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linghxr · 1 year

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I watched all the Chinese idol survival shows so you don’t have to (but you should anyway)

About three years ago, I watched 创造101 Produce 101 China, and it kinda changed my life. Yes, really! This show dragged me down a rabbit hole that eventually led to me watching many more Chinese shows and listening to almost exclusively Chinese music. I’m even branching out to cdramas now. All under the guise of, um, improving my listening comprehension!

OK, so “all the Chinese idol survival shows” might be an exaggeration. I’ll be talking about these three classic idol group survival shows from the “golden age” period of 2018-2021:

>> 偶像练习生 Idol Producer/青春有你 Youth with You (iQiyi)

偶像练习生 Idol Producer

青春有你1 Youth with You 1

青春有你2 Youth with You 2

青春有你3 Youth with You 3

>> 创造101 Produce 101/创造营 Chuang (Tencent)

创造101 Produce 101 China

创造营2019 Produce Camp 2019

创造营2020 Chuang 2020

创造营2021 Chuang 2021

>> 以团之名 All For One/少年之名 We Are Young (Youku)

以团之名 All For One

少年之名 We Are Young

Here is the order I actually watched these 10 seasons in:

创造101 Produce 101 China

青春有你2 Youth with You 2

创造营2020 Chuang 2020

创造营2019 Produce Camp 2019

偶像练习生 Idol Producer

青春有你1 Youth with You 1

青春有你3 Youth with You 3

创造营2021 Chuang 2021

以团之名 All For One

少年之名 We Are Young

I started 创造101 Produce 101 China in late 2019/early 2020 and finished 少年之名 We Are Young on Christmas Day 2022. I was literally tearing up. Three franchises, ten seasons, something around 1000 contestants, and three years of my life.

In order to refresh my memory for this post, I rewatched almost all of the performance clips from these shows. I didn’t watch the initial evaluations or any practice room videos (it’s simply too much content). It was simultaneously fun and exhausting. I will go over why you should/shouldn’t watch each season and give any other notable remarks. Let’s get started!

*Please note that for any YouTube links below, there is a risk of muted sections, parts/entire episodes being unavailable, and missing/out of sync subtitles. For official links, whether or not a VIP subscription is needed may change in the future. Fansubbed content may have sections or entire episodes missing.

>> 偶像练习生 Idol Producer/青春有你 Youth with You (iQiyi)

iQiyi rebranded the series by changing its name from 偶像练习生 Idol Producer to 青春有你 Youth with You after the first season. However, they really didn’t change much about the format at all. From what I’ve heard, iQiyi doesn’t have as large a budget as Tencent, which you can see reflected in the show’s production quality. However, I’ve long felt that this franchise has a real charming quality that makes up for lack of flashy sets.

偶像练习生 Idol Producer

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, VIP needed) Watch via Idol Producer Subs (English fansubs, missing part of finale)

Why you should watch it: Though not China’s first idol survival show, this show was the first of a new era. It’s iconic! The theme song is a bop, 10/10. Also, I had heard of all of the winners before I watched this season, so there’s some real cultural relevance. I can’t believe it was nearly five years ago! The whole top 20 remains iconic to this day. In most seasons, there are at least one or two popular contestants who I don’t really like or don’t see the appeal of, but that wasn’t the case this season. This season is also a lot shorter than later seasons, so it’s easier for those who are new to survival shows.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: As I mentioned, there is a lack of flashy sets/stages here. The background of the stage often looks empty. There were some performances that were better than I remembered, but there were others that were...not. I’m pretty sure 黄明昊 Justin was 15 when the show began, which shocks me in a BAD way. And if you’re a Jackson Wang fan, I think he barely appeared in the second half of the show.

My picks: 郑锐彬 Zheng Ruibin, 周彦辰 Zhou Yanchen, 蔡徐坤 Cai Xukun, 王子异 Wang Ziyi, 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie, 周锐 Zhou Rui

Favorite performance: PPAP A组 PPAP group A This was a powerhouse group. And it was hilarious to watch the boys’ reaction when they heard the whole song and realized the style was not at all what they had initially expected! They totally pulled it off though.

Iconic moments: 蔡徐坤 Cai Xukun’s outfit (and ego) in the initial evaluation, B-A-L-A-N-C-E, when we realized 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie can sing too, 林彦俊 Lin Yanjun's platinum hair, one of the songs was called Mack Daddy which causes me great distress to this day, 周锐 Zhou Rui aka 周美锐 Zhou Meirui, I’m still laughing over 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie’s resemblance to 胡巴 Huba.

Verdict: Though this was not my first idol survival show, I think it would be a great first foray for anyone. It’s iconic for a reason. You should watch it (and I might rewatch it).

青春有你1 Youth with You 1

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, VIP needed) Watch via Qing Chun You Ni Subs (English fansubs)

Why you should watch it: This season is the forgotten child of the franchise, but it still had some great performances and a lot of talented contestants. The theme song is also probably my favorite out of all ten theme songs! It was love at first listen. Personally, I enjoyed this team of mentors more than the first season’s. I also feel that the vocal-based performances were stronger this season. For instance, there were great performances of 李荣浩 Li Ronghao songs.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: I feel that some of the magic of the first season was lost, and overall the contestants were not as memorable or charismatic in my opinion. There were also several contestants I found extremely irritating and some contestants who ranked much higher and last much longer on the show than I feel they should have based on their skill level...but I won’t name names.

My picks: 夏瀚宇 Xia Hanyu, 李振宁 Li Zhenning, 周士原 Zhou Shiyuan, 连淮伟 Li Huaiwei

Favorite performance: 隔壁泰山 A组 Neighboring Tarzan group A This is a very unusal song, but it’s so catchy and memorable. 夏瀚宇 Xia Hanyu really made this performance for me. And this song still gets stuck in my head months later!

Iconic moments: 冯俊杰 Feng Junjie and 夏瀚宇 Xia Hanyu trying to outdo each other, 胡春杨 Hu Chunyang looked angry 24/7 for no reason, they literally got 蔡依林! Jolin Tsai! as a mentor, 李汶翰 Li Wenhan was everyone’s older brother, their performance made me fall in love with the song 耳朵 Erduo, they kinda did a steampunk concept which I love.

Verdict: It’s not necessarily a must-watch, but I still enjoyed it. If you’ve fallen into the black hole of survival shows and want more, I think it’s worth your time.

青春有你2 Youth with You 2

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (English subs) Watch on YouTube (no English subs, missing several parts/episodes)

Why you should watch it: As iQiyi’s first time with female contestants, this season was highly anticipated. iQiyi stepped it up with subtitles, got Lisa from BLACKPINK as a mentor (I saw people say they came for Lisa and stayed for the trainees), and made a lot of content available on YouTube. As a result, some of the performances from this season have millions of views. It’s well deserved—a lot of the contestants are overflowing with talent and charisma. And honestly, you should watch this for 蔡徐坤. He’s a great MC/mentor to the girls and was truly a highlight of the season for me.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: This is the only season that I watched week by week as it was airing. It was EXHAUSTING. iQiyi started pumping out two episodes a week, doubling the overall episode count. I was literally burnt out by the finale. So if you watch this, please take it slow. Also, I forgot how much they did that thing where they cut away from the performances to show other contestant/mentor reactions and then have to go rewind on the performance...it really drives me nuts. They overdid it for sure.

My picks: 刘雨昕 Liu Yuxin, 喻言 Yu Yan, 王承渲 Wang Chengxuan, 刘令姿 Liu Lingzi, 许馨文 Xu Xinwen

Favorite performance: 不奉陪 No Company This was a tough choice! I went with this performance because I actively sought it out for relistens. That’s so rare for 主题考核 theme evaluation songs for me. All the members got to shine yet they were a very cohesive team.

Iconic moments: Bad Guy was the ultimate dark horse, how no one knew the song 想见你想见你想见你 Miss You 3000, 王承渲 Wang Chengxuan defeated the evil quads, 乃万 Nineone basically replaced Jony J as rap mentor, seeing 刘雨昕 Liu Yuxin with a wig was terrifying, they let the girls wear shorts if they didn’t like skirts #feminism, I still think about 张钰 Zhang Yu and 王清 Wang Qing’s initial performance all the time.

Verdict: I don’t think I could rewatch this season due to its length, but if you can commit the time, I think you should watch it. I’m sad I’ll never get to see a second 青春有你 Youth with You female season.

青春有你3 Youth with You 3

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, no VIP needed) Watch on iQiyi (no English subs, no VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs, missing several parts/episodes)

Why you should watch it: This season was probably the one I felt most emotionally invested in. I feel like I got to know the boys and was in it together with them (parasocial relationships, I know). And the friendships between contestants were so touching. Like 青春有你2 Youth with You 2, this season was also extra long, but I watched this season after it aired, going at my own pace. There were so many charming contestants and memorable performances. The dancing especially shone, but we got some great vocal moments too. I think iQiyi did a really good job picking songs this season.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: Sadly, the finale never aired. Due to the infamous milk-wasting scandal, the show was cancelled (but a winning group still formed and debuted). Even though I knew this before watching the show, it was still quite sad to never see a conclusion. Additionally, I believe this show started with more like 120 contestants, and I felt that increased number. Lastly, there was some painful singing and lots of very uninspired rapping. I feel like the gap in skill between the contestants was larger, and some of the teams felt very unbalanced as a result.

My picks: 姜京佐 Jiang Jingzuo, 杨昊铭 Yang Haoming, 十七 Shiqi, 徐子未 Xu Ziwei, 张思源 Zhang Siyuan, 连淮伟 Lian Huaiwei

Favorite performance: 燕尾蝶 Wings of Love This performance was everything I could ever dream of. 徐子未 won the world over instantly. He has the voice of an angel. Love the song, love the concept, love everything about it.

Iconic moments: 罗一舟 Luo Yizhou and 余景天 Tony Yu Jingtians’s friendly rivalry, 徐子未 Xu Ziwei’s back-to-back victories, Yuta’s adorable accent, 王南钧 Wang Nanjun would not shut up about 竹 Bamboo, touch 梁森 Liang Sen’s head for good luck, 刘隽 Liu Jun dances like he’s possessed (in a good way), that 雨爱 Rainie Love stage was a trainwreck tbh.

Verdict: Despite the scandals and lack of a finale, it was worth the watch for me. I feel so fond thinking of this season. Truthfully, season three has surpassed season two for me.

>> 创造101 Produce 101/创造营 Chuang (Tencent)

I read somewhere that Tencent officially licensed the Produce 101 name from Mnet, making this franchise more “official.” For season two, they ended up changing the name to 创造营 Produce Camp. The Chinese name remained the same for seasons three and four, but the in English they started promoting the show under the name Chuang. I think they wanted to beat iQiyi in the contest to see who can have the most titles for the same show.

创造101 Produce 101 China

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, no VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs) Watch on YouTube (no English subs, episode 7 here, episode 10 here) Watch via Produce 101 China Subs (English fansubs)

Why you should watch it: This is the only season I’ve seen twice, so that says something I guess! This season holds a special place in my heart as my first survival show, so I rewatched it earlier this year with some friends who hadn’t seen it previously. One thing that stood out to me about this season was that it felt like there were several dark horses who started to shine closer to the middle/end of the show. I liked this because it’s boring when the debut lineup is completely predictable! And if you’re not already a 孟美岐 Meng Meiqi fan, you will leave as a 孟美岐 Meng Meiqi fan, guaranteed.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: Not gonna lie, I was not a huge fan of this mentor team. I am fine with these people individually, but together it was not an ideal combo in my opinion. They collectively made some very odd decisions that I strongly disagree with. After my rewatch, I’m just kinda done with 黄子韬 Huang Zitao. I also realized there were a lot more instances of...rough singing than I remembered, so be warned.

My picks: 孟美岐 Meng Meiqi, Yamy, 刘人语 Liu Renyu, 许靖韵 Angela Xu Jingyun, 吴映香 Lucia Wu Yingxiang, 李紫婷 Mimi Li Ziting

Favorite performance: 别人家的小孩 Other People’s Kids This is one of the most iconic performances (and one of my favorites) ever from all of these shows! It’s so unique and really has everything you could want. It was truly a perfect collab performance.

Iconic moments: When they had to tap 杨超越 Yang Chaoyue so she wouldn’t miss the beat, 王一博 Wang Yibo’s blue hair was gorgeous, Triple A group reunion, Look What You Made Me Do with creepy marionettes was perfect, when 陈嘉桦 Ella went barefoot on stage, 黄子韬 Huang Zitao literally screamed at them all, I’ll never forget the iconic 乐华 Yuehua performance.

Verdict: Even the second time, this was a season filled with surprises. It’s not perfect, but I think it will manage to charm you anyway. There are some real hidden gems here.

创造营2019 Produce Camp 2019

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs)

Why you should watch it: This was the first ever male season I watched, and I remember being apprehensive. I ended up having a lot of fun! This season really tugged at my heartstrings with the touching friendships between the boys and the intense 导师推荐生 mentor recommendees segments. I felt like I went through the wringer with them as they were forced to repack all their belongings, endure the brutal F班 demotions, hike across the beach, and more. There were countless hilarious moments too. If I were to rewatch, it would be for 周震南 Zhou Zhennan AKA 南南 Nannan. He just dominates the stage (despite his short stature)!

Why you shouldn’t watch it: I’ll admit, this season probably has the greatest number of contestants that annoy me. Sometimes it’s for no good reason...I just look at them and go ugh. The first round especially has some pretty painful singing, so be warned of that as well. Also, my rewatch made me realize I remembered very few performances from this season, which probably isn’t a good sign. Also, a lot of the performances were very short, sub-three minutes, which personally bothers me.

My picks: 周震南 Zhou Zhennan, 高嘉朗 Gao Jialang, 姚琛 Yao Chen, 陆思恒 Lu Siheng, 李鑫一 Li Xinyi, 贺俊雄 He Junxiong

Favorite performance: 开门见山 Kaimenjianshan I’ll admit that this performance was not as good as I remembered it being (probably because now I’ve heard the original by A-Mei many times), but I picked it anyway to acknowledge the amazing 高嘉朗 Gao Jialang.

Iconic moments: 张颜齐 Zhang Yanqi giving away jars of 老干妈 Lao Gan Ma, we never saw 王晨艺 Wang Chenyi again, 姚琛来了~ (Yao Chen is coming), when 周震南 Zhou Zhennan had his hoodie on but his ears were sticking out omg, try saying 李昀锐 Li Yunrui's name ten times fast, they had 30+ year old men here, this was the OG 乘风破浪 chengfengpolang.

Verdict: Among so many seasons, I don’t think this season stands out that much, but I still remember it fondly. If you want a good laugh and some fun, check it out.

创造营2020 Chuang 2020

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (English subs, missing episode 3) Watch on YouTube (English subs, missing episode 3) Watch on Viki (English subs, no Viki Pass needed)

Why you should watch it: They went all out on the sets, the location, the accommodations, everything. The performance setup was that the seats were in the middle and various stages were located around the perimeter. The seats would rotate to face the stages!! Some of the stages were stunning. I also want to mention that there were some great vocalists this season and I feel like they got to shine, which always makes me happy. The best round by far was the second round (专业方向). We got some beautiful vocal performances and intense dance performances.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: This season felt messy to me. I think they tried to mix things up, but not everything landed. The beautiful sets almost got distracting…they were more interesting than some of the performances. Several very talented and promising contestants never even made it past the first round. And since the final group only had seven people, the finale was just a frustrating experience. I never want to hear that 小摩托 xiao motuo song or 夏天的风 Summer Wind again. I don’t feel this season lived up to 创造101 Produce 101 China (unless you wanted MORE comments about weight/thinness).

My picks: 王柯 Wang Ke, 华承妍 Hua Chengyan, 刘些宁 Liu Xiening, 苏芮琪 Su Ruiqi, 朱主爱, Joyce Zhu Zhu’ai, 王一桥 Wang Yiqiao

Favorite performance: Manta There were a lot of performances I liked, but I really struggled to pick a favorite. I ultimately went with this because it’s one of the most memorable dance performances I’ve seen on these shows.

Iconic moments: That thin waist contest was simply the worst, they were in a literal castle, we all went crazy for the band and 王柯 Wang Ke, 朱主爱 Joyce Zhu Zhu’ai won the collab stage, wtf stop filming 姜贞羽 Jiang Zhenyu, I want to ride that cute train up the mountain, 毛不易 Mao Buyi did not want to talk, pretend that 吴亦凡 Wu Yifan wasn’t there.

Verdict: This season was competing against 青春有你2 Youth with You 2, and I chose to prioritize 青春有你2 Youth with You 2. I would make the same choice now. If you decide to watch, just be warned it may be a frustrating experience.

创造营2021 Chuang 2021

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed)

Why you should watch it: I wasn’t sure I was going to watch this season because of its international theme. Having foreigners is nothing new, but such a large number was certainly going to alter the show’s dynamic. Well, I watched it anyway. Overall, I’m glad I did. There were some talented and lovable contestants that made this season all worth it. The mentor squad (mostly 宁静 Ning Jing, 邓超 Deng Chao, and 周深 Zhou Shen) were so entertaining. Lastly, compared to the 2019 season, there were more popular vocalists this season, which I 100% support. I’ll be honest, I didn’t remember a lot of the performances from this season, but I ended up pleasantly surprised by how many great ones there were!

Why you shouldn’t watch it: It felt like there was so much focus on Nine and Patrick, Santa and Riki, the Intersection boys, and eventually Lelush as well. The other foreign contestants honestly had very little impact. This didn’t ruin the show or anything, but sometimes I got a little sick of the Santa and Mika show, you know? Also, none of my favorites made it into the winning group unfortunately. While I acknowledge the talent of the winning members, for whatever reason I wasn’t really that invested in most of them.

My picks: 俞更寅 Yu Gengying, 井胧 Jing Long, 林墨 Lin Mo, 奥斯卡 Oscar, 张星特 Zhang Xingte

Favorite performance: Lover Boy 88 This performance was simply infectious! I even made my friends watch to it. 林墨 Lin Mo is so charming. And 张腾 Zhang Teng and 张星特 Zhang Xingte’s vocals were perfect. Just wish it had been longer!

Iconic moments: Mika and 曾涵江 Zeng Hanjiang = my last two brain cells trying to communicate, I still can’t believe Lelush went viral worldwide, 刘宇 Liu Yu broke the Produce curse, Nine and Patrick only learned Chinese for how long???, Caelan kinda does look like Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar AKA 熊熊 Xiongxiong, the 网红 wanghong group was so talented actually.

Verdict: I think this season got more international attention than 青春有你3 Youth with You 3, and while I prefer 青春有你3 Youth with You 3, this season is worth a watch for its uniqueness and improvements over the previous year.

>> 以团之名 All For One/少年之名 We Are Young (Youku)

I watched both seasons of Youku’s shorter-lived franchise in 2022 only after (and only because) I had finished the other two franchises. I think Youku had a smaller budget and thus tried to stand out by shaking up the traditional survival show formula. I think they made some poor choices and some good choices. I don’t know the story behind the name change between seasons, but the seasons are so different from each other that it makes sense.

以团之名 All For One

Watch on Youku (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs)

Why you should watch it: I’m going to say a lot of negative stuff below, but I wanted to add at least a few positive words. During the finale, the remaining contestants sang S.H.E’s 你曾是少年 Wings Of My Words, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so emotional over a performance ever. 任家萱 Selina was a delight throughout. I also really grew to appreciate 奶茶 Naicha and what a great and thoughtful leader he was.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: As I mentioned, this show had some unique features that made it stand out. The contestants formed ten groups of eight, and the composition of the groups remained unchanged throughout. Entire groups got eliminated together. This created a dynamic where some really talented contestants went home too soon due to their group. It also meant that some groups were popular really just due to having one popular member. In the end, one group won...but I guess they realized this was a bad idea, so they formed a second winning group of the most popular contestants from the non-winning groups. I didn’t like this format and felt is really negatively impacted my viewing. Personally, seeing new team lineups form is one of my favorite parts of survival shows. And because the leaders were constant, they had there was too much focus on them. Also, the mentors were so harsh all the time. Maybe it was deserved, but it really bummed me out to watch them constantly talk about how disappointed they were.

My picks: 奶茶 Naicha, 田书臣 Tian Shuchen, 龙泓昊 Long Honghao, 赖煜哲 AJ Lai Yuzhe, 热亚提 Reyati, 赵品霖 Zhao Pinlin

Favorite performance: 饕餮 Taotie This was not one of the performances that stood out in my memory, but it stood out to me when I did my rewatch. I feel like they really nailed every element, and I don’t think the other teams could have pulled off this song.

Iconic moments: 何展成 Jonathan Ha gave up on speaking Chinese and 袁娅维 Tia Ray had to translate for him, the 王霏霏 Wang Feifei and 孟佳 Meng Jia reunion, 龙泓昊 Long Honghao’s beautiful dance to a Shawn Mendes song, I’m not sure why 奶茶 Naicha chose milk tea as stage name, AJ vs. the hidden snacks, they made 周艺轩 Zhou Yixuan perform a UNIQ song.

Verdict: Maybe you can skip this one. I definitely didn’t devote my full attention while I was watching it. And it felt like the show and the mentors were being mean to the boys all the time.

少年之名 We Are Young

Watch on Youku (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs) Watch via We Are Young Subs (English fansubs)

Why you should watch it: They improved on basically all the issues I had with the first season, and I was pleasantly surprised. Also, this is basically a 青春有你1 Youth with You 1 mini reunion with a few 偶像练习生 Idol Producer alums plus some future 青春有你3 You with You 3 contestants. It was so wonderful to see how the contestants I already knew had grown, and I loved seeing them get new opportunities to shine. There was surprisingly a lot of good raps/rappers on this show! Also, there were some truly incredible performances this season that aren’t like anything I’ve seen on other idol survival shows. And I enjoyed almost every performance—there were only a few that I disliked or thought were, um, not good. The mentors did not always agree...but I don’t care!

Why you shouldn’t watch it: Because they have to be different, when doing the initial evaluations, only about 50 contestants advanced to the next round. This was nice because it meant fewer names/faces, but wow, it felt so mean. Sometimes I wished they had stuck to a more traditional format. Besides that, I don’t have much else negative to say!

My picks: 郭震 Guo Zhen, 寇聪 Kuo Cong, 胡文煊 Hu Wenxuan, 左林杰 Zuo Linjie, 李希侃 Li Xikan, 崔少鹏 Cui Shaopeng, 杨超文 Yang Chaowen

Favorite performance: Don’t Start Now I don’t think I’ve ever seen this exact concept on one of these shows before. This performance was instantly a standout for me, especially because it had some of my favorite contestants!

Iconic moments: They literally had a corgi, 林 (Lin) MUA, everyone shipping 薛恩 Xue En and 程潇 Cheng Xiao, 胡文煊 Hu Wenxuan in a CROP TOP, 胡彦斌 Hu Yanbin told 寇聪 Kou Cong to wear less to show off his body what, 崔少鹏 Cui Shaopeng’s entrance through the pink smoke, 左林杰 Zuo Linjie really bungee jumped with his eyes closed, how 郭震 Guo Zhen, 左叶 Zuo Ye, and 胡文煊 Hu Wenxuan were in the same group four times without anyone noticing.

Verdict: This season ended up being better than it had any right to be! I think it’s worth checking out, especially if you are missing the boys from the 偶像练习生 Idol Producer/青春有你 Youth with You series.

>> Conclusion

If you actually read this entire post, I’m thoroughly impressed. If you, like me, have spent way too much time watching these shows, feel free to send me a message because I need someone to commiserate with.

I honestly have this weird feeling that a chapter of my life is over. I have so many treasured memories from watching these shows—moments of laughter, tears, shock, pride, and more. They’ve provided a way to ground my language studies and engage with Chinese pop culture. They made me feel less alone during earlier COVID times.

Well, I’m off to find something to fill the survival show-size hole in my heart...maybe I’ll just rewatch 偶像练习生 Idol Producer.

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satansdic · 9 months

Text

Trent Lane x F!Reader pt.1

Based off the show Daria No warnings other than drug use Pt. 2

“Okay.” I calmly say to myself as I look down at my drumsticks that were now snapped in half. Having them in the back pocket of my jeans was risky for me but then sitting down..embarrassing. I get up from my couch sighing softly as I grab my coat and keys before heading out the door.

I pull into the small parking lot of the music store and head inside. I had a gig at The Zon in like 30 minutes. It was my first gig with this new band, and I haven’t even met all of them yet. My cousin, Jesse, got me the position of drummer for Mystik Spiral. It was an interesting name I will say. “Thanks.” I say to the clerk before he hands me my small bag with my new drumsticks inside. Thankfully for me The Zon was only a block away from the store. Once inside, I ditched the bag, throwing it in the trash bin. I walked over to Jesse, who raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. “It’s too embarrassing don’t ask.” I wave him off with a scowl as he begins to talk, “We go on in a bit.” I give him a thumbs up in response making my way to the bar and ordering myself a drink.

“You must be my brother’s new drummer.” I hear a blank low tone voice say from the side of me. I look over to see a short-haired girl with dark makeup, I give her a small smile before responding. “Yeah, what gave me up?” She smirks as her eyes glance behind me, “Your drumsticks are in your back pocket. That and my brother always talks about you.” I frown at this information to which she backtracks, “I promise my brother isn’t creepy he just thinks you’re really good on drums.” If anything that didn’t help. “I’ve never met your brother. How does he know what I sound like? If anything I was a last-minute choice.” She pierces her lips together and it looks like she is going to say something but decides not to do so, “You know I can’t defend him on that. That does sound creepy.”

The girl's name was Jane. I had been talking to her for a bit and found her to be pretty chill and interesting. It turns out she has good music taste too. “Y/N!” I hear Jesse shout from the side of the stage. I excused myself before finishing my drink and making my way over to Jesse and the two guys standing next to him. I give a small wave as Jesse talks, “Y/N this is Nicholas and Trent guys this is my cousin.” The pink-haired one, Nicholas, nods with a smile and I return it. There wasn’t enough time for introductions so I took my seat at the drums already on the stage. Thank you to the man before me for letting me play his drums. I raise my right stick at him, and he raises the drink I bought him with a smile. “Hey, we’re Mystik Spiral and this one’s for Daria and Jane,” Trent says into the mic before counting down and tapping his foot for us to start on cue. “When the aliens come, when the death rays hum. When the bobbers bomb, we’ll still be freakin’ friends.”

After the set, Trent returns with beers and hands me one. I lean against the wall and take a sip. “So, your sister tells me you like listening to me play,” I say with a grin hiding behind the bottle. “Yeah, you sound pretty good. We went to high school together. Heard you play in the music room.” He replies in a laidback manner. I respond with a frown and straighten myself against the wall. "You played so loud in the music room that people got headaches in the classroom next door." He grins lightly and continues, "I should thank you for all the quizzes you got canceled." I smile to myself and take another sip of beer. "Your sister made you sound creepy." I chucked. "Yeah, Janey's got a way with words," he said with a slight hint of sarcasm. "I could use some pizza. Y/N wanna come with?" I nod, "Yeah, the only thing in my system is alcohol." We both chuckle as we finish our beers and leave The Zon.

A month later

"I can't believe you're working for the man." I hear a familiar, monotone voice say something behind me. I stop cleaning the table, and I turn to face Trent and see Nicolas and Jesse behind him. I give them a "hi" before they go take seats in a booth, leaving Trent and I alone. I asked Trent how he was feeling after noticing the bags under his eyes. "You look tired. Rough night?" I folded the rag and continued to clean the table as he replied, "Family’s in town; I can’t stay at the house, so I’m staying in the tank." I squint and raise an eyebrow. "The tank?" I asked as he yawned. "It used to be a van." I finish wiping down the table and offer for him to crash on my couch. “That is, if you don’t mind the underlying depression coating the walls." He dryly chuckles and coughs midway before speaking, “You’re funny Y/N, I’ll wait here till your shift is done so we can drive to your place after.” I give him a small smile and he goes to sit with the two duds in the booth.

The drive was okay. I felt like I was making it awkward since I was nervous about him seeing my apartment. It wasn't dirty or anything like that it's the fact I've grown a crush on this guy and he's crashing on my couch. What if he thinks I'm a mess? What if he judges me for the way my apartment looks? I can't believe I'm worrying about his opinion when I've seen him throw up on the side of the road. “Everything okay Y/N?” His voice breaks me out of my spiral. I glanced over at him to see him staring and noticed that we were already at my apartment. "Mhm, just tired. My bad." I reply, gathering my coat and keys in my hands before getting out of the car. “No need to explain, I understand. After every gig I just wanna go lay on my couch. It's tough out there..." He replies as we head to my door and I unlock it stepping inside. I was overly exhausted from today to even unpack what he just said so I just locked the door and made my way to my room. "Cool place." He says walking around my living room and taking an interest in my bongs on the shelf. "We can smoke after I'm out of the shower." I say watching him sit at my drums and grabbing the sticks next to it. "Sick. I'll play you something." He says and I hear him hit the crash cymbal as I head to my room.

As I exit my room with a small bag and hairbrush, I find Trent reading one of my magazines in the living room. "Here you start packing. Was it boring out here without me?" I ask with a smile passing him the bag I brought out. He gives me a grin as he begins to pack the bong. "Yeah, I gave myself a headache playing your drums. How was your shower? Your singing sounded good Y/N." I blush with embarrassment and grab my brush to occupy my nervous state. "By the way can I borrow your toothbrush? I usually use Janey's when I don't have mine." I couldn't tell if he was being serious so I gave him a questioning look. He blankly stares at me and I look for any sign of him joking but I never do. "Uh, I actually have some new ones in the drawer in the bathroom. You can use one of those." I inform him and keep brushing my hair as he goes back to packing.

Trent lights the candle on the table in front of us and I get more comfortable on the couch before taking a rip. "This candle burns so slow...will it grow...will it grow." Trent sings dryly as I cough and hand him the bong to clear it. "Hey-that..." I coughed for a moment before continuing, "That was good." He gives me a tired smile before taking his own rip of the bong. "The feeling of smoke...going down my throat..." I continue with a dry chuckle, "Dryness coats my throat." He breaks out into a series of coughs as I cross my legs and face him on the couch. "I think we should start a band." He wheezed making me smile. He sets the bong down and turns his body to face me. "Thank you for letting me crash here. Anything's better than the tank." He states whilst I yawn, "No problem, you're my friend Trent. None of my friends are sleeping in something that used to be a van." I spoke feeling my eyes get a bit droopy. "I should head to bed now. Feel free to finish the rest. Goodnight." I smile warmly at him and he leans in to place a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Goodnight Y/N." A blush creeps on my cheeks and he pulls back. I noticed him warmly smiling at me, his eyes trailing around a bit and I reciprocated with a smile of my own. "Goodnight," I repeat once more as I get up from the couch. As I head to my room, my smile grows wider. I'm not blushing, you're blushing,

* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ * 。° 。 •˚ * 。 • 。° ˚ • ˛ * 。

#daria #trent lane #daria imagines #trent lane x reader #jane lane #tumblr #imagine #x reader #mtv #mtv daria #blaze

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mephinomaly · 6 months

Text

[TL] Flashback/Epilogue 2

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Kaoru: Grandpa was throwing a bit of a tantrum, saying he “hates complicated things”, so for the time being, we’ll just be going by UNDEAD.

Koga: Not much point in usin’ two separate brands. Besides, that criminal came up with HELLSING so I don’t wanna use it. Pisses me off.

Adonis: The delinquent most likely had his own ideas for UNDEAD, which was HELLSING.

Kaoru: Yeah. He was probably like “I can make the best version of UNDEAD!”

But we don’t need his idealised version of UNDEAD, we just need to shine brighter and brighter, as the real us.

Adonis: Easier said than done.

As Hakaze-senpai said earlier, both the radical immoral side and the variety programs side of us can be successful— It wouldn’t be superficial of us to do so.

Koga: It’s fine for us to get rid of one of them though. I, personally, think we should get rid of the variety programs.

Kaoru: You really hate those sorts of jobs, don’t you? …Like I said on stage yesterday, you can gain experience from anywhere.

You can’t grow big and strong if you’re a picky eater, you know?

Koga: Who do you think you are, my parents? Anyway, I get it, but I’m not gonna stop complainin’.

We need to eat everything, even if we don’t like it, so we can grow big and strong.

Kaoru: That’s the spirit ♪

Let’s do our best, ‘kay? The AIIE experiment was set up in order to trick us, nothing more to it—it almost felt like a dream.

We’ve seen real robots of ourselves and those kids from Ra*bits too.

The fakes were almost identical to the real us. At least, visually.

Technology and AI will only improve from here, and AI idols will become even more realistic.

Rei: Umu. That is how it seems to be progressing.

Kaoru: Oh? I didn’t see you so I thought you’d had an early morning bath? But then I didn’t see you in the bathroom either…?

Rei: Nay, I was enjoying the peaceful bliss of the early morning by taking a stroll.

I spoke with some neighbours who were also awake at this time, and once I grew tired, I basked in the sun on a nearby bench…

Kaoru: You actually act so much like an old man. You get more and more senile as the years go because of some character you force yourself to play.

Rei: Rather, I used to force myself to act young. I feel more comfortable now than I did back then. I am showing my true colours.

Of course, those who caught a glimpse of the previous me will have seen the immaturity in me, befitting of my young age at the time.

Anyhow. I apologise for interrupting, but I do believe you should keep Kaoru-kun’s worries in the back of your minds.

Humanity continues to evolve, scientific capability is growing ever closer to the abilities of a god.

Robotics, AI, VR— artificial idols will be comprised of those parts.

Then when non-human creatures rise in strength, and become stronger than humans, when monsters arise, when they become the new normal—

What value do humans have, other than being authentic beings?

Will we become pieces of art, displayed in museums for all to see, rather than something a part of your everyday life?

I do not know what the future holds, but that future is fast approaching.

We stand at a crossroads.

If we give up, we die where we stand. We must explore and search for what it means to be human.

We must demonstrate time and time again the value of being loved.

Otherwise, we can easily fall into the position our criminal was in.

A foolish, pitiful creature that can only look into the distance and envy how bright others shine.

What happens to one today may happen to another tomorrow. But I am not so pessimistic.

We are alive.

If we continue to live and grow, we have no reason to fear this lifetime.

That is the strength and beauty of being human.

Let us drive away our abhorrent past, and our anxiety-inducing nightmares alongside it. Let us step into the day with a smile on our faces.

～...♪

[ ☆ ]

Epilogue 1

Directory

#ensemble stars #enstars #translation #undead climax #oogami koga #rei sakuma #adonis otogari #kaoru hakaze

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softeninglooks · 1 year

Text

a3! | juza hyodo as your boyfriend...

part 1. part 2.

he cannot believe it at first

how could someone as kind and well-loved as you choose someone as intimidating and reserved as him? he can’t wrap his head around what you could possibly see in him

it takes a lot of words of affirmation to finally convince juza that he is so much more than he thinks

it saddens you that someone as hard-working and deeply involved in the company as juza could still doubt himself. he always says that he wished he could do more for mankai company, but to you he already does more than enough. although it took him some time to perfect his acting, his passion on stage inspires all the other actors to do their very best and mesmerises the audience

whenever he gets too stressed or pushes himself too hard, you offer him pastries and a long, soothing hug. you have him take breaks and go outside so that when he gets back, he feels a little lighter and more energized to resume his work

to thank you for your unwavering support, he invites you on surprise dates or takes you for a ride on his motorcycle. because juza isn’t the best at expressing his emotions, his love language is acts of service and he always makes sure to be available when you also need his help

when it is you who gets too anxious, he will hold you tightly and listen to you vent about the issue at hand. he will try to offer you words of comfort, but his primary course of action is to help solve the problem at the root

he gets more demonstrative over time, holding your hand in the streets or kissing you on the cheek in public. he is really proud of you and your relationship, but his fear of staining your reputation because of his scary looks holds him back from displaying affection more openly

in private, he is the sweetest. juza is self-conscious about his clumsy use of words, so he makes up for it by showing you love through physical touch and sharing his favourite snacks with you

he won’t say it out loud, but juza melts when it’s you who wraps him in your arms or hugs him from behind. being held is something new to him, and it feels so special, almost a sacred moment - before that, most of the physical contact he had with people was blocking punches or trying not to hurt anyone, so someone lovingly and willingly touching him moves him beyond reason. when you run your fingers through his hair and kiss his neck, his deep and raucous sighs speak louder than words

juza is straightforward and honest so he doesn’t shy away from telling you how grateful he is for you - especially when he is drunk. after a couple of drinks, he will look even more serious than usual, save for the tinge of redness blooming on his cheeks, and say the most heart-wrenching things about how you make him a better man and he wants to guard your happiness forever

he comes to you for help whenever he struggles with the interpretation of a line or wants to try out different acting techniques. reading lines together and acting out scenes is one of your favourite activities to do together, so you happily give him a hand with case studies or character analysis. if the scene involves yelling or violence, juza will apologise and make an effort to be extra affectionate with you when you’re done

you wave at him from the front row and offer him flowers after his plays - banri teases him about it, but juza can’t stop smiling and shrugs it off by telling banri that he’s just jealous. juza feels incredibly lucky to have you by his side

kumon adores you and plans family activities that you can join in. because they know juza so well, he and muku can notice the way his face lights up whenever you’re around

omi often asks juza and you to help him with baking because he guessed that juza has a sweet tooth and you find cooking relaxing. juza likes to taste the sugary ingredients just to make sure that they haven’t turned sour and are still good to eat, which always makes omi and you laugh because you can easily see through his excuses

although he is still a little bashful about his voice, you love to hear juza sing. knowing that you appreciate his singing is a huge motivation for juza to overcome his shyness and find the confidence to sing on stage

he is an attentive listener. it makes him happy that you trust him enough to confide in him, but he also enjoys listening to you talk about your hobbies and your current interests. he remembers many details about them and is never against watching something with you or looking up something you’ve been reading online. you do so much for him, so he wants to be equally there for you and

the two of you have a lot of fun together. although juza appears stoic and still has many insecurities to work through, having you by his side never fails to brighten up his days and fill his heart with joy. when you are hanging out, he smiles a lot more and is less apologetic about his behaviour, even cracking jokes from time to time (he feels like it’s awkward, but you find it exceptionally endearing). he hopes that you feel fulfilled, so he always offers you a shoulder to cry on when you’re feeling down or does his best to make you smile. he wants to learn all about your preferences and passions so that he can fully enter your world

most of all, he just wishes for you to be happy and safe. he has never been loved like this before and he wants to do everything in his power to reciprocate your love with as much force and sincerity

#juza hyodo #juza hyodo x reader #juza hyodo fanfiction #juza hyodo fluff #juza hyodo boyfriend #a3!#a3! fanfiction #a3! x reader #a3! fluff #a3! imagines #juza hyodo imagines #a3! act addict actors #my writing #writing

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experimentfae · 7 months

Text

Actor au! Wally x GN human! Reader (3)

»»————-　★　————-««

You looked over to see poppy “you must be (y/n)? Am I right?” You felt surprised you didn’t think you weren’t going to meet another so soon “yeah I am and I’m sure you’re poppy.” She chuckled “yeah I’m hard to miss dearie aren’t I, oh! I wanted to welcome you formally with my baked goods.”

She smiled showing her little lunchbox cake she made that said ‘welcome home.” “Wow that you so much how do I even repay you.” She smiled warmly “no need you’re part of our flock now.”

This made you smile “thank you poppy that is you’re real name right?” She chuckled in return “of course all of us keep our names but don’t blame you for asking.” Ok now you just felt silly.

“Mrx (last name) are you ready for you’re makeup.” Both you and poppy jumped a little by the makeup artist “oh right uh yes I’m ready I’ll see you later poppy.” Poppy nodded her head “I’ll be off my way then dear.” Now it only left you and you’re makeup artist.

“No worry mrx.(last name) when it comes to makeup it’s second nature.” The makeup artist assured, you smiled “that’s good to know I guess let’s get started.”

After nine minutes she was finished “there ya go and you’re all set mrx.(last name).” “Thanks you are?” “I’m Giselle nice to meet you, I’ll let you head out to set.” She said in a hurry while getting her stuff and walking out.

“Oh… she left already… welp better get out of the room.” You headed out and walked until you saw the set.

“Over here (y/n)!” You heard Eddie calling for you and you looked to see all the welcome home members including Wally darling himself.

You walked over to them “so you’re (y/n)! I have heard rumors that a human will be joining us, but I didn’t believe it be true at first.” Admitted sally “yeah imagine being the one taking the role.” You replied with a chuckle which made sally laugh in return.

“Well I’m glad we have a new member nice to meet ya.” Julie came and shakes your hand In enthusiasm “it’s nice to meet you too Julie.” You meet the other members, you already know poppy and Eddie, the last one you haven’t meet officially is Wally.

You looked to see him drinking his coffee seeming to not want to be around you and the group, “we will be seeing you at the stage (y/n) the others left which left you two, so you decided to walk up and introduced yourself.

“Hi I’m (y/n) I’m- “no need to formalities I always saw you at rehearsals despite what I said they still allowed you here typical.” He spoke with a sharp glare towards you “I what.” This made him chuckle “mediocre acting and dumb just lovely, just don’t get in my way, got that?” He growled if glares can kill you, you would be dead on the spot.

“I… sure.” You looked down not wanting to cause a commotion “good… now let’s start with the show.” He left not looking back “I can’t believe I have to work with that guy.” You said to yourself but you decided to suck it up and do your job.

You walked up the director “hey I wanted to know if I use my real name?” “Of course it’s to give the feel of closeness and familiarity for the children if that makes any sense, also because everyone else is using there real names so why not.”explained the director “If you say so.” You agreed

“Ok places everyone!” Spoke the director everyone went to there places “ok…1…2 and Action!”

“Hello neighbors you all will be so excited to know that a… New neighbor is coming!” Wally announced “I can’t wait for them to come! I hope they love playing office! Julie cheered “I’m sure they will Julie.” Assured Eddie seeming equally excited.

“Oh here they come now.” Stated Wally as he pointed to the moving truck that came next to the new home placed in the neighborhood. “Wow what a lovely home.” Said Julie as she admired the new home. “Never saw that house before.” Spoke Eddie “sometimes that happens when a new neighbor comes to welcome home.” Answered wally “But I heard that this neighbor is very special.” Wally mentioned, and in cue you came out of the moving van.

“Oooohhh a human?! We never had a human come here before!” Julie was more amazed then before “yeah that is a first.” Agreed Eddie “let’s greet our new neighbor.” Replied Wally as the three of them came towards you.

You begin opening the back of the truck and was going to take out the boxes until you noticed three figures come towards you. “hello I want expecting company so soon.” You admitted “well we came here to welcome you into the neighborhood.” Spoke an orange puppet “let us introduce ourselves, I’m Eddie dear.” “I’m Julie joyful.” “I’m Wally darling.”

“Well I’m (y/n) (l/n) thank you for welcoming me to the neighborhood.” You then turn you’re attention to the screen “and hello new neighbors, I’m happy you welcomed me into your neighborhood.”

“No need to thank us it’s what we’re supposed to do.” Replied Julie “still sadly not everyone see it that way.” You stated looking back at the truck “do you need help with the packages?” Questioned Eddie “no it’s ok you guys don’t need to help.” You assured. “No really it’s what good neighbors do.” Replied Eddie and begin taking a box.

“Look neighbors howdy is coming over.” Spoke Wally then howdy came into view “well howdy I’m… well Howdy pillar.” He spoke towards you chuckled at that “oh I already know why you laughing, I get that a lot.” He laughed back “sorry it’s hard to miss that, especially when you say it.” You joked This made everyone in the group laugh.

“Well I’m here to help and welcome you to the neighborhood besides I have so much arms I was made for moments like this!” He stated while beginning to grab some boxes “thank you all so much.” “You’re welcome (y/n).” They all said in unison.

Timeskip inside your home amazed that they got all the boxes into the home in a fast amount of time, “wow without you guys I’m sure most of my boxes will still be waiting in the truck.” They smiled “I’m glad we were such a help.” Spoke Wally as he placed down a small box.

A knock came through the door, you opened to see a blue dog “heya new kiddo I’m Barnaby B. beagle and you?” “I’m (y/n).” “Great just wanted to drop by poppy wanted show up but she couldn’t so she had me deliver you these.” Barnaby showed you a cake roll that’s said welcome on top of “wow this look delicious, gotta meet the lovely women who made these.” You stated “actually lovely HEN just like my mother.” Replied Barnaby.

“Oh well I would love to meet the lovely hen someday, after I’m done organizing everything.” “Sounds like a plan.” Spoke Eddie “you guys should see me juggle these small boxes I have done it before.” Boasted Barnaby “wow really?” You asked “no way he’s lying.” Spoke a new puppet you looked to see standing at the open door “huh guess of I forgot to close it.” You said.

“Seems so new neighbor, “I’m frank frankly and you are?” “I’m (y/n).” “Nice to meet you and as I said, barnaby you must be lying never seen you do it.” Frank emphasizes “just because you haven’t seen it Mr.Grumpy doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” Argued Barnaby “don’t ever call me that, and go ahead prove it.”

“Alright for the new neighbor I’m putting on a rare act in this very moment.” Barnaby announced while grabbing three small boxes. “Wait I think there are important stuff I- you got interrupted with him starting his act.

You all watched as he begin to juggle “I knew you can juggle the mini boxes!” Said Julie “wow cool talent Barnaby.” I spoke “I have many talent’s kid- seemed like Barnaby lost his balance because he dropped on box on his head while the two feel on the ground.

Which made everyone laugh until the boxes opened except the one of barnaby’s head “what are those neighbor?” Asked Wally “I was right they are important, these are my family photos.” “Family photos?” Questioned Wally “yeah it’s photos you take with family and loved ones.” You answered “oh I think I have those.” He questioned himself “let’s help clean this up especially you barnaby.” Demanded frank

“Alright, alright I’m helping.” All your new neighbors including you, thankfully it was quick. “Alright we finished that mess now I gotta offer you guys some of my roll cake.” “It’s ok neighbor I do- you interrupted howdy “nuh huh mr.Caterpillar I’m giving you all one a piece of roll cake, I would offer you guys something I made but, I have to go to get the stuff I need.”

“Ok.” Shrugged howdy “I’m not saying no can’t wait to try poppy’s cake!” Cheered Julie “poppy is a fantastic baker, oh and me (y/n) should bake with her one of these days she loves company especially for cooking.” Suggested Frank “yeah that would be cool.” You agreed.

You all ate cake, while Wally ate with his eyes this got you super confused “no worry you get used to it.” Eddie assured you “thank you neighbors for joining us on this special episode, we will get to know our lovely new neighbor (y/n) more in the future.” Spoke Wally

“I would love to get to know you all more, have a glorious day.” You spoke to the audience giving a small wave with a bright smile.

The camera pans slowly away to the welcome home logo and we heard the director says Cut, Wally immediately stopped eating and walked away “Janet get me some water now.” He demanded, Janet begrudging went to get water.

“So you’re first episode how are you feeling?” The director asked “I feel amazing I didn’t think I would enjoy it so much.” You admitted “looks like a star is born.” Is all he replied before he left to get his assistant to get him the next episode’s scripts.

This left you by yourself walking to you’re dressing room, it’s hard to believe the Wally that was on stage with you was not the same Wally in real life, I guess it would be misleading due to the names.

You just hope you don’t get any more on his bad side already

Previous:(2)

Next Chapter: coming soon

<- Back to MasterList or back to welcome home

#welcome home arg #actor au wally darling #welcome home actor au #wally darling x gn reader #Wally darling x human reader #gn reader #actor au #slow burn #slow build

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landofzero-archive · 9 months

Text

Ibara Saegusa - The Venomous Snake's Intrigue

Event: Kiseki ★ Blitzkrieg Autumn Live

Episode 1:

(Location: Adam’s Private Room)

Ibara: If it isn’t Anzu-san! You’re as beautiful as ever today!

Your skin is absolutely glowing! That must mean you got a good night’s sleep last night!

It must be hard to even just move around, so I hope you aren’t too tired!

Option 1: You’re always in high spirits aren’t you.

(Response A)

Ibara: Ahaha, I’ve been like this since I woke up in the morning! I’ve learned to live a regular lifestyle!

Is it like being in the military, you ask? Well, I’ve certainly been in an environment like that!

Saying “Salute~☆” is also a remnant of those days!

(Response B)

Ibara: Oops? Were you perhaps taken aback?

My deepest apologies! I can hardly stomach making such an important customer feel uncomfortable!

I will make sure this kind of misbehavior never happens again…… Please forgive me!

Option 2: I went to a hot spring.

(Response A)

Ibara: Haha, I see! That beautiful skin is also due to the effects of the hot spring!

Relieve your fatigue and get beautiful skin! I didn’t know there was a secret hot spring nearby!

I can feel the blood of a businessman in my veins! Ahaha♪

(Response B)

Ibara: Hot spring? Ah, now that I think about it you had to change your accommodations last minute, didn’t you!

Yuzuru got involved, huh…… It’s a pity you didn’t get to stay at the hotel we arranged for you!

If you have a chance to come here again then please do stay with us!

Episode 2:

(Location: Adam’s Private Room)

Ibara: By the way, Anzu-san, where are you going this morning?

I couldn’t find Isara-san, so I was wondering if perhaps he was with you?

Ah, I just asked out of curiosity! You don’t have to force yourself to answer♪

Option 1: Then it’s a secret.

(Response A)

Ibara: Ahaha, Anzu-san is so secretive! Mysterious……☆

What’s that? If I tell you about myself then you’ll tell me your secret?

An unexpected exchange condition! You’re quite a “go-getter” Anzu-san! Ahaha♪

(Response B)

Ibara: Hm, I see…… Anzu-san and Isara-san have a secret relationship, and–

Oops, you dropped your tablet! Did I upset you?

That tablet costs quite a bit of money so be careful while handling it!

Option 2: A-Actually……

(Response A)

Ibara: Eh, you two got lost?

If you had contacted me, then I would have rushed to you at the speed of light! Oh, what a shame!

You should know my contact information. Just in case, I’ll give you another business card! (He hands out his business card)

(Response B)

Ibara: Hmmm, actually……? There’s no continuation!

Maybe there’s something deep between the two of you that I can’t fully understand……!?

Ahaha! I’m very sorry, I’ll refrain from my pointless prying for now!

Episode 3:

(Location: Adam’s Autumn Live Stage)

Ibara: Your Excellency~! Where are you, Your Excellency~?

Oh, if it isn’t Anzu-san! Finally, the real Autumn Live show is about to begin!

Let’s be fair today! Or rather, please be gentle! Ahaha☆

Option 1: …… I look forward to working with you.

(Response A)

Ibara: Oh, you turned away!

Hmm~…… Did Yuzuru say something to you?

However, I believe in Anzu-san! I’m not the type to believe in gossip that has no basis in facts……☆

(Response B)

Ibara: Oh? What’s wrong, Anzu-san?

Could it be something to do with me……!? I’m sorry! I deeply apologize!

So please join me in creating a perfect live show!

Option 2: What were you doing?

(Response A)

Ibara: Ah, have you seen His Excellency? He disappeared the moment I took my eyes off him!

Eh, he was looking at the ground over there?

Ahaha, it’s pretty much as I expected! Thank you very much, Anzu-san! Salute~☆

(Response B)

Ibara: Ah, that’s right! Actually, His Excellency has suddenly disappeared again!

I’m sure he’ll be back by the time the show starts!

There is a possibility that his precious costume with be covered in mud, so I must aim to collect him as soon as possible!

#ensemble stars #enstars #enstars translation #ibara saegusa #era: !#type: mini talk

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songbird-is-crying · 10 months

Text

Good Omens 2 may have wrecked my heart and soul and I may not recover until season 3 is released but believe me when I tell you it DELIVERED. I am a sucker for a good confrontation in a love story, and but I (personally) so rarely find them. It is a miscommunication trope, but it’s just a lack of understanding and innate differences in character that are keeping them apart!! rather than someone overhearing something and getting the wrong idea (looking at you, Shrek and the Fiona Sunflower scene). But when it is derived from programmed ideals and nurtured habits and beliefs it is so interesting when they conflict, i mean…

Do y’all understand how narratively SATISFYING it will be when aziraphale and crowley come together in the end and learn how to be with each other?? Just be?? The catharsis we will all experience because these two motherfuckers will have gone through the abyss or the bottomless pit or whatever the rock bottom stage is called in the hero’s journey only to come out of it?? And still choose to love each other?? Do you know how strong their love has got to be to pull that off??

Because this show is all about how love wins. LOVE WINS!! Not in some low effort, poor design quality slogan to grab your attention as well as your wallet in a target pride merch section, but in a real sense that love conquers all. Ok, that is still cheesy, but it really does!! The lengths that people go for each other because they love, it can’t be beat!! Like, the fact that Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s Miracle Magic Time is strongest when they work together because they are in LOOVVEEE. Good Omens is not about choosing a side and fighting to the death for loyalty’s sake, it’s about loving someone to the extreme that you will go to any lengths for them, fight to protect them, care for them, want to make the world better for them!! That is a force that cannot be beaten because love refuses to bow to anything!!Because love is bloodthirsty and raw and domestic and charming, and the breakup basically guarantees that we WILL see this force in action because we already KNOW their love is strong and deep enough to withstand this…

GIRL…

When these two come together in the end, I will fall to my knees in worship and make a god out of Neil Gaiman Himself because they will have earned it, because they will have come to a better understanding of themselves and be prepared to love without hesitation and without barriers. And it will be so beautiful.

Can you honestly sacrifice this future just for the instant gratification of them getting together at the end of season 2?? Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you prefer them living in unresolved, nonverbal ignorance because you’re too afraid of making them face their fears of being alone and being without purpose first??

Season 1 made me realize my personal philosophy on the nature of humanity and choice and sides, but now I really see that it’s about choosing to be on the side of what you love, and how that loyalty is the only true thing and the universe.

(But before you think “well, Crowley was ready to give up everything and love Aziraphale, but Aziraphale chose not to be on his side and love him” you forget that Aziraphale wants to fix the system to be fair to people like Crowley because he loves him and believes him to be the most “good” out of anyone he’s met, even himself! He loves him so much he wants to fix the world for him, and he did what he thought was right by not wavering and committing to his mission, even if that meant losing him!!)

God, I love this show so much. The book, the radio, my precious vinyl records of the soundtrack (love you David Arnold, muah), and even the graphic novel I will never see for at least a year, it’s just all so incredibly important to me. Good Omens has helped me realize what I truly believe in and has really influenced my outlook on life. And wow that is cheesy, but it’s ok that this show makes me insane, how it makes me ramble on tumblr at midnight because of the appreciation it has given me for the world around me, because I feel so much love doing so.

I wish I could express everything this show has made me feel. But my feelings are simply ineffable.

I LOVE LOVE!! I LOVE LIFE!! I LOVE EVERYTHING!! THE WORLD IS GOOD AND KIND BECAUSE WE HAVE PEOPLE AND THINGS AND PASSIONS TO CARE ABOUT!!!

#I AM SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS SHOW #SO NORMAL #NORMALIZE HYPERFIXATING ON TWO OLD OCCULT BEINGS WHO LOVE BUT ARE ALSO DUMB #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens spoilers #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #i am an aziraphale apologist #shout out to the three people who will read this in full #know that i love you #and you are valid #and no matter what happens you mean so much to me #neil gaiman #he’s here too

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kasienda · 29 days

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Celebrity Status: Ch 8 - Two Truths and a Lie

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |

Read on Ao3

Chapter 8: Two Truths and a Lie

Adrien heard the tap on his window. A grin immediately bloomed across his face even before he turned to her.

She liked him. She knew him in her regular life and she liked him.

He let her in, still grinning like an idiot.

“You’re in a good mood,” she observed, smiling back at him.

“You’re here. How could my day get any better?” Was it too much? Maybe, but he couldn’t give her more of an explanation.

Pink dusted her cheeks, and she glanced away.

His heart jumped in his chest. Had he always been able to do that? Because she liked him! And he just hadn’t noticed, hadn’t realized he was the luckiest boy in all of Paris?

“How can I be of service?” he asked, his smile still in full force. He needed to find some chill before she assumed he was happy that she was having problems.

She bit her lip. “I umm… I need your help.”

He nodded. “With the reaction to the video?”

“Yeah. I need to fix this. I know you’re out of your depth, but will you help me anyway?”

“Always m’L-Ladybug! Always!”

She smiled softly. “I don’t know how I ever earned your friendship. Thank you.”

“I actually already have some ideas,” he told her, leading her to his desk already set out with two chairs. “I think the biggest issue is that you keep getting taken out of context. First, never say anything to the reporters at the tail end of a battle or when you’re out and about. And if a candid video looks bad, still don’t offer comment to anyone you don’t know and trust.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. But how do I fix the damage already done?”

He grinned. “We need to humanize you again. We need to get you in front of a camera with an award winning journalist for a friendly interview where you’re not gonna get cut off.”

Ladybug frowned. “Award winning journalist? Like who?”

Adrien grinned. “One of your biggest fans, Alya Césaire.”

…

Alya was vibrating in her seat as hard as Marinette did whenever Adrien offered her so much as a smile. Marinette had never seen her so giddy or excited.

“Can you believe it?! Marinette! I’m getting an award this weekend from Ladybug herself!”

“Technically, the award is from the city,” Marinette corrected, grinning at her best friend.

Alya laughed. “Who cares! Ladybug is going to hand it to me! She’s going to be there specifically to honor me! How crazy is that?!”

Marinette shook her head. “Not crazy at all! You totally deserve all the recognition! I’m sure Ladybug agrees with me.”

“So here’s your ticket,” Alya said, sliding over an envelope.

Marinette’s smile fell off her face. “What? You’re not bringing Nino?”

“Of course not! You believed in me before anyone! Plus, Nino would be super bored.”

“He would not! He’s your boyfriend! It’s his job to support you in all your amazing awesomeness and success!” And Nino wanted to go into film. He was going to have to get good at going to awards dinners.

Alya frowned. “Do you not want to come?”

Marinette’s stomach churned. “It’s not that. Of course I want to come!” She was already coming! “I just can’t.” Her gaze fell to the floor, unable to meet Alya’s disappointment. “I’m uh… grounded.”

“What?! Surely, your parents would make an exception for this? For me?”

Marinette shook her head, still staring at her pink flats. “I don’t think so… they were really pissed.”

She risked a glance up, and regretted it immediately. Alya’s expression now looked like the sun would never shine again.

Marinette blinked back the sudden burn behind her eyes. She couldn’t cry. She wouldn’t.

“But even if I’m not there, you’re getting the most amazing award that you absolutely deserve! I couldn’t not be more proud of you!” Marinette pulled Alya into a hug to hide her own tears.

“It won’t be the same without you there,” Alya whispered.

…

Ladybug stood on the stage, trying not to bounce on her toes in her excitement, when the emcee called Alya’s name up to be recognized.

Alya stood from her table and made her way up the stairs on the side of the stage.

But something was wrong. Alya was smiling, but it felt professional rather than the gleeful excitement Marinette had observed just the day before.

Ladybug offered the award, framed in a dark wood with a beaming smile. She shook Alya’s hands maybe a little harder than was strictly necessary, but this was Alya! Her best friend who was being recognized as a professional when she was still a minor. It was a huge deal.

Alya should be over the moon.

Marinette wanted her to be over the moon!

“Congratulations, Alya! I was so excited the moment I heard they wanted to honor you.”

Alya's smile stretched wider for a second. “Thank you, Ladybug.”

“Is something wrong?” Ladybug asked, glancing towards Alya’s table. The seat beside hers was empty. Nino hadn’t come.

“My best friend isn’t here,” Alya admitted, under the cover of the audience’s applause. “I thought she would have moved mountains to be here. She’s apparently grounded, but she’s also so terrifyingly good at breaking out of and into all sorts of places, I thought she might still make it.”

Marinette’s throat felt tight. “I’m sure she’d be here if she could,” she managed.

Alya smiled again, but it still didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you for saying that, Ladybug. It does mean a lot to me to receive this award and that you were the one to deliver it makes it mean more. Thank you.”

Marinette smiled for all she was worth. “You’re welcome! You definitely deserve it!”

And then Alya stepped away, back towards her table, her shoulders slumped as she slipped back into her seat.

Marinette wilted. She had chosen wrong. She should have come as Marinette instead of Ladybug.

…

Marinette showed up to school the next day half an hour early with a box of macarons tight in her grip.

Alya didn’t so much as smile at her when she arrived. Instead, Alya walked right past her. Marinette slipped beside her anyway.

“How was it?” she asked, smiling.

Alya didn’t look at her. “It was fine.”

It was so clearly not fine.

“Look, I’m sorry!” Marinette whispered. “I couldn’t go. My parents—“

“I talked to Sabine,” Alya cut in, finally turning to stare directly at her.

Marinette froze.

“She thought you were coming to the event. Apparently you’ve been squealing about it for days . She told me you were proud of me and shared that she was, too.”

Marinette’s mouth hung open, desperately searching for something, anything to say.

“I-I was on my way—“ Marinette started. “I panicked.”

Alya turned away in disgust. “You bailed the day before! Said you were grounded! But you weren’t! I don’t get it! If what she said was true, then you were genuinely excited and happy for me, but you still didn’t come when you clearly could have! What else was so important that—“ Alya cut off, her honey-brown eyes flooding with tears.

“Alya,” Marinette said softly, reaching for Alya’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t anywhere near enough. Marientte knew it, but she couldn’t say anything else.

Alya dodged just out of her reach, wiping away her own tears. “I didn’t tell her by the way.”

Marinette’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Tell who?”

“Your maman. I didn’t tell her that you weren’t there, but that’s the last time. I’m not covering for you anymore,” Alya told her coldly.

Marinette didn’t even care about that. She just wanted Alya to forgive her. She grabbed Alya’s shoulder.

“Alya, please!” she begged, crying. “How can I fix this?”

“You could tell me what the hell is going on!”

Marinette pressed her lips closed. She couldn’t do that either.

“Good to know what our friendship means to you,” Alya bit out.

She shrugged Marinette’s hand off her shoulder and walked away.

Marinette didn’t even try to fight her tears.

…

Adrien trudged up the stairs to his room after school. It had been a long day. Alya had been upset, which meant Nino was too. Marinette had never shown up at all. Adrien hoped she was okay. And then, Ms. Mendeleiev had been in a foul mood and surprised them all with a pop quiz. At least in spite of whatever was going on, Alya was still willing to gush about Ladybug with him during lunch, and she was enthusiastic about a possible interview. He couldn’t wait to tell Ladybug.

If only he knew when the next time she would visit.

He pushed open his bedroom door and immediately dropped his bag.

She was already there, sitting on the floor against his bed with her knees to her chest.

“Ladybug? Are you okay?” he asked.

She burst into tears at the question.

He moved to her side faster than he would have for an akuma alert.

Akuma’s didn’t make Ladybug cry. Not usually.

“What happened?” he asked.

“My best friend! She hates me!”

“No one could hate you,” he insisted.

“But she does. She’s so angry, she won’t talk to me at all. I tried to apologize, but I couldn’t explain,” she explained rapidly through her tears.

“What happened?” he asked again, softly.

She swallowed and took a breath. Adrien rubbed the back of her neck the whole time.

“I couldn’t go to something with her because I had to be somewhere else as Ladybug. But I couldn’t explain that. She knows I’m lying, but she doesn’t know why. And this thing was really important to her. I think I chose wrong. I should have gone with her instead of the Ladybug thing, but I didn’t. I thought it was more important to be somewhere as Ladybug. And now she’s never going to forgive me unless I explain, and I can’t explain.”

Adrien squeezed her shoulder. “This might sound crazy, but have you ever thought about telling her?”

“Only a thousand times!” Her hands shot out to the side as she spoke. “But I can’t! I can’t put her whole life in danger just so I can keep her friendship!”

At least she was consistent with both her best friend and her superhero partner.

“Maybe she’d think it was worth it,” he whispered. He always had thought that.

“Maybe. But is it fair for me to make that decision for her?”

“Does anyone know?” he asked, but he already knew.

She shook her head. "Chat wants us to share our identities. And sometimes I think he's right."

"You do?"

This was news to him.

She nodded, her arms wrapping around her knees. Her head rested on them, turned to him. "I think it would be easier in some ways. We could cover for one another, contact each other out of the suits, predict more accurately when one of us is likely to be late or not show up at all. And we could confide in each other more than we already do."

"So, why don't you then?"

"There's the obvious answer of the less people that know the easier it is to keep a secret. And that's still true. If we don't know we literally cannot give each other up. But honestly? I think I'd slip up. Like, if he gets hit, I might just scream his name. I have to make some hard decisions. And I already care about him so much. I think knowing who he is would make us closer. And I would be even more distracted, and unable to put him in danger even when I need to."

"You don't think you'd get used to it?"

She shrugged. "Probably eventually, but even a single mistake from either of us is potentially lethal. Seems safer not to risk it."

He was so surprised. He had always assumed that she didn't want to reveal identities because she didn't trust him or was trying to keep him at an arm's length. But really, it was just because she was trying to protect him.

She turned away, her chin still on her arms as she stared out the window. "He thinks he's in love with me,” she whispered.

"You don't think he is?" Because he definitely was and all these quiet times spent with her in his room had only solidified that fact for him.

She shrugged. "He doesn't know me totally. He might be disappointed when he sees how much of a mess I am."

"Maybe he's a total mess too."

She laughed. "He seems so happy and confident, like, all of the time."

"So do you."

She scoffed. “Certainly, you know that’s not true by now.”

“I just meant—“

She laughed, leaning into his space. “You know, I think you might know me better than him now.”

He swallowed. She was so close. “Yeah?” he breathed.

“Yeah,” she whispered the word right against his lips. And then her lips were on his.

She tasted of slightly of salt. She had been crying, he distantly recalled.

He kissed her harder.

Because maybe, just maybe because he was the luckiest boy in all of Paris, maybe the whole world, he could do something to turn her day around, to make her feel better.

Because he was never going to forget this day or this moment.

And he didn’t want her to forget it either.

…

"What do you hate most about having a double life?" Alya asked.

Ladybug folded her hands on her knee and forced herself to look right at Alya who was sitting beside the camera they had set up in her room.

"In order for Ladybug to be reliable, my civilian self has had to become the opposite. My friends get mad at me for disappearing or flaking altogether with the lamest excuses. My best friend especially often suspects I'm not being honest. My parents are constantly disappointed with the number of truancies I've managed to rack up. I've been questioned about doing drugs, having sex, joining a gang, and the list goes on.”

Alya frowned sympathetically. “That sounds hard.”

“Sometimes I wish I could tell them, but doing that would put all of them in danger, and I’m just not willing to trade their well-being for thinking well of me.”

“Wow. They’re lucky to have you even if they don’t know it.”

Ladybug smiled. “That means so much coming from you. Thank you.”

“Does this mean there’s no love interests for Ladybug either?”

Ladybug felt the heat burn in each cheek.

“Oooh! Is there someone?”

Ladybug tapped her own lip. “Well, this lady never kisses and tells.”

“Ah! Ladybug, you’re killing me and all your supporters, too!”

She laughed. It almost felt like they were just hanging out. Like, everything was fixed between them.

She wished she could tell Alya that she had finally kissed Adrien, but she had kissed him as Ladybug, not as Marinette. And Alya wasn’t talking to Marinette, but she thought Alya would be proud of her for making the first move, and she hoped that with time, Alya would forgive her for her latest lie.

But Alya was also right that there probably shouldn't be any love interests for Ladybug. She was putting him in danger too.

It wasn't fair.

...

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladrien #ladrien with marichat tropes #romance #speed write #only write the fun parts #alyanette friendship #tension between alyanette #will be repaired #kisses #celebrity status #my own content

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withoutyouimsaskia · 2 years

Text

Remember Me, Special Dreams

Part VI.

GIF: Originally posted by @maeroria

Summary: Self-insert. You're having trouble with recurring night terrors and Morpheus pays you a visit. (Title from the lyrics of Placebo’s Special Needs)

Warnings: language, angst, mentions of night terrors.

Word Count: 1.3k

A/N: Hello there, hope you are all doing well. Warning: this chapter is about to get dark. A lot of the scenarios described are recreations of some of my worst recurring nightmares, or inspired by them.

Sandman Masterlist

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

The nightmare begins with a passive tableau.

The image of a supermarket sprawls before you.

The aisles are so tall that their tops are impossible to see. They are stacked with bland cardboard containers. No labels are present give a clue to their contents. Trolleys are dotted around, stacked with the beige and brown cuboids.

The scene starts to move as people mill around beside you.

As always in nightmares of this ilk, the people do not have faces. They just exist, like props and furniture on a stage.

The cheery bing-bong of the tannoy sounds.

Your name is called in a sinister tone.

You freeze in place.

"After all this time, I can’t believe this is finally happening. I cannot wait to meet you. We’re going to have so much fun together, you and I.”

You are suddenly running.

Skipping through the crowd with the precision of a ballroom dancer. Avoiding inanimate obstacles like a boxer dodging red gloved swings.

After a few directional changes, you realise that the aisles lead into each other and create a maze-like series of paths. Yet your dream avatar seems to know where it is that you need to go.

You round a corner; the entrance looms no further than 100 metres from you.

A group of intimidating looking people guard the exit.

You manage to retreat without being noticed. There’s a gap in the shelving that is big enough to conceal yourself in while you desperately try to formulate a plan. You swing yourself under the metal shelf.

The tannoy tune sounds again.

“Oh dear, Y/N. Did you really think that would actually work? I see everything.”

You chance a peek out of your hiding place. The red light of a security camera glares at you. This place is completely covered with surveillance. There is no amount of running or hiding that would help you here.

All you know is that you must avoid capture at all costs.

It takes all of five seconds for you to make a decision. You need to get out the building.

You’re climbing the shelves like a ladder.

When you reach the top, you back up as far as you can go and sink into a crouch.

You start to run again, propelling yourself with everything you have and just before you reach the edge, you spread your arms out wide.

Your superpowers kick in and you are flying.

Air hits your face as you sharply aim towards the space just above the heads of the guards.

You swoop straight over them, retract your arms and land with a perfectly timed forward roll.

A few more running steps and you are throwing yourself through the gaping hole that is the exit.

The familiar hallway of your house fills your vision field.

You sigh in relief. You are safe.

The roar of an engine startles you.

Through the peephole in the wooden door, you see a red car. A man sits behind the wheel. He is looking right at your porch.

He gets out the vehicle. He is holding a large knife in his right hand. It sparkles in the blazing sunlight.

“Shit!” You curse quietly, going to ensure that the lock is engaged.

As soon as you touch the handle, the door unexpectedly moves outwards a couple of centimetres.

You pull it back and try to shut it once more. The same thing happens again.

You are confused.

The door is slipping past the frame that should secure it. No matter how hard you try, you can’t get a purchase.

The person has reached the top of the path that leads to your front door.

Bewilderment gives way to fear. You try again and again and again.

He’s on your doormat.

You resort to holding the door still, hoping that the frame will come back into existence.

A well placed kick sends you cowering.

He's in the house. The knife is held aloft.

You know he means to kill you.

You flee, taking the steps of your wooden staircase two at a time.

Then, you’re in your bedroom. The man isn't far behind you.

An open window beckons to you.

You’re clambering up onto the little ledge, looking down at the grass and bushes below.

The man is a footstep away from you.

There’s no choice but to jump and so you do.

You fall.

An icy cold embrace of water consumes you.

It submerges you entirely. Instinctively, you lunge for the surface.

You’re thrashing, panicking, drowning.

Oxygen somehow fills your lungs.

You’re on a pebble covered shore.

You push yourself onto your hands and knees. The rocks dig painfully into your flesh.

A pair of familiar brown leather shoes come into view.

Anxiety pools in your gut.

You know exactly who is standing in front of you.

With much hesitancy, you sit up on your haunches and look up into the pained face of your ex.

Tears glisten in their brown eyes, just like they had on the day they had moved out.

After you made them move out.

“What did I do to make you want to hurt me, Y/N?”

“Nothing. You did nothing... I never wanted to hurt you.”

Rage flares their nostrils and narrows their eyes.

“Then why did you do it!?”

The words, combined with their towering presence are terrifying.

You’re stuttering, unable to reply.

You can’t help but notice how the semantics of the conversation is directly mirrored by your physical stances.

You are supposed to feel diminutive.

They speak again.

“There’s something wrong with you. Everyone warned me and I never listened. But I see you for what you really are now, you’re a fucking plague.”

As soon as they finish the sentence, you detect an instantaneous change in the environment around you.

The sky and lake turn a gunmetal grey. Not from a sudden appearance of clouds but because the colour literally drains from it. You watch it happen with disturbed eyes. It leaches from top to bottom, like a keg being emptied of alcohol.

You look back to your ex. Greyscale is taking over every part of their being.

Your hands claw into the ground in fear.

Before you know it, the colours are leaking away out of your sodden clothes. Out of you.

That’s when the tremors start.

You scrabble to your feet.

As you reach your full height, there is a surge of power that threatens to knock you backwards onto your posterior.

You somehow manage to remain on two feet, feeling every inch of the rumbling earth through your thin-soled shoes.

The edges of your vision field wobble with claustrophobic darkness. It encroaches rapidly and soon all you can see is the face of the person whose heart you so callously destroyed.

At this point, it is near impossible to keep your balance.

The darkness pushes in further; you feel like you are being stuffed into a box that is ten sizes too small.

You want to fight back, scream, resist.

Something.

Anything.

The words of their next taunt are like a bucket of ice cubes poured down your collar.

“I hope you burn in hell.”

You come to with a jolt.

You’re curled in on yourself defensively. Sweat and tears have moistened much of your skin.

You roll onto your back and open your eyes.

Someone is standing over you.

You don’t need to turn on the light to know who it is.

It’s your ex.

“W-what are you doing, how did you get in here?” You ask fearfully.

“I said I wanted you to burn in hell. I’ve decided I’m going to send you there myself.”

You begin to scream as their hands reach for your neck.

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

"Am I mistaken, or are we breaking under weight from the long time that he played God?"

Taglist: @pinkcyclewitch @layla2-49 @shoidy-cat @silverhart93 @boofy1998 @dotieeee

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persephoneflouwers · 1 year

Note

What things not conventionally accepted in the fandom do you believe about bg? We all have our own beliefs and I think that's totally OK. I like hearing things outside the box

I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this and quite honestly I haven’t read it anywhere. I think people too often divide Harry and Louis solo careers because they think they are on different stages, but with them I always apply the same logic. To me they go in tandem, like yoghurt packs alright? Like cherries. It’s the two of them or nothing (hypothetically either if they are together or not). It’s not a case I have a tag for them and it’s polar opposites lol I know people say they are their own people and I agree to a limited extent. They do what they have to for their careers and obviously they do what they can individually, but babygate is something else. It’s not a simple stunt. It’s not a stunt like the others. That shit is not something you just go through by yourself. I wouldn’t be afraid to say babygate is never one single individual call, never is Louis’ individually.

I want to take a few steps back to 2015. One direction is still at it, but rumours of the hiatus are on fire. You have 1 of them who’s been courted by the best in the business and your influential son since ages. You have a project for him. You have a plan. A vision. You take the frontman and you need him to be successful. You are going to invest so much money on this guy you’ll make him the new Elvis or something. You know you can. You’re rich enough for that! What 1D team did with his image was incredible. They gave him the most intriguing brand for an upcoming solo artist. They gave him the rockstar aurea, the heartthrob agenda, the golden boy super talented curriculum. They failed with one thing: the rumours on his sexuality. Not the ambiguity, you like the ambiguity. You can even use that ambiguity for his own good. You will (they did). Their failure was one and only: the rumours on your relationship status with your bandmate. You can’t have that. How’s it possible that the mortal enemies pipeline didn’t work? How can you break that? You can’t give your golden goose a serious relationship, a long lasting one… that’s going to ruin the brand. You need to think about something else.

So what if..? What if you rebrand his counterpart, who was in a 5 years long relationship instead and give HIM an even more long lasting stunt? That’s supposedly going to last forever? Like a baby*. That would settle it. How would you do it? How would you convince them to agree with this? You take 4 boys who know no better, who have been indoctrinated and manoeuvred since they were illegal of age, who are going to not be in a band anymore, who feel probably a bit uncertain about their future… and sell them a dream. Add some guilt and strong recommendations, maybe a few threats and lies. And there you have it. The perfect stunt that will serve two purposes: 1. put one of them in the heaviest of the closets (plus he was always a pain in the ass for you so you are even more okay with it), 2. set the other one free from those rumours. (Flashforward: they didn’t stop, but it worked well enough for them anyway).

I know what you are wondering. Why did Louis agreed to this? My two coins are he knew there wasn’t an alternative because in abusive places of work you are proposed with an option, but that’s the only option, which makes you question if that’s an option at all or just an obligation. Plus he saw a way to help their way out after the band and took it. If what he says about the hiatus is true (I have many doubts and questions but still), he was fucking terrified of it so when they come at you with a promise to make it go “better than”… he always felt responsible for the band, so he says anyway. I agree with you, reader! That’s manipulative, toxic, blindsiding, naive. Very naive. But the real thing is I don’t know the reasons behind and this is just me trying to look for a new perspective, because I dont 100% agree with the ones I’ve read through the years.

What pushed me into loophole was the timing of the babygate return. I know 2020 is a weird year because of the pandemic, but we literally started having babygate content in more or less July 2021 — does anyone remember what happened on Harry’s side in July 2021? Does yachtgate 2.0 ring any bell?. Anyway since then we had bg constantly. Remember the arcade date with the kid? That was August 2021! I have a timeline for it but I quitted with keeping up with it because it was too much at some point and now that we’ve seen it was literally made for the documentary it feels even more useless lol.

Isn’t it too coincidental it happened along with the holivia mess and the rampant success Harry has gained throughout 2021 and 2022? When babygate is around, there’s sony around. You cant simply distinguish the two things imo. And isn’t it too coincidental that the first time babygate happened was when they were going solo and the second time it happened huge as ever was when the above mentioned solo careers became insanely grand? Oooh the way we got the release of bg in the doc the same weekend of the Tokyo kiss performance!

What confuses me, though, is who is gaining from this? I mean Sony is for sure in a contorted way. I can see what team Harry is gaining from his stunts too. I say it often but his team always play to win, so if they agree to something they are going to get something. That’s their strategy. I don’t understand what Louis is getting yet. I see he is doing his own shit to be proud of: the tour, the new music, the festival, apparently even the doc. But my question is wouldn’t it be possible without babygate too? And we can’t know yet. I think Louis is cocky and stubborn and sometimes he has to hit his head against the proverbial wall before understanding what’s good and what’s not. But to this stage, it’s too soon to say. I want to see where babygate is going in the next year or so. It’s possible he has chosen to go with babygate instead of continuing with his beard, but then again it’s too soon to say. It’s possible he has chosen to go with babygate instead of agreeing with a revolutionary marriage. It’s possible he has seen twarries drooling over the kid and decided to feed that narrative. I don’t know where this is going yet.

All I know is this revolves around the two of them and it’s possibly one of the few things nowadays that make me believe they still are together. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t see this shit unfold again in front of your salads in the year of our lord 2023.

*not with his actual girlfriend of 5 years but with an American ONS. With no DNA test because you are sure your specimen is so very strong, you take it one for the bros and even if you’re worthy 60millions you don’t need to know if she is actually trying to take advantage of your fame. You are kind at heart like that. A gentleman 💪

Edit after tokyo kissing show.

#anyway this is what I was thinking #i dont hold the truth and I don’t think we ever will know the truth lol #let’s just stimulate discourse in a civil thoughtful way #casella di posta numero 32

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