SEVEN MINUTES
Nadohan Log: First and Final
CW: Blood, death, and needles
Honestly it’s all a drag.
The fame, the music, the fans who crowd your existence.
The rules and regulations.
It’s so…. Dull…
Nadohan has been doing their work for… years now. About six years now, they’ve been in the spotlight.
She can feel a prick in her neck.
During that time, she had met her loved ones. Daian, Kay, Star…. Even Aoki. And Plip.
Her body instinctively moves, trying to force the collar off, but his hands stay steady. Grasping tightly onto the mic as if it was the only thing they could hold anymore.
To perform was her life, so it makes sense that as the curtains fall, so does he. It was funny in a way. Nadohan spent their entire life being told they were better than everyone else. That they were the ones to receive the honor of being owned by Minski! The owner of ALIEN STAGE! They were the only one that could do it!
A boy with dark hair and a red streak flashes in his mind. Their last memory together, watching him be taken away by the authorities all those years ago.
Their whole life was just for this moment! To jump and throw their hand up and grab that star that would turn them into a legend! A wonder to be beheld!
They can feel the blood being pulled out. The needle is sharp and painful, their nerves are screaming at them to DO SOMETHING! TO RUN, RIP OFF THE COLLAR, GO AWAY. But Nad stays still, keeping their composure as they can feel their blood slowly leaving their body.
Did their life ever have any meaning? He spent it longing for that chance to be remembered, but now he stands in defeat. She spent his entire life running, chasing that door, abandoning everyone who was too slow, only to find it was a painting on the wall.
And now no one else was there. It was just them, standing there.
A memory of the night sky flashes through their mind. They remember laying on their back, watching above. The stars were beautiful and they could hear someone comment about them being just like Star. The grass was cool and the wind brushed against them so peacefully. They looked over to the side to see Vant, enamoured and not letting her attention turn away.
“How beautiful” Nad thought to themselves. They close their eyes, and let themselves drift and fade away.
It was humiliating. Nadohan was the face of ALIEN STAGE. It was humiliating. Everyone in the crowd knew who they were, knew about Nadohan’s identity and pride as being so involved with ALIEN STAGE. They voted against Nad on purpose, didn’t they? They wanted to humiliate him like this.
“It’s all planned… they waited until last second on purpose! Didn’t they!” They think to themselves. No longer in shock of the situation, but fueled with anger, they want to scream at the crowds. Tell them how unfair it is to vote with bias and not performance. But they don’t.
Nad always wanted to die beautifully, not with anger.
“Shhh, don’t let anyone know I got this for you…” Nad whispers under their breath. Technically ALIEN STAGE didn’t own ANAKT GARDEN, just very close and involved businesses, which meant Nad had to follow all the same rules. But He’s sure if he was ever caught she could find a way to minimize it. Even if they couldn’t, it would all be worth it for that smile on Ish’s face.
“Ah! Did you actually!?” She was shocked, which was fair. If someone had told Nad they promised to gift them 5 pounds of sugar, Nad wouldn’t believe them either.
But here they were, late at night, together with 5 bags of stolen sugar. Nadohan was willing to accept the punishment later if it ever came back, but right now they indulged themselves with Ish.
Maybe Nadohan deserved this. Maybe they truly voted without bias, and the winner was Star. Maybe Nadohan wasn’t actually important enough to even try to rig the votes. Star was an equally famous person, if not more. They never got into controversies like Nad did, and everyone loved them. They didn’t fly off the handle like Nad did when she felt she was offended, and he kept his mouth shut when Nad should’ve.
Maybe they lost… because people just simply didn’t care about Nad.
There were flowers everywhere. While everyone ran towards them, excited to make flower crowns for each other or themselves, or to merely just look at them, Nad stood back. The flowers were beautiful but Nad knew the truth, that they were just cameras that would trick kids into bringing them everywhere with them. Once he knew that, the flowers didn’t look pretty anymore.
While everyone had fun, running around or just simply making crowns, Nadohan went to sit down by a tree observing everyone. “Ha, just like the flowers themselves” they think bitterly to themselves. After all they were just a decorated tool themselves too. The difference was that she had more to do then them. Maybe a part of her was jealous that he couldn’t just exist as he was, and let everything happen as it was meant to, just like the cameras.
He watched as Aoki tried to put his crown on Kay’s head, before failing, due to the crown being too small. She giggled to herself, afterall it was funny to see Aoki failing at moments. It certainly made them feel better about themselves. Nad wasn’t sure if that made them a bad person or not, but it wasn’t a big issue for them. Not yet at least.
They watched as Daian showed up by their side, sporting his own perfectly and lovingly made flower crown. The three of them immediately get into friendly talk and laughing with each other.
It was beautiful. But watching it made Nad feel even lonelier.
They got up and left, heading back to their room.
“Fun fact, since the needle’s supposed to drain you of all of your blood until you die, the collar won’t be able to hold it all in.”
Now Nadohan knew what Madam Minsksi meant about that. Their face uncontrollably turns into a grimace and they start to shake as they feel blood slowly pour out of their collar. Shakedly, they reach their hands towards it, touching the cold metal of their collar and the contrasting warm blood that belongs to them.
Nad is unable to withhold it anymore, feeling their tears prickle at their eyes. They move their mouth to say something, anything, a plea for their life, but nothing comes out. They can hardly breathe anymore, but Nad isn’t sure if it's from panic or if the collar has something to do with it.
Maybe Star is saying something, but Nad worries no longer for everything else in that room.
She’s scared.
“Come on! I’m like besties with your brother already! Isn’t that a sign I’m such a good person?” Nad flaunts. They were speaking to a person they hadn’t often spoken to much, perhaps like once or twice purely because they had to. But even then, Nadohan couldn’t help but quickly become obsessed with earning his friendship or trust. She couldn’t stand being ignored or deemed unimportant to someone.
“Just because you’re friends with someone doesn’t automatically make you a good person, Star’s just a friendly guy. And who even knows if you and Star are that close like you say you are, you could be lying.” He pointed out.
Ouch, Nadohan thinks to themselves. Star didn’t talk about me to his brother? Kinda hurtful. I'd like to talk about Star to my…
“I mean no but like, I’m pretty cool. I’m so sure you can tell, aha. And! And if you think I’m not! You could just stop hanging out with me!”
“Is your defense for me being your friend literally just I can stop anytime because you’re not giving me actual good points to being your friend.” Ok so this guy was a critique, maybe he should be giving Nad reasons to befriend HIM, she’s already starting to regret this.
“Sweating, maybe because… You care about Star… and it would make him happy if the two of you shared friends?”
“....Fine… But know, I don’t actually like you right now.”
“Good enough for me Sen!”
“DO YOU NOT KNOW MY NAME?”
Their head feels dizzy, there’s too much blood. It’s everywhere, her clothes feel soaked and Nad is just leaning their entire body on the microphone now. How long has it even been? Seconds? Minutes? Maybe an hour? Would anyone even want to watch her die that long? Would anyone even care to? He imagined they would just sweep their still alive body off the stage, just to die behind the curtains, uncared about.
Is this how Mercury felt? Even just watching them, Nad couldn’t help but feel bad.
“They don’t deserve this…” But Nad held her words. He wonders if anyone is thinking that of them as they die.
Nad can’t hold on anymore, they fall to the floor like a limp doll directly in a puddle of their own blood.
They can see everyone else.
Nad is chasing after Star, before tagging him in a game of tag, however he falls and he gets upset. As Nad tries to go for him to help him up, the scene changes and now he’s back at Season 8. Neli is there and she speaks excitedly about the next round and how she hopes to send either themselves or their opponent off with a nice note.
“Neli is a truly kind soul, it’s a shame what their guardian is…” Nad thinks bitterly. But also in another way, if Neli’s guardian wasn’t who he was, would Nad have even befriended or bothered with Neli? She opens her mouth to say something to Neli, but the kind girl disappears in front of their eyes. Suddenly a piano is there in front of them and their words to Neli are twisted into “You’re doing so wonderfully Daian!”
Daian’s fingers dance around the keys of the piano. He was surprised when Daian came to him to learn how to play, especially since Aoki was the better player of the two of them and Daian was always closer to him than Nad. But Nad allowed himself this, she wouldn’t ask about it.
“Just let me cling to this a little bit longer… please…”
But the memory changes once again, Nad can no longer see Daian.
Everything is getting darker.
Her vision starts to become spotty.
All she can see,
Is Plip.
Plip, plip was everything to her. Her roommate, her rival, the human Madam Minski had tried to set her up with when her and Mercury failed. Plip, the person Nad had known for almost 6 years now. The one she had always been chasing behind always.
Plip was her first friend, her rival, her first kis-
Suddenly, she’s in a room. The lights are a dark purple, and she had hardly see. “It doesn’t matter anymore” He thought to themself, grabbing one of the bottles she had seen the guardians drinking.
“It’s all going to be over by tomorrow.”
After that it was all a blur, but she could’ve sworn she saw Plip. He could never forget seeing how beautiful their eyes were.
Staring into said eyes, the beautifully bright red and spiral pupils, the ones Nad could get lost in, he wanted desperately to say something.
“I love you”
And then his vision
Went out.
–
Nad awoke with a start. The pain in their neck was no longer gone. Their limp body was still on the floor, no longer in the same position they were in when he had died, but Nad wasn’t worried about that as of now. Instead of the vibrant lights of Round Two, the lighting was now much easier on the eyes, a soft light instead. Instead of the roaring crowds, it was just silence, dead silence.
Above them, there’s a familiar person.
Mercury.
For a second, they wonder if everything was a dream. That Round One hadn’t happened yet and that they’re still alive. But she also knows Mercury. Mercury would never be this close to them if this was real.
We’re really dead. Huh?
They move to sit up, Mercury moving out of their way to allow them to.
What do I even say…
Nadohan can’t help but feel that maybe there shouldn't be any words. Not right now. They go to stand up, but with the memory of seeing their own body covered with their blood, it’s hard to. They can’t help but worry about standing and falling, just as they had already did.
But Mercury reaches out. Their hand inviting Nad to grab and hold it.
When was the last time we had ever been like this? When was the last time Mercury tried to help me?
Almost 6 years…
Nadohan takes it, and allows Mercury to guide them over to a spot where they can watch the rest of the show.
Maybe I can stay here… Just a bit longer.
–
An observer stares at the screen, almost pressing up against it. It shows a closeup of Nad, her mouthing something, but no one can tell what it is she’s saying.
The blood makes it difficult.
Either way the observer can make a pretty clear idea on what it is he’s saying, afterall they have a deep understanding of the idol.
What they’re more curious about is, why would Nadohan do that?
They brush their fingers through their long hair, surely Nadohan didn’t think saying that would somehow save them from death? Did they do it as a publicity stunt? A way to keep audience’s attention on them?
They couldn’t figure it out. They may know Nadohan quite well, but you can never truly understand them and their every act. Not unless you got inside their head.
“It’s such a shame I can’t do that anymore, oh well.” They sigh, turning off the TV. Now that Nadohan’s dead, they have a job they must do.
–
OK GUYS WOW finally finished this,,, cries
To be completely honest I had no idea who was gonna win, so writing this did make me a little emotional. I’m so happy for Star though! Congrats on that win! Let’s go! (ignore any circumstances around that)
This won’t be the last time you see Nadohan be relevant nyeheheh, this is only the beginning for them really.
Also I want to talk a little bit about the times too!
Nadohan was standing upright for almost a minute, like a little less, and collapsed on the ground, they were there for like another minute as their vision went out. However they were still alive during that, but their senses kinda was slowly dying after their vision. During this, Nad was declared dead and was,,, in fact,,, moved off stage to allow round three to begin, but she was still alive
All in all it was 7 minutes long, two minutes on stage, and 5 off stage,,, wowie,,, thats also why she was moved too!
I also wanna say nadplip will be explored more, i didn’t talk about it as much as I had wanted tbh, i felt like i was dragging this out, so think of this as,,, idk i will yap more about nadplip,,, trust,,,, dont ask how but trust,,, (also the rest of their relationships too, but this was mostly just nad rushing through their memories)
Star belongs to @starry-skiez
Daian belongs to @apple8ees
Kay belongs to @imperfectnothing
Aoki belongs to @lookatmysillies
Zen belongs to @verdantlights
Ish belongs to @chevalperd
Neli belongs to @friedclownshrimp
Vant belongs to @ivanttakethis
Plip belongs to @awaggaa
Mercury belongs to @messengers-of-the-gods
Wow ok i had a lot of cameos,,, sweats,,, let me know if i ooc them,,, sorry,,,
