was in it because i do not have forty-nine dollars for stew beef, I found a one-pound bag for $8.99. But I had this same issue before, and was more persistent last time I went: you can buy a three-pound chuck roast for $7.99/lb, which is a chunk of change but it's a lot of meat, and cut it into stew beef yourself and save some money that way, but I just knew I did not have it in me this week to cut up yet another chuck roast when I got home. (Full disclosure: i wasn't even looking at the grass-fed organic shit this was just regular USDA whatever Meets Regulations And Is Legal To Sell shit.)

Stew beef is supposed to be the trimmings and it is supposed to be cheap. But they have realized people prefer it, more recipes call for it because it was historically cheaper, and so they have marked it up and it is more expensive than the whole roast. Because most cooks reading a recipe are not going to necessarily know why it calls for stew beef and that they could substitute a superior cut if the price wasn't good.

I am aware that buying the pre-marinated individual convenience cuts is historically where they make their profit and I don't begrudge them that; if that's what I was shopping for I would not be that mad about paying $7 for three cents worth of marinade ingredients, because it is much easier to cook something like that with the attached recipe and because a lot of the markup is the labor costs in putting all that shit together. I don't begrudge them that at all and when I'm paying for it I'm well aware that I am.

But I really do resent how much of the price-gouging is happening by abusing the patterns of behavior they conditioned us into. I learned, twenty years ago, to look for the deals and look for the bulk packs, and now I am being punished for having learned that. I don't mind paying a premium for something I know is a convenience fee, but being charged extra for my formerly-thrifty shopping habits really stings. I shouldn't have to exercise constant vigilance in the fucking grocery store, it's stressful enough to be the only masked person in there and now you have to compete with the huge carts they use for the online ordering peeps that take up a lot of the aisle.

Maybe it's easier to do the price comparisons on the website?

Oh and there are a number of products they now only carry the Wegmans generic for. (You can't get Snyder pretzel bites anymore, and the Wegmans version doesn't come in quite the same flavors, so I have to go to Dash's to get those now.) And still others where the Wegmans version is pricier. And, alas, some where the more expensive Wegmans version is better. (Polly-O string cheese, why are you so bland?? You're a snack baby. The Wegmans generic has salt in it and is a ton more pleasant to eat.)

IDK I don't have a thesis here it's just that being alive in the 2020s is way harder than being alive in the 2000s even though I was poorer then and didn't know shit. I don't miss my youth and I super don't miss George W Bush but I miss when I was figuring stuff out and it seemed to make sense. And I sorta miss when the Wegmans cashiers used to wear t-shirts bragging about how highly-ranked Wegmans was by whatever organization that was that ranked how good places are to work for.

Also, they try to steer you to use the self checkouts, but baby if you have more than two shopping bags' worth of stuff in your cart you had better wait in however long that line is to let a real human put it into bags for you because the self-checkout does not have any mechanism for you to remove and replace a full shopping bag from the bagging area. I told the cashier how much I appreciated him because he wasn't screaming at me, and he was like yah those self-checkouts yell at you a lot.

(Every Wegmans cashier for twenty years has been super nice. I doubt they're in a union, I wish they were.)

Yeah yeah this is the most middle-aged thing I've written yet but I'm in physical therapy and just bought a recliner for the ergonomics so I'm clearly grappling with my own mortality here, and I'm writing this partly out of concern for the kids who are where I was in 2000. What the hell are they being conditioned to do, by all this????? Shit, man.

#about the author #real life

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ofoceansandtombsanew · 7 months

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👀 a plus-sized love interest in a game? please tell me more

yuuuup you heard me right

in our life 2, one of the romanceable leads is plus-sized and the other lead starts off using he/him pronouns but comes out as genderfluid part way though the story

our life as a game essentially functions as a visual novel that takes place during your early childhood (step 1), preteen/early teen days (step 2), young adult (step 3) and then finally with step 4 adulthood where you and your extremely customizable mc (that you can name, customize the hair color/texture of, change your pronouns throughout the story if you desire, if they're ace or not, the kinds of people they're interested in, etc. etc) as you grow up with your friends, family and of course the leads whom you can either have a purely platonic, romantic or familial relationship with

basically, everyone gets a piece of the pie as the game is incredibly inclusive and the base games are free, you only pay for the dlcs (which are about 3.99/4.99 each) if you want additional content

in our life 1 the primary love interest is cove holden, your shy but 'opens up like a flower when you get to know him childhood friend' whose dad offers you $20 bucks to befriend his son over the summer, will you take the money? or nah? whether or not you do, you do have the choice to tell him or keep it a secret. either way, cove is a lonely kid in love with mermaids and the ocean whose parents are going through a divorce and maybe a special kid born and raised in sunset bird can help him out. (canonically on the autism spectrum as well)

but with some fairly priced dlcs, you can also unlock two more love interests

derek suarez: oldest of 3 brothers and while playful, he means very well. sometimes that well-meaning nature can get him into trouble though. he has a crush on the mc and if given the chance, asks if you're both single as adults if you can get married. you mainly get acquainted with him in step 2 as step 3 he's a bit too busy to be around, but depending on your choices you can stay in touch despite all that or perhaps you'll lose touch over time only to rekindle old feelings in step 4.

and baxter ward: an eccentric but extremely charming tourist that comes to sunset bird in step 3 with a penchant for dressing in black and white all the time. if you choose to get close to him, he asks if it's possible if he can be your suitor for the season (it's possible, through a moment in step 2 to meet baxter earlier than his intended proper introduction though). either way, you do have a chance to take things to a more permanent relationship in step 4 when you reunite once again when you've become a bridemaid for a wedding and oh shit baxter is the wedding planner

ol1 takes place in a fictional town called sunset bird which is essentially a touristy seaside retirement community. you're raised by your two moms along with your sister liz, the both of you being adopted.

also, this game is told through various summers in your life.

our life 2, on the other hand, takes place in a completely different fictional town called golden grove located in oregon (baxter's hometown) and there are 2 base leads you can romance (idk if there will be anymore though):

qiu "autumn" lin: to start, qiu is very charming and that leads to him being very popular in step 1. he's the guy everyone adores to the point each semester there's a 'who gets to sit next to qiu' chart so it's all fair. by step 2 though, they're going through their emo phase and if you aren't close to them by that time (or choose that you stopped being friends between steps 1 and 2), then as far as they're concerned you're just another face in the crowd. by step 3 though, they're back to the charming rizzler they were back in step 1

(step 4 designs/info not out yet for for ol2)

and tamarack baumann: who starts as a bit of a wild child in step 1. she prefers to the forest to the city and can spend all day there. she's blunt and can be loud, but she has your back from day 1. by step 2 though, all that self-assured confidence where she knew herself is gone and tamarack is considerably shyer and more awkward. she can find solace in your friendship though should your promise to be friends forever in step 1 still hold out. by step 3, she's evolved into a quietly confident grandma friend

also contrast to the first game, ol2's story is told throughout various autumns of your life.

you and your mom are a solo duo who have recently moved into golden grove about a week after tamarack (a fellow new kid! it makes it easier for you to connect with her), your mom being a single mom by choice through ivf (but it's strongly hinted that a waiter at the local diner (born intersex, assigned female then transitioned into male) is into her and i am MANIFESTING MY ASS OFF they get together at some point). ol2 also will have a poly feature that comes in the game for those who wish to be committed to both of the leads!

the leads themselves are all pansexual, leading to them being able to date your character regardless of gender and sexual identities and are just extremely wholesome and lovely overall. i always play them whenever i need a mood boost. between the two though, ol2 is not yet done BUT there is a demo of step 1 out right now on itch.io and steam

it's a fun game where all your choices matter and are referred throughout the game as a 'hey remember when yn and cove tried running away from home? that was such a nightmare' or 'hey i met you! a few years back at the summer soiree! wow, if anything had gone slightly different, we might not have even met then' or even 'yo remember when we spent that summer doing beach cleanup??? we should do that again'

even the side characters you grow up with or become acquainted with throughout the steps have journeys from either transitioning and identifying with different pronouns than they were initially introduced with or pursuing specific degrees at school, moving away and either you stayed in contact or hell maybe it's one of those situations where a friend of yours moved away and you never heard from them again etc etc. the ol universe also extends partly into the universe of the xoxo droplets game (made by the same team and also free, unless you wanna pay for the paid version with 3 more romanceable leads and a mc with a hilariously unique personality) with some characters from that game making cameos as childhood encounters in ol. it's all really fun! i really recommend giving the game a try, you'll fall in love with sunset bird and golden grove i guarantee it

you can have a peaceful run with the normal amount of growing pains, or you can go full novela and have lots of drama and flair but rest happily knowing that in ol everything ends up working out. your mc can be shy or bold and out going in one step and then be completely the opposite in the next. maybe you have a very biting attitude or maybe you're extremely gullible. you can change it up with each run, it's extremely replayable

can't stress enough how much i love this game and the characters in it

#look she's answering #anon #our life #our life: beginnings & always #our life: now & forever #cove holden #derek suarez #baxter ward #qiu lin #tamarack baumann

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seat-safety-switch · 7 months

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When your phone's battery runs dry, you plug it in. A series of complete miracles happens that slowly refills it, so that you can go back to playing exploitative video games. This sort of thing is so commonplace, that it's easy to forget that only a few short years ago, we would have had to carry around some kind of weird-looking Game Boy, or even a paper magazine, if we wanted to avoid talking to people on the train.

Of course, it's not all roses. Distracted driving is the menace of our age. Folks so hooked on their text messages that they drive a perfectly good car, without even any obvious steering damage, into a ditch, or daycare, or lightpost. That's ridiculous. Samurai of old would consider your Honda Accord to have died a dishonourable death. In other words, if you're gonna drive your car off the road, you need to earn that shit.

Personally, I never drive while looking at my phone. For one thing, my cars are in such mechanical disrepair that to take my eyes off the road, even to check the speedometer, could cause a lapse in concentration. Some of them are being held together entirely, I am convinced, through a concerted psychic effort, a sheer mental force causing my hands and feet to make the micro-adjustments required to hold the car together at highway speeds. You don't see fighter jet pilots looking at their phones, and there's nothing for them to hit up there. They wouldn't last a minute playing the classic game of "is that rattle my glovebox, or my front subframe?"

My political advisors have told me that it's a bad idea for me to assume too much similarity between myself and the common person. They, of course, went to expensive private schools, and exist in my life only because of the rich asshole bankrolling my "proletarian" and "grassroots" campaign for mayor. I won't listen to them. I'll listen to you. And the first way I'll help you is by making sure that your car is in the shittiest possible condition. No vehicle newer than thirty years old will be allowed within the city limits. We'll give every citizen a voucher to just go and pull whatever car they want out of the junkyard and put it back on the road. Hurry, because that Nissan Axxess that's full of pigeon shit is gonna go fast.

And I guarantee you, you won't take a single minute of your drive for granted. No "best value" five blue eggs for $3.99 deal is going to compete with the thrill ride you're about to embark upon.

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noowayybroo · 10 months

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I can't think of a name for this fic.

Hi! It's been a while!

So one of the first Resident Evil fics I read was about Leon saving you from an abusive ex! And I desperately wanted to find more of these!! But I couldn't :( So! I wanted to write one! But before doing that I thought... Leon's a sweet boy - n I heard he had an ex or something before re2?? but maybe I'm wrong?? So what If YOU, dear reader, ran into absolute sweet baby boy Leon (just the one I have in mind but play it however you want if you can) and helped him through a dodgy relationship or breakup?

Characters: Leon Kennedy, Reader

Warnings: Not NSFW. GN reader cuz YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL! WHY WOULD I EVER WANT TO EXCLUDE YOU, HUH!?!?!?! No mention of age but faint job and relationship to Leon suggestions. Hurt / Comfort. Please be careful there's gonna be an abusive / manipulative partner mentions but they will be hopefully brief n quiet and the fic will focus mostly on happy Leon at the end!!! Not really a warning but written with dumb GB money n phrases n stuff so sorry if that upsets you XD

"That'll be £5.29, Sir"

"Just 99p, please."

"You want the lucky dip?" ... "Just one?" ... "£3.99 please."

"You know I need to see your ID if you want those, right?"

Another day, another dollar. Another day in this dumb shop, working late shifts for what? For minimum wage and abuse from drunken low-lives. To put it simply, you worked at an understaffed corner-shop, and always had the late shifts, because you always had the time. Same old same old. Time passed slowly, each night felt like a repeat of the last, and all you did was stare at the clock and wait for your shift to end.

Wednesday through Sunday.

Same old?

Same old.

Soft baby-blues, yet just as able to pierce, were not what first earned your attention. Nor was it the silvery blonde hair that fell upon his face in neat locks. Surprisingly, nor was it that face: so soft, so pure... Quite cute. Sweet, maybe?

Ok, stop making assumptions. The young man who's just entered your store alone seems quite flustered, in a rush. Yet you notice how he takes time to establish eye contact with you and give a swift, polite nod, acknowledging you.

You gladly return his gesture and your chest flutters a little as you share a kind smile before he disappears into the rows of aisles. You think to yourself as you watch the man's head bob around the rows of products, no longer able to see his expression. You subconsciously attempt to look a little more presentable. The thing was, customers this late at night weren't usually so polite. They didn't give a damn about whether you were there or not, unless they were trying to steal something. Wait, what time was it again?

10:04

Oh. An hour 'till home time. Great, your feet were killing you. You're shaken from your mundane day-dream as the man strides quickly up to the counter. His hands are full of microwave meals and booze. He reaches the counter long before you're focused and ready to serve him, but waits patiently despite his rush. He hands you his ID, although you'd probably have let him go without it, pays in cash and scrambles to pick his things up again.

"You need a bag?" you ask quietly, feeling almost reluctant to disturb his rush.

"N-nah thanks I got- it's not my money I don't need it-"

"It's on me." you state, soft yet assertive, grabbing his items and shoving them into one of the more expensive carrier bags. You catch him off guard completely. He stands there, frozen, as you pick the rest of his items out of his cradling arms and bag them, before shoving them back to him all packed.

"Wh- T-thanks!" He beams, hesitant. He gives you a wide, genuine smile, nods, and leaves. Just like that, he's gone. Polite, kind customers were so rare that you couldn't blame the tornado of butterflies within your stomach. To think, also, that he was so grateful for one carrier bag, something most patrons would spit on you for not supplying free. Your gaze rests on the sliding door where you last saw him, wondering if you'd ever do so again.

10:07

Uggghhhhhhhhhh....

The next few months come and go. Summer soon becomes Autumn, the nights get longer, the air gets colder and your enthusiasm for this damn job remains absent. Something that did happen, though, was that you saw more of the cordial gentleman from that night. He seemed to have been the only nice customer that came back. That, or, there was something particularly memorable about him...

Gross. Stop it.

Always kind and polite, you loved exchanging smiles with the man as he went about his shopping. You wondered why he'd been so shy.. Or at least, you'd imagined him to be shy, thanks to his timid voice and the way he stole glances at you from above the aisles.

He lets people with fewer items jump ahead of him in line, thanks you extra graciously as he leaves, and sometimes, rarely, makes small-talk with you when it's just the two of you alone. Sometimes, he likes to ask how you are, and, if a customer or your manager has given you a hard time in any way, he hurries over once you're alone to reassure you.

"Don't listen to them, c'mon... What do they know, huh?"

"You're amazing! You're doing your best and that's more than enough!"

"Those jerks don't know how lucky they are to have you!"

On one night, you're helping him pack his bags as he's counting his change to pay you, and you can't help but notice some... markings on his skin. They look like bruises, maybe hickeys? But in strange places. There are some scratches too. Where are those from? You ponder, holding out your hands for his change without thinking. Is he... alright? ...Do those hurt?

You're snatched back to reality by the sound of the change he'd just handed you falling and clattering on the counter and floor around you.

"Shhit - Sorry-", you hiss, going to pick up the coins, but before you can move, he's already shuffled to the side of your counter and is crouching down, picking up each penny with care. He hands them back to you, a little more caring this time in case you'd drop them again. He seems concerned. This time you keep a firm grip on the coins.

"Sorry... Should have brought notes..." He apologises, sincere. "Next time, sorry." No matter how much you tried to reassure him as you counted his change, he kept apologising and cursing himself. You couldn't judge him, but you just wished he wouldn't. It was your mistake, not his. He shouldn't bully himself over your issue. You stand there in silence for a while, handing him his receipt. "Thank you, but are you okay?" he asks, tentatively.

"I'm alright... I just- Are you okay?" You can't help but whisper. You feel terrible, prying about his personal life, but you were just so curious. You were worried for him. His confusion dissolves into a pool of concern as he follows your gaze to his own hands and neck, and he quickly shies away. He looked hurt, as if your stare had wounded him, as if you'd accused him of something. More so, he looked as though you'd uncovered something he'd rather leave hidden.

He does his best to assure you, swearing up and down that he's alright. He tells you he does a lot of training for his job, which made some sense with his figure, and that sometimes things can get a little rough. You didn't completely buy it, but he was gone just as quickly as he'd come - signing off with a polite nod and a 'good night' and disappearing into the cold.

Worsening your suspicions, the next time you saw your favourite customer, he was even worse for wear. His hair was tussled and messy and his features a little more scratched up and grizzly. Worst of all, this time, that lovely smile of his just felt fake - empty. It was as though he smiled for you, to show you something that wasn't really there. You greet each other. You make small-talk. As soon as he notices that his scars are visible, he takes off.

The next time you'd seen him was midnight. You'd been instructed to close the shop early after waiting for a co-worker who'd never turned up to take the next shift. The rain splashes down around you as you grumble to yourself, fiddling with the flimsy lock on the shop's door. You'd put down the metal shutters, turned off all the lights and closed up. Your priority at this time was simply to get home. You were tired, stressed and quickly becoming soaked through. All you wanted was to get home, kick off your really-painful-right-now shoes and-

...hear loud footsteps approaching you from behind.

Running.

Running?

Running towards you?

You turn quickly, heart racing, only to be met face-to-face with a really, really desperate looking gentle-customer. He greets you, panting, exhausted.

He tells you he's confused; he thought your shop was 24/7. You explain the situation to his sympathetic ears as you both stand there, equally soggy and dripping beneath the falling rain. You stand with him in silence, letting the downpour claim you as he catches his breath (or works up his confidence.)

"Did you need something?" You help him. He's hesitant, but you know he ran for a reason. Your eyes grasp his as you stand together, looking like fools on the corner of a dimly lit street.

"It- it's... I didn't want to have to ask you but could I PLEASE buy something I really really need it I'm so sorry I'll pay you extra I'll-" You cut him off, already opening the shop back up. He needed your help and you weren't about to deny him it for any reason, not since he'd been so kind to you.

You both hurry into the shop, setting up the till whilst he gathers what he needs, and then it's time to check him out and leave. He follows you out as you lower the shutters the rest of the way and lock up once more, and you wonder to yourself as you do so why he hasn't left yet. Looking up at him from your hunched over position, you see him watching you eagerly. He seems to want to say something, probably to thank you or say goodbye, but most likely feels it might be rude or abrupt.

"Thank you... Thank you very much." his voice echoes beside you in the empty street. Vivid street lights shine down on the both of you, cool colours complimenting the cold air prickling your skin. When your eyes meet, he shoots you a soft smile. You dread a 'goodbye'. You're certain it's coming. "Listen... it's really cold out.. and the rain-"

"Yeah, I know... Is this where we say goodbye for the nigh-"

"Do you want a lift?" the man interrupts you suddenly. His voice is all too timid, but he does his best to speak up over you before you mention parting ways. He doesn't think he could hear that right now.

Not that you'd know, but something about your kindness and generosity to him was affecting him in a way it shouldn't have, considering that he was in a relationship. Swiftly, the man spots your discomfort and surprise, and quickly chimes in, "My name's Leon, by the way, Leon Kennedy-", There's a long pause, "Sorry... I thought it'd... You should know that at least... Before you even think of getting in my car-"

"Are you sure?" It was your turn to cut him off this time, call it payback.. or something. In reality, your excitement just got the better of you. You wanted to speak with him, get to know him, and this would be the perfect chance!

I mean, of course, there was stranger danger, but look at him! He's harmless! Lil' (big) guy couldn't hurt a fly! Besides, by now, you felt like you knew him, at least a little. The rain poured down, soaking through you, and you didn't live far so you were sure it wouldn't be too out of his way...

"I know it's weird and sudden, I was just wondering, you don't have to..." Come on, he had to be nervous with this amount of babbling.

"Of course I'd be very grateful, thank you." You ease him, earning a relieved and somewhat excited look from him as he quickly shows you to his car which is only a few meters away. Leon juggles his shopping whilst helping you into the front before storing what he's bought in the boot. You let him know where you live, to which he gives a happy nod and an 'ah!', and finally, you're on your way. Homebound at last.

You and Leon make great conversation on your way home. Almost like a dream. You hadn't spoken to him more than five minutes in one go before, and yet it felt like you were the closest of friends. He liked your music, he was inspired by your hobbies. Your dress sense enthralled him, and he always complimented you and piped up in disagreement whenever you put yourself down. On the short drive, he really opened up to you, and, by the time you were clambering out of his front seat, he was entirely cool and collected... and slightly attractive. You didn't read that.

As you lean through the window to give him one last thanks, you bump your head on the window frame. Tender laughs and giggles were shared, before he disappeared into the night. You stumble home and fall asleep in much a better mood than you would have been in should he not have shown up. He probably had no idea, you thought, but Leon saved your day. You'd have been moody, sore and disgruntled all over, but thanks to him, you slept easy and you dreamt happy.

You wondered how he'd be sleeping that night.

That was the last time you'd seen Mister Kennedy for quite some time. Moreover, the next time you did, he was not alone at all. Someone who you could only imagine to be his partner clung to his arm as they sauntered into the shop beside him. You weren't one to judge, especially not a book by its cover, but this new face simply exuded possessiveness. Ok, alright, he has a partner. That's not so bad-

Your heart cracks a little when Leon doesn't even look your way upon entering the shop. You imagine he always did, to check who was there, but this time he seemed to know you'd be there, and seemed un-phased. Alright, this is okay too. He can't be making eyes at me and getting all friendly with a special someone around. You watch as he's paraded around the shop by his presumed partner, who is certainly making evil eyes at you. They speak loudly at him, make him carry everything and overall just seem like bad news.

Quite frankly, it pisses you off.

Leon stays quiet as they walk around, occasionally replying to his accomplice, and even when it's time to pay, which they make him do, he doesn't look at you. Could he be ashamed, maybe? Maybe he was upset at you. Or maybe... No, did this person have an issue with him just speaking to people? That wasn't very cool at all, to put it all too lightly.

You tried not to let it affect you, you really did, but when the next few times you saw Leon that month and he had them glued to his shoulder, you felt your joy and confidence being eroded with force. Each time, you'd get no input or interaction from Leon, and his lovely, charming personality seemed to be a distant memory. From his partner, which you were now sure of, given that they'd made a point of kissing him in front of you, you received the lot. This included glares, snide comments and even a service complaint which fortunately your manager did not buy.

His silent visits left you alone with your thoughts, and it was agonising. Your mind wandered as you watched him, actively dodging glares from his partner. You didn't like the way they looked at you, a stranger, when really, what did they have to dislike about you? You didn't like the way they held him so close, pulling him in like he'd run if he had the chance. Well, would he? You didn't like how he never smiled around them. You missed that smile, so so much, but with his partner, he seemed scared to show it. Why was that?

Left to stew in your thoughts, you learned to hate a stranger pretty easily. In fact, you felt a formidable rage as you trudged home in the cold air that day. Your mind was clouded with chores and responsibilities, and everything you'd have to get done. Worst of all, you were obsessed with a stranger, and with uncovering his life, and really, you felt pathetic and stupid for being as such. You felt ready to give up, as though you had to. You felt hopeless. Whatever was happening to Leon was none of your business, and at this point, what could you do? What should you do?

You'd probably never even see him alone again, and if you tried to speak to him, what would you say? Would he listen? would he care?

But there he was, in front of you: a perfect mirage, turning onto your street, a block ahead. You can't believe your eyes, especially with the distance between you and the darkness of the night. Your legs, however, didn't doubt for a minute, and you found yourself running towards him. You did your best to silence your feet, but he still heard you, and turned to check out the noise. You slow to a sane pace before walking beside him, catching your breath. Thankfully, he seemed somewhat relieved. 'At least you weren't some armed mugger', or something, probably.

This was your chance. You were beside him now, walking, and he hadn't run, or shouted obscenities at you. And even better - he was alone. He looked rough, bags hung under his eyes and he was certainly due a shower, not that you minded at all. You knew that was (despite the cold shoulder) just as caring, considerate and kind under it all. Selfishly, really, you just wanted to see him smile. Fearing he'd be home and out of your clutches soon, you break the ice.

"Leon... I've been meaning to speak to you for a while, how are you?" You try your best to sound chirpy and bright, still trying to encourage some joy from him, but he seems tired, weary as he glances back at you.

"I've been great, thanks." He replies, but without a smile, you see straight through his lie. He wants to change the subject, to push something else. "Look, I'm really really sorry for ignoring you recently. I didn't mean to. It's just my.. You know, my special someone. A bit insecure, nothing really, just have to keep quiet with other people while they're around."

Suspicions confirmed. That was his partner and he was expected not to speak to you. His sugar-coating does not serve him at all, it merely lines your heart with lead, and you press the conversation further in an attempt to distract yourself as it sinks.

"I was... actually thinking about that lately. Look, I just think... I don't know how to say this but-"

"How are you, by the way? I'm sorry I didn't ask... I hope you didn't think me running you home was odd-", Leon cuts you off quickly. He seems to not want to speak about any of this at all. He seems to know precisely where you're going. If you didn't see the hurt in his body and hear it in his voice, you might get mad, but now all you feel is sorrow for him.

"Leon, I'm... Actually, no. I'm not alright. I need to speak to you. We're friends, right? Can you answer me some stuff? I'm just curious. Like.. Your partner... how long have you guys...?" Leon swallows thickly and drags his blown pupils from the ground to focus on you. He looks guilty, he seems reluctant. But, luckily for you, he seems to think he owes you. Furthermore, hearing you're not ok has seemed to panic him a little.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry yeah so... We've been together for a few months now. They're great honestly, love of my life, all that. Childhood sweethearts. Just got a few insecurities, having a hard time finding themselves, so if it's best if I give them my attention." He sounded so kind and attentive speaking about his partner in such a hushed whisper. Maybe what he was saying was all honest and true, but something just didn't sound right. It didn't feel good-natured. Partners can be insecure, it's alright, but stopping him from speaking to others? Meanwhile, your eyes wander, dragging your mind with them.

"And Leon, what about those marks on you? Is your partner responsible for those? Did you do-", You stop when you see Leon clench his fists. He seems uncomfortable, his hair falling into his face, hiding his flinching eyes. You've hit a nerve, and instantly you feel guilty and regret your actions. Leon starts to walk a little faster, but you feel like if you're going to get anywhere with him you can't let him escape, not this time. As you pass a bench, you gently place your hands on his arms, gripping him. The gentle giant he is, he stops quickly, and allows you to drag him down to sit with you.

"I'm not sure why it matters... But fine, if.. if we're friends we can chat like friends, right? Confidential, and stuff.." He trails off and looks away for a while, before picking up the subject again, but not to deny it, "They can just get a bit clingy. Not to worry, not their fault. Sometimes when we're doing things they just go a bit far, or you know, they make mistakes, accidents. Anger issues, sort of thing but-" Leon was about to insist that you drop it now or not tell anybody about this but you're not having it.

"Leon stop and listen to me, please. I know this is insane, but it's not right, okay??? None of this is right. None of this is correct. Have you been in a relationship before now?" Leon stares at you, his eyes wide, and the lump in his throat jumps once more as he finds himself unable to reply for a while. He's surprised by your boldness. He's amazed by how you've shifted from so calm, funny and cool to this. Now, you seem furious. He imagines you gripping the bridge of your nose and closing your eyes in disappointment if you weren't holding him in place.

His mind struggles to articulate a plan for his words and actions. Just as he's about to really panic though, a thought at the back of his head hits the nail- you're worried about him. You're worried for him. His face softens and he eases up a bit, looking concerned himself. Leon lets out a long sigh and closes his eyes, clenching his jaw and licking his top lip. And then, he moves a little to let your hands slide down his arms. He takes your hands in his and looks into your eyes.

"Thank you." He murmurs. "I understand what you're saying." Silence feels between the two of you, in which you both wonder what the other is thinking. And then, he answers your question. "They're my first. I haven't had anybody before." He sounds shy, almost stammering. Something within him seems ashamed. Does he think it's emasculating to have had few partners at his age? Or is he embarrassed at letting this happen to him? You recognise his struggle, and grip his hands reassuringly. You want him to feel safe. You want him to be happy.

"I get it, Leon. But please, listen to me when I tell you, It's not like that in the real world, alright?" you notice his gaze drift a little so you lean in to recapture his attention. "The person you love doesn't hit you. They don't berate you or put you down. They love you just as much as you love them. They look after you, and they want you to be happy. And they understand that you have social needs and things, and they let you fulfil them. Do you understand me?" Your voice is sweet yet firm. You don't intend to let him go without drilling this mindset into him. At least, you're going to give it your best shot.

You've called him out. You've summed him up. Not only is he fragile but he's exposed. Leon feels feeble, pathetic. He feels as though not only is he weak and unable to help himself, but as though he just exudes this image of himself. He's barely spoken to you, and now you know just how pitiful he is. He felt disgusting.

Meanwhile, you babble on as he stares straight past you, lost in a replay of the last few months of his life. He thought about the comments they'd made to him over time, the things they'd done and said, the things they'd asked or demanded of him. He thought about the horrible things they made him feel about himself.

And then he thought about you.

A stranger on a park bench, late at night, holding his hands and reassuring him. Trying to get him to see just how much he was missing out on. Not only that but you chatted away before him, and he wondered if it was the faint semblance of vanity he had left within him, or if you actually cared. He felt right, holding your hand. He felt safe and he felt respected. He zones back in, staring into your eyes as you finish your rant.

"I do understand, yes." he replies, voice low and thick. "Thank you for everything."

"I have something else to say."

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"I haven't known you long, Leon. But you seem like a really, really good guy. You don't deserve to be roughed around by anyone. You don't deserve to be insulted, or belittled. I don't know your living situation. No idea who pays the bills, but Leon. There's people out there who'd love the hell outta you and never place a finger on you unless you wanted them to, and even then it'd be because they love you, you hear?" Leon nods slowly, obediently as you speak, soaking in your words like a sponge.

"I never asked you for your name..." He rasps, once again, his mind seems to have drifted somewhat, but you understand. It's a horrible, touchy subject, and you're lucky he's put up with staying with you here in the dark. He could have up and left ages ago, you couldn't blame his brain for trying to avoid something so horrible. You sigh, how could you resist him? Reluctantly you give him your name, and earn your first smile from him in what seems to be an eternity. He squeezes your hands softly and shifts a little before looking at you very closely.

"Y/N. Please tell me. Do you think I should leave them?"

Jesus Christ. How do you answer that one?

"I know you just want my opinion, and that you might not do what I say, and that's perfectly fine," you say quietly, moving one hand to grip his shoulder supportively. You'd love to cup his face but that's far too tender. Far too intimate. "But, if they hurt you. if they upset you. If you feel used or disrespected or unloved, they are not for you. You've got tons of time left and you will find someone who loves you, if that's what you're looking for. Nothing this lowlife has taken from you or done to you can get in the way of that, alright?" You chuckle nervously as such a harsh set of words leaves you, but you go quiet when you see Leon's lips twitch.

He seems to be trying to smile, or to fight one back, you're not sure. His eyes appear watery, and his face sunken. He looks like he needs to rest. Then, he looks at you, you can tell he's about to change the subject.

"Thank you, wait. I want to do something before I forget. Could I please have your number, is that alright?"

"What for? Are you sure it's okay?" Leon freezes for a while, staring forward just as he's shuffling through his pockets to find his phone. It's not until the cold air hits your hand that you realise just how lovely his touch was. Leon looks back at you with feigned yet ignited bravery as he unlocks and begins to navigate his phone.

"I'm not going to let them stop me speaking to people anymore." You beam, wide and genuine, so glad to hear those words. For once, he's declaring his strength. He's fighting back. Leon can't help but join your smile as his eyes twinkle beneath the street lamps above. On the verge of tears, he smiles widely back at you. You exchange numbers gladly, and he calls you there and then just to make sure, as if afraid you're lying.

He makes his way home via yours, walking and talking with you and seeing you to your door. Such a gentleman, you think, even though he isn't yours. And to think his 'reward' is what it is. It horrifies you.

The tension is thick as you stand at your door, both swaying slightly as you stand together, exhausted. You conclude your conversation about work, everyday life, hobbies and things, and Leon watches you for a while, flinching a little as he thinks.

Unexpectedly, he pulls you in for a gentle hug. Nothing intimate, nothing over the top. In fact, he seemed almost scared to do it.

"Thank you. You've been so good to me." He whispers as he pulls away. You reassure him it was the least you could do, and jokingly bump him on the shoulder, spewing out something along the lines of 'you better make good on what I said' in the process. He flashes you another smile before watching you head indoors and returning home himself.

You hadn't heard from Leon in an entire week until a familiar pair of eyes creased and smiled at you from the entrance to your shop. That bell had never sounded better, orchestrating his presence. Your friend smiles at you and goes about his shopping, and, ringing him up, you can't help but notice the lack of his usual shopping habits before you. There was no cheap cider, there was no wine. There certainly weren't any ready-meals, just fresh foods, and an expensive whiskey.

You raise an eyebrow at him, and he quickly smirks at you, seeming proud of himself.

"I like to cook. And besides, I thought I'd celebrate." You knew exactly what that meant. He was providing for himself now, living how he wanted to. He must have finally spread his wings and escaped. You can't help but beam, entirely in awe. You want to be certain though, as you look at his refreshed face. He seems to have had a burden and a half lifted from him.

"Does this mean what I think it does, Leon?"

"It certainly does." He chuckles before leaning in and giving you a mock-serious tone, "And you better have been right about those tonnes of people being after me... I'll be waiting for them." He sounds confident, he sounds mischievous and playful. He sounds like a new man, but with that same inner sweetness. He pays for his things, and gives you extra for that bag from months ago. Watching him leave, you made a mental note: That memory was just one more on the list of 'sharp' things that made up Leon Kennedy.

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

HI I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKED THIS!!! IT WAS REALLY HARD TO WRITE CUZ IT WAS SUPER EMOTIONAL AND THINGS BUT I SO SO HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT OR IT HELPED YOU IN SOME WAY. I really felt quite deep writing this (to put it lightly) and I hope the story can mean as much to you, especially those of you from America etc who have to put up with my weird spellings and mannerisms. Anyway, I hope this is alright for you, and thanks a billion for all of your support, ever!!!

I'm sorry if this one hit a nerve or two, I really hope nobody was upset or offended.

#resident evil #resident evil x reader #leon kennedy #re leon #leon kennedy imagine #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #hurt/comfort #re4 leon #leon s kennedy #re2 leon

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originallandlockedmariner · 4 months

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2023

Pickleball. Generative AI. Lula takes office in Brazil, Amazon Rainforest throws a party. Prince Harry refusing to stop talking about his frozen penis no matter how many times society begged him to stop. UFOs are real. Viral cat dubbed ‘largest cat anyone has ever seen’ gets adopted. Pee-Wee’s big adventure ends. Musk & X. Turkey-Syria earthquake kills thousands. India surpasses China as ‘country squeezing in the most peeps’. Tucker Carlson ousted. Miss USA and her 30 lbs moon costume. Wildfires in Kelowna and Hawaii. Macron tinkers with retirement age of the French. Paltrow can’t ski. Big Red Boots. Bob Barker leaves us. Alabama mom delivers 2 babies from her 2 uteruses in 2 days. Charles III. Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces as the war drags on. Taylor Swift is Time’s Person of the Year. African ‘coup belt’. Flo-Jo dies in her sleep. Chinese spy balloon shot down. Hollywood writers strike. Human ‘nice mugshot’ Shitstain and his 91 indictments. Highest interest rates in 2 decades. The Bear’s Christmas episode. War in Gaza. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Alex Murdaugh. Ocean Cleanup removes 25 000 lbs of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Vase purchased for $3.99 sells for $100 000 at auction. Barbenheimer. A third of Pakistan is flooded. Lionel Messi is the GOAT. Travis Kelce. The Sphere opens in Las Vegas. Regulators seized Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, resulting in two of the three largest bank failures in U.S. history. “The Woman In Me”. WHO declares COVID ain’t a thing no more. Titan sub sinks, rich people die. Matthew Perry drowns. Dumbledore Dies (again). Massive sales of ‘Fuck Trudeau’ flags for jacked-up micro-dick trucks. Everything Everywhere All At Once. June-August was the hottest three-month period in recorded history across the Earth. Tina Turner dies. And the Beatles release a new song?! Wow… You got big shoes to fill 2024.

Archives for context:

2020

Kobe. Pandemic. Lockdown. Koalas on fire. Harry and Meg retire. Toilet paper hoarding. Alcoholism. Impeach the f*cker. Parasite. Bonnie Henry. Tiger King. Working from home. Sourdough bread. Harvey Weinstein guilty. Zoom overdose. Dip your body in sanitizer. 6 feet. Quarantine. OK Boomer. Home schooling (everyone passes). Murder hornets. Dolly Parton. Don’t hug, kiss or see anybody, especially your family. Chris Evans’ junk. TikTok. Glory holes. Face masks. CERB. West Coast wildfires. Stay home. Small Businesses lose, big box stores win. F*ck Bozos. ‘Dreams’ and cranberry juice. Close yoga studios, but thumbs up to your local gym. Speak moistly to me. George Floyd. BLM. F*ck Trump. Phase 2, 3 and Summer. RBG. Baby Yoda. Biden wins. Bond and Black Panther die. No more lockdown. Back to school and work. Just kidding... giddy up round 2. Giuliani leaks shit from his head. Resurgence of chess. UFOs are real. Restrictions. Dave Grohl admits defeat. Monolith. “F*ck... forgot my mask in the car”. No Christmas shenanigans allowed. Bubbles. Alex Trebek. Use the term ‘dumpster fire’ one too many times. Jupiter and Saturn form 'Christmas Star'. Happy New Year Bitches!!!! 2021... you better not sh*t the bed!!

2021

“We love you, you’re very special”. Failed coup attempt at the Capital. Twitter, FB and IG ban Donny. Hammerin’ Hank goes to the Field of Dreams. Bozo no longer richest man but still a twat. Leachman, Tyson, and Holbrook pass. The economy is worse than expected. Kim and Kanye split. Brood X cicadas. Dre has an aneurysm and nearly has his home broken into. Bridgerton. MyPillow CEO is a douche. Covid restrictions extended indefinitely. Captain Von Trapp dies. Proud Boys officially a Terrorist Organization. Richard Ramirez. Cancer takes Screech. Travel bans. Impeachment trial (again?… oh and this was barely February? WTF??!!) Suez Canal blockage. Myanmar protest. Kong dukes it out with Godzilla, while Raya watches. Olympics. Friends compare elective surgeries. F9. Canada Women’s Soccer Gold. Free Britney. Multiverses. Residential Schools in Canada unearth children’s bodies. Kate is Mare of Easttown. Cuomo resigns. Disney and Dwayne cruise together. Wildfires. Delta variants. Musk passes Bezos. Candyman x 5. Capt. Kirk goes to space. F*ck Kyle Rittenhouse. Astros didn’t win. Squid Game. Goodbye Bond. Dune is redone. Angelina is Eternal. Astroworld deaths. Meta. Omicron. Three Spidermen. Tornados in December? World Juniors cancelled. Pills against Covid. School opening delayed. And Betty White dies. 2022… my expectations are ridiculously low…

2022

Wow… eight billion people. Queen Elizabeth II passes away after ruling the Commonwealth before dirt was invented. The monkeypox. Russia plays the role of global a**hole. Wordle. Mother Nature rocks Afghanistan. Hover bike. Styles spits on Pine. Olivia Newton John, Kristie Alley, and Coolio leave us. Pele was traded to team Heaven. FTX implodes. Madonna and the 3-D model of her vagina. Pig gives his heart to a human. Beijing can brag that it is the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics. Uvalde. $3 trillion Apple. Keith Raniere gets 120 years. The Whisky War ends with Canada and Denmark going halfsies. Mar-a-Lago. Nick Cannon brood hits a dozen. Shinzo Abe is assassinated. Inflation goes through the roof (if you can actually afford to put a roof over your head). Volodymyr Zelensky. European heat wave. Bennifer. Salman Rushdie is stabbed on stage, Dave Chappelle tackled, and Chris Rock is only slapped. Thích Nhất Hạnh. Heidi Klum goes full slug. Cuba knocked out by Ian. Liz Truss and 4.1 Scaramuccis. Taylor Swift breaks Ticketmaster. Human shitstain Elon Musk ignores helping mankind and buys Twitter instead. Riri becomes a mommy. NASA launches Artemis 1. Trump still a whiny little b*tch. Music lost Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie, and Meat Loaf. Democracy died at least three times. Pete Davidson continues to date hottest women on the planet (no one understands how?!) Microplastics in our blood. Alex Jones is a c*nt. So is DeSantis. Argentina wins the World Cup. Meghan and Harry. Eddie Munson rips Metallica in the Upside Down. tWitch. Roe vs Wade is overturned by the micro dick energy of the Supreme Court. CODA. James Corden shows he is a "tiny Cretin of a man". Amber (and the sh*t on the bed) Heard (round the world). Sebastian Bear-McClard proves he’s one of the f*cking dumbest men alive. Latin America's ‘pink tide’. Anti-Semitic rants by Ye. Bob Saget. A verified blue checkmark. Godmother of punk Vivienne dies. And, Tom Cruise feels the need for speed yet again. 2023… whatcha got for us?!? Nothing shocks me anymore.

@daily-esprit-descalier

#me #my words #doodles

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talesfromthebacklog · 4 months

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Adding to The Backlog: Christmas Sale Pickups.

This is the time of year I pick up the most titles (which I then work on for the rest of the year.). And why not? Everything is on sale! I actually budget for this time of year.

It’s “Tales From The Backlog” not “We buy nothing until I finish the backlog”. The backlog will never be finished.

So let’s go over what I got! Links for everything will provided. As I find people are more likely to engage if the work was already done for them. Me included. This is not necessarily a suggestion list. If you want to see if any of these games are actually any good follow my blog. But I do think it’s interesting to show people what kind of gamer you are, the games you’re attracted to, their difficulty level.

A gamer’s library says a lot about a gamer, in my opinion.

For Playstation 5:

Goodbye Volcano High:

youtube

TLDR: I put this one first because if you don’t see any of the other games on my pickup list, I AT LEAST want you to consider this one. This was the only Playstation title I picked up on sale (It is also on Steam). This is pre(historic)-apocalyptic coming of age visual novel with killer animation and music. I’m surprised I don’t see folks talk about this one more. It’s maybe the most stunning looking visual novel to come out this year. (At least at a glance)

Which is a hefty claim considering titles like Jack Jeanne and Virche Evermore: Error Salvation dropped this year. I can’t WAIT to play this one.

For Nintendo Switch:

Roots of Pacha:

youtube

I came back around to this one. It looks like Stardew Valley but with cavemen. You don’t see cavemen touched on a lot anymore so it seems different and interesting.

Wylde Flowers:

youtube

This is one see that keeps popping up in conversations and videos as a great cozy game. It’s supposed to be really good. I’m honest enough to admit that it being on the Apple app store as well as Switch makes me REALLY skeptical. But I’ve seen enough gameplay where I’m willing to take a chance.

Coromon:

youtube

I enjoy Pokemon-like titles. I don’t think we get enough of them. I love Pokemon. And you’ll be seeing my update on how I feel about Scarlet/Violet’s last piece of DLC the Indigo Disc here pretty soon.

However Pokemon is so domineering on the market that a lot of these smaller collector games get unnoticed. This seems to be a very unapologetic Pokemon-clone much like Monster Crown. Which is fine by me.

Nexomon + Nexomon: Extinction bundle:

youtube

Another very obvious Pokemon clone. But it’s obviously prettier than its Coromon counterpart. (Kinda wish the names were more unique.) I have nothing new to say here.

Monster Sanctuary:

youtube

Pokemon… but it’s a Metroidvania. $3.99. I swear the theme wasn’t intentional they just all popped up on sale at decent prices.

2021 Moon Escape:

youtube

This is from the same people who did Traumatarium. I did a review on that one a few months back. It’s on sale for $2.49. And this ISN’T my cheapest pickup for this year. The gameplay reminds me of Zelda or Star Tropics. But I don’t know much about it other than what the trailer already shows us. But also it was $2.49. It’s okay with me if it’s just okay. Not all games have to be 10/10.

Mythic Ocean:

youtube

I have a soft spot for ocean games. Even the more spooky ones like Subnautica or Dredge still have this serene element to them. Mythic Ocean is no different. You apparently help a pantheon of gods find themselves. Which in turn those choices shape the world around you. Sounds simple, short, and cute. It looked a bit explorable too? We’ll see. I’m unsure about that part. It’s on sale for $1.99. And this was my cheapest pickup this season.

For Steam:

Sonic Forces: Overclocked (Steam version REQUIRED for this)

I have, in no uncertain terms. Have played this game. I 100%ed it even. I like the game. Played better but I still like it.

HOWEVER. I haven’t played Sonic Forces Overclocked. Which requires the PC version of Sonic Forces!

This is a FAN MADE incredible mod that blows the original game out of the water apparently. This is, perhaps, my most high priority game purchase of the YEAR. And it’s only $10 to buy Forces right now. This is literally a no brainer.

youtube

Slay The Princess:

youtube

I felt like videos on this one sprung up seemingly overnight on Youtube. I watched someone play the demo and it was an awesome looking game. A horror visual novel about saving a princess is a neat little premise. This one was barely on sale, but I see myself playing this one soon because of the hype. The full voice acting is great.

Magical Diary: Wolf Hall

The original visual novel Magical Diary: Horse Hall was a game a friend showed me back in high school. Pretty innocent and cute. When this dropped in 2020 I was surprised the game got a sequel at all. The thing I remember most about Horse Hall was that there was a route where you could date Professor Snape. That wasn’t his name but… it might as well have been.

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boysplanetrecaps · 1 year

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Boys Planet Episode 6, Part 1 Recap

Alright, let’s cover Episode 6 with my usual mix of commentary, thoughts, analysis, reminders, screen caps, and silliness.

By the way, I’m trying to keep my page a safe place to visit (or follow) even if you’re way behind-- I’ll make sure there are no spoilers above the “read more”.

If you want to jump to my take on one of the songs click below:

Gang and Zoom

Home and Love Killa

Law and Man in Love

Rush Hour

Limousine

Feel Special

Not Spring

Butterfly

Tomboy

We start at 45 seconds in with a partial ranking, including votes so far (no distinction is made between K and G votes, or if these have already been blended using MNET math). Since 28 is the new cut off, this range may be of interest to us Star Creators. Here’s what they tell us, and I threw in their mission song and their rank as of the elimination in the previous episode:

24 Lee Seung Hwan Danger 507,3381 (20)

25 Cai Jin Xin Hot Sauce 419,853 (50)

26 Ollie Hot Sauce 405,996 (28)

27 Hiroto Very Nice 389,175 (21)

28 Ma Jing Xiang Very Nice 366,570 (32)

29 Lee Jeong Hyeon LMR 349,008 (39)

30 Mun Jung Hyun Very Nice 336,421 (23)

31 Anthonny LMR 285,564 (19)

32 Jung Min Gyu Very Nice 266,096 (27)

None of the top 18 from the previous ranking has fallen into this range (though for all we know they could have fallen further, though it seems unlikely). Most of them are roughly where they were before, though the biggest story is definitely Cai Jin Xin, who was 50th at the first elimination and has jumped to 25th. It’s also worth noting that Anthonny has fallen from 19th to 31st -- kind of a big fall in context.

Next, we can skip past the intro and recap to 1:39. The trainees are gathering to talk about their feelings… sort of. Because really this is a prank, and the staff has this woman made up to look like a scary ghost appear in front of them, and then when they run backward, a man in an obvious mask rush at them from behind. I don’t really love pranks, so I’ll focus on stuff I do enjoy:

I like how the boys seem to be sitting in sort of random groups, not all K or all G, and they seem comfortable with each other. I hate the K-G competition stuff, and I’m so glad they do too. Like, I worry about the world and how we’re getting along with each other as a planet and stuff like this makes me feel a little better, that the basic spirit of empathy and friendship prevails even when MNET tries to drive a wedge between them.

Haruto is wearing a tiara.

3. The mask the monster is wearing looks like it cost $3.99 at Family Dollar and I’m kind of here for it

4. Park JiHoo barely reacting to it, saying, “I told you, they totally would do this! They had to do scary stuff!” Ok, Park JiHoo, you just won me over.

5:02 in, the episode actually starts!

The boys all come in, and now they’re all wearing simple long sleeved white t-shirts that either say K or G, along with name tags that have their rank and name on them. I’m going to reproduce their current name and ranks here, so if at any time you are feeling like “who is that?” you can consult the list. They’re all wearing name tags with their numbers on them, so it’ll be easy enough, I hope!

The white shirts don’t look good on any of them. Also, they all look tired. They’ve been instructed by the producers to wonder aloud about who the new star master will be (I assume). Kim Tae Rae is hoping it’ll be Hyolyn (from Sistar), and I mean, yes? That’d be great.

But it’s Huta (Lee Minhyuk) from BTOB! A lot of the trainees seem really overwhelmed, especially Cha Woongki, who is freaking out, Kermit-meme style. For the record, BToB debuted in 2012, and Huta was born in 1990. I liked his song “Ya” a few years back. He also has a song called “Boom” that I’d never heard but it’s got a great pre-chorus. He likes to go shirtless sometimes, and it seems like the people like it, judging by the “most played” sections of his videos. Side note: BTOB is signed under Cube, which is the same agency that Hui and his group Pentagon are from, so Huta is probably a sunbae/hyung to Hui. They don't seem to greet each other, though, so who knows.

Huta checks in with international sweetheart, Sung Hanbin, about how he feels about being ranked first place (“It made me think I should work harder from now on!”) and then checks in with Jeong I-chan, ranked 52nd, about how he feels barely having made it (“I’ll work harder from now on!”). Huta tells them all, basically, to never give up, or something, and they’re all touched. Now that everyone has decided to work harder, let’s give them a challenge!

Side note: Jeong I-chan seems to be in a better headspace now than he was at the elimination ceremony, so that’s good.

Huta reveals the challenge: A Dual Position Battle.

For the “Vocal & Rap” performances, they have to rearrange a song and write new raps.

For the “Vocal & Dance” performances, they have to rearrange the song and come up with their own choreography.

For the “Rap & Dance” performances, they have to write a new rap and come up with new choreography.

Considering that very few of these performers are likely to know how to do any of these skills, this is going to be a challenge. It’s especially cruel to expect non-native speakers of Korean to write a rap in Korean -- I wonder if they’re allowed to write a rap in English, if they speak that? Enough raps in K-pop songs are 50%+ in English that it wouldn't be unrealistic for them to write in English. I mean, risky risky wiggy wiggy this is an emergency, you know?

Huta says, “the dual position battle will also be a battle between K and G,” and they’re all like SELMA???? (REALLLY??????) Huta doesn’t even have the heart (or cue-card reading skills) to drag out the joke, and almost immediately tells them that no, he was just kidding -- they can completely ignore the K/G divide from now on. They are all super happy to hear that. I’m happy, too!

The songs are:

Vocal & rap:

Tomboy, originally by G-Idle; Limousine originally by BE’O, which I admit I wasn't familiar with; Man in Love originally by Infinite, which came out in 2013 and I’m not familiar with; and Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms, originally by High4 and IU.

They’re all super excited for Tomboy, which was a massive hit. The older trainees remember Man in Love, but the younger ones have never even heard of it.

Vocal & Dance

Butterfly, originally by BTS; Feel Special originally by Twice; Love Killer originally by Monsta X; Home by Seventeen

At the announcement of the Twice song, Cha Woongki starts doing the choreo, and Seo Won says, “are you ready for the group of queens?” which is important foreshadowing. You guys, I am not going to speculate on anyone’s sexuality, especially since in Korea, being gay is still considered a mental illness by many, but I will say that a lot of guys on this show are surprisingly comfortable with their feminine side, and I’m here for it! Zhang Shai Bo is losing it, since Feel Special is his favorite song of all time, and I mean, same.

Love Killer is also my favorite song of all time. It was my ring tone for a long time until my fella got sick of my phone saying “Oh, I’m sorry, did I make you anxious?” every time someone tried to reach me about my car's extended warranty.

Side note: Krystian seems to have redone his hair a bit, dying it a bit darker and dying his eyebrows brown again, and it looks miles better. I’m glad to see it.

Rap & Dance

Law by Yoon Mi Rae and Bibi; Rush Hour by Crush; Zoom by Jessi; and Gang by H1ghr music.

The trainees are overwhelmed at the idea of trying to improve on a song by Bibi, which is the correct way to feel, since Bibi is a goddess who walks amongst us. Rush Hour was already sung by Jay and Kamden in the Star Level Test, and no one wants to compete with Jay’s vocals.

At the reveal of Zoom, Takuto says, IN KOREAN, to Haruto, “I like this song so much I set it as my morning alarm.” Two things: Takuto, you learned a lot of Korean! His pronunciation sounds good to me, not that I’m the best judge, but yeah. He could be speaking Japanese to Japanese-speaking Haruto, but he’s choosing Korean -- that’s big. Also, Takuto likes Jessi? That’s a relief, because I can’t take someone who is all aegyo all the time.

My little cousin Kum Jung Hyeon says he’ll never do Gang, never-never-cherlte-cherlte, so you know he’ll end up doing it.

At 15:10 in, Huta begins to explain how song selection will work, and basically, it’s this -- the lowest ranked people go first, and choose a song, but if someone higher ranked wants to push them out, they can. If you get pushed out, you have to go to a song that has room in it. Unlike in previous seasons, the arrival of a newer person doesn’t automatically kick out the lowest ranked person, though. Instead, the new person chooses the person they want to kick out. So this will be extra awkward.

The members of the team that wins within each category will get 100,000 points each, and the one who gets the most votes within that team will also get 150,000 extra points. Also, the three teams that win get to go on MNET and get special online promotion.

Since MNET spent their whole budget on those matching pajamas that time, this is the best they can do for a set for the song selection process, which runs from about 17:00 to 31:00.

Is that duct tape forming the lanes? I love the chandeliers just sort of hanging there from the ceiling, just the perfect compliment for that elementary-school style indestructible gray carpet.

I’m not going to recap the song selection beat for beat, but here are some things I enjoyed or thought were interesting:

Tomboy is the most popular and fought over song, followed closely by Love Killa.

Krystian got a real evil edit for pushing someone out -- they were all pushing each other out like that, but only he looks "evil."

The Rap/dance songs filled up the most slowly.

I loved Ma Xing Jiang confirming that he’s in front of the correct song by doing a little of the choreo (since maybe reading English isn’t a specialty of his).

I think it’s a bummer that Yoon Jong Woo can’t do Love Killa, since I think he’d suit it really well. But I don’t know why he chose to do Home -- he said he wanted to do a performance with Seung Eun, but I still don’t understand.

It was also a bit sad when Ricky got kicked out of Love Killa, party because I think he’d be great at it and partly because he really wanted to work with Mr. Sexy Kim Ji Woong.

I don’t think Matthew should have taken Tomboy. I think he would have done better with a lighter, sweeter concept song.

I loved it when my little cousin Kum Jeong Hyun just wanted to have General Gunwook on his own team and so was begging Sungbin to kick out Gunwook

I loved Lee SeungHwan just being like, "yeah, alright, I’ll rap and dance, heck yeah," when he got kicked out of his team. That’s the spirit, dude! I keep low-key forgetting who Lee SeungHwan is, so I double checked. He was on the Mirotic team for the Star Level test, and he was the put-upon and hard-working leader of Lee Da Eul’s very own personal song, Danger by BTS. Oh yeah! Him! He’s a peach. 🍑

We learn, via a subtitle that is hardly addressed, that our sweet Lee Hwanhee, the main vocalist from Kill This Love-K (who is also from the nugu group Up10tion), has left the show due to health issues. I hope he’s ok. He can still sing, at least!

We also find out that the Top 9 get these fairly ugly windbreaker jackets to wear, so that’s... good…? I guess...? Also, I wonder if these fine themed garments are available for purchase at a store near me at an unreasonable price, so I can show my love for the boys through consumerism.

Team: Love Killa

Shirt color: Dark blue

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Seok Matthew

Time stamp: 30:49 Screen time: 4:28

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Seok Matthew (2) All I Wanna Do / KTL - G 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Kim Ji Woong (3) Mirotic / BD- K 24 ⭐⭐⭐ Kim Gyu Vin (6) Kick It / LMR - K 18 ⭐⭐⭐ Seo Won (18) Attention / Very Nice - K 22 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Seo Won feels bad as the only non-top 9 on the team -- he’s worried he will drag the team down.

Matthew wants to be the leader to prove he’s not a baby who needs to be taken care of. I get the feeling that Kim Ji Woong doesn’t really like being the leader, and is only too happy to hand over the reins.

When it comes time to pick someone for the killing part, English pronunciation becomes an issue, and Matthew correctly says that the feeling matters more than pronunciation since they can always work on pronunciation later. They give the part to Kim Ji Woong, which is really a good call, though I think Kim Gyuvin would do a great job at it too.

Team: Feel Special

Shirt color: Light Blue

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Cai Jin Xin

Time stamp: 35:19 Screen time: 2:31

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Cha Woong Ki (25) Bloom Bloom / Very Nice - K 20 ⭐⭐ Zhang Shuai Bo (36) Reveal / BD - G 21 ⭐ Lee Dong Gun (48) Criminal (shoes) / Hot Sauce - K 17 ⭐⭐ Cai Jin Xin (50) Reveal / Hot Sauce - G 19 🚫

Cai Jin Xin says, “I love our team,” in English, and (a) his English is really well pronounced and (b) me too!! Woongki says the team is well balanced, because they have two G and two K team members. Also, as Jin Xin points out, “only the pretty guys are here.” I will say that this seems to be the Team Full of Queens that Seo Won prophesied earlier, and again, I am totally here for it.

They are realizing that it might be a tough job, because they’re all comparatively low ranked, and also, the music is really high pitched. They are given a version of the song in a lower key, but I feel like they could lower it further, right? They are allowed to rearrange the song. Because it’s so high, no one wants the main vocal, or even a normal amount of stage time. Woongki, who seems to be taking on an actual leadership role in addition to the Killing Part, encourages the others to be confident, saying that this might be their last stage so they should take the chance to stand in the center one more time. He interviews later on that he’s never had to beg people to take parts before!

Team: Home

Shirt color: Black

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Yoon Jong Woo

Time stamp: 37:50 Screen time: 4:02

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Jay (9) Rush Hour / LMR - G 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Yoo Seung Eon (17) Kick It / Very Nice - K 19 ⭐⭐⭐ Dang Hong Hai (33) View / LMR - G 19 ⭐⭐⭐ Yoon Jong Woo (38) Mirotic / BD - K 22 ⭐ Ji Yun Seo (47) Kick It / BD - K 18 ⭐⭐⭐

They’re distributing the parts, which of course is tricky here since there are a lot of great vocalists on this team. Ji Hoon is still really really bummed to not get to work on Love Killa, but he’s consoled a bit by getting to work with a good team who seem to all respect and like him.

The original choreo is a lot, and the chorus is really high. Naturally they give the main vocals to titanium voiced Yoo Seung Eon whose voice is like, Exo quality. I love Kim Tae Rae, but I have to admit that Seung Eon is the best vocalist on the show, better even than Hui.

The team is trying to decide who will take which dance position, so they dance to “Na bina”, which is kind of funny.

Team: Butterfly

Shirt color: White

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Chen Kuan Jui

Time stamp: 41:52 Screen time: 3:45

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test /Challenge 1 age final star level

Chen Kuan Jui (26) Tiger Inside / KTL - G 22 ⭐⭐⭐ Lim Jun Seo (30) Replay/ Danger - K 17 ⭐ Cong (35) View / Very Nice - G 22 ⭐⭐⭐ Brian (41) Kick It - G / BD - G 20 ⭐

This team has a nice sense of camaraderie.

Lim Jun Seo is lacking in skills, and is open about that, which I have mixed feelings about. Honesty is good, but you need to have a positive attitude. The other boys on the team promise to help him -- Chen Kaun Jui offers to help him with his dancing, and Cong offers to help with his singing, saying, in Korean, “I too. Vocal.” Jun Seo replies by calling him “hyung,” which makes Cong smile. Cong’s Korean is obviously still a bit elementary; that’s not a criticism, just a note. I have all the sympathy in the world for the global trainees who don’t know Korean.

Incidentally, we see in a flashback that Lee Da Eul volunteered both of them to go first on the first day, and he did that knowing that Jun Seo did NOT want to go first, and I’ll let all 2-3 of you reading this decide for yourself whether that’s a cool thing to do or not.

Anyway, they are trying to decide who gets the killing part based on freestyle dance, and Jun Seo is like, so we’ll learn the choreo quickly? And it’s like, no honey, no, you sweet child. Once he realizes what freestyle means, he’s out. I’m like, “Just give the killing part to CKJ already, because you know he deserves it,” and they do.

I hate that the story is mostly about Jun Seo, instead of being about the far more talented Chen Kuan Jui. I didn’t like CKJ much at first that much for whatever reason, but he’s grown on me a lot. I think he’s sweet, hard working, and an incredible dancer. I don’t think he’ll make it onto the final lineup, but I hope we keep seeing him around the kpop verse.

Team: Gang

Shirt color: Black

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Lee Seung Hwan🍑

Time stamp: 45:32 Screen time: 2:08

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Kum Jun Hyeon (14) Nunu Nana BD - K 19 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Lee Seung Hwan🍑 (20) Mirotic Danger - K 22 ⭐⭐⭐ Mun Jung Hyun (23) The Real Very Nice - K 17 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Lee Jeong Hyeon (39) The Real LMR - K 20 ⭐⭐⭐ Chen Jian Yu (45) Call Me Baby BD - G 24 ⭐

This team consists of mostly people who got kicked out of the song they wanted. So, their spirits are kind of low. My little cousin and noted yeller Kum Jun Hyeon is bummed out -- he really wanted that bleepin’ Tomboy. And none of them have any experience making choreo. I do think that my little muffin Mun Jung Hyun knows something about rapping, and that maybe Lee Jeong Hyeon does too, so fingers crossed.

Side note: Chen Jian Yu looks great with his current hair color. Miles better than the light blue and also better than the dark color he had in the Star Level Test.

No one steps forward to make the choreo, so my little cousin Kum Jun Hyeon finally steps up, saying, “Although I can’t guarantee the quality, if I didn’t do it, I didn’t think anyone else could do it.” I find that very charming. Fighting, little cuz!

WHAT KIND OF PERFORMANCE WILL THEY PREPARE???? We’ll find out…

Team: Zoom

Shirt color: Dark blue

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Keita

Time stamp: 47:40 Screen time: 2:37

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Keita (8) Conduct Zero /KTL - G 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Haruto (16) Glitch Mode/ LMR - G 18 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Ollie (28) Kick It - G /Hot Sauce - G 16 🚫 Wumuti (43) UN Village/ LMR - G 23 ⭐⭐ Park Hyunbeen (49) GBTB/ Hot Sauce - K 17 ⭐⭐⭐

Keita, who is really feeling himself, says that he likes the song and wanted to do it, and adds, “I thought things would go well if I came to lead this team, regardless of whoever came or was here already.” Like, he’s not wrong.

Naturally, they make him leader -- I knew that as soon as I saw that he was on the team.

And they start practicing the Killing Part -- it’s that beginning part, “I see you looking at my P-I-C,” and they all want it. Hyunbeen says that they’re all wary and competitive with each other, and he’s especially desperate to win the extra points because of his low rank. He wins the killing part, though, so he’s over the moon. Oh god, are the judges going to tell his team to give the killing part to someone else?

Team: Law

Shirt color: White

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Park Hanbin

Time stamp: 50:17 Screen time: 2:06

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Han Yu Jin (4) Kick It BD - K 15 ⭐⭐⭐ Park Hanbin (22) The Real Hot Sauce - K 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Wang Zi Hao (29) Veil KTL - G 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Na Kamden (31) Rush Hour BD - G 21 ⭐⭐⭐ Lee Ye Dam (42) Gambler LMR - K 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This team is excited to be working together at first -- both Wang Zi Hao and Lee Yedam are among the very best dancers on the show. However, most of them are not really rappers -- they’re just vocalists. Park Hanbin says, “I rap like I’m reading a book.” Hey, we saw Lee Yedam rap in his Star Level test, and he was really good! But they’re worried anyway -- most of them don’t specialize in rapping and they don’t know how to write lyrics. Oh no! A lot of trainees I really like are on this team. Well, to be fair, I like almost all the trainees at this point, so I could say that about pretty much any of the teams.

It does seem that Na Kamden has some vague idea of how to write rap, at least. That’s really all you need -- one person who can write a rap and teach it to the others. Fighting, Kamden! Yujin steps up, too, saying, “I did learn a bit about rap.” Meanwhile, the other three can make the choreo. They’re going to get through it!

Side note: Did they make Han Yujin at the same laboratory where they made Sung Hanbin? Do they also make purse sized dragons there? Little dragons that will love you and be loyal to you? Is that the kind of thing they also make at this laboratory? I hope I can visit there someday.

Team: Rush Hour

Shirt color: Light Blue

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Oh Sungmin

Time stamp: 52:23 Screen time: 2:57

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Ricky (12) Kick It - G /BD - G 18 ⭐⭐ Takuto (15) Instead Of... /Danger - G 15 ⭐ Hiroto (21) Conduct Zero /Very Nice - G 20 ⭐⭐ Ma Jing Xiang (32) Reveal /Very Nice - G 19 🚫 Oh Sung Min (34) Bloom Bloom /LMR - K 21 ⭐⭐⭐

By the time we visit them, they’re already dancing. We can see from their sign thing in the background that Ricky has the Killing Part, and is both main dancer and main rapper; and we watch as Oh Sungmin is unanimously voted the leader. He’s the oldest, he used to be in a debuted group (TOO/T01) and he’s also the only 3 star (and there aren’t any 4 stars). So, that makes sense. But it does seem odd to me to be starting the choreography when they haven’t written their raps yet…?

Naturally, it’s hard to teach Takuto. You can see that he’s doing the steps more like they’re the steps from “Na Bina.” Sungmin is trying -- he even says “Daijobou?” to Takuto, which is Japanese for “Ok?” -- but he’s going too fast for someone like Takuto, and he’s going to need to break it down a LOT more.

Meanwhile, Ma Jing Xiang is trying to move ahead, and there’s an interview from Hiroto about how MJX is just “thinking about himself,” how he did the same thing in Very Nice, trying to learn the choreo from the K-team who were so far ahead. Ricky apparently is studying the choreography video, and again, we’re told that this is bad, but why? Ricky speaks a few languages and is a kind soul, and I bet he’s trying to learn the choreo at least in part to be able to help his teammates. But the show makes this looks selfish, and Oh Sungmin interviews, “We need to work on our teamwork first.”

I don’t understand this take. Why does the word “teamwork” seem to mean “We have to get Takuto step-perfect on each dance phrase before the team can go to the next phrase”? Couldn’t teamwork mean, “We work on different things to get the whole job done”? Doesn’t it only benefit the team to have more people who know the choreo and music in general? While Takuto does the same 10 steps over and over, why should the whole team do that? Especially considering that Takuto is in the safety zone, rank wise, while MJX is definitely not and needs to do everything in his power to put on a good show. Takuto can go ahead and screw this up and he’ll still probably make it through the next elimination round. And that’s a bummer, but that’s how these shows are.

Ok, let me out myself. I’m a teacher. WHAT? Yeah. I am. I don’t work at a school -- I teach adults, who sometimes are older than me, as well as teenagers and little kids. It’s a weird job and I’m not YOUR teacher so don’t worry about it, ok? Alright. So we go that out of the way. And the thing about being a good teacher is that you have a responsibility to the students who are ahead just as much as to the students who are behind, and a lot of teachers don’t know how to fulfill that obligation.

And it’s not really Oh Sungmin’s fault that he doesn’t know how to be a really great teacher, but I think that if I were there, I’d advise him to not worry right now about Takuto getting the choreo perfect. It’s going to take a lot of work before that happens, and it’s not going to be today. They should be going for the big picture, and making sure that everyone has a chance to get the basics of their routine down so that it becomes possible for people to do individual practice later. It’s like putting together the frame of the jigsaw puzzle first, and then putting together the pieces in the middle. The frame helps you get started and know where to put the other pieces.

Ok that was probably more than you cared to read but anyway. That’s how I feel. This is dumb and irritating.

On to the next team!

Team: Man in Love

Shirt color: Dark blue

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Lee Dong Yeol

Time stamp: 55:20

Screen time: 3:10

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Kim Tae Rae (11) The Real BD - K 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Jung Min Gyu (27) My House (Red) Very Nice - K 23 🚫 Lee Dong Yeol (40) Who Very Nice - K 24 ⭐ Choi Woo Jin (51) Nunu Nana Hot Sauce - K 18 ⭐

They’ve elected Dongyeol, who is a member of the group Up10tion, their leader, and that makes sense.

The team is sitting around listening to the song, and Mingyu is saying it’s nostalgic for him, and WAIT is that a hickey on TaeRae’s neck?

I mean it’s not. Is it? It’s not. It can’t be. But also, whoever makes out with TaeRae, please be gentle to his neck, ok? That’s where he keeps his singing parts. He needs those. For singing.

Anyway, the team is talking about how much they like the song. Mingyu and Dongyeol, age 23 and 24 respectively, remember and like the song, while Tae Rae didn’t know it before but liked it when he heard it prior to song selection. Tae Rae thinks it suits his voice well, and Mingyu agrees, interviewing that he’s grateful that Tae Rae joined the team. I'm grateful that Tae Rae joined life!

They each try the killing part, and Dongyeol sings a bit, and his voice is actually much better than I thought it was, though he cracks a bit. When he’s done, no one reacts, so he applauds a tiny bit for himself until everyone else joins in. Aww. Then TaeRae sings and it’s so nice. It’s just… yeah. Listen, I know that titanium voice kid, Yoo Seung Eon, has a better voice, but I like TaeRae’s better. It’s like how Chen from EXO has a better voice than D.O., but I’d rather listen to D.O.

Meanwhile, Choi Woojin is having trouble even finding the note to sing. I’m kind of surprised he chose vocals, but maybe he was scared to write a rap? In that case, what is he good at? I watched his Hot Sauce and Nunu Nana performances, and he was basically a backup dancer in both -- he doesn’t seem to be a vocalist in any way, either as a singer or a rapper. What a bummer that we lost Hong Keon Hee and Kim Min Seong, because both of those were in the Nunu Nana group with him and both did a much better job in their various performances.

Red house Mingyu sings really really loud, apparently, and Woojin sings very quietly, so this will be tough.

Team: Limousine

Shirt color: Light blue

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Anthonny

Time stamp: 58:30 Screen time: 1:27

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test/Challenge 1 age final star level

Anthonny (19) Glitch Mode /LMR - G 19 ⭐⭐⭐ Krystian (37) Call Me Baby /BD - G 23 ⭐⭐ Park Ji Hoo (44) Freak /Hot Sauce - K 16 ⭐⭐⭐

Anthonny has been elected leader, but Park Jihoo ends up kind of stepping up to lead. He suggests that they think about what the song is really about -- it’s about a man achieving his dreams. They’re working on achieving their own dreams, so he thinks they can focus on that in their raps.

Trainees writing raps about how they’re trainees who want to debut?

Krystian is on his Very Best Behavior, and calls Jihoo, “Park Jihoo-shi,” which is kind of ridiculous given that Jihoo is seven years younger than him. He would still be polite in Korean standards to call him “Jihoo-ah” or something like that, and I bet he knows that.

Krystian calls him “mature” (in English), and since he can’t find the right word in Korean, explains it as, “you know what you’re doing.” And Jihoo agrees: “Genius, genius,” he says in English, of himself. Jihoo is a hoot.

(Incidentally, Jihoo says he’s 18, because he uses the Korean age system, which says you’re a year old at birth, and that also calculates your age based on the year it is, whether or not your birthday has happened yet. So he’s really 16, and will be turning 17 in July, by international standards.)

Team: Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms

Shirt color: Black

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Jung I Chan

Time stamp: 59:57 Screen time: one whole minute

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test /Challenge 1 age final star level

Lee Da Eul (13) Replay /Danger - K 18 🚫 Bak Do Ha (24) My House (Blue)/ Hot Sauce - K 20 🚫 Jung I Chan (52) Mirotic /Danger - K 20 ⭐⭐

Oh boy. This team. MNET gives them exactly one minute of screen time and most of that is just mocking their past performances.

I think Bak Doha is a decent guy who just needed better advice from his agency and more realistic goals in life, and I hope he makes it as an actor. Jung I-chan has been at this a long time and must have some talent or he wouldn’t keep making it halfway on shows like this, but he’s yet to really prove himself at a key moment. And you guys know how I feel about Lee Daeul -- I don’t like being unkind so I literally cannot say anything about him, whether it be about his personality, past behavior, or observable skill set. It would be such a redemption moment if any of these three could do something great in their performance, but I’m not exactly holding my breath. I’ll say though that I-chan has the best attitude he can have, considering.

Team: Tomboy

Shirt color: White (but basically, purple/blue top-9 jackets)

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Hui

Time stamp: 1:01:05 Screen time: 5:25, the longest of any team by a full minute

Trainee name (rank) Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Sung Hanbin (1) Beautiful Beautiful LMR - K 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Zhang Hao (5) Kick It - G KTL - G 22 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Hui (7) Shut Down LMR - K 29 ⭐⭐⭐ Park Gunwook (10) GBTB KTL - K 18 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This team is a little TOO stacked. Three of them are top 9, and General Gunwook is in 10th place. They have three excellent leaders on the team -- Hui, Zhang Hao, and Gunwook would all make excellent leaders. And they have three excellent candidates for a center/killing part roll - basically, anyone but Hui would do a fantastic job at it. (Not that Hui can’t, but the others are that bit better.)

Gunwook says, “You can’t have a better team than this. As if I were Liu Bei, who gained Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, my shoulders kept rising.”

Ok, a few things about this. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Koreans talk about “shoulders rising” as if that indicates pride or confidence -- maybe it’s a bit like “holding your head up high” in English idiom. Makes intuitive sense, too.

Next, it’s as if General Gunwook knows that I call him General Gunwook, because he’s making a reference to Liu Bei. Lui Bei was a Chinese warlord (born in the year 166) who founded Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. Liu Bei gathered a team together during the Yellow Turban Revolution of 184, which I’m sure you already know all about, and gathered a group of loyal followers, including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. So Gunwook is positing himself as a Warlord Emperor, and his teammates as his loyal generals. Love it.

The show seems to be implying that Gunwook is a little too solicitous of his team, fetching the lyric sheet and getting pens for them and stuff, but that’s what you do when you’re a polite younger person in Korean culture, and Gunwook is a polite guy. Of course he’ll get a pen for someone who is 11 years older than him!

Zhang Hao says that Gunwook was scary in Kill This Love, but now he’s a cute and sweet dongsaeng (younger sibling/friend). He seems genuinely surprised, but I’m not at all. Gunwook expands to fill the space -- if no leader is present, he’ll lead, and if one is present, he’ll follow. He’s a General, but he recognizes Hui as a Major General, and will follow commands. He’s also smart and wouldn’t want to look like a rude kid on TV!

Zhang Hao really wants the killing part, and so do Sung Hanbin and Hui. I think Zhang Hao is by far the best, and General Gunwook agrees with me, but the win goes to Sung Hanbin. That’s kind of a bummer but given how popular he is I guess it’ll work out well for the team. Zhang Hao is a class act -- he’s bummed, but he knows that Hanbin is also really good. So he sets himself the challenge of being able to rap quickly in Korean, reasoning that if Yuqi from G-Idle can do it, so can he! Hanbin is helping him and he’s improving already. Zhang Hao, fighting!

Side note: Kind of funny that they’re not acknowledging that Hui is from the same agency (Cube) that G-Idle is from. Hui probably knows Soyeon and Yuqi and the girls, at least in passing. I kind of wonder whether Hui and Soyeon get along? They’re both music producers who lead their teams and take responsibility for their members, so they have all that in common. On the other hand, sometimes people don’t like each other if they’re too much alike. Man, imagine if Soyeon and Hui teamed up, Triple-H style? Or even better, just a Pentagon/G-Idle crossover group, NCT style, where they just use whichever members from either group that would work in a particular song? Sigh. A girl can dream.

And with that, we’ve reached the end of this part of the Recap! Click here to go to Part 2, which is my discussion of Gang and Zoom!

Or if you'd prefer, you can scroll up to the top and look at one of the other songs! Or if you'd prefer, you can go on to Episode 8.

Thanks for being here! <3

#boys planet recaps #boys planet recap #boys planet #boysplanet999 #boysplanet #boys planet 999 #ricky #zhang hao #kim tae rae #hui #sung hanbin #kum junhyeon #park gunwook

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charlesandmartine · 7 months

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Thursday 21st September 2023

My morning run takes me towards Marmari which although is the postal address of our hotel, is a small town set on its own. Our hotel once might have had pretentions of providing an eastern flank but stopped growing with just the Sparrows Nest bar and gyros taverna next door and the mini market across the road as neighbours. Both of these see their season as on borrowed time and will close in October. Marmari does boast more facilities for the tourist providing carhire, tavernas, pizza, hotels and supermarkets. Despite such dazzling amenities our heads were not turned as we promenaded along its cobbled pavements; we have developed an affection for our slightly run down but quiet hotel.

As is our routine, the afternoons are usually spent, Martine by the hotel pool, and me on the beach. As I stepped onto the beach section in 32° sunshine, just passed the sunbeds I noticed a couple change direction and starting an approach towards me. The lady was in a back and white striped bikini; her top covered with a tee shirt. Her skin was snow white. Contrast was adequately provided by her slightly shorter Mediterranean origin partner who, naked apart from a small headscarf, had become a colour somewhere between mahogany and burr walnut. His stubb of manhood swung slightly as he homed in on me. With an opening question relating to nationality, a conversation was initiated. The list concluded with English? Yes I said. I am from the local radio station, he said brandishing a small unlikely looking microphone. I'm not entirely sure where he was hiding this. Would you like to answer some questions? No, I said definitely and definitively closing the conversation. His snow white partner giggled and his microphone almost drooped. With that I marched off and left him standing with a still giggling partner. I was grateful from then on for no further interruptions and also that the kite surfers appear to have moved to waves elsewhere.

Tonight's snack was paprika crisps, aubergine dip, all washed down with Greek SB. Crisps and dip top marks. Greek SB, jury is out. It kinda tastes like all other Greek wine. Well, it was only 3.99€! Oh how standards fall. The man at the taverna had promised us kleftico and moussaka tonight; a promise delivered. A very pleasant evening concluded at Sparrows with our German friends who sadly go home to Hamburg tomorrow. I can see we may need to buy an extra Christmas card this year.

A number of kittens have adopted us and in return expect feeding. In this regard they are pretty unlucky but seem to hold out some hope.

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tybpxbzn · 1 year

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The Last Name

Deep within hell on Earth (Wyoming), lays I, Bartholemew The Third. All the other kids in the coven flaunt their fancy family names, taunting me with their ill-gotten illustrious birth rights every day during roll call. I lack such frivolous privileges as I was born several months after the death of my mother, and my father turned into a copper spoon soon after. I was able to contain my rage for all these years, but tonight I lie dormant no longer. The prejudicial rules of bureaucracy state that I must have a last name in order to order my most beloved Burger King Whopper - now only for $3.99 at a Burger King near you - that I crave ever so much. I pack all two of my belongings to perform my greatest scheme yet.

Deep under the canopy lives the wicked witch of next door, [my English teachers full name]*. God put her on this green, and slightly chartreuse, Earth with the sole intention of mocking and belittling me, scorning me with those two lavish last names of hers, defying the laws of nature by having no first name to speak of. But the taunting of my tainted title shall be terminated once and for all. I break into her house with a twig I found on the floor, holding the slightly less blunt end of it to her wretched throat. But before i could strike her, she uses her evil witch powers to blind me by evoking the spell pepper spray, she then summoned her armoured minions that she calls "the cops".

Beaten, bloodied, and bruised, I concede and head back to my humble abode in the state penitentiary to have a good nights rest. Awoken by my prison guard's daily brutality quota, I take the opportunity to ask him for advice on my last name conundrum. "Oh sir, may I ask thee for thine advisory abilities" I ask earnestly. "Please die already Mr. Third" he responds. I was shocked, baffled even, I have never even considered "Third" to be my last name! I can now live contently and die in true bliss. I light the fuse to my comically large stick of dynamite as the guard reaches for his pistol. He peppers my body with lead, but puny bullets won't stop my explosive end. The ticking time clock of my bomb brings justice to my fellow inmates, killing me in the process

*footnote: my English teacher's name sounds like 2 last names, which was the reason I wrote this story :3

-Mir :3

#comedy #original story #writing

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lustforthecrust-blog · 2 years

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HAUL TIME BABY!!

Fýę

●Junji Ito Smashed: $22.99

●skull socks: $11

●Blu socks: $11

Špeņçeřs

●spider web earrings: $12.99

●moth earrings: $9.99

Miçhęalś

●faber çastelł pen set: $32.99

●sākůřa pens: $1.99×3

●pŕįśmaçołør pencils: $2.29×2

●Skull beads: $8.99

●Ğambłīn oil paint: $10.99×3

●glitter paint: $4.99×2

●brushes: $5.99×4

Pèť çø

●frozen mouse(not pictured): $3.99

🖤Total: $191.40🖤

My local Spéñçerś is literally so small and 3 people were working, I got so nervous bc the one girl was hanging around me for longer then comfortable and I hadn't even tried to lift yet😭 originally I put 3 earring sets in my bag but I forgot to take the security tag off one so I had to fish threw my bag to find it and I just hung it back up and left. On the plus side Fýé is pretty much the easiest "pop culture" store to lift from, not a single camera, little to no security tags, no mirrors and only one employee!!

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here-2suffer · 1 year

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Guys I finally typed out the genie au thing! Sorry this took so long to complete, my brain decided not to cooperate with me. @all-things-fandomstuck here it is!

"Hey! What brings you to my store today?" A chipper voice asks.

"Hey Cindy, how's the business been going for you?" You look at Cindy, who's currently at the counter wearing her usual smile.

"Been pretty good, actually. Got five more customers! How are ya?" She leans forward on the counter, holding herself up with her arms.

You grab a bag of some cute clear glass ball charm pendants with tiny decorations inside, tiny stars, tiny seashells, tiny hearts, and other tiny stuff. You hold them up in the light to test their shine, and they passed. You walk over to Cindy, handing her the bag so she can ring it up. "Yeah, been doing well. Where'd you get these?"

Cindy smiles. "My sister Anne gave 'em to me. They're a real beauty, aren't they?"

You smile. "They sure are." She bags up the bag of glass balls and hands them to you. "That'll be a hundred bucks!" You look at her in shock. "A hundred bucks? You're kidding." You're already taking out your wallet though. It may be a lot, but you're willing to pay for it.

"Yeah, I'm just messin' with ya. It's only 3.99" You look inside your wallet, and somehow you only have 5's with you. You pull one out and give it to her, watching as her smile turns playful.

"My, my, five dollars all for little ol' me? You're just too kind." She puts it in the cash register and starts pulling out some change, but you're feeling generous today. "It's okay, you keep the change."

She looks up at you with a bit of shock, but her smile quickly returns. "Thanks, you're a real star, y'know that? Have a nice day darlin'! Maybe next time I'll bring you some cookies from the bakery!" She waves at you as you leave, you wave back. "Bye Cindy! Have a nice day, I'll be looking forward to those cookies!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You're looking for any shiny or antique looking things in a new part of the forest that you've somehow never noticed before. It's kind of weird how you've never seen this part of the forest despite looking through it your whole life, kind of like it just appeared out of nowhere.

But that had to be wrong, right?

Yeah.

Even though you don't remember ever seeing a tree that thick in these words before, or you don't remember seeing that type of flower here before. Youre sure you just missed it, maybe you were too busy looking for things to add to your ever-growing collection to see it.

Yeah, that has to be it.

Never mind that this part has a lot more shiny things than you would normally find in this forest, or that you thought you've already scavenged this forest at least a hundred times by now. It's just your mind passing tricks on you again-

The light breaking through the many leaves of the many trees lands on two lamps. The lamps are very dirty, they've lost their shine. Well, not completely. You pick them up and examine them, they feel rough and bumpy, but that's penalty just from the layers of dirt it has. You bet that you have the cleaning supplies necessary at home to make them look brand new!

It's kind of funny, they look like the lamps people say genies live in. Not that they were ever true, it was all just stories for children, genies don't actually exist.

You internally joke about driving them and getting genies, it's a fun thought. You'd probably kill them with your indecisiveness though.

You decide you'll clean them when you get home. Putting them in your satchel, you think you hear a tiny voice.

No, that can't be right. Just your mind passing tricks on you again, it's always been a problem. You continue your search through this part of the forest for anything else to add to your collection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once you're back home, you go too the room you keep your collection in. You used to keep it in the corner of your room, but when it got a little to big to fit in your room without making you have to parkour to get to your bed and closet, you decided to move it to an empty room instead. It's kept growing ever since without any problems for you.

You pour everything from your satchel onto your sorting table (yes, it's weird, but you like to be organized with this). The two lamps go out almost last, knocking everything else off the table.

You sigh and pick everything up and put it back on the table, seeing where in your collection they would fit best and putting them there. You found an unusually large amount of stuff today, so it takes longer than usual.

Eventually you look back to the table to find only the two dirty lamps. You pick them up and bring them to your garage, where you keep all your cleaning supplies. You look around for the cleaning rag you normally keep here, but you can't seem to find it. It somehow takes around 20 minutes to find it, but once you did, you got straight to work.

You were determined to make the lamps shine again. You drown the lamp in the cleaning solution and squeeze out excess water (it makes a little mess but that's the fun of it) and pick up one of the lamps. You start scrubbing all the dirt and grime off, it comes off easier than expected. There's a noise, like a swirling sound, but you pass it off as one of the neighbor's TV.

Once you're done with the lamp, you start cleaning the other. And just like the other one, the dirt and grime come off very easily. The swirling noise comes back again as you scrub.

This whole thing only took about 3 minutes, surprisingly. You turn and put the rag and cleaning products away when the same swirling sound comes back, this time louder. It kind of sounds like it's right behind you.

...

You quickly turn around and are faced with... quite the sight.

There are two people (half ghosts?) in your house. One of them is yellow with triangles decorating its head, making it look like the sun. Its face has two colors, separated by the crescent shape. It has red ribbons with bells on both of its wrists. It looks at you with some beautiful blue eyes.

The other one is blue, with something atop of its head spotted with yellow stars, making it look like it has a nightcap on. It has the same crescent shape on its face, this time with white and black colors. It also has red ribbons with bells on its wrists. And it's staring at you with some gorgeous red eyes.

...

WOAH WHAT THE-

They notice each other and look at the other with shock. They look back at you with a mix of shock, confusion, and maybe a little bit of anger? "Who are you?" The blue one asks you, yeah, he's definetly a little angry (probably more than just a little).

You must look so stupid right now. You're so flabbergasted you can't even speak, so you just stare back at them with wide eyes.

The blue ghost-human-thing seems to be getting more impatient. "I asked, who are you?"

You take a deep breath. "..I.. uh... Who are you?"

The blue one growls. The yellow one seems very uncertain about something at the moment, looking back and forth between you and the blue thing. After a moments of silence, the yellow one speaks. "Hello, I'm Sun. Your... genie."

Genie!?

Your eyes are wider now. "Genie? No. T-that can't be right. Genies don't exist!" You gasp, breathing seems to be getting a little harder.

"Oh yeah? Then what the hell are we?" The blue one growled, you gulped.

Okay, so genies are real. No biggie, right?

...

"Who are you?" The blue one asks again, a little harsher. You take another deep breath and tell then your name. "Uh, who are you?" You try to calm yourself, but the way he just glares daggers at you is not helping in the slightest. You've started fidgeting with your fingers now.

"Moon. Your genie. What do you plan to do with us?" You furrow your brows in confusion. "What?" He groans and Sun answers instead.

"What are you going to do to us? What are you going to use us for? What are your intentions?"

What?

Before you can even open your mouth to answer, Moon speaks. "How did you find us? What do you want, to take over the world?"

"I- What?" You can barely catch what they're asking. They're firing questions at you at the speed of light, and your brain is still processing the fact that genies exist.

Sun speaks. "Don't act clueless. You wouldn't have gotten two genies for nothing. What are you plotting?" So they think you're evil or something?

"What? I didn't even know you guys existed! I-I thought genies were just fairytales!" You're starting to feel a little offended, these guys saw your confusion and shock when they appeared, and they somehow think you're going to use them for... whatever evil things?

"Oh really? How did you magically stumble upon two genie lamps then?" Moon crosses his arms. You huff. "I was looking through the forest for anything to add to my collection, then I saw your lamps together. They were dirty so I-"

"Together?" Sun interrupts you. He doesn't look like he believes a word you said, neither of them do.

"Yes, together. I saw your lamps dirty, and I thought maybe if I cleaned-" And you're interrupted yet again, this time by Moon, go figure.

"Our lamps would not be together. Two genie lamps are never together. You're just saying that to appear innocent, we don't-" Now you interrupt him (see how that feels).

"Oh well that's too bad, because I actually did find your lamps together. Whether or not you believe it, it's the truth." You cross your arms.

He grumbles something about disrespect (as if he didn't interrupt you first) and Sun sighs. "Well either way, you still have two genies now, so you'll get to make your wishes. But there three very important rules." He spoke that last part to you as if he was speaking to a child, even holding up his finger while doing so.

You sigh. "Yeah, I know. Now wishing for anyone to fall in love with me, no wishing people back from the dead, and no wishing for more wishes." He looks surprised. "How did you know?"

"Because everyone knows that. It's in the children's fairytale books." Sun now looks completely lost. Moon, on the other hand, just rolls his eyes. "And we're just supposed to believe that? How do we know you didn't just do this before with another genie?"

Boy, is he being annoying right now, but you must stay calm. Calm. "Listen, as I said earlier, I didn't even know genies were real until I met you guys. How would I have done this with another genie and still not believe genies were real?"

Sun seems to be understanding, if only a little, while Moon still seems unconvinced. Moon opens his mouth to say something, but Sun speaks before a sound comes out of his mouth (thank god).

"Well, let's not fight for any longer-" Moon interrupts him. "Fighting? Who's fighting?" Sun pouts at him. "Stop interrupting us! Where's your manners?"

Moon scoffed. "As if you didn't interrupt this genie catcher earlier." Now you scoffed. "Genie catcher? I told you I just found your lamps on accident!" "Pshh, yeah sure. As if we're going to believe that-"

"Stop fighting!" Sun held his arms out between you and Moon, as if separating you from each other, even though you were already like 5 feet away from him. "Look, whether you like it or not, they found our lamps and rubbed them. Now they're our master, so we have to stick with them until they've used up all their wishes." He sighed and turned to you with a kind smile. "So, what will your first wish be?"

Your anger and annoyance was totally lost now.

Right. Wishes. Forgot about that.

You chuckle nervously. "Yeah, uh, I don't actually know what my first wish is." You start fidgeting with your fingers again. Sun's smile remains kind, and it doesn't look forced either, that helps you feel a little better.

"That's okay, we can help you with that. What's one thing you've always wanted? Or something you want now? A new pool? New house?" Moon seems to have relaxed, well, no. He just doesn't seem angry or annoyed anymore.

"You want a new car? Can't promise we'll give you a good one." Sun nudges his arm. "Can't promise he'll give you a good one." Sun chuckles, as if this was a normal occurrence. Maybe it was, who knew what it was really like in those genie bottles.

"Uh, I don't really want any if those right now. I don't actually know what I want, I'm fine with my life right now.." They look at you weirdly.

Moon starts questioning you (again). "So, you have no idea what you want for your first wish at all? You slowly shake your head. He groans and covers his face with his hands.

You start to feel a little bad. "Sorry, I'm kind of... very indecisive." Moon stays with his face in his hands while Sun's smile falters a little.

Well. Guess you'll be stuck with them for a while... Actually, it's more like they'll be stuck with you for a while...

#genie au #AAAAAAAAAA #it's finally here!#i finally got it out!#my brain bad #hope you like it #idk if its good at all #moondrop #fnaf moon #fnaf sun #sundrop #my writing #i guess

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brandyllyn · 2 years

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Love Nor Money Teaser

Pre-Order here $3.99

"Good morning."

Maya froze. Maybe if she didn’t move the owner of the voice wouldn’t see her.

"I can see you."

She eyed the man a few feet away dubiously, it was the guy she’d kissed, with the scruffy beard. So not the worst possible scenario. But as she got closer she saw it wasn’t just him, but all three men who had tried their shot.

All three, Maya? Really? she thought, trying not to blush. That was… new. For her. Even if they hadn’t actually done anything the idea that she might have sent a thrill down her spine. She wouldn’t, of course, she wasn’t the type. But it was an electrifying possibility to ponder.

They were just as handsome in the daylight, posing in various positions around the kitchen. She’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt but who read their tablet with their ass stuck out like that? Posing, definitely.

"Hi."

"Bagel?" Ass-out stood up, running a hand down his chin and reaching for a plate, sliding it her direction. In the light of day her kissing partner had tattoos, a lot of them. Wrapping up his arms and barely visible at the base of his neck. Maybe other places? She wracked her mind, trying to remember if she’d seen his other places.

"No thank you," she declined politely, edging towards the door. "I think I’ll just… go. It’s been great, I’m sure."

"Stay," the order came from the man who had approached her first. Had he given her a name? At the bar or while they… had they? He looked almost exactly the same as at the bar, perfectly put together in a slightly different suit, expensive wrist watch catching the light. How could he look so good this early in the morning?

"No, really," she demurred, holding her hands up and backing away. "It’s all good. Thank you for what was probably a good time and-"

"You’re not going anywhere," the last man said, the one sitting at the table with his feet propped up. It was shaved head, looking nearly as smug in the kitchen as he had at the bar. "We kidnapped you."

Maya blinked.

"For fuck’s sake Daniel," beard groaned, pushing away from the kitchen island. "We’ve gotta teach you some tact."

"What for?" the man, Daniel, asked with a scowl. "She’s gonna figure it out eventually. What’s the point in fucking about?"

"We agreed to present it gently," Beard retorted, knocking the man’s feet off the table with one hand and settling into the chair across from him. "Do you want to deal with some hysterical girl in the apartment?"

"I’m not dealing with shit," Daniel grunted, dropping his eyes to his phone.

Expensive watch ignored them, watching her as she struggled to process what was going on.

"Excuse me?" The two at the table went silent, both looking up at her. "Can you say that again?"

"Think of it as an involuntary vacation," Watch said in complete seriousness.

"An involun-" Maya trailed off, darting her eyes between each of them. She could run. The door was right there, only fifteen feet away. She might make it before they caught her. But what if it was locked? And this was not a small building, there’d probably be an elevator to wait for or stairs to find. That would take time.

And not for nothing, she was technically homeless right now. Kidnapping wasn’t the best solution to her problems, but it was a solution. And it was a nice apartment. Certainly nicer than the last place she’d been kidnapped to. Fourteen years old and a day into her first period. She’d have personally given her captors anything they wanted for ten minutes indoors with an A/C unit and a tampon. Compared to it this place felt like a vacation.

"Okay." All three gaped when she slid onto a bar stool, reaching for the plate of bagels Beard had offered her. She carefully spread cream cheese across it before looking up to meet Watch’s eyes. "For how long?"

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "At least a couple of weeks."

Shrugging, she took a bite of the bagel, humming softly. It was good. "Do you have tea?"

Beard responded, walking to a cabinet and pulling down a box, setting it in front of her cautiously. With one hand he flipped the button on an electric kettle. "You’re taking this better than I thought you would."

Maya shrugged again. "It’s not the first time. You’re looking for money I assume? I hate to tell you, it won’t be a lot."

The corner of Watch’s lips quirked and he studied her with something new in his eyes. "For his only daughter? I think Alvani will find some cash."

She laughed, she couldn’t help it, then choked when a piece of bagel went wrong. Pressing the heel of one hand to her chest she coughed until she could breathe again, tears welling in her eyes. "That’s… that’s funny. You might be able to get a couple grand out of my brother, as long as Dad doesn’t find out. But Eric Alvani himself?" She snorted, pulling an empty mug towards her and dropping the tea bag into it, "Not a chance."

"Sounds like something a kidnap victim would say," Daniel pointed out, teeth flashing white when he gave her a shark-like smile.

Pouring the hot water Maya smiled back at him. "Just don’t take it out on me when it goes sideways. Do you have any milk?"

She sipped her tea and watched them exchange glances. Expensive Watch pulled a small pitcher out and handed it to her, studying her face.

"What if something happened to you?"

"If you killed me, you mean?" Maya snorted. "He’d be mad, for sure, and there would be retaliation. But short of that…" Sighing, she deepened her voice, "You’re not my problem anymore."

"Sounds like a peach."

A shrug. "He’s who he is. I haven’t spoken to him in over a decade. If you wanted a hostage you’d have been better off with Nico." Maya cocked her head and laughed, "Not sure he’d have gone for that whole kissing ruse though."

"You barely did," Goatee pointed out, "I was nearly offended."

"Needed the money," Maya didn’t look at him as she said it, stirring her tea absently. "Sounds like we’ve got the same problem."

"We’re not looking for money, we just need him distracted," Goatee corrected.

She stared at him, pursing her lips. "Who are you?"

"Stefan," Beard pointed at himself. He glanced to the right and Expensive Watch lifted an eyebrow. "Diego. Short, dark, and scowly over there is Daniel."

She smiled back and frowned when Daniel only stared and then turned his nose up at her. "You can call me sir."

Maya rolled her eyes, "Stefan, Diego and Dorkus, got it."

Stefan laughed and even Diego’s lips twitched into half a smile while Daniel glared.

"I’m… well I guess you know who I am." She narrowed her eyes at Stefan, "That’s your names, but who are you?"

"The Kings."

Oh, she’d been hoping they would say anything but that. Even as far as she’d removed herself from her old life, she’d heard the name. They’d risen in the area a few years back and quickly become major players in the underground. She thought they mainly dealt in weapons, but maybe drugs too? Human trafficking?

Suddenly she didn’t feel quite so amused at the situation.

More Info about Love Nor Money

Pre-Order here $3.99

#brandy writes #love nor money

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acevenoms · 2 years

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A quick intro to HD physical media

Hey, since @pneumatic-tubes got me thinking about it again, I've been reviving my habit of collecting physical copies of media I like and I thought I'd share some good tools I've found for doing so. It should be said, collecting Blu-Rays is a bit expensive, your average BD movie is gonna cost $30-$40 new, 4K/UHD even more, box sets can cost up to a couple hundred. Even when I was collecting a ton, I really only bought movies and shows that I was absolutely going to watch multiple times. Still, I have them forever, in their original state, in full quality, with extras, and that's definitely worth something.

1.) blu-ray.com

This site is super useful for tracking your collection, getting news and updates on upcoming releases, understanding and finding the differences between releases, and even doing business with other collectors for rare or out of print releases. Create a free account, get the app on your phone, and keep your collection up to date!

2.) Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory is one of the biggest DVD/Blu-ray distributors outside of the major studios, they have hundreds of properties including anime, classic movies, cult horror, foreign films, and more. BestBuy actually carries a lot of their releases in store if you'd rather shop brick-and-mortar.

There are tons of boutique and more genre specific releasing companies still active so I won't list them all here, but if you explore on blu-ray.com, you're bound to find what you're looking for.

3.) RedBox

Even for new releases, getting the physical disk from a RedBox is typically cheaper than renting it on Amazon, Google, Apple, or where ever ($1.99 vs $3.99+). The selection is much more limited, but they do have more than new releases. RedBox carries the retail disks too, so you can watch extra features if you want.

4.) An actual blu-ray player

This one is a bit obvious, for sure, but in case anyone's wants some basic advice on buying one: Sony or LG are your best bet. Sony wrote the blu-ray spec so they're obviously invested in keeping the format alive. A good (4k/uhd) player is still expensive, but many of them double as a streaming player. My Sony UBP-X700M has Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu apps on it. In my desktop PC, I have an LG blu-ray drive (BH16NS40 Blu-ray Disc Rewriter) which is what enables me to do the cool shit in the next item on this list.

I've never explored external BD drives like you'd use for a laptop, hopefully someone who sees this post can give a good suggestion.

5.) MakeMKV

Honestly, this is the real special sauce on this list. Playing Blu-Rays on your PC is a huge pain in the ass. BDROM's DRM schema is absolutely insane, but it's not impenetrable, this is where MakeMKV comes in. MakeMKV is a tool for making legal, authorized back ups of blu-ray disks that you own, regardless of their encryption (obviously you would never make a copy of a disk you got from a RedBox). MakeMKV is currently in "beta" because they have not paid the license fee to legally read blu-rays, but anyone can use it, fully featured while it's in "beta", you just have to refresh the product key once a month. Personally I bought a license because the software is solid as a rock, built for windows and linux, and has been indispensable for blu-ray collecting.

6.) FFMpeg/Handbrake

I'm gonna plug this even tho it's only really applicable to digital copies of movies because I really think more people need to understand how to manipulate media files. The MKV (Matroska Video files) that MakeMKV exports are huge, blu-ray disks are effectively uncompressed video, and MakeMKV doesn't decide to compress them for you. After a while, you're not gonna want to have every movie taking up 30, 40, or even 60+ GB on your PC, so you're going to have to compress/re-encode them. An actual guide on how to encode video properly is outside the scope of this post, but both FFMpeg (command-line, multi-platform, handles anything) and Handbrake (GUI, windows-only, much more user friendly, less features but more focused) are very easy to find guides for.

Well that's about it. Video collecting is a fun hobby and a great way to preserve media you love. Hopefully, as more people get into it, studios will expand their offerings and we can avoid this stupid bullshit that HBO Discovery has put people thru losing access to shit they've already paid for just because some fuck-ass exec decided to pad the bottom line. Take real ownership of your media with these tools and happy collecting!

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lyledebeast · 10 months

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It will surprise none of you to learn that 90% of my reason for wanting to see The Patriot’s extended cut is that little scene where Tavington catches the firefly that is not even in the deleted scenes for the original dvd release. It’s about 20 seconds long, and yet nothing I was told about it prepared me for it.

It comes immediately after Thomas’s funeral, also cut from the original release, so the juxtaposition is something like this:

Martin: “Dear Lord, please accept the body of this child into your loving embrace”

Tavington: *watches the firefly like a cat poised to pounce, catches it, rolls it around between his gay little fingertips to inspect it, commits insecticide, and drops the remains on the ground before turning to talk to two Cherokee scouts (who even the extended cut are denied a voice.)

10/10. Best $3.99 I’ve ever spent. There’s on the nose, and then there’s this. This is like the scene in Pan’s Labyrinth where Captain Vidal takes the wine bottle and knocks the farmer’s nose through the back of his head.

#the patriot extended cut #william tavington

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mcnlight · 1 year

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How Bubble works - a guide to the kpop idol messaging app

What is Bubble?

Bubble is a “private” messaging app for idols and fans, created by DearU. You can download and use the apps on iOS and Android devices.

How does it work?

There are multiple apps for all the different Korean entertainment companies, allowing numerous kpop idols, Korean actors and athletes to message their fans all around the world. However, there is a catch (or multiple)...

1. You have to purchase tickets to be able to receive and message back to your idol(s) of choice. Tickets work on a monthly subscription, you have to purchase the tickets for each group or artist individually. The pricing starts from $3.99 a month for one ticket, if you buy more tickets for idols from the same group you get a price cut, 2 tickets for $6.99, 3 tickets for $9.99 and so on. You can buy as many tickets as you want, but the maximum is always the number of members the group has, understandably. Take Twice as an example, the group has 9 members. If your favorite members are Nayeon, Momo and Jihyo - you can purchase 1 ticket for each of them separately or get 3 tickets at once, which is a bit cheaper. After you purchase your tickets, you have to pick the member of the group you want to receive messages from. You can change your chosen member once a month.

2. The app promotes itself as a private messaging app between you and your favorite idol. This is not entirely true. While it is really the idol who is sending you messages, they receive all the messages from the fans at once, more like a group chat rather than a 1-on-1 conversation. The idols can send messages, pictures, videos, and voice messages, but you can only send text messages back (3 messages per idol message). You can’t see the messages from other fans, so when the idols do reply to someone’s question, it might seem off with what you have sent to them. The app also provides message translators to a few languages (including english, japanese, chinese), which don’t always work 100%, but you usually can understand what the idol is saying.

3. The idols can use a command something like %username or [username] to send you personalized messages where it includes your username, giving you the illusion the idol is talking to you specifically. However, when you see your username in a message it’s just a command and every fan sees their own username. Idols cannot message fans privately, it is kind of impossible and also unethical (leaking someone's username for everyone to see, and the fans will feel betrayed and envious). A lot of idols do read the messages from fans and will reply to some questions or messages, they typically reply in a way that applies to everyone, for example: idol received a message asking ‘when were you born?’ idol replies: I was born in 2002. OR fans telling idols to stay healthy and rest or other positive messages, idol replies: Thank you everyone for the nice messages, it helps me a lot!

4. We are not quite sure how idols receive the messages from fans or what exactly they can see. Some idols such as SNSD’s Yoona and VeriVery’s Yongseung shared some behind the scenes info. Yongseung shared the process of sending out messages as an idol, you can read about the steps here: https://www.koreaboo.com/stories/idols-howto-send-bubble-message/

While Yoona showed in a video what she can see:

SM entertainment was the first to launch this service, their app is called Lysn and the video of Yoona is a few years old, so the way idols see messages might have changed. Some people online claimed idols can see your username next to the messages you send them, whereas others claimed the idol receives all fan messages in a big batch stored in a folder/cloud system, so they open them separately from the “chat” to read them. 5. Bubble has a feature called “Bubble anniversary” which is sampled after the anniversary traditions couples have in South Korea. Couples celebrate the number of days they have been together, for example day 10, 50, 100 etc. Bubble uses this feature to keep you subscribed for a long time by giving you messaging benefits after a certain amount of days you have been subscribed to the idol’s messages. You can send 3 messages in a row of 30 characters each message as a limit. Your character count for the messages will increase (The first one is 50 days and your character count increases to 50 characters. 77 Days you can do 77 characters. 100 days is 100 characters. There are some more milestones after these). You can see this by looking at the number near the Heart at the top of your bubble screen in the chat room. It is also against the rules (or illegal) to take screenshots and spread the content received from idols, a lot of people still do it, but it is heavily frowned upon.

6. Jaehyun of NCT recently sent a long message to his fans on Lysn (SM Bubble) about how his company asks (forces) him to send more messages on bubble because the idols get a contract. They get an ‘alarm’ to message at least one time a week or 4 times a month. You can read more about Jaehyun’s message here: https://www.allkpop.com/article/2023/04/netizens-express-divided-opinions-on-nct-jaehyuns-recent-bubble-messages

Bubble messaging is kind of like a duty for most idols (there are idols of course who enjoy doing it and spam you a lot) and a lot of them only send messages because of their contract. There are idols who like to share a lot, they usually write about what they are doing, what they ate and their feelings and thoughts. Some idols message a lot (10+) and every day, while others message a few times (few messages a week) or rarely (around 4 times a month). I also feel like a lot of idols take the fanservice of ‘Bubble duties’ to the next level sometimes, Stray Kids’ Felix got in a few controversies over his suggestive messages and photos from Bubble: https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/news-stray-kids-felix-sends-sensuous-selcas-bubble-sheds-cute-personality and https://kbizoom.com/stray-kids-felix-receives-criticism-for-sending-fans-r-rated-messages-through-bubble/

or many of them sending messages asking, ‘do you want to watch a movie? What should we watch?’ ‘So it is a date then, let’s see each other soon’ etc.

Different types of Bubble

Some bigger companies have their own Bubble service while other smaller companies join another Bubble type of app/service. The first Bubble app was Lysn, which is SM Entertainment’s idol messaging app originally launching in 2018, then gaining popularity in 2020 with the Bubble services. All of these apps work the same and provide the same services:

Lysn (SM)

bubble for JYPnation

bubble for Starship

bubble for IST

bubble for Cube

bubble for RBW

bubble for Jellyfish

bubble for WM

bubble for TOP

bubble for BPM

bubble for Treasure Hunter

bubble with Stars (more idols from smaller or other companies)

bubble for Actors (Korean actors)

bubble for Sports (Korean athletes)

Phoning (NewJeans)

Fromm (more idols from smaller or other companies)

The bubble apps for specific companies have all of their signed artists on the app, so they are easy to guess, but for the other apps here’s the list of idols on the apps:

bubble with Stars -

Lee Byeongchan

J.FLA

HAWW

Song Yuvin

Drippin

Kwon Eunbi (Iz*one)

Adora

Kep1er

Jo Yuri (Iz*one)

Yena (Iz*one)

Tempest

I.M (Monsta x)

B.I (iKon)

AB6IX

Wei

mimiirose

Tiffany Hwang (SNSD)

Aimers

ICHILLIN’

Yein (Lovelyz)

Yerin (Gfriend)

Youngjae (Got7)

Hwanhee (Fly to the sky)

Niel (Teen Top)

Yeeun (CLC)

Ryu Sujeong (Lovelyz)

KARD

CSR

Choi Yuree

Boramiyu

XEED

Heo Youngsaeng (SS501)

Lip J

Monika

Blitzers

Craxy

Jeon Somi

Son Hoyoung

Lee Woo

Park Jeup (Imfact)

H1-Key

Billlie

Aiki

Yoon Seobin

Mirae (the group)

Seo Jisoo (Lovelyz)

BOL4

No:Ze

Yoo Jiae (Lovelyz)

BAE173

Ciipher

Luminous

Gaho

You Chaehoon

DKB

Raon

Minzy (2ne1)

Kim Sowon (Gfriend)

10cm

Se So Neon

Seori

BZ-Boys

Nature

Hezz (Euijin from Sonamoo)

Yuju (Gfriend)

Tri.be

Stayc

Dreamnote

Kim Minju (Iz*one)

TO1

Kang Hyewon (Iz*one)

OnlyOneOf

Alexa

Yoon Jisung (Wanna One)

Yoon Jongshin

JeA (Brown Eyed Girls)

LUCY (band)

BDC

Kim Jaehwan (Omega X/Spectrum)

Chungha

Fromm -

EPEX

Able (Hyunseung from Beast)

Aaron (Nu’est)

CIX

Bang Yongguk (B.A.P)

Cignature

Cherry Bullet

BamBam (Got7)

Baek A Yeon

SF9

Ghost9

N.Flying

Dreamcatcher

Younite

Gree

tripleS

Hanhae

P1Harmony

Jooe (Momoland)

Jo Hyunah (Urban Zakapa)

Kim Hyeonjae (Black6ix)

Kim Jonghyeon (JR of Nu’est)

Kim Minkyeung (Pristin)

Kim Yewon

Kim Junsu (TVXQ/JYJ)

Prime Kingz Crew (dancers)

Kang Minhyuk (CNBlue)

Lee Chaewon

Lim Kim

Lighthouse Sound

Loopy

Minsu

Nam Woohyun (Infinite)

Park Jihoon (Wanna One)

Shin Yongguk (ATO6)

MustB

Seo Jieum

Sion (MVP)

So Soobin

Younha

Yang Dail

Zior Park

woo!ah!

Loona (Yves, Haseul, Yeojin, Olivia Hye, Gowon) - please don't subscribe to message them here because Blockberry Creative is getting the money, message them on Instagram instead for free!

Fromm has tickets which are called Arti Pass, you can buy up to 20Arti Pass at once. The pricing of the tickets are the same, however you can freely choose any idol of your liking and don’t have to purchase tickets per group.

Idols who are fluent or understand/speak English, so you can message them in English & they also write message in English:

Bang Chan, Felix, Han, Seungmin (Stray Kids) - fluent

Hyunjin (Stray Kids) - can speak English

Tiffany (SNSD) - fluent

Giselle (aespa) - fluent

Ningning, Karina (aespa) - can speak English

Jeon Somi - fluent

Keeho (P1Harmony) - fluent

Intak, Jiung, Jongseob (P1Harmony) - almost fluent

Lay (EXO) - can speak English

BamBam (Got7) - almost fluent

Wendy (Red Velvet) - fluent

Jaehyun, Johnny, Mark (NCT) - fluent

Key (SHINee) - fluent

WayV (except Kun) - fluent or almost fluent

Lily (nmixx) - fluent

Haewon, Kyujin (nmixx) - almost fluent

Mina (Twice) - can speak English

Hyunsuk (Treasure) - can speak English

Alexa - fluent

BM (Kard) - fluent

Nickhun (2PM) - almost fluent

Danielle, Hanni (NewJeans) - fluent

Haerin, Hyein, Minji (NewJeans) - can speak English or almost fluent

Lia (ITZY) - fluent

rest of ITZY - can speak English

Sieun (Stayc) - almost fluent

Aaron (Nu’est) - fluent

Chungha - fluent

I.M (Monsta X) - fluent

Bahiyyih (Kep1er) - fluent

Wonyoung (IVE) - almost fluent

Siwon (Super Junior) - can speak English maybe almost fluent

Kevin, Eric, Jacob (The Boyz) - fluent

Yuqi, Minnie (IDLE) - almost fluent

Exy (WJSN) - can speak english

Inseong (SF9) - can speak english

I will keep the information updated!

#kpop #*mine #bubble #dearu bubble #lysn #jyp bubble #bubble for jyp #bubble app #dearu #kpop idols

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