#I’ve given up on fancy formatting

[magicalgirlfia]

I have unrested my case and I appreciate you stating your objections, however even if you say “#Never correct me again.” I will continue to correct you because I believe that there’s more to say.

—————

I know your Octarian fact of course, I assumed due to your use of the term, you knew it as well-which you obviously do, and I do regret not making myself clear,

By your logic “Octarian Octoling” is a phrase that can’t exist in Japanese due to the lack of distinction between Octarian and Octoling in that language…however as of Splatoon 3 they’ve began to use the term “Octoling” (or オクトリング ) in the Japanese versions of the game.

That doesn’t matter of course if they don’t differentiate between the two of course. It’s lucky that they do.

I present a screenshot of the Side Order website. This directly refers to Agent 8 as “オクトリング(タコ)”.

Thus making a distinction between “Octarian (タコ)” and “Octoling (オクトリング)” in Japanese. “Octarian Octoling” is basically a direct translation of the phrase.

However, I’m willing to concede this point if you want to argue that it was due to confusion people might face about what “octoling” might mean. I admit that this is the weakest of my points and probably should have started with it rather than finished with it. I stand by it of course, but I don’t swear by it.

—————

I straight up do not understand your second point very well so please correct me if I am misunderstanding your words. The Octarians being referred to in that passage are regular Octarian troopers who have no business being in Alterna. They were kidnapped and hell, if I’m not looking into the original text enough…he says it himself. In game.

They weren’t escaped octolings, they were his soldiers. The “Under Strict Management” bit is to emphasize how it’s strange they went missing.

—————

Arguing that Warabi (and his family) are special case just doesn’t make sense. There isn’t anything pointing towards the idea that he or his family are something out of the ordinary like how Shivers clan has lived in the Splatlands for presumed centuries. If you argue he’s a special case you could argue any theoretical octoling outside of his army is a special case, and I wouldn’t be able to disprove you because your argument isn’t be based on anything, especially given the fact don’t have very many octoling characters to work with here.

For example, Wocky, the Octoling stylist for the Chirpy Chips. He’s just some guy, and given the fact that the titular Chips had the same style in the first and second game we can assume he’s responsible for their outfits at least in 1 and 2.

Or hell, even New Agent 3 who’s backstory can be whatever you want it to be they an inkling or an octoling, due to them being a blank slate. You could also try to argue them not knowing who Octavio was as a point and I would if I didn’t think I was crossing the line between “purposeful” and “devs not wanting to add more lines than necessary.” I know I’m ending on another weaker point but the fact that there’s no difference to the Inkling and Octoling versions of Agent 3 says something.

————

In conclusion my conclusion hasn’t changed. An entire species who live all across the world were not forced into one region and I wish the game would make that more obvious than they do.

————

I love the detail that both Octoling idols consistently emphasize how important friendship is to them.

It makes me wonder if that could even be considered a part of Octoling culture. Considering that it’s likely that all biological family most Octolings have had to be left behind when they defected from the Octarian military…

[altacctforastarion]

Okay hear me out Astarion nsfw/sfw with a Tav who's technically royalty but gave the crown to their brother and they never told anyone they were royalty until it get revealed by a guard greeting tav like "my majesty" how would Astarion react

Fun fact: I write while I’m at work (we’re in the slow season) and I wrote a full thing for this the day you requested it and then got busy for a few minutes and got back on to hit post and the app closed while I was off. So I’ve learned to save my drafts frequently, and I’ve died a little inside.

Anyways! I did this in kinda headcanon format, just couldn’t find a way to make a full fic with it.

Warnings: Astarion being angry but he chills out, nsfw mentions at the end, 18+ only minors do not interact.

I hope you like it!

-you feel dread as you near the bridge to Baldurs gate. You’d meant to tell your companions about your past, about how you were once royalty, but as time went on you just couldn’t bring yourself to. It was so nice to be treated like everyone else. If they were angry with you they didn’t bite their tongues, telling you how they felt and expecting you to make up for it.

-You’d come close, when Astarion had started telling you about his own past, occasionally asking about yours, but the thought of the person you cared for seeing you as above them was too much, so you didn’t confess then, choosing to put it off. And now you’re approaching the guards who you know by name and you know this won’t go well.

-They don’t see you at first and they stop your group, Astarion starts arguing with them and one of the guards looks at your group, spotting you, and drops into a deep bow, “Your majesty! We apologize, please carry on. You and your friends are always welcome in our great city, would you like a personal escort?”

-Your group stares at you as you thank the guards and tell them you’ll be fine without an escort. You cross the bridge, and Astarion grabs your arm and spins you around as soon as you’re out of earshot of the guards who would no doubt kill him for how he’s about to talk to you.

-“When exactly were you going to tell us about your status, your majesty?” He’s angry, hissing out the words in a hushed whisper, your other companions aren’t so much angry as they are disappointed, besides Lae’zel who couldn’t care less about your status. “How could we know how far beneath you we are if you never see fit to tell us? Could we not be trusted with such important, regal information?” You can hear the hurt of betrayal, and the slight anxiety, no doubt wondering if he’ll be struck down for how he’s speaking now, but also because he took the blood of a royal.

-You apologize and explain that you’re not royalty now, that you’d long since given up your crown. You’re questioned as to why you didn’t tell them, why you hid so much of yourself from the people you trust with your life, and as you confess the others move onto questions about being royalty, the fun you must have had, but not Astarion. He’s still gripping your arm and it almost hurts, like he’s worried you’ll run away if he doesn’t keep you there.

-“Why didn’t you tell me? I told you so much of myself and you gave me almost nothing from your past. Were you lying when you told me things about yourself?”

-“I never lied to you, I just didn’t want to be treated like I was better than everyone else. The can do no wrong royal bullshit wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to manage family politics or organize fancy galas, I wanted to be a person. And since the nautiloid, that’s all I’ve been, just a person who can be wrong and can hear all about it when I make mistakes. You would never hold my arm this tight or talk to me this way if I was who I was supposed to be. This is the life I want, and I’m sorry I was afraid to lose it.”

-He starts to understand then, he’s lied plenty to get the life he wants, to be the person he really is, and as the anger leaves him, he loosens his grip a little, but he doesn’t let go, giving you what you said you’d wanted.

-He starts to ask questions about the royals you knew, asking for dirty secrets and gossip, asking if your group could go stay in your castle and scoffing when you told him the castle belongs to your brother, and while he’d welcome you back you’d rather not go back.

-That night, your group takes up residence in Elfsong, and everyone makes jokes about a royal sleeping above a tavern.

-When you’re in your bed with Astarion he tells you he’s never fucked a royal before, and asks for the opportunity, shushing you when you tell him that you’re no longer royalty and he has fucked you multiple times anyways.

[z0mb0ysworld]

I'm Mr. Loverman, and I miss my lover(girl), man.

Jackie Taylor x GN!Reader

Angst with some fluff.

NOTES: This is my first fic. Sorry if the grammar or format is terrible. Yes I did steal a quote from HTTYD. Sue me.

You hated her. You hated her so much. A lie that you told yourself every day and you knew it was a lie. You hated how she came into your life and made things enjoyable before leaving. That’s it. You hated that she left. You knew you could never hate Jackie Taylor. You just missed her so much. You remember the day that the soccer loving girl came into your life and left a big indent.

You could admit you were never a “glass half full” person. You saw things how they were and maybe, just maybe, you were a little dramatic. But, could you blame yourself? Your mom split the gig when you were young. “A free spirit” is what your dad said she was with a sad smile on his face as he held your little body close to him. Since then you realized that no one stays. You were in high school now though and soon it was your turn to leave. It was a normal day in class when you felt someone sit next to you. Weird. No one sat in the seat next to you. You looked up to see popular girl and girl’s soccer captain Jackie Taylor. Jackie Taylor who has also been your crush since freshman year. Jackie Taylor who you swore you thought was the only constant in your life. She smiled and looked at you with those eyes you swore made your heart stop, “There’s a project and we are supposed to pick a partner. Everybody else seems paired up. Will you be my partner?” Did you really zone out that much? You felt your head move before your mouth, nodding. You saw her eyes light up and she began talking to you again, “So I was thi-” The rest of the class went by in a blur but you could swear you agreed to go to her house later at some point. Jackie smiled again at you as she packed up her things, “Okay. See you at my house after school!” Alright.Yep.You did. Great. 

You rubbed the piece of paper that Jackie had given you as she left class. Her address. You looked at the house as you got out of your truck. Fancy. You walked up to the door and knocked on it. The door swung open and Jackie stood there in shorts and a tank top. You tried your best not to stare at the way she looked.. human. Not like the popular girl that everyone adored. She excitedly invited you in and led you to her bedroom. You looked gazed at the walls as you went up the stairs. Jackie looked like she had the perfect family from what it seemed on the photos. You followed her into her room as she sat on the bed. You closed the door behind you as per her order. She patted the spot next to her and you sat down. God. This girl can ask you to jump and you’d say “how high.” You went to take your notebook out of your bag but a hand on your arm stopped you.

 She smiled and you could feel your stomach do flips, “Hey.. We got like a week to work on it. Let’s talk. You are so mysterious. I wanna know what goes on inside that head.” 

You let out a small chuckle and you could swear you hung the stars by the way she looked at you, “I’m mysterious, huh? You’ve been watching me or something, Taylor?” By the blush on Jackie’s face and the way she refused to look at you, you guessed you caught her. 

She nodded, “I mean how could I not? You are always so quiet even if the world around you is loud. You walk through crowds like there is no one around you. I think that has been the first time I’ve heard you talk or laugh besides earlier in class. To be honest, I’ve never really wanted to know a person more.” 

You shrugged at her words, but on the inside it felt like your body was on fire. She watched you that much? She paid attention? Does it matter though? You reminded yourself that nobody stays. She’ll leave too. But maybe- just maybe. Maybe she won’t. You took a deep breath. Let’s see.

Jackie had just won the game for her team. She was going to national’s and you couldn’t be more proud of her. You guys have been together for a year now and to say you loved her would be an understatement. Jackie has remained the light in your life. The one thing that you knew couldn’t be taken away. She made sure to remind you. Nights of curling up and her holding you as you sobbed. Her quiet whispers of “I’m here, baby. I’m not going anywhere. You’re okay.” solidified that. By the time you were at the sidelines, Jackie had already run up to you and jumped into your awaiting arms. You smiled wide and kissed her cheek as you spun the two of you. You laughed, “Congratulations, my love. You did it! You’re going to nationals! I’m so fucking proud of you, lovergirl.” You set her down and she looked at you with the same look she did a year ago, like you hung the stars in the sky. Jackie pulled you into a kiss that was full of sweetness and passion. It was her in a nutshell. She pulled away, “You’ll be there too, right? At nationals? I can’t do this without my cheerleader.” You smiled and knew what the answer was already. You would follow her until the end of time. Your lovergirl.

Jackie left. She fucking left. She lied. She lied. She lied. She lied. You hated her so much. She left the cabin. She left you here alone. She’s dead. She lied. You held your head in your hands and sobbed. Your whole body shook with the force of your sobs. If you had been there, you could have done something. Anything. You decided to check the traps before bed and camped out in the wilderness. Luckily, the overnight snowfall didn’t snuff out the fire in the little cave you camped in. When you got closer to camp is when you heard Shauna’s sobs. In the mix of the crying, you heard Jackie’s name. Jackie. What happened to Jackie. You ran faster than ever. When you got to the cabin and saw Shauna shaking a frozen Jackie, you stopped in your tracks.  You wanted to scream. You wanted to cry. Hell, even a word would have done good.You felt like a little kid again when your mom left, but this time there wasn’t your dad to hold you. Would he have said the same thing about Jackie? The lie about her being a “free spirit?” That didn’t matter now. You just stared and realized your lovergirl was gone.

No one could replace Jackie is what you told yourself even years later when the surviving members of the YellowJackets got rescued. Including you. Your lovergirl was one-of-a-kind. The only one for you. But, she is gone now and you were alone. You took a long sip of the beer in your hand as you sat on your couch in your apartment. The rest of them moved on with their lives. You moved on too. Well as good as you could. Inside, you knew you were back there. In her bedroom with her. Your lovergirl. You stared at yourself in the blank TV screen. You moved your head to the left and there she sat. Your lovergirl. You knew it wasn’t her. She was gone because she lied. She stared back at you with that look from all those years ago, “Baby, I thought we were gonna drop that mysterious act. It took me so long to find that personality you hid from everyone..” You smiled and just stared at her. Even if it wasn’t her. You sighed, “You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you..” She smiled and you felt like a teenager again. You looked back at the TV screen and it was just you. Only you. Your lovergirl was gone.

[hanjisungs-bigtittyg0thgf]

Kinktober Day 27: Public sex with San

Trigger warnings:

Content warnings: names (sweetheart, baby, princess, baby girl), oral (f rec), fingering, protected/unprotected sex, public sex (it's in the name babes), slight hair pulling, you're both sickeningly in love, virgin!reader

Summary: Your best friend decides to show you around his workplace after hours.

A/N: hi all 🥰 after much consideration, i’ve decided to repost my kinktober 2022 stories. i had a great time writing these a couple years ago and want to share them again now that it’s been a while and i’ve had time to fall in love with them again. i hope you all enjoy! and by all means, feel free to send a message or comment here if you’d like to be part of the new tag list!

Tags: @bahng-chrizz

Smut below the cut

“And this is one of our smaller storage areas. It’s actually a conference room but it’s never used for meetings so we store some of our equipment in here.” He explained, pushing the door open. The fluorescent lighting was harsh, making the white walls appear almost clinical as you took in the stacks of chairs and the large round tables propped up against the walls. You offered a somewhat-nervous smile as you stepped into the tiny room, taking note of a small pile of large throw pillows to your left. “It’s not much but it’s what I could put together. Sorry it’s nothing fancy…” He chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with one hand while shoving the other in his pocket.

“Hey, I never asked for perfection. We’re hooking up at your work. I just wanted it to be you.” You murmured, placing your things on the lone chair by the door where he’d left his Sprite when he’d finished preparing everything and had come to retrieve you from your car. You’d been somewhat romantically involved for two months now after almost a decade of friendship and the two of you had decided tonight would be the night that he took your virginity. You’d agreed to come to the hotel where he worked on your way back to your college town since you’d been visiting your family before finals week.

He didn’t say much else, just nodded and looked down at you as he stepped a bit closer. “Then…are you ready?” You nodded in response, placing your glasses with your purse and slipping your knockoff Birkenstocks off your feet as he cut the lights. The light from the hall poured in through the window on the door and street light filtered through the window in the corner as he turned back to you, standing half a foot taller and making you feel tiny under his gaze.

His lips met yours in a gentle kiss and you let out a soft sigh. It wasn’t the first kiss you’d shared with him, but it was certainly the most passionate - so far. He threaded a hand into your hair, giving a curious tug, and you gripped his sides as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. You were anxious. It felt like you were doing something you shouldn’t be doing. To be fair, you were. You weren’t supposed to be having sex in a relatively public area. But what you were more nervous about was the fact that it was your first time. You were always taught that you weren’t supposed to have sex outside of marriage and this entire plan felt like some huge secret that you’d only be able to share with your two best friends.

You went with it though, letting him guide you towards the pile of pillows. “Why don’t you lay down, sweetheart?” You didn’t speak, simply complied with his request. He joined you, slotting himself between your legs. His weight was comforting as he caught your lips in another kiss and you had the passing thought that you wouldn’t mind staying like this afterwards, holding him to your chest.

You gasped as he bit your lip before trailing kisses down your neck. You’d never been intimate with anyone before but you knew how sensitive your neck was and so did he, given your previous conversations from your teen years and the ones that led to the formation of this plan. His large hands slipped under your band tee, splaying out over your ribcage, and you tangled your hands in his sandy blonde hair. “San…” You breathed out his name, eyes slipping shut as he sank his teeth into your skin.

He was mapping your body, taking in every curve as his hands began to roam freely. His kisses trailed towards your chest, leaving tiny wet patches on your shirt as he kneaded your breasts after tugging your bra down just enough to free them. Without warning, he pulled away, sitting up between your legs. “Can I take these off?” He asked, trailing his hands down your sides and hooking his fingers in the waistband of your shorts. It tickled and you had to fight not to laugh. You nodded enthusiastically and he peeled them off your body along with your panties, tossing them aside. You were hesitant to spread your legs but he placed his hands on your knees and gently pulled them apart. “Show me, baby.” You let him guide your legs apart and he bit his lip hard as he groaned. “Perfect…”

He wasted no time in moving down to settle on his belly, kissing at your thighs once he was comfortable. His arms were hooked under your legs and his hands were ghosting back and forth over your thighs, earning soft gasps with each teasing motion. You were drenched. Despite this being your first time, it was like he’d known your body for years. He knew exactly how to work you up and he was determined to get you off. “You’re so wet for me, baby.” His murmur made you flush red.

Finally, his tongue traced over your folds and you bit your lip. All it took was one taste for him to lose himself, immediately devouring you like a man starved. Each flick of his tongue, each suckle on your clit had you on the verge of moaning his name. You frowned each time he pulled back for air. You couldn’t help it, you were greedy for his touch.

Your head spun when he slid a finger, then another into you. “San…” You whispered, afraid to be loud despite already wanting to scream for him. You tugged at his hair when he curled his fingers and sucked on your clit, your back arching.

But all too soon, he was pulling away.

He was quick to shuck his jeans and boxer briefs, looking down at you with hazy eyes. “Do you want me to wear a condom?” You nodded shyly, biting your lip as he towered over you from his position between your legs. You watched as he took the rubber from the foil packet and rolled it on. You expected him to put it in immediately but he simply draped your thighs over his and rutted against you, allowing the tip to catch on your entrance before pulling back. If you hadn’t been so timid, you would’ve demanded he hurry up.

Finally, he put it in, but only gave you a few centimeters before backing out, as if to ease himself into you. You understood why - many women talk about the pain they experience the first time they do it. But you felt no discomfort at the intrusion and you felt yourself growing impatient. “Is this okay?” He asked, rocking his hips as he leaned down to kiss you, which he only did after you assured him you were okay. You could taste yourself on his lips and it made you dizzy. He hadn’t lied when he’d murmured into your pussy how sweet you were.

It was a brief kiss, much to your dismay, but you let out a hushed whine when he found his rhythm and you knew he pulled back just to hear your sounds uninterrupted. Each thrust drove you further up the little nest of pillows as he began to grow more comfortable with what was happening given your positive reactions. He sat up between your legs, speeding up the tiniest bit. When he realized he was fucking you so hard he was pushing you away, he gripped the tops of your thighs and yanked you back down towards him, drawing out another small sound from you. Fuck that was hot.

But it was what happened next that made your head spin.

His face twisted into something primal as he slid his hands up your clothed torso until they circled around your throat and gave a gentle squeeze. You keened, involuntarily clenching around him, and he held steady like that as he slammed into you. You pouted when he released his hold on you but you ultimately adored the care he was taking with you. He wanted to make your first time as comfortable and pleasurable as possible, not only because sex was something you didn’t take lightly, but also because you were someone who was very precious to him and he’d rather die than cause you harm. So instead of choking you until your vision swam, he was careful and decided to wind you up another way.

He leaned down and bit between your breasts, tugging lightly at your bra and tee. The act was simple but intoxicating to you and you felt your walls tighten in response. He gave a cocky grin as he pulled back, slowing his motions before pulling out entirely. “Flip over, princess.” You complied, eager to please him.

You settled into position, your head resting on your arms while you wiggled your ass in the air at him. Your back was arched and he made a comment about you being a natural at this position as he nudged your legs just a bit further apart. You felt a sense of pride at his words.

You jumped when he slapped your ass, lifting your head from the cradle of your arms and leaning forwards as you hissed. Fuck that felt good…

He pulled you back towards him and you laid your head back down on your arms, relaxing once more. With one hand on your hip, he guided his cock back into you and cursed under his breath. He set a rough pace and you whimpered quietly, biting the back of your hand as his fingers dug into your hips.

The sound of skin slapping filled the cramped room, mingling with your combined ragged breathing. You could tell this was one of his favorite positions by the way he was losing himself in you and you couldn’t help but feel a little powerful. He was losing control because of you and the way you gave yourself to him.

One hand moved from your hips and tangled itself in your hair. You braced yourself for what you knew was coming but still couldn’t contain the sound you made when he pulled you up by your hair, forcing your back against his chest. “Sannie, please-” You moaned, begging for more. It felt so good.

But it also wasn’t enough. He intuitively knew that if the two of you carried on like this, he’d cum but it would take even longer to get you off. So after a few minutes of wrecking you from behind, he stopped and pulled out.

You laid back down, flipping over on your back and looking up at him with a little grin. He grabbed his Sprite and took a big gulp before offering the bottle to you. You sat up and took it, sipping at the drink as he spoke. “Are you okay? Is this okay?”

You sidled up next to him with a ghost of a smile after capping the bottle, reaching up to stroke his hair out of his face. He looked massive beside you but his words were so small, as if he were afraid of your answer. “Of course I’m okay, you’re making sure of that. And if there’s anyone I trust, it’s you, Sannie.”

His expression shifted rapidly from anxious to surprised and once more to adoration. “Y/n…” He looked at you with so much love that your own heart threatened to burst. It was anyone’s guess as to why you two weren't actually a couple yet when you were both so clearly in love.

You stayed like that for a few minutes, stroking his hair and gently scratching his scalp as he looked at you with great fondness. When he did finally speak, it was softer but more confident. “I want you to touch me, baby girl.” He requested, already reaching for your hand.

You moved between his legs, sitting on your knees as you looked up at him. You wrapped your hand around his dick and gave an experimental tug, smiling to yourself when his breath hitched. You took this as a sign to continue and quickly found your rhythm, gently squeezing and dragging your thumb over the head on the upstroke. “Fuck, princess, have you been practicing?” You giggled quietly and shook your head. “Your grip is fucking perfect, baby…” He groaned and you lit up at the praise. You continued to flick your wrist, not bothering to fix the condom that had started to slip off. Truthfully, it wasn’t your intent to take it off, but you didn’t mind.

You watched as his head tipped back, exposing the column of his throat. You wanted to litter his skin with kisses. You couldn’t deny yourself that pleasure and leaned towards him, pressing your lips to his neck in a series of sloppy kisses. He moaned as your teeth raked over his feverish skin and you felt pride swell in your chest once more as he mumbled out praises.

It didn’t take him long to stop you and push you back onto the pillows, once more dragging you towards him and bunching your shirt in the process. You bit your lip and watched as he gave himself a couple strokes. “Are you okay with this?” He asked, referring to taking him without protection. You paused but nodded a moment later. It was stupid to do this without a condom but you were curious to find out if it really felt different without one.

He pushed in and forced your knees towards your chest, rolling his hips fluidly. You felt your whole body light up with a fresh wave of arousal as he filled you once more. It did feel better without a condom. The sound he drew from you was pathetic but he loved it. He set a slow pace, delivering powerful thrusts only to lazily pull back and repeat his actions. The drag of his cock along your walls felt heavenly and you thought for sure that you’d meet your maker if he kept up with the excruciatingly slow pace. He noticed your reaction to him taking his time to pull almost all the way out only to be rapidly filled once more and smirked to himself. This is how he’d get you off.

The teasing was driving you mad and he knew that but he refused to stop. He knew you loved it just by the way you writhed beneath him. “Touch yourself for me, baby girl.” You eagerly complied, isolating your middle finger and rubbing tight circles on your clit. “Good girl, just like that.”

You whimpered at the praise and the names and sped up a bit, feeling heat pooling in your belly. It wouldn’t take much more for you to cum. He knew it too, judging by the way your walls tightened around his thick cock, and he had to fight to maintain composure.

Despite his efforts, he failed, pulling out and cumming across your exposed belly with stuttered breaths. Your eyes flew open as your impending orgasm was ripped away from you but you couldn’t bring yourself to be frustrated when you saw how pretty he looked.

His jaw hung slack, lips forming a pretty ‘o’, and his brow creased. His beachy tresses were sticking to his forehead as beads of sweat ran down his neck and disappeared into his shirt. His body jerked slightly as he climaxed and you could only think about how perfect he looked like that, could only wonder if he looked even more gorgeous when he was fully disrobed.

You wanted to tell him how beautiful he was but he pulled back, pressing a kiss to your calf as he sat up. “Fuck, ‘m sorry, baby girl. Lemme make it up to you.” He whispered and you nodded dumbly, not caring what he did anymore. You just knew you needed to cum and you knew he was going to make that happen. You trusted him to manipulate your body as he saw fit.

He laid on his stomach between your legs and slid two fingers inside you, starting gently but speeding up when you didn’t give an immediate response. Slow and steady thrusts only seemed to work when it was his dick inside you, not his fingers. “Tell me what you need, baby.”

“C-curl…” You whimpered, gesturing with your hand the motion you wanted. He instantly complied and rammed his fingers into you, fending off a smirk when your back arched. “There!” You moaned weakly, your high-pitched voice breathy and barely above a whisper.

He alternated between careful strokes and full-on finger-fucking, watching as you fell apart under his touch. Each time his digits dragged over your g-spot, you let out a pathetic sound and squirmed. You grew steadily louder and let out a soft cry when he tapped your sweet spot a few times, legs beginning to shake.

“San- fuck- ‘m so close-” You declared far louder than you should’ve. His free hand made its way to yours and your heart throbbed as he locked his fingers with yours. Hand holding during sex was something you adored - well, you adored the idea of it. It was such a simple act of intimacy and it grounded you a bit, making you feel cared for as your body burned up with passion.

“Let go, sweetheart.” San cooed, his voice far too soft and loving for your current position. You squeezed his hand and let out another soft cry, back arching as liquid bliss filled your veins. “Just like that. That’s right. Good girl.” He coached, leaning down to press his lips to your knuckles as he continued to work you through your orgasm, which was hitting you like a freight train.

He only halted his motions when your walls stopped spasming around his digits. When he pulled his fingers out of you, he immediately brought them to his lips and sucked them clean. He untangled himself from you and quickly cleaned your tummy before leaning back over you and catching your lips in a sweet kiss. You could taste yourself again and your head spun like before.

He was about to start whispering sweet nothings when the door started to open. He jumped away from you, grabbing the handle to stop the intruder from seeing everything. As soon as the door was closed again, he turned to you with a slightly panicked expression. “We have to go.”

You nodded dumbly and got up, giggling to yourself as you tugged your panties and shorts back on. You already couldn’t wait to get home and shower. He continued to apologize but you cut him off as you slid your sandals back on. “Babe, relax. No first time is perfect. But this was damn near close.” You smiled up at him before grabbing your things. “Besides, who else can say their best friend helped them cross off one of the biggest items on their sex bucket list? And during their first time, no less.”

He chuckled softly at that and took your hand as you exited the room. The walk to the loading dock was quiet but he spoke up as you stepped outside. “Luckily, I know the guy and he won’t say anything.”

“Thank god. But can you help me with the stairs? My legs are kind of shaking.”

“Because we just got caught?” He teased as he helped you down the few steps to the ground.

“No, because you just gave me one of the best orgasms of my life and I’m still recovering.” You deadpanned before giggling at his stunned expression.

He recovered quickly and gave you a grin as you approached your car. “Well next time I’ll see to it that you can’t walk at all.” He teased, leaning in to peck your lips. “Call me once you’re on the interstate. I wanna make sure you get back to your apartment safely.”

“Yes sir.” You bit your lip to suppress the massive smile that tugged at your lips. His expression changed to one of want once more but he forced himself not to bend you over right there in the parking lot and instead pulled you in for another kiss.

When he pulled back, he waited for you to get in your car and lock the doors before heading towards his own car. Once you were on the road, you called him. You made small talk for a few minutes before he started praising you again and your cheeks went a soft pink. You allowed yourself to silently scream and giggle as you talked about what had just transpired then hit him with a remark that you found absolutely hilarious. “I just think it’s funny that the first thing your mom ever said to me was to tell me how much she admired my modesty and then ten years later I fucked her son.”

He let out a choked laugh, clearly surprised by your words, and sighed. “I’m gonna get you for that. Come by mine after finals are over and I’ll make sure the last of that modesty is gone.”

[lil-oreo-crumbles]

Helloo, I am an Eclipsa fan like you and I am wondering what it would be like if you could make a special episode for Eclipsa in the show:)

Hey!! Fellow Eclipsa fan let’s go!! ♠️ :D

I’ve dwelled on this question for a while. Considering I have an entire AU where she is a very prominent supporting character and the best friend of the protagonist, it should’ve been pretty easy to answer this, but I’d never thought about this question in an episode format before.

Considering you mean an Eclipsa episode during the events of the show (part of why this question was so difficult), I’m going to talk about a brief concept I’ve given some thought to over the last few days. I don’t know where this would be in the show’s timeline, somewhere in Season 4, but I’m not sure exactly where.

Here goes:

Eclipsa is a character that I love for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons I love her so much is because of how flawed she is as a person. The obvious ones are her impulsivity and only thinking about herself in a lot of situations (aka selfishness), but I focus on her flaws in relation to monsters and their treatment. Most of the fandom praises Eclipsa because she by far treats them the best than any Butterfly before her, but it doesn’t mean she’s a tried and true monster ally. Not only did she fancy them in the first place soley because of her attraction toward them, but she has a LOT of anti-monster biases ingrained into her that still persist to this day. The biggest one is her adversity to the Septarians and the creation of a spell specifically to kill them based on rumors and word of mouth from Globgor (another anti-Septarian biased party), but she’s still not perfect in other regards. She has a lot to unlearn and educate herself about. Eclipsa is just as capable as any other Butterfly of mistreating monsters, even if she’s put in YEARS of effort of unlearning already.

This is NOT to discount the work Eclipsa already put in, she’s BY FAR the best towards monsters and makes efforts during the show to ensure their fair treatment (the Monster/Queen breakfast, returning to their homes to them, and creating new monster town), but she falls short in many areas. She works within the system the Butterflies set up (it disadvantages monsters by design and needs to be uprooted and replaced) and she thinks “peace” between Mewmans and Monsters can be solved quickly and easily— not only in modern day but back in her time when her mother was OPENLY COMMITTING GENOCIDE. She’s hopeful and optimistic but that line of thinking is grossly simplistic and fails to acknowledge the real areas of hurting by thinking a situation rooted in colonialist violence and genocide can be solved with “peace and harmony” and “bringing monsters and mewmans together” quickly and easily with no fuss.

Not only that, but most of her focus throughout Season 4 is Eclipsa trying to win the Mewmans on her side. She hardly faces any adversity from monsters and the Mewmans are practically all she’s focused on. She’s trying to win allyship and respect from her Mewman subjects and not the monsters. She’s neglecting the very people she claims to ally with so much.

So, if I were to write her an episode, what would I do?

Not sure about the exact details, but it’d be an episode focused on her relationship with monster civilians. Her being put in a situation where she realizes that the monsters also don’t like her too much just like the Mewmans don’t, but for vastly different reasons. She’d be called out and confronted with a situation she can’t just quickly wave her wand and make peace with. Her biases would be brought to light and she’d be faced with the realization that she needs to do better for the monsters she’s grown to care about so much and not just the Mewmans. She needs to earn their trust too. She’d actually put in time and effort to help with the situation in a personal way that proves that she is trying and putting in work and it isn’t just lip service or backhanded “peace” attempts without anything substantial behind it (I look not so subtly at Comet Butterfly). She’s being selfless and buckles down to get her hands dirty and makes real strides to amend her actions. She’s a queen who doesn’t stay up in her castle letting her subjects do whatever, but she dresses down, puts away her wand, rolls up her sleeves, and works alongside her people as an equal.

This would not instantly win over the monsters— they still wouldn’t have her full trust— but it’d be the first baby step in actually winning that trust. She has a lot to make up for and unlearn, but the thing I love about Eclipsa the most is that she TRIES. I love that she PUTS IN THE EFFORT. I love that she IS SELF-REFLECTIVE. I LOVE that she has flaws, but I love that she’s ALWAYS SEEKING TO IMPROVE HERSELF.

I think this episode would lead to the more democratic “the decision should be with the people” stance she takes in Cornonation. It’d be subtly foreshadowing a self-reflective look at the system her family set up being fundamentally flawed and her making actual strides to eventually uproot it. She’s still flawed, I’ll fully admit it’d be a HUGE step out of her comfort zone to dismantle the monarchy, but it’d hint toward that conclusion being the one she reaches.

Oh. Also. Star and Marco would not be in this episode. This is an Eclipsa/Meteora solo adventure. This episode does NOT need Star’s stupid fucking ass condescending bullshit and disrespect towards Eclipsa. Eclipsa is doing this independently without Star fucking Butterfly holding her hand or scolding her or any of that STUPID bullshit. Star and Marco would be nowhere near this event, they’d leave at the beginning of the episode off somewhere and leave her to it.

But yeah! It’s very bare bones, and I’m sure I could craft something better if I had more time, but that’s what I could come up with in a few days. Essentially an episode furthering her character arc and addressing her failings toward the monsters and how she works to our in substantial effort improving that relation with no magic shortcuts or quick “peace.” Tangible and active character growth for my second favorite character ♠️

[kerwynlar]

i'd love to hear about what you've got planned for the egg cycle universe!

- andy

Hey hey Andy! Thanks so much for the ask!

(For others: over on this post I’ve listed my current WIPs and I’m asking which ones you want to know more about.)

The formatting got a little wonky on that post, so just to be clear, the 4 things listed under Egg Cycle are all in the Egg Cycle universe. I’ll tell you about two of them here and may reblog with the others as time/inclination/other asks dictate.

First up: K’loory can’t handle human beer.

This one takes place shortly after K’loory and Keene get together when they’re dating and both trying to be “normal” about each other. (This works better for K’loory because even though they fell extremely hard for Keene, they at least have a sense of what normal is supposed to look like. Keene is vaguely aware of the concept of chill and that he should have it, but growing up in a mercenary band hasn’t exactly given him many examples of healthy relationship dynamics. He is obsessed.) So they’re in port on a planet and go on a date to a human bar and order fried potatoes and beer, which K’loory has never had. After the first few sips K’loory is starting to feel really loose, but chalks it up to enjoying themself with Keene. After half a pint, K’loory is very tipsy and they can’t finish their glass before they’re completely sloshed. They are a hiccuping, belching, bloated mess and a bemused Keene needs to get them back to the ship. Not for nothing, I will direct you to this post on intox kink.

Second, K’loory overeats while wearing a corset. This one was born out of @pizza--my--heart ‘s story Without His Edges (which you should go read immediately) and me getting obsessed with the idea of Belly Stuff related to corset-wearing. So K’loory wants to go to a meeting of a big trade federation to get some new business and they find out that all the important people (the CEOs, the government officials, the ship captains) at this meeting are going to be wearing corsets. So K’loory gets an appropriate one and they and Keene go. There is a lot of food at this meeting and people keep offering it to K’loory and they’re eating a lot with their belly all cinched tight … and I think I’ll leave it there because while you may be able to guess where this is going, I would like to maintain a bit of surprise for if/when I post it.

The other two Egg Cycle universe stories are more convoluted with more world building and new alien species, so those will take me a bit more time to write up.

I so so so appreciate your interest, Andy! Have a great day/night/whatever!

And for everyone else, please check out the WIP post and let me know if there’s anything that strikes your fancy.

[barren-heart]

From Panera Bread You Came, To Panera Bread You Shall Return.

Guillermo's been working at Panera Bread for about a week now. Luckily, his old manager agreed to give him his old job back.

A Nandermo first kiss one-shot

Blood and violence. Hurt/comfort. Somewhat Christmas-themed. No death. Post-s5. Nandor/Guillermo.

Author’s note: I wanted to write in script format, but got too lazy tbh and I also wanted to keep some of the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Canon compliant for the most part.

Bright lights flicker in a near-empty Panera. The lampposts outside are lit, as snow drifts towards the ground in thick piles.

In the lobby, Guillermo mops the floor. He’s focusing on a spill of broccoli cheddar soup that accidentally fell off the table as he was cleaning. He sees the cameras and waves them in.

“So, yeah,” Guillermo says. He sits at a table, camera facing. His title reads, Former Familiar and Bodyguard. Panera Bread Employee. “You can probably tell that I’m no longer working for Nandor and the vampires. I moved out about a week ago, I guess.”

A flashback to Guillermo cleaning up his room at the Vampire Residence. He takes his suitcases and the vampire portrait of him and Nandor. The room is just as empty as when he moved in.

“It was just getting a bit, you know, sad,” Guillermo continues. “Not being a vampire anymore, I just didn’t really feel like I could go back to being a familiar. So,” he pauses, “I left.”

A cut back to Guillermo looking at Nandor’s closed coffin as he lays a letter on the table. A moment later, a cut to Nandor picking up the letter as his face grows solemn.

“I’m trying to find my purpose in this world now.” Guillermo smiles. “There’s so…so many possibilities of who I can be. I have my whole life ahead of me. But, searching for your next passion doesn’t really pay the bills. So, in the meantime, I got my old job back at Panera. So that’s…that’s good.”

The documentary crew flashes edits of Guillermo performing various duties inside of Panera. Kids run into tables, knocking food onto the floor. Loud customers shout at him as Guillermo tries to remain calm.

When the camera cuts back to Guillermo’s talking head, his smile fades. “Can’t believe this time, last week I was mopping up blood in the Fancy Room, and now I’m mopping up soup.” He laughs. “Crazy how things could change so quickly.”

“Guillermo?” A man behind the counter says. “Do you mind taking the trash out?”

Guillermo stands, ending the talking head segment. “Yeah. I can do that. Sorry.”

“Oh no, take your time,” The man says smiling to the cameras. “I’m sorry, did I come off as a bit aggressive there? I’ve been working on not sounding too demanding, you know? I learned that from the Being a Better Boss self-help book I read last summer.”

“You’re good, Chris.” Guillermo laughs to himself. His boss has no idea the orders he was given as a familiar. “I’ll take it out now.”

“Okay, be careful out there,” Chris says. “It’s looking like a blizzard. Haven’t seen snow like this since when I was a kid in Vermont.”

The camera follows Guillermo as he grabs his coat and scarf. The cold is much harsher with the wind.

He drags the rather heavy bags of trash out the back door. He can barely see as he lifts the trash bags into the dumpster. It was nothing like the human bodies he would bag daily for the vampires. Come to think of it, taking a whiff outside, maybe there is rotten flesh in there?

“Guillermo, is that you?” A voice calls out.

Guillermo immediately recognizes the voice. It’s his master, or ex-master now? He left the vampire residence so suddenly that he wasn’t really sure anymore.

Out of the shadows, Nandor appears. His hair disheveled and cape covered in snow. Almost like he’d been there for hours.

Guillermo meets him under a streetlight. “Have you been waiting here for me?”

“Yes. Not long, though. Maybe two…or three hours?”

“Three-three hours?”

“I didn’t want to disturb you while you worked,” Nandor says. “So, I waited here until you were done.” Nandor points to a body slumped against the wall of the building. “I had a light snack while I waited.”

“That would explain the rotten corpse smell…” Guillermo whispers to the camera.

"I like what you've done with the place." Nandor observes the scenery. "Very twinkly lights."

“Oh, no that’s the…you know…” Guillermo stops, knowing well he shouldn’t say Christmas in front of Nandor. His voice lowers to a whisper, “Holiday lights.”

“Your roommates must be so festive. So very human and not vampires at all.” There’s a smile on Nandor’s face, but it’s absent of joy. If Nandor could tell the truth, it’s painful that Guillermo left again, this time to be with humans.

“Uh, yeah. They…they are human.” Guillermo says. "Do you think I live here?"

"Well, now that you don't live with us anymore, I thought you would move in where you work."

"Actually," Guillermo says, his eyes on the snowy ground beneath him. "I live with my mom now."

"Oh, Silvia?" Nandor genuinely smiles. He enjoyed Guillermo's mothers’ company the last time he saw her. So kind and full of energy. And so many photos of Guillermo. "How is she?"

"She's doing-" Guillermo begins to say. “Wait. How did you find me? I never said I was going to work here.”

“I thought you would return to something familiar. Just seemed like something all humans do. I flew around to all the Paneras in the area, until I saw you in the window. I came to congratulate you on your new job.”

Guillermo smiles to himself. “Oh, I thought you’d be upset that I left.”

“I’m not upset. I actually think that it’s okay.”

A cut to talking heads of Nandor in his room. “Am I happy with Guillermo for leaving? Of course not. But, I’m not upset. Little rascal is probably thinking about apologizing right now. He’s probably on his way home. What, it’s been, like, just a few days?”

Someone talks offscreen.

“A week?” Nandor says.“Really? Oh. Maybe I should try and find him, then?”

When the camera cuts back, Nandor says, “I know you were looking to find some greater purpose and you’ve found it here at…The Panera Bread.”

Nandor gives a quick look to the camera.

“Uh, yeah,” Guillermo says. “Well, it’s-it’s temporary. I, uh, don’t really have much of a work history with 14 years working as a familiar. Uh, my old boss is actually still working here and got me my job back.”

“That asshole?” Nandor says, remembering the guy was such a dick. “Yes, I remember. Fucking guy.”

“He’s actually pretty cool now. Mellowed out a lot.”

“Oh?” Nandor says. “That’s-that’s great that you have such a mellow boss. Really…cool.”

A moment of silence passes between them.

“How’s the gang?” Guillermo says, wistful. “I miss them.”

“They’re, you know. Moving on. Doing lots of things. With stuff. Vampire stuff.”

Guillermo feels a pang in his heart. He shouldn’t expect a heartfelt plea to come back, especially with how sudden he left. It still feels like it was the right thing to do in the moment.

The sound of a door opens behind them. It’s Guillermo’s manager, Chris.

“Hey, just checking to see if you died.” He sniffs around. “Almost smells like someone died.”

Chris takes in the dead body. “Hey, what the fuck is that?!”

Nandor approaches Chris. “You will not remember seeing the dead body on the ground and will go back inside and finish your duties for the night.”

Before finishing his hypnosis, Nandor adds, “And you will give Guillermo a raise in pay.”

“Yeah, everything looks good,” Chris says, leaving. “I’ll see you inside. And hey, you’re getting a raise on your next check there, buddy.”

Once Chris is inside, Guillermo says, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I kinda did, though. Didn’t want him to remember the dead body there,” Nandor says whispering as if someone could overhear.

“I meant the raise part,” Guillermo says.

“Oh.” Nandor continues in a normal tone, “You deserve it. I know how hard you work. And how important it is to tell someone that you appreciate what they do for you. I want to wish you well in your new position. And I’m sure you will do just great.”

“Thank you, mast-” Guillermo stops. “Um, Nandor.”

Nandor doesn’t comment on the change of title. “Of course.”

“I should probably get back inside,” Guillermo says. “Fly safe. It’s really snowy out here.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Guillermo turns towards the camera, away from Nandor. A few tears well up in his eyes.

“Oh, Guillermo?” Nandor says. “One last thing.”

Guillermo faces him again, sniffing his tears back. “Yeah?”

Nandor steps closer. He reaches inside his cape, and pulls out a dozen of flattened red roses. “I forgot to give you these.”

“Flowers?” Guillermo sniffs them. A few are wilted, and some petals fall to the ground.

“Sorry. They were alive when I picked them.”

“Wait. You picked them? It’s the middle of winter.”

“Yes. I picked them from a nice grave I found while flying.”

“A grave?” Guillermo eyes go wide.

“Yes,” Nandor continues earnestly. “I saw them lying there and I thought of you.”

“You did?”

Nandor continues, “And I wanted to tell you that…I’ve missed you.”

“Really?” Guillermo swallows. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry for leaving. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay. I really wanted to stay. I just don’t know if I belong there anymore.”

“You do belong there, Guillermo. You were more than just my familiar, but my greatest companion. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Marwa’s wedding scene plays and then we cut back to Guillermo. The camera zooms in on his face. He grins, now realizing. “Maybe you don’t have to think about that.”

“What do you-“ But Nandor doesn’t finish as he notices Guillermo leaning in towards him. Nandor mimics him, leaning in as their lips finally meet. His hand brushes along Guillermo’s neck and down his coat. He wraps his arms around Guillermo’s waist.

A familiar feeling of heat creeps up Guillermo’s chest and into his throat. The hairs on his arms raise as he wraps his hands around Nandor’s shoulders.

A voice stirring breaks them apart.

“What was that?” Guillermo says.

The body against the wall moves. “Ughh. Is there anyone there?”

Guillermo eyes Nandor. “I thought you said he was dead?”

“Yeah, I thought so,” Nandor says. “I just had a little snack. I don’t think I drained him enough.”

“Hey there,” Guillermo says approaching the body. “I can help you. Are you okay?”

The man, probably in his 40’s, slowly stands while gripping onto the wall. “Yeah, I think-” He slips on a puddle of his own blood, his head hitting against the wall as he falls with a thud to the ground. He doesn’t move.

Guillermo covers his mouth in shock.

“I think he’s dead now,” Nandor says. He kneels beside him. “Little man, are you alive?”

Nothing.

Nandor rolls him over. “Maybe we let the snow cover him up?”

Guillermo sighs. “I’ll get a trash bag.”

When Guillermo comes back, they both toss the man into the dumpster.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Nandor starts, “that was the guy yelling at you earlier. I could see it through the window. He said some bad things about you as he left.”

Guillermo smiles to both Nandor and the cameras. “I think we should leave before any cops show up.”

“Good idea.” Nandor reaches his hand out to Guillermo. “Can I fly you home? I’m sure Silvia is worried about you.”

Guillermo puts his hand in Nandor’s. “How about our place instead?”

[monowires]

i got tagged by @darkanachronism to do this :) i’m too lazy for super fancy formatting though because it’s like five in the morning.

anyway, here are some things about akoryrr…

[ what is his personality? ]

well, akoryrr is an oath of vengeance paladin, so understandably he has quite a bit of anger. but you’d never be able to tell just by looking at him, because he puts a lot of effort into keeping himself calm—a level head is necessary if people are going to look to him to pass judgment on their problems.

he’s not afraid to hold his ground and isn’t easily persuaded to change his mind or opinion. this can cause tension between him and others at times, but before the tadpoles he didn’t really have any close relationships, so when he ends up with The Crew after the tadpoles he is kind of startled by how his stubbornness can clash with the others. early on, he clashes a bit with astarion, which makes bloodvenge so much better ‘cause then akoryrr’s like, “yeah we kind of didn’t get along at first but now he rails me 🥸” lmao

outside of being stubborn and somewhat brittle, he’s a very affectionate person once he trusts someone, and is also very protective. not just cause he’s a paladin, but his mom as well as his mentor (for paladin stuff) were both killed in the same situation which ended up being one of the main motivators for him taking the oath of vengeance. and now that he feels that he is actually capable of protecting the people he cares about, he does so with a lot of fervor.

[ what brings them joy? ]

whittling is something he picked up once he left the underdark. he also plays the violin! i don’t think he actually gardens, but he’d enjoy cultivating mushrooms given the chance, since it reminds him of home.

other than that, he gets a lot of fulfillment from protecting others, especially those who can’t protect themselves. though it is also true that he does place a bit too much of his own self worth in his ability to protect others.

he also loves rain! i don’t know how it works in the underdark, but being topside, he gets to see the way the clouds cover up the sun. he loves it when it storms at night because he gets to see the lightning in the dark sky. surface weather was very overwhelming for him at first, but he’s been topside for about a decade but the start of the game, so he’s grown accustomed to it.

once he’s with his partners, he becomes aware of how much he actually loves physical contact, which makes him a big cuddler. his favorite thing is to have gale be the big spoon while he’s the little spoon and curled up into astarion’s chest. he also would never admit it, but he loves being the sub in the relationship because it provides catharsis as a way of not needing to be in control like he is when he’s doing paladin things.

[ what are their dislikes? ]

i’ve never imagined akoryrr as being someone particularly opinionated when it comes to things outside of his work. that being said, he has plenty of dislikes in his line of work, such as:

• people who give him the “why would you help me? you’re a drow.” line (although this hurts him more than he’d ever admit)

• similarly, anyone who does anything to another person based solely on their race (or other identifiers)

• anyone who doubts his abilities as a paladin simply because he isn’t religious and doesn’t belong to a specific order

• people who presume him to be pretentious because he’s a paladin

• people who taunt him while thinking he won’t retaliate because of his oath

things not related to his work that he dislikes:

• when some drow find out that he’s trans, he can tell when they stop seeing him as an equal (or something resembling it) and instead see him as inferior (typically this only happened with drow who knew him before he transitioned)

• having his vitiligo visible when he’s around people he doesn’t know (an unfortunate constant due to it being on his face)

• people who behave as though they have authority over him (it’s a trauma thing)

• he can be sensitive to the sun sometimes

[ what are their fears? ]

• heights. he spent the first 20-25 years of his life in the underdark. most heights in the underdark don’t bother him, but this fear did appear before he left. ones that either surround him completely or are only seen when he’s on a narrow ledge can make him panic. on the surface, virtually any heights make him uneasy. this is especially true of ones that take him high up. not necessarily in the sky, but being on a tower or similar level would terrify him. he isn’t used to open skies, even now.

• he has to compulsively check to make sure the people he cares about are alive. this stems from having witnessed the murder of both his mother and his mentor.

• small, dark spaces make him panic. he was, at one point, held captive by other drow in the underdark, and he was alone in a completely dark cellar-like room with nothing but his chains to keep him company. he was so isolated that his screams were never heard. this is unfortunately reinforced by the nautiloid pods; having the tadpole forced into his eye (remember the cutscene at the beginning where the player’s head is forcefully turned) was a bit too reminiscent of his captivity.

• he’s terrified of not being able to protect the people he loves. this is why he is sometimes overbearing when it comes to keeping his people safe. he can, at times, disregard their feelings in favor of ensuring their safety. he would rather them be mad and alive than have them be dead because he wasn’t firm enough.

[ what is their alignment? ]

i’m not super familiar with how the system works, but i imagine that akoryrr is neutral good or chaotic good. he definitely has the right intentions, has a strict code he lives by, and protects the innocent and the weak, but he can also at times be blinded by his need to do the right thing.

an example of this would be consuming all of the tadpoles so that no one else in the group could. while to him this is less about power and more about keeping everyone safe and making sure that he’s the only one affected if there are negative consequences, to others it can seem like he’s keeping the power for himself.

that’s all! 💛

i don’t really have anyone to tag, but if you saw this and want to do it, feel free to say i tagged you or you’re posting as if i did!

[seabunnbunn]

~~~~~EUANTHE DUMP!!!!~~~~~

Here is some more Euanthe stuff I made a little bit ago. She has been on my mind as of late and all I wanna do is draw her morreeeee. However, *sigh* I have finals I have to do, so for now this must suffice. Most of her tattoos are Magic Tattoos from TCoE, but recently she got a new fun homebrew tattoo I found online called the Tattoo of the Peregrine which basically lets her sprout big ole wings. She is a druid, so she can wildshape, but her wings help in situations when I don’t really want to use up a wild shape just to use her crazy perception to scout out an area. This particular tattoo was given to her by Athena at a level up (I forgot which level but we are lvl 17 now, and it was pretty recent, so it may have been 17 idk) so I figured it’d be fun to use owl wings for the reference, plus I feel like of all of the owls, barn owls are the most Artemis coded, seeing as she is the champion of Artemis.

Omg her first full body piece I made!! This one for sure is a throwback. I was still exploring her character and trying to fit as much of it into her design as possible. I’ve got a soft spot for this piece even through she has changed a bit since then. I still imagine her armor like this, maybe a bit more leather here and there and some more fancy stuff since they’ve leveled up quite a bit since this piece was made but similar vibes. I don’t usually draw her in full armor just because I like drawing her tattoos so much, but here she is. Oh and how could I forget about Argos!! He is her oldest friend and the best boy in all the ancient greek world. She carved him out of marble she found in her woods one day a very long time ago. Before the campaign started, he would sit on a plinth at one side of the the forest Euanthe was tasked with caring for and greet travelers when they arrived at its borders. These particular woods can be quite disorienting, and many a traveller have gotten swallowed up entirely by its charms, so Euanthe and Argos existed there as guides as much as they were protectors.

This one dates itself… The character on the right is Hybris, champion of Dionysus, so this format was quite fitting lmao. This was following some events in campaign in which Hybris may or may not have accidentally made a child go blind and become a seer and almost get arrested and by proxy almost made the rest of the party get arrested… but its ok because he fixed it by starting a rager that got the entire city of Athens to get drunk and completely forget about it all… ah the memories…

Ah yes, the Albion arc…

Basically, we were in a place that was guarded by a special kind of magic which meant that we couldn’t contact our gods and they couldn’t see us (hence the lunar eclipse). Euanthe in particular, since she is basically just a living amphora, doesn’t sleep, so she spends most nights meditating in temples of Artemis with the other huntresses. This arc was particularly hard for her. Her relationship with Artemis is complicated. She knows that Artemis created her for a reason, but she doesn’t know what that reason is, and she worries that her love for Artemis has grown outside of the bounds it was meant to.

I do really like this piece, but it’s very unpolished and I would like to revisit it soon to finish it up and maybe add a few things.

Then there is this onneeee… soo basically, I love this character so much that I may or may not have brought her into a Curse of Strahd campaign. But it’s ok i swear because she’s different in CoS I swear. Several hundred years have passed since the events of her original campaign, and she has grown quite jaded since the fall of the Greek Pantheon. In the original campaign, she’s pretty bubbly and optimistic, so its a pretty fun character development to play with.

Anyway… I love her and miss her and just wanted to post these as I reminisce…

[gh0st-0f-luke]

Cat OMGOMGOMGGGG I am pretty sure lxc in "whether i’m gonna flip you off or pull you into the closet, i haven’t decided yet" was either observing this all happen and shipping wangxian in his heart or he's trying to save his bro and wwx from lqr for a bit more because the summary made it seem like this is all the compiled EVIDENCE against wangxian's sordid affair LMAO!! Also the fact results were INCONCLUSIVE ahahaha omg i cant stop laughing! as if the fic itself wasnt a hilarious masterpiece there's this lil detail... istg if i die laughing its your fault (compliment). There's a reason youre my fave crackfic writer everrrr. Thank you for writing another fic in this format and giving me more content of wwx who emails like the blog follower wwx in your other fic omgg! these both fics are competing for the spot of BEST CRACKFIC in my heart and i cant choose omg!!😍🥺🔥

P.S. please tell me anything and everything you wish to tell me about this fic including things you wanted to write that didnt fit in the fic, any behind the scenes stuff...anything aaahhh i am obsessed 🥺

P.P.S. I repeat, they fucked in that closet and more than once and i think atp everyone in the company knows but either stfu out of second-hand embarrassment or because it was TMI and theyre still scarred for life after waking in on this...or they ship wangxian and are glad for this...

Thanks again omg i love your crackfics so much youre an absolute crack/chatfic god! Have a spectacular rest of the week for all the happiness you brought this lowly one on period day 1!

LOL yes this is all the emails and slack messages relevant to their relationship that could be collected as evidence (personal texts and stuff outside of work was not admissible) and since lwj is in charge of HR this was escalated to lan xichen as vice president but luckily for wangxian he is either just totally blind to what is happening or (more likely) he is rooting for them hahahahaha so it’s kind of a cover-up but also…plausible deniability yk?

thank you so much <3333 i’ve been on such an epistolary kick these last few months hahahaha i kinda have an idea for a tgcf epistolary fic next but i’ll have to wait and see if any more wangxian ideas spark my fancy

p.s. idk!!??‽! suddenly there are no thoughts in my head lolol but i feel like the juniors def have a secret text gc off slack where they gossip about wangxian and i was considering doing like a second chapter with transcripts of interviews of various coworkers on whether they think wangxian broke any hr policies so the juniors would def have smth to say LOL or maybe a chapter with some bonus texts that are not admissible as part of the case file so they were discounted! but i’m tired after writing this fic so it won’t happen tooooo soon hahahaha just if i get inspired! i’m not sure if i would write what happens after the end of the fic bc to me it’s kinda fun how open-ended it is given that it’s a case file but never say never i suppose

p.p.s. they were absolutely using the supply closet for unprofessional purposes i fear but we’ll hope they were at least discreet about it

i hope u have a wonderful day as well!!!! i hope u survive ur period </3 and thank you <33333

[snekkyfics]

Snekker's Snippets #1

I swear I still write, just don't finish anything. But what's a tumblr blog if I can't post little bits of upcoming work?

(also Tumblr is throwing a fit with me about formatting so you get asterisks for now)

****

He asks Wilbur.

Well- sort of.

They’re sitting on the couch together- also sort of. Tommy’s become painfully aware of how much space he’s given by the Crafts. Wilbur keeps a decent-sized gap between them no matter what, Techno won’t do so much as sit on the bed with Tommy when they’re reading, and Phil has to be asked before he’ll even sit next to him.

It’s very… different.

Which automatically makes it annoying, because it’s different and strange and Tommy has already decided that’s bad.

But anyway,

They’re sitting on the couch together and watching a movie.

Still sort of. Wilbur’s engrossed in his phone and Tommy’s deep in thought under the guise of appreciating being let out of his room for once in his life.

(He made that joke when Wilbur propositioned the living room. Wilbur didn’t… he didn’t react much.)

Tommy’s thinking. Deep in thought. Profound thought. Much more profound than the fancy vase covered with probably expensive drawings on the mantle next to the TV.

And the question just sort of comes out.

“Wilbur?”

“Hmm?”

“I…” Tommy scrambled for a way to approach this. He may not be able to hold out asking any longer but he’s certainly going to be careful.

He catches Wilbur turning his phone off out of the corner of his eye, and he races to just spit it out before the tables turn on him.

“If you had to live in a motel, would you be fine with it?”

It’s absolutely not the best metaphor for the situation, but it does keep Wilbur from getting any more alert to the situation, and fuck it, Tommy was on short notice.

“I don’t know.” is Wilbur’s casual, unsatisfying answer. “Never been in a motel.”

He shrugs, and goes back to watching the movie.

Then he goes back to his phone when it buzzes and Tommy realizes that what his whole answer.

He tries again.

“...how about a hotel then?”

Wilbur shrugs again, “I’ve stayed in a few in my lifetime.”

Tommy waits eagerly. Tapping his fingers against the worn fabric of the couch.

Wilbur goes back to texting.

“And?” Tommy prompts further.

“And?”

“If you had to live in one, would you be fine with it?” Tommy repeats.

Wilbur sort of half-laughs.

“Why would I be living in a hotel?” he grins, eyes still not off the phone.

Tommy finds himself starting to mentally squirm.

“You just... are.” he says.

Wilbur starts scrolling through something.

“Now why would I go live in a hotel when I can stick around here for a hundred a month?” he absently asks in that light, teasing tone he likes to use with Tommy.

“Well, including chores. But it’s still better rates than what Techno’s getting.” he adds.

“This all about beating Techno?” Tommy asks, starting to grin along.

“Always, dear child. Always.” Wilbur responds.

“’m not a child.”

“Of course, dear child, of course.”

Tommy resists the urge to smack Wilbur with any one of the many conveniently-placed throw pillows on the couch with them, and instead goes back for the answer he needs to know.

“But would you be fine with it?” he asks again.

“Fine with what?”

“The hotel.”

“What hotel?”

The urge to throw something at that bespectacled face grows ever stronger.

“You’re a real fucking piece of work to try to hold a fucking conversation with, you know?” Tommy finally groused.

“Well it might be easier to have a conversation with you if I knew what we were talking about.” Wilbur responded, finally looking back up from his phone. “Not really tracking… this.”

Tommy felt himself bristle.

“Can’t you just answer the fucking question?” he snapped, “Would you be fine if you had to live in a hotel, or not?”

Wilbur sighed, an dramatic thing made overly so as he let his head fall back onto the backrest of the couch in exasperation.

“Very well, child,” he groans, “I guess it would depend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Tommy exclaims, although he feels like screaming.

“Means what it means.” Wilbur shrugged. “Why am I there? For how long do I live there? Is there a functional swimming pool?”

“Like that’s so important.”

“Extremely.” Wilbur says in mock sincerity, looking over at Tommy.

“What’s this all about, anyway?”

Tommy scowls, sinking down more into the couch. “Nothing.”

He thinks Wilbur watches him for a hot second, but when Tommy steals another glance over Wilbur is, once again, busy on his damned phone.

So Tommy and his still aching mind turn back to the movie and his ruminations. Neither comforted or unsettled or really any different from before.

Wilbur is fucking bad at this.

And Tommy is really fucking piss poor at metaphors. He’ll blame his piss-poor life.

****

Expert from the up-and-coming second chapter of Bummerland!

[blaiddllodi]

“Pssst. Hey, you.” Yes, you. Because who else would this hooded stranger beckoning from a dark alley be talking to? “You’re from that fancy school, right? Where they accept commoners alongside nobles? I’ve got a job for you, but the Church don’t need to know, a'ight? You can keep the reward all to yourself.” And oh, what a reward… The orb proffered gleams with energy, with life, with temptation. “All’s I needs from ya…” A dramatic pause. “…Is a copy of the answers to next week’s lance fighter exam. Don’t worry, it’ll go to a good cause.” With that reassurance in mind, decide whether you’ll pass on this test, or whether you’re up to the challenge. [Grants Lance+1] (starter for @dyshonor)

It shouldn't have been such a disappointment to hear that so many of his classmates were passing their exams, but it was. Time and again, Dimitri had offered his own services, his own expertise as one of the more skilled infantry lance-wielders of the Academy, to help train in practical execution and even in theory, in the physics of the motions and of notable battle formations and their best applications – and time and again, he had been, if not outright declined, then awkwardly avoided.

But then out of nowhere, posted results had begun to skyrocket, and Dimitri felt his heart lighten, the excitement of knowing that his classmates would not only pass their exams, and the year, but that they had, apparently to his eye, taken up an overnight passion for just the thing that he, too, was passionate about.

He had tried not to be crushed at his naivety when he had discovered this was, across the board, not true. More than this, they were not even improving during their training sessions, still easily felled by techniques that he had learned as a toddler.

The rumors had been more difficult than he had expected to wring out of people – or...not, he supposed, given his status as House Leader – but eventually he had managed to find the source of this dissonance, or at least the trail of it: a scalper in town, some shady figure who lurked, hooded and hidden in the shadows of the town's alleyways, trading answers for answers.

Finding the man himself turned out to be a matter of persistence rather than persuasion. Apparently, his reputation preceded him.

But eventually, Dimitri caught sight of the shifting movement near a backalley bar in town, and he stopped just short in his approach, shocked for a moment before crossing his arms.

"Sir," he said, his tone a drench of accusation and disappointment. "Now who was masquerading in a cloak of honor?"

sir i don’t think this bar napkin is an accreditation

[anonnie-in-wonderland]

Call Me Crazy...

Rating: T

 Word Count:11.8k 

 Warning(s): anxiety/anxious thoughts, near panic attacks, injury, but also beware the fluff for it is potent

 Summary: When Y/N gets her hands on the newest Samsung phone, she thinks at most she’ll get a little clout with her friends and fewer dropped calls. A direct portal to BTS? Not so much.

 Genre(s): Strangers to Friends to Lovers| Crack Treated Seriously| Fluff| Comedy| Romance| Magical Realism

 Tags: bts x reader | ot7 x reader | poly| FM!POC!reader

 Ch.3:  Don’t Hold Your Breath for a Break

A/N: Hiiii, sorry I’ve been away for so long. 🥺 Life has been pretty stressful. But, I’m back now, new chapter, whoo! I have had this on my mind for a while now, and finally got the chance to incorporate it into this chapter~ I really do hope you enjoy the arrival of the next BTS member to show up, whose dynamics with Y/N are already among my favorites. Also, always feel free to chat with me about this fic if you’d like, I don’t bite and thrive on the engagement! 🤗 I wanna know if anyone wants to guess what is going on or has figured it out yet. This chapter is especially dedicated to the blog who had a super easy tutorial on how to keep your formatting from google docs to tumblr!! Saved me a lot of time. Hehe *PLEASE do not ask about the taglist in this story’s comments*

In the days that followed, Y/N completely fell down a rabbit hole. It felt prudent to look more into BTS, or more specifically, Park Jimin. From a strictly legal perspective and nothing more.

 After all, she was sure his attorneys would be sending a court summons any day now just as soon as they managed to find out her identity and track her down. It was something she lived in fear of.

 Binna was none-the-wiser that the reason she suddenly seemed so attentive about the band’s recent lives was because she wanted to know if they’d mentioned anything. Any clues that would tell Y/N when her days as a free person were coming to an end. 

Honestly, she hadn’t found much. Nothing that would be helpful in allowing her to participate in her own legal defense. Speaking of that, could she even afford an attorney that would be able to stand up against Park Jimin’s? She was sure a global superstar would have the best in the country.

Y/N listlessly scrolled through yet more photos of Jimin—looking for hidden meanings in the recent videos the group had posted was starting to make her feel like she was overreacting at best and paranoid at worst. 

There were pictures of him with a variety of hair colors and outfits, taken over time, and he was flawless in all of them. Even ones she came across where he wasn’t glammed out in full makeup made it obvious he was just one of the lucky ones, naturally born attractive. 

“How many wardrobe malfunctions can one person have throughout their career?” Y/N found herself muttering, spying yet another photo where Jimin’s fancy jacket was sliding down his arm. “Is he allergic to keeping his shirt on his shoulders?”

Though, given how many fan compilations existed that compiled every single moment where Jimin’s shirt or jacket hadn’t quite managed to stay all the way on, it didn’t seem like there were many complaints. Army was swooning and swooning hard if anything. 

But really, being sued within an inch of her life wasn’t even the worst part about it all. If someone saw the “notes” section of her phone, they’d have her committed first, and ask questions later. She’d have her committed, under normal circumstances.

 Because what she had experienced not once, but twice? It went against everything she stood for. Logical, grounded, a firm believer in science and fact. Facts didn’t support phenomena like getting sucked through a mirror and ending up in an idol’s dance studio. 

Facts didn’t support seeing the face of another idol—because she now knew the reason the man in the mirror looked vaguely familiar was because he was another BTS member, Seokjin—instead of her own reflection when she went to brush her teeth. It just…didn’t make sense. 

Science couldn’t support it. It was nuts. Yet it happened to her. And that was the only reason she believed it. Too bad no one else would. Or worse, if and when Jimin announced he’d be pressing charges for assault, and she had confessed beforehand to someone…it would probably be taken as evidence the attack was premeditated.

 Sure, they’d have to prove how she got in. But…but still! She couldn’t risk it. Wouldn’t. Which meant her phone was her only safe secret-keeper. They were co-conspirators in it all. 

Speaking of the damned cursed thing… trying to outright return it hadn’t worked, even though she had the receipt and everything! She still remembered the bizarre events that day.

Y/N was almost out of breath by the time she entered the phone store, embarrassingly worked up in front of the few strangers milling around inside. She got a few curious, side-long glances, and then they went back to perusing the inventory.

“Welcome!” Called an employee already speaking to other customers. “Someone will assist you shortly.”

Y/N gave a short, affirmative nod, trying not to come off anxious as she glanced around. Everything looked…the same as the night she had bought the phone. Shiny new models on display, the monitor above their heads playing a loop of advertisements for different Samsung products, and everything neatly put away and organized. Absently, she began to think over the store’s layout, and the fact that it could have a strong subconscious effect on the consumer. Organization of inventory could actually play a role in whether or not someone wanted to buy something.

But, putting that aside, the store didn’t look like the kind of place that would sell someone a phone that would ruin their life. Looks could be deceiving, though. Who knew what was actually afoot?

“Oh, can I help you, miss?” A middle-aged woman wearing the store’s polo top came over with a tag that said her name was Hayoung asked in an attentive tone.

Y/N was quick to nod. “I’m here to make a return, actually. I bought a phone from your store not long ago.”

“Was the item not to your liking?” Hayoung asked, guiding her over to an available station.

The university student glanced down at the phone in question, which she’d placed back in the original purchase box. “You could…say that.” She mumbled. “I’ve thought about it, and I really don’t need anything even half this fancy.” Telling the woman she thought the phone might have it in for her was out of the question. “So I’d like to exchange it for something simpler.”

Hayoung dutifully accepted the box, scanning the barcode and then lifting up the lid. Y/N had anticipated a smooth return in which she’d flash her receipt, maybe some ID, and have the exchange completed in no time. But when Hayoung’s brow furrowed, she knew she wouldn’t like whatever the saleswoman was going to say.

“Is…is something wrong?”

“Well,” she paused, “Are you sure you purchased your phone here? From this store? I know we’ve had models similar to this in stock before, but this one’s just not ringing up.”

“Really?” Y/N shook her head, rummaging around in her purse. “I don’t see how that could be. I have the receipt if that helps…” 

She then proceeded to go through her small purse, searching the exact spot she knew she had folded and placed the receipt. “Um, hold on a minute please,” Hayoung waited expectantly as Y/N kept looking, growing increasingly more frustrated as she turned the contents of her purse inside out hunting for the receipt. 

No, no way was she ever that careless. She had made sure she put it into her purse before leaving the apartment, and she didn’t exactly care that much in it to begin with! It was all zipped up tight, so how could it have fallen out?!

It took several more long, awkward moments of searching futilely in vein for her to realize it was true. The receipt was no where to be found. Trying to fight down the flush of defeat crossing her cheeks, Y/N cleared her throat, speaking diplomatically, “I’m sorry, I don’t seem to have my receipt on hand after all. I guess I’ll just…try to search it out and return when I do.”

“Oh, there’s no need. Our system can search for and find the purchase if you happen to have the card on hand.”

Y/N wanted to slump over in defeat, “Actually my friend bought it…”

“Oh,” Hayoung tilted her head, “Do you happen to know the account number used?”

Y/N mentally wondered if Binna was free. She shouldn’t be in class right now, right? So it would be okay to quickly give her a call and get this sorted out. She had to leave the store without this phone. That was a must!

 “H-Hold on please!” It was a little embarrassing, snatching the phone she had been trying to return from its box and powering it on. In anticipation of making the return, Y/N had thought to wipe it and remove the SIM card chip, but then recalled hearing it was best to do that at the store when the transaction was complete, in case there was something forgotten on the phone that still needed to be retrieved.

Hastily scrolling down the admittedly short contacts’ list, Y/N located Binna’s number and pressed the button to dial. The phone rang three times, and she anxiously tapped her foot as she waited to see if her friend would pick up. ‘Please, Bin. Come on. Please.’

Of course, as it always was when she needed something to work out, it didn’t quite go smoothly. Binna hadn’t picked up, and she had ended up ending the call right before it switched to voice mail. Typing out a text message asking for the information she needed, Y/N had glared spitefully down at the phone.

“Do you recall the name of the clerk who sold you the phone?” Hayoung asked gently. 

Y/N thought it over, the sales associate’s face floating to mind. “Yes, his name was Suk-kyu.”

“Hmm, that name doesn’t sound familiar.” Hayoung shook her head. “I’ve been employed here three years and never heard anyone go by that name,”

It was unlike her, but Y/N felt she was entitled to a bit of out of character behavior when her jaw actually dropped. “You’re kidding…”

But, Hayoung assured her, she was not. She didn’t think they had ever carried the exclusive Army Edition of the phone. She didn’t know who Suk-kyu was, and Y/N couldn’t find her receipt, the only bit of evidence that might have been able to successfully lift the burden of the phone from her person. She had left the store, apologizing for wasting the patient woman’s time, and feeling like she was at least partially going crazy. 

Needless to say, Y/N had been…anxious about the phone since then. A bit scared, even. A fear she had no choice but to shoulder in silence for the time being. There wasn’t much she could do but continue searching high and low for the receipt and hope it turned up soon.

 In the meantime, she didn’t let on that anything was wrong, using the phone like before, though limiting that to when it was really necessary. No more playing around with it or downloading apps. Nope, she didn’t want to risk getting too attached to the thing. 

The only thing she did besides make calls was research. Things she never would have thought about looking up before. Like, unexplained phenomena with electronics, most of which led to completely wild conspiracy theories or dead ends.

Y/N had been so engrossed in breaking her brain over what to do, she jumped when the apartment door swung open, turning around on the coach to see Binna march in, a few grocery bags in her hands. Keys in her mouth, she gently kicked the door closed, humming to herself until she happened to look up and spot Y/N.

“Oh!” Binna hustled into the small kitchen to set her bags down, then her keys. “Y/N, didn’t expect to see you here right now. You’ve got class today, right?”

“It was canceled…” she sighed, sliding down the couch cushions and placing her phone on the coffee table. “The professor’s out sick with the flu.”

Binna winced in sympathy. “Yikes, poor guy…”

“Yeah,” Y/N took great care not to get sick, so she hadn’t so much as had a cold in years, but she still remembered times when she was a child in bed with chills, body aches and a fever. Once she had even had pneumonia, her mother forced to call out from work and nurse her back to health. “He just wanted us to go over the assignment we’ve been working on since the start of the semester. You know, take this as independent study time basically. But…”

“Buuut, knowing you,” Binna smiled, “You’ve already taken the initiative and gotten a head start a long time ago, so you’re ahead of everyone else.”

“Done, actually,” Y/N confirmed, not afraid to admit to her efficiency. 

Her roommate made a noise of encouragement as she began to put the groceries away. It didn’t look like much. A loaf of bread, some bottles of sauce they’d been running low on, some eggs and a carton of milk.

 “That’s great, since it actually kind of works out. Chin-Mae and Min Su invited me to check out this new steak house that just opened up. I heard reservations are booked out for weeks already, but thanks to Min Su’s connections, we can go this evening. What do you say?” Binna wiggled her eyebrows, trying to entice Y/N. 

“Alright, I’m in,” she agreed.

“Because I’m sure they won’t mind adding just one more to our party, especially if that person is you…” Binna continued to ramble.

“Bin, did you hear me?” Y/N clucked, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I said I’m in.”

Eyes round as the eggs she had put away, Binna blinked, nodded, and finally broke out into an ear to ear grin. “Oh, wow, that’s new. I m-mean not that it isn’t great you wanna join us, but…”

“What?” Y/N felt a little defensiveness creeping up on her, and she probably didn’t do the best job completely hiding it from her tone. “You made the invite, and you said Min Su and Chin-Mae would be fine with it. Did you not…really want me to come along?”

They thought she would kill the mood, the nasty little whisper entered her head unbidden. They thought she was so stuffy and boring.

“What, Y/N, no!” Binna immediately denied, “I’m really glad you can make it,” she shot over to the couch, wrapping her arms around her friend’s neck from behind as she bent over for the hug. “It’s true you normally put up a little more resistance when we ask you to come somewhere. You stay so busy, so I was a little surprised is all. But I’m glad you’re agreeing.”

Y/N’s tense shoulders relaxed, and she mentally sighed to herself, feeling silly. Of course, of course her friends wanted her there. And this was Binna, who struggled to have a bad thought about anybody. Secretly resentful definitely wasn’t her style. 

But with the stress she had been under, and the dread she’d done her best not to give into, Y/N could admit her nerves had been on edge. “Yeah, sorry about that…” she laughed weakly, reaching up and patting one of the arms looped around her neck. “I don’t know where that came from, but I’m happy to eat a little steak if Min Su’s recommending it.” The man had the best luck finding good places to eat, or stores that sold exactly what you were looking for but probably overlooked. 

“Good girl,” Binna uncoiled her arms and leaned back against the couch itself. “That’s the spirit. And hey, I heard from some of the girls in the campus’ BTS fan club that one of the guys on campus might be related to one of the waiters who might have catered the food on the set of a music video for Taehyung!”

She said it in a breathy squeal, and Y/N couldn’t help but smile indulgently. She was almost sure she knew which one Taehyung was, but she still wouldn’t put money on it. It might just as soon be someone else. Maybe Namjoon? 

She’d gotten more familiar with their names but as most of her time perusing videos and photos had been spent investigating Jimin, she wasn’t entirely sure on the others’ faces. Well, besides Jin and J-Hope. 

“Nice,” she said, letting Binna get all her gushing out as she texted Chin-Mae just to make sure it really was okay if she tagged along. Stupid to be anxious about feeling unsure if everyone really wanted her to come, but better to be safe than sorry.

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

She was impressed the minute they walked through the door. Min Su stopped trying to sneak an arm around Chin-Mae’s waist and immediately went over to talk to the maître d. The two men spoke cordially, the head waiter confirmed their reservation, and then they were led to their table with a flourish. 

Binna was practically bouncing on her heels, squealing under her breath. “Can you believe this place?” she whispered excitedly, “I feel like a movie star, coming here.”

The restaurant was definitely lavish, so she understood where her friend was coming from. The tables were polished stained oak, and lit by a candle to provide ambiance, and the floors were a gorgeous brown tile that Y/N suspected to be marble. 

The restaurant was done in a mixture of black, gold with high beam wood ceilings and low atmospheric lighting. They walked past a bar, long and oval, with shimmering glasses the team of bartender would pull down as they did impressive tricks to wow the gathered guests. 

“It’s one of the hottest spots in Gangnam right now,” Chin-Mae commented as they sat down. The table comfortably fit the four of them, and everyone got settled as a young woman hurried over, handing them menus and introducing herself. 

“This is so cool,” Binna exclaimed, still wiggling in place. She shook Y/N’s arm. She was all done up with some icy blue eye shadow that matched her aqua dress, and a more subtle plum shade of lipstick. 

Her hair was secured in a complicated twist by a pin she recognized from the last time they had gone shopping together. Y/N adjusted the shawl draped over her shoulders, pulling down her own strapless dress. Binna had helped her pick accessories, which were mostly shades of amber or gold, and apply some light makeup. 

Y/N chuckled, nodding as she scanned the menu, trying her best to ignore the listed prices. She had come fully prepared to pay her own way, but Min Su insisted the meal was going to be on him. It must have been nice.

 The perks of being from an affluent family, she supposed. The guy was already well on his way to being a successful lawyer, following the family tradition. He had moved all the way from his hometown in China to come and work on his master’s degree at one of the top universities in Korea, just for a change of pace. “Thanks again for letting us crash your date night, guys.” Binna beamed.

“Please,” Chin-Mae scoffed lightly, not looking up from his menu. “What was I supposed to do all evening? Talk to him?”

Min Su pouted, but it didn’t diminish the fond glow in his eyes as he leaned over his boyfriend’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear that gave Chin-Mae pause.

 Their friend cut a sharp look at his partner, smacking his thigh and then proceeding to ignore the man who was happily leaning into him and commenting on the menu. Yeah, nothing new there. Min Su was totally gone on Chin-Mae, as always.

 There was nothing about Chin-Mae’s bluntness or dismissive attitude in public that ever put him off. If anything, the mean behavior only served to make Min Su try harder. Though, she and Binna both knew Chin-Mae wouldn’t be with someone this long if he wasn’t just as serious about them.

 He was just a straight shooter, raised in a family that wasn’t completely accepting of who he was, and unfortunately awkward and out of his depth about how to handle someone as affectionate and doting as the man he happened to fall in love with.

 They were well suited in that regard. Min Su was patient and persistent enough to shower Chin-Mae in all the attention he needed to overcome the lingering doubts about being worthy of such deep love and devotion. 

Y/N was perfectly fine, pursuing the path she was. Career goals first, everything else second. But sometimes, watching them, a little envy did ignite.

 It must have been nice to find something like that, and she was truly happy for them. It didn’t seem likely she’d have time in the near future to go out and chase it for herself, of course. And she wasn’t really worried about it. 

“So, what’ll it be for you guys?” Y/N cleared her throat, interrupting the warm and cozy silence they’d all been existing in.

“Ohh, I think I’m gonna have the smoked chicken and spinach salad, and a side of the fried mushrooms,” Binna announced, tongue poking out in concentration as her finger followed where the items she wanted were on the menu.

“You’re going so easy on him.” Chin-Mae remarked. “I’m getting the iron skillet trout,” he squinted, leaning further into the menu. Min Su only smiled, plucking the reading glasses from Chin Mae’s breast pocket that he had forgotten to put on and placing them on his face for him.

 The absent-minded pat he got on the hand for it made the law student’s whole face light up. “And the chicken fried steak. That okay, babe?” He might not have looked it, exactly, but Chin-Mae had a healthy appetite. And if they were coming to such an exclusive restaurant for the first time, it wasn’t surprising he wouldn’t be keen to hold back.

Min Su was nodding encouragingly before Chin-Mae had even fully gotten the question out of his mouth. “And what about you, Y/N?”

She clammed up slightly, having been looking at the menu, mentally ruling out what seemed too expensive, or wasn’t quite her taste. “Uh, the pot roast sounds like a filling entree.”

“And?” Chin-Mae prodded, interlocking his hands together and leaning on them.

“And nothing,” Y/N shook her head. “It comes with two sides, that’s more than enough.”

“Boo,” Her friend hissed dramatically. “Fine. If neither one of you is going to take advantage of this, then I guess it’s up to me.”

Their waitress returned with a tray of drinks at precisely that moment, and as she set them down in front of the correct person, everyone began telling her their orders, which she jotted down without missing a beat.

 Only Min Su had actually ordered any steak, but, given the price of a 24 oz there was just no way she felt comfortable doing that to the poor guy, even if he was a good sport about it and more than capable of handling a large bill. 

As they sat, sipping their champagne and waiting on the food, something Y/N had been putting off thinking about started floating through her mind. Ever since the whole Jimin fiasco, despite her deep diving and frantic searching, nothing had turned up that indicated anyone was coming after her. 

But she just wasn’t willing to believe she’d gotten away that easily. She almost killed a celebrity. And, due to that, she’d really wanted to seek legal advice from Min Su, under the guise of some far-fetched hypothetical, of course. Her friends weren’t onto her, and she couldn’t give them a reason to be. 

She just had to find a way to casually broach the topic…

“Oh,” Binna gasped from her side, drawing the whole table’s attention to herself. She was carefully scrolling her phone with a freshly manicured nail, scowling slightly. It was so rare that Binna displayed any actual disdain, it had Y/N a bit curious. 

“What’s wrong, Bin?”

“It’s nothing,” she replied immediately, then paused. “Well it’s not nothing but, it’s just…I really wished we lived in a world that respected idols as people, you know? Some people call themselves fans and act like famous people aren’t allowed to have any boundaries.” She then went on to describe how there’d been another sasaeng incident reported on a news site she followed to keep up with celebrity gossip. 

Apparently, it was a pretty serious one, and crazed ‘fans’ had attacked an actress a well-known idol was reported to be dating. Her bodyguard had fended them off, but the actress still went to the hospital with some injuries. 

Y/N perked up slightly, but Min Su and Chin-Mae were thankfully too engrossed in listening to Binna rant to notice. It would be much easier to bring up her question using the information Binna had just provided them as a pretext.

 It was about time she had a stroke of good luck. Stopping to think it over, Y/N cringed. Not that she wasn’t sympathetic to the poor woman who had been harmed because of someone’s delusions. But it just…presented an opportunity she had to take, and….

‘Oh, why am I trying to rationalize it to myself?! I should just ask the question before the subject changes.’

 That decided, she opened her mouth and spoke, doing her best to make it seem as casual as possible. “So Min Su, you’re practically a lawyer. What kind of charges could that person face? Attacking a celebrity and inflicting bodily harm isn’t the same as harassing them for a photo.”

 Y/N silently patted herself on the back, sitting from her glass with an expression carefully schooled to look only mildly interested. Inside was another matter. She was rocking back in forth, heart hammering and eyes wide, waiting for an answer with baited breath.

“Hmm, well, I’ve mostly studied corporate law.” He admitted, playing with a ring on his index finger, “But I do know that given the severity, it’s likely both the actress and the company she’s represented under will press charges. Things are also moving faster these days, prosecuting people who do things like that.” 

Y/N swallowed, eyes fixated on Min Su’s thoughtful expression. “There were also witnesses, so it’s very likely to result in a conviction.” Yes, there had been a witness in her case too. Well, J-Hope had only seen her fleetingly. Maybe. Hopefully not. But if she was on any camera then…it was most definitely over for her.

 “The court could go light on them if it was a first offense…they might be sentenced to a large fine and community service…” Okay, Y/N thought. It would probably drain her savings, but it was still possible to bounce back and have a future, right? She could still put it in the past and become a CEO one day, right?! “Then again, it was a premeditated attack. Jail time is also a strong possibility.”

Her heart sank back down to her feet. Jail. What successful CEO in Korea had been to jail before graduating, and for assaulting an idol no less. 

‘I. Am. Done.’

“What’s the matter, Y/N?” Binna giggled, “You look like you smelled a rotten egg. But I guess hearing about how far some crazy people will go is pretty disgusting, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ll have much sympathy for them, whatever happens.”

“…Yeah…” Y/N said once her words came unstuck. That was another thing. Her sweet friend was going to think she was a criminal. She had known Binna since high school, having shared a homeroom class with her. They were vague acquaintances then, friendly enough to speak from time to time but by no means close enough to hang out between classes or after school. 

In fact, admittedly, Y/N used to wonder if Binna’s perky personality was just an act. It had to be, in her cynical rationalizing, because who was really that upbeat, in high school? 

Later on, she would realize she was just projecting, and once she stopped doing that was when she truly came to appreciate Binna for all that she was, steadfast and supportive. Although they didn’t become close, didn’t become friends, until meeting at orientation when arriving at Korea University. 

“They knew the consequences before they did it.” Chin-Mae joined in, swishing the last of his champagne around before drinking it down. “It’s stupid to think your life won’t be impacted when you run wild like that.”

Except, Y/N wanted to wail. She hadn’t known. She wasn’t a sasaeng, and she knew she had assaulted someone but at the same time she hadn’t really done anything wrong. Except maybe buy a cursed magical phone, that somehow was behind all this.

…Yeah, she’d just keep that thought to herself. 

“Well,” Y/N smiled, “Thanks for giving your input.” She told Min Su, who nodded, humming with a cheerful ‘no problem’.

A cartoony chime went off, and Binna groaned as she stared down at her phone, “Nooo,” she sighed, sounding truly remorseful. “Right now?”

“What’s happening?” Chin-Mae raised a brow.

“Jimin is going live!” She whined, “And normally I’d watch but I’m having such a great time with all of you, and I don’t want to be rude…”

“It’s fine, go ahead.” Y/N said, forcing a smile. “We know how addicted to that stuff you are.” Really, she wanted the floor to swallow her into the abyss. She knew the minute she heard that sound what was going on. If her phone had been turned on, they would have heard the same noise coming from her purse too.

She had made an account on several apps BTS often broadcasted their lives to, and set an alert for just that occasion. There were a couple of false alarms she hadn’t tuned into once she saw they weren’t from the person she was basically stalking at this point. But this was it. The big moment. 

He hadn’t done a solo live since the accident…but Binna said his members had mentioned that he had a small accident while practicing and was recovering well. 

All of Army was behind him, sending him tons of well wishes from all over the world. It was sweet, but she wondered how fast they would turn if they knew she was behind their beloved idol’s injuries. 

“Yeah, what Y/N said,” Chin-Mae rolled his eyes. “Check on your man,” he joked.

Binna giggled, flashing them a cute heart. “He’s not my man,” she replied playfully, “I’d have to get in line for that. Plus, I’m really more of an OT7, you know? It’s really hard to stick with one bias.”

 Nonetheless, when she began to watch, since Y/N couldn’t exactly whip out her phone and do the same without raising suspicion, she subtly leaned closer to at least listen.

Of course, Binna was always more astute than she let on. “Oh, did you wanna see too?” She angled the screen so they could both see before Y/N even had the chance to protest. 

And the live was just starting, the exact same idol she had seen what felt like a lifetime ago was sitting in a room by himself. It looked like he was on a couch, legs crossed, looking small in his soft oversized sweater and giving the camera a cute wave. “Hi, everyone,” his sweet voice said. “Thank you for waiting on me!”

Gushing comments poured in, cheering him and welcoming him back, asking him what he’d been up to, and telling him he looked good. Jimin tilted his head, a coy, secretive smile appearing on his shiny lips. Y/N couldn’t tell if he was wearing gloss or if they always looked like that.

 She had been a bit too preoccupied the one and only time she had the opportunity to see them in person. He had dyed his hair a different color, though. It was now a shade of strawberry blonde that complimented his angelic features well.

 “Well, I haven’t been up to much. Just resting, really.” he explained. “Even on days when I felt better and tried to join practices, the members just shooed me away.” He laughed. “Oh, but look at this!” He reached down, his head dipping out of screen for a minute, popping up seconds later holding a little pot. “Taehyung got me this ‘get well’ plant!” He showed them a cute little sapling.

Binna cooed, Y/N glancing at her then refocusing on his words. Who knew when a hidden meaning would pop up.

“I don’t know how well I’ll be able to take care of it; I’m not sure if I have a green thumb. But I’ll try my best!”

Comments came pouring in again, people saying he was going to enter his plant dad era, because collecting succulents could be addicting.

 Other people gushed at the sweetness of the VMin friendship, whatever that was, and yet more people reminded Jimin that he looked really good. Yet one comment in particular seemed to catch his eye, and he squinted, seemingly intrigued. 

“Hmm? You wish you were a plant so I could take care of you?” He repeated. “You don’t have to be a plant for me to want to take care of you.” The statement was very matter-of-fact, “You’re Army. I’ll always watch over Army.”

Binna sounded like she released a tiny sniffle. “Is he not just the sweetest?” She asked, nudging Y/N a bit. “Since you’re new to BTS, have you chosen a bias yet?”

Y/N wished she could tell her the real reason behind her sudden interest, but that was kind of out of the question. “No, not yet…”

“Y/N’s a BTS fan now?” Chin-Mae asked, “Since when?”

“Pretty recent.” Binna replied.

Y/N was only half listening to her friends, mostly focusing on Jimin’s chatter. Someone was still insisting they wanted to be his plant, and he looked nothing short of amused. 

“Okay, if you insist. Should I start a garden then?” He asked his fans. Y/N watched, stunned, as his bright eyes narrowed into a practiced and very effective smolder. She had seen it in pictures before, but in real time it was really something else, “It’ll be full of so many pretty flowers, and you’ll all bloom just for me, right?” The heady purr of his words sent a shocked shiver right down her spine. 

Binna swooned, while Y/N felt her breath hitch. ‘What… the…hell…was that?!’ A flirty throwaway line like that had never had that effect on her before.

 But then, thinking back, he had flirted with her in the dance studio too. She’d just been too worried to pay attention. Clearly, the man was an old hand at the art of duality, going from wholesome to heathen in five seconds flat. That was…dangerous. 

Binna seemed to already know how she felt, leaning into her with a sigh. “That, Y/N, is what happens when Jimin turns from angel to demon.” Her friend explained. “I’d say you’ll get used to it, but odds are you probably won’t.”

Jimin then went back to amicably speaking to everyone, as if he hadn’t just teased fans within an inch of their lives. The conversation moved on, and he was speaking about upcoming projects he was excited about or a funny habit that he had noticed in his band member. All normal, non-threatening stuff. Y/N was almost thinking she could relax. Almost. 

“What? You want to tell me a secret?” Jimin was reading another comment. “Okay, I’m listening…”

Y/N quirked a brow at the comment. “Sometimes I dream about you.” it read.

The idol grinned, replying casually. “Sometimes I miss Army so much I end up thinking about all of you in the middle of the day.” Y/N’s blood ran cold as he looked intensely at the screen. “It’s almost like you’re there…”

That was it. The sign she was waiting for! He was talking to her. 

“I…” Y/N stumbled to her feet, startling Binna. “Need the bathroom, I’ll be back.”

“Oh, okay.” Her friend said slowly, setting down her phone. “Is anything wrong? You don’t…look so good suddenly.”

‘You wouldn’t either in my shoes,’ she thought miserably. ‘Park Jimin is going to sue me within an inch of my life.’

“It’s alright,” she held a hand to her stomach, selling the illusion of sudden nausea. “Just…lady problems.” She said lamely.

Poor Binna didn’t even question it; she nodded, eyes full of sympathy. “Well text if you need anything.” She squeezed Y/N’s hand. “I’ve got a few extra tampons in my purse.” she whispered discreetly. Really, Binna was too good of a friend for her. 

Y/N rounded the corner in a hurry, blindly guessing where the bathrooms might be located. She passed their waitress, rolling out a cart that she was pretty sure contained their meals. Everything looked delicious, and of course she couldn’t even enjoy the great evening Min Su had generously provided. All because she was screwed. 

She hustled into a bathroom as fancy as the rest of the steak house, and so spacious there would probably be an echo. She hustled over to the sink, activating the handless system by shoving her trembling fingers under it. As she splashed her face with warm water, the dread twisting up her stomach gave way to deja vu. 

‘This is just like…the event at the internship.’ The wild day that would be the beginning of the end of her life. Removing her hands from the water, she gently pressed the pad of her thumb up to her eye, tapping it a few times.

 Her makeup was well done, but it still felt like she could see bags. ‘At least it can’t get worse.’ She assumed. After all, what was worse than this? The dumb phone was put away in her clutch, turned off, and back at the table.

 The very least she could do was fake a smile so she didn’t ruin everyone’s meal, and enjoy what might be her last chance to experience this. They probably didn’t serve many steakhouse dinners where she was going. 

That thought firmly in mind, Y/N squared her shoulders and prepared to march back out, tightly gripping her clutch at her side. Wait, her clutch?!

Binna must have handed it over to her, assuming she might need it. She had said to text if she needed anything, and Y/N couldn’t exactly do that without a phone. Well, at least it was off. Y/N wasn’t totally sure what kind of phenomenon had disrupted her life, but it all started with that phone. 

No sooner had she backed away from the mirror than a wave of dizziness overtook her, sending her keeling forward. Instinctively, she clutched the sink to maintain her balance, almost screaming out when she looked up as the dizzy feeling passed. 

The mirror in front of her was the same as always, a reflection of her wide, mortified eyes. But the long glossy mirror that made up the entire wall of the bathroom at the entrance of the restroom? 

A reflection of another room, just like before. “No…” she whispered, not ready to admit that it was happening again. What was worse? All of it being real, or her losing her mind? “Not again…!”

She clenched her eyes shut, then attempted to get her feet moving. She would keep her head down and hurry right on past, to the exit. That was the plan at least. And she was making good progress to move without falling over in her modest heels, but the minute she actually got closer to the mirrors, a strange feeling overwhelmed her. 

Almost like a compulsion to stop. Y/N felt like she was watching a scene in a movie, watching a victim wander down the hall of a haunted house, towards the homicidal attacker lying in wait.

 Her feet were making her move on her own! Her fingertips reached out, and yet she had no control. She had to touch the mirror, see if that room on the other side was real. But deep down, she knew the answer before her fingers made contact.

It was a strange emotion somewhere between surprise resignation when she wobbled onto a floor that was not marble and found her eyes darting around a room that was not the steak house. 

Pressing against the mirror desperately, she confirmed what a large part of her had assumed. There was no give to the mirror, apparently no way back from the time being. Was she even still in Gangnam?

Her senses were feeding her all kinds of information, and frankly, it was starting to overwhelm her. The raw scents of sweat, male musk, and ammonia could only mean one thing, and it was further proven when she peered around the blind corner of a painted brick wall, only to see two people exercising. 

Well, one was doing stretches, and with the way he hopped up, he had just finished. An older man in a tank top and sweats had pads strapped to his hands, and Y/N watched closely, not even daring to breathe, as the younger man sat down and laced boxing gloves onto his taped hands. 

He stood up, and who she assumed was his trainer got into a defensive stance while the younger man hopped around nimbly. Y/N watched, wide-eyed as they began to train, the guy in the black hoodie practicing blocking, jabbing and dodging.

 It was clear he had put a lot of dedication into this. Y/N was never much of a sports person, but she knew the result of hard-work when she saw it. His moves were fluid, and instead of slowing down, they got quicker the more he went at it. 

Somehow, it never felt like a good time to draw their attention to herself, go wobbling over in her dinner attire, and ask for directions back to the High Tower SteakHouse. She had a few other options, of course, like calling Binna. Or maybe Chin-Mae…but how did she explain it? 

She had gone to the restroom for a few minutes and wound up in a completely different location without leaving the restaurant?! Then again, it meant they would really have no choice but to believe her. 

It was impossible for her to have gone anywhere far when they all saw her leave for the bathroom. Maybe she could sneak out while they were distracted and then call when she was outside the gym, not standing around all conspicuous.

Y/N was weighing the merits of her plan when she heard an excited yell, whipping her head around and watching the trainer give his client a few congratulatory pats on the back, apparently satisfied with the work he’d put in for the day. 

They began speaking lowly to themselves, and Y/N paled when she noticed the only door out of the room she could spot was behind them…. The corner she was standing behind seemed to be where the water fountains and locker rooms were located. 

Hiding out in there was another option, but it didn’t exactly appeal when she would have to keep checking to see when the gym was empty. Right now it was just the two of them, but what if more people came in? 

They’d have questions about someone being dressed like she was, right? Then again she could also be found out just staying put where she was. Ugh…it was beyond frustrating. 

Her luck was completely shot, huh?

A little hope returned when the trainer waved at the young man and then began heading for the exit. She assumed they were done for the day, and the second guy would be done soon too. But not so, because then she’d actually be lucky. 

As soon as his trainer had cleared the room, he gave a loud sigh, beginning to shimmy out of his hoodie. Y/N didn’t think she was close enough to make the door in the small moment he had his vision obstructed, but she was close enough to get an eyeful.

 If his training earlier hadn’t tipped her off that he was dedicated, his physique would have. He was all hard lines, though the minuscule glimpse of a thin waist when his shirt rode up with his hoodie was impressive too.

 She could see a full sleeve of tattoos decorating one arm, and coupled with his longish two-toned hair, a deep brown that gave way to a raging red, he was kind of…hard to look at. Distracting in a way she didn’t anticipate. She didn’t get distracted, not usually.  

He, on the other hand, got straight to business. Oblivious of her presence, he walked right over to the large, hanging punching bag and began to hit it. But he wasn’t just hitting it. Again, Y/N was no boxing aficionado, but she knew he knew what he was doing. 

His strikes were always controlled, his breathing never ragged the way she could guess hers would be. He pivoted on his back foot, and she knew that the small movement put more power into his strikes.

 He was hitting the bag like it owed him money, grunting occasionally, the muscles in his arms and shoulders flexing in his t-shirt. At some point, Y/N figured he would stop. He would either head out the door, or into the locker room, and that was when she would flee. 

Hopefully, wherever the cruel cosmic entity that thought her life was a joke had dumped her, it wasn’t very far from the restaurant. Then again, shouldn’t she have gotten a worried text by now? 

She’d been gone for a while. Or, maybe Binna had actually come to check on her and seen that she had disappeared entirely. Y/N could imagine the freak out as Binna flailed her way back to the table and informed Min Su and Chin-Mae that somehow, someway, she’d been kidnapped. 

What was her life lately, she thought miserably. With nothing to really do but scroll her phone or continue to watch the mystery man go at it, she turned to checking what news was trending for the day. Normally, she at least kept up with news involving the business world, if nothing else.

 The celebrity gossip blogs she left to Binna, BTS investment notwithstanding. Stocks were up at several companies she had an interest in working at after graduation—assuming she made it with her life in chaos lately—so that was good.

 A CEO had resigned from his post at a company she had almost interned at but decided not to at the last minute off a strange feeling. Some scandal involving embezzlement. So she dodged a bullet there.

 And, lastly, BTS’ Jungkook had endorsed some new sports brand, and now merchandise was selling out faster than it could be restocked. The article included a picture of Jungkook, posing in shorts and a t-shirt next to a mountain of different athletic gear for various sports. 

Wait. Y/N could have swallowed her tongue. Wait. That man, the man in the picture and the one boxing…were the same person?!

Feeling like she may just be sick, Y/N did a quick check, and really took in the boxer. That was undoubtedly the idol pictured in the article. 

Not only was she going to jail for assaulting one BTS member (albeit on accident) a fact that she had managed to forget up until that moment, she got pulled back into the same thing that got her in trouble before, and ended up crossing paths with another one?! 

Once it came out what happened between her and Park Jimin, there was no possible way people would believe she wasn’t a sasaeng. The circumstantial evidence just kept getting more and more damning. 

Jungkook. Jungkook. What did she know about Jungkook? Admittedly not much, considering all her focus had really been on Jimin for obvious reasons. She knew…that Binna said he was the youngest in the boy group. He was multitalented, and here her friend swore she wasn’t exaggerating or anything.

 According to her, he was like some kind of Barbie of idols, he could do it all. Those weren’t her exact words, but it was the gist. Jungkook also had a habit of being a little shy around members of the opposite sex, or so it was claimed. 

Y/N personally had always thought all idols had to be manufacturing some parts of their personalities for public consumption. Who knew which parts? None of the scraps of information she had been fed told her anything about whether he was liable to press charges for stalking him or not.

Then again, he was an idol, and knowing that, Y/N had to assume he had gone out of his way to book private gym time, hence why the spacious work out room was empty save for him. Which meant him catching her was going to lead to a world of trouble. 

How good were her odds if she just booked it for the exit the minute he went back to the locker room? Or if he left, she’d wait a little bit to be sure he had cleared the building, then she’d leave too. Waiting…yep…that’s all she could do. If she wasn’t in a dress, and didn’t find the idea so dirty, she would slump over on the floor.

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

Jungkook caught the punching bag as it swung back from his last strike, finally feeling satisfied with his boxing for the time being. His limbs had that good burn that he liked, and his heart rate was up, despite his controlled breathing. But he wasn’t ready to leave just yet, so he decided to switch from boxing to something new. After a break.

Unlacing his boxing gloves, he found his gym bag and rummaged inside for his water bottle. Sitting down on a mat, he took a few sips, trying not to gulp it down too fast. His bottle was empty in no time, despite his attempts at moderation, and refilling before he resumed working out didn’t seem like a bad idea. 

His footsteps echoing in the big empty gym was probably his imagination, but the weird sight when he rounded the corner? That he was pretty sure was real. Leaning against the wall, a woman…no, a girl, dressed up like she had somewhere important to be was nodding off. He froze, staring, all kinds of thoughts flying through his head. 

Who was she? How’d she get in? When did she get in? Was she dangerous? Did he need to call for back up? Jungkook had purposely began training at this gym because it was exclusive. As his fame had grown, unfortunately he had to stop using more easy to find public gyms.

 The one at HYBE was an option, but sometimes he wanted something…quieter. Trainees who came in meant well, and they tried to be respectful besides giving him friendly greetings, but they couldn’t help but gawk, and that made it awkward when he was trying to get in the zone. Here, he had thought, was perfect.

But maybe he was rushing to conclusions. He didn’t know anything about the situation besides a girl in a nice dress was falling asleep by the water fountains while standing up. Her head slumped forward, then snapped up quickly as she jolted awake, eyes wide and alert. 

That was when they locked gazes, and his loose, sore muscles tensed right up. She, on the other hand, curled away like she was facing a thug in an alley. It was bemusing; yeah he’d bulked up a lot in the last several years after he got serious about training. Jungkook never considered himself all that intimidating, though. 

“Are you… staff?” he asked, since it didn’t seem like she was going to speak up first. Not with the way she kept looking like the guillotine was coming down on her head any moment. 

It took a reasonably long time for her to compose herself and answer, which was another pretty big tip off that something was not right. He was ready to whip out his phone and call security. Or at least he would be, if he hadn’t put it on do not disturb and left it in his bag. 

“This is all a misunderstanding, really,” she warbled, her hands slapped the wall behind her like she was trying to steady herself. “I didn’t…I didn’t mean to be here.”

“What?” Jungkook was definitely growing suspicious. No one who wasn’t up to something just answered like that.

“I was just going to wait until you left and I guess I started to nod off…” she ran a shaky hand through her hair, disturbing it a little. “But really, please, if you’ll pretend you never saw me, I promise, I’ll be on my way.”

He backed away quickly as she lurched forward, but before he could tell her not to do anything funny, she bowed very formally, and the idol watched, perplexed. When he didn’t respond in any way, she resumed her upright position, then tried to brush by him with her head down. 

Though, when he noticed the phone clenched tight in her fist, he acted without thinking. Something his hyungs had told him to be careful of doing in the past. At least they weren’t around to scold him.

“Hey,” he seized her wrist, and she stopped in her tracks, though he wasn’t expecting her reaction at all. Her eyes took in the hand on her like she could just flay it off with the intensity of her stare alone, and then she met his eyes head-on, hers surprisingly stony. “Your phone…”

“What about it?” she tried tugging her hand away, but he wasn’t ready to let go just yet. Not until he got some answers. He liked this gym. He wanted to keep using this gym, and at the thought that his privacy was being invaded yet again, and he would have to find somewhere else, yet again, he was getting a little worked up. 

“That’s an Army phone, a Galaxy Z Flip 4: Army Edition.”

Her eyes widened, and then she scoffed, shaking her head. “Yeah, I guess you would know. But to tell you the truth, though I can admire your band’s marketability, this phone itself has been nothing but problems. This is just the latest one. Now, please, let go.” There was some bite in her tone now, her voice surprisingly stern. 

When she tugged again, he acquiesced, something she probably didn’t expect, since she stumbled before catching herself. And when she felt her cellphone tugged right out of her hand? She rounded on him, scowling. “That belongs to me.” She held her hand out, clearly expecting it back.

“Why are you here? This is a private gym, and you don’t sound like you’re staff.”

She snatched for the phone, but he held it away, using his speed to his advantage. “Are you Army?”

“What? No,” she sounded offended by the notion, which in turn offended him. Then again, a true Army wouldn’t do this to him. Wouldn’t invade his space. “And what does that matter?”

“You’re not Army but you’ve got a phone that’s a rare exclusive. Only Army would want to own something like this. And if you’d go this far, you might be a sasaeng.” 

Here, she did pause in trying to retrieve her phone, a bit red in the face under her makeup. “Please, between my class schedule and internship, who would even have the time? The people who think stalking and harassing idols is worth jeopardizing their future for really need…” Surprisingly, the girl tried to jump for the phone like she wasn’t in heels, but he held it above his head, which meant it was way above hers, “…a hobby!”

“So I won’t find pictures you secretly took on this?” Jungkook squinted, not convinced. 

“No!” She hissed, jumping again, “Now who’s invading whose privacy, you…you muscle-headed, bunny-eyed brute!” 

He was so taken aback, he faltered, and with one last pounce, the mystery girl had snatched the phone, though not without a cost.

 Before she could even yell out in triumph, her heel wobbled and her foot rolled. Jungkook watched in slow motion, wincing in automatic sympathy as she went down. 

Time sped up as she cried out, on the ground and clutching her ankle in a dress too nice to be touching the bare gym floor. He stood over her, carefully watching her face at first. He could tell she was in pain, but attempting not to show the extent.

 Something about that alone…took him back to his early days. A wave of nostalgia he didn’t want to feel washed over him. He would hide his exhaustion, sometimes even hide injuries sustained while on stage until the end of a performance, until he couldn’t hide it anymore, just to avoid worrying his hyungs.

 And when they caught him, like they inevitably always did, he’d cry, apologize, worry they would resent him. It didn’t make sense to everyone, probably only to those who had experience firsthand with the feeling. Not wanting to let others down, wanting to live up to everyone’s expectations, struggling with the fact that they were still human.

The girl gingerly tried to shift her injured ankle, and that alone seemed to send a fresh wave of pain throbbing through it. With the way she bit her lip and clenched her eyes to stifle the cry he could just tell. 

And even though Jungkook had been concerned about a million things regarding her appearance, including that she might be another delusional ‘fan’, no one could fake pain that expertly. Plus, she’d have to be some actress to make her ankle swell on command.

 It was probably stupid of him to drop his guard, even for a second, but he found himself dropping to his knees, almost reaching out, and then hesitating. She stared up at him through her lashes, her own eyes as guarded as his had been, but wavering as she focused on ignoring her obvious injury. “I need…I need to call my friend.”

Making up his mind, Jungkook loosely grasped her foot by the heel, ignoring her half-hearted attempts to swat his hand away. He extended her leg, careful not to hurt her as he manipulated her foot to get a better idea of how bad it was. “You rolled it pretty hard.” He finally concluded.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Jungkook briefly met eyes with her again, but she stubbornly looked away. “I wonder how that happened.”

Guilt hit him pretty fast. Yeah. Even if he thought she was an intruder, he should have just called security and let them handle it. They were never far, and there was no way she could have stopped him. Not by physically overpowering at least. 

“Hang on,” he told her, setting her foot down and getting back on his feet. “I can help.”

“That’s a nice gesture,” she ground out, failing to hide a wince, “But really, I have my phone, so I can just call my fri—” she grabbed it and opened it, only for her face to fall. “Really? Now?” He heard her grumble irritably.

Noticing his quizzical face, turned a blank screen to him. “It’s dead.” She deadpanned. 

“Okay, then let me help.”

Jungkook didn’t know this stranger by any stretch of the imagination, but he had anticipated what her response would be. It probably sounded something like “no”, since she seemed disinclined to take his help.

 Was she always like this, so stubborn? Was it some kind of pride thing? He had been there, too; his hyungs really had their hands full with him over the years, didn’t they? 

Retrieving the first aid kit Jimin had gifted him some time back, he made a brisk return to find the girl in much the same position he had left her, staring sulkily at her injured ankle. She looked up when he approached, but didn’t say a word. 

“You might have to take off your shoe.” he informed her.

He waited to get a response, the big plastic kit held by his side. Jungkook wondered if she just planned to ignore him, and if he should take her silence as consent and proceed, but that didn’t feel right. Finally, she mumbled, “…This is really happening…isn’t it?”

Nodding slowly, he popped the kit open and examined its contents, locating the roll of compression wrap. While he did that, he noticed her leaning forward, trying to unstrap her heel without moving in a way that would hurt her foot even more. 

Jungkook had never worn heels, but he always thought anyone who did without falling over must have some hidden talent. Hers weren’t as tall as some, but she was still plucking at the strap with building frustration. 

Guessing she wanted it over and done with just as bad as he did, the idol seized the heel of her foot again, bringing her leg out and reaching for the buckle himself.

If he expected a beaming smile and a grateful attitude, he’d be sorely mistaken. She gave him the stink eye. “I can do at least this much.”

“Maybe, but I can do it faster.” He shrugged, already loosening the heel and sliding it off while holding her foot steady. From so close, and without the shoe in the way, he could really see just how fast the ankle had discolored and swollen. Again, he wrestled with the guilt, absently reaching for the wrap. “So,” he began by holding her ankle at a ninety-degree angle, “Who are you? Because this doesn’t mean I forgot…”

“Believe me, I’m someone who doesn’t want to be here anymore than you want me to be here. I didn’t have a choice, not that you’d ever believe me…” she huffed. “But, because legal repercussions are probably unavoidable, I’ll start by being cooperative. Maybe when they review all this, that’ll work in my favor.” It sounded like she was talking to herself, not him, but then she cleared her throat and extended her hand. “My name is L/N Y/N.”

Jungkook didn’t expect such a strange introduction, and the attempt at a handshake reminded him of Namjoon-hyung. He grasped her palm very briefly, barely holding on to it long enough for their hands to go up and down, but she didn’t seem inclined to want to hold onto him either.

“Y/N…” he repeated. 

“As for what I’m doing here…well, again, it’s not something any sane person would believe.” She switched her focus to watching him meticulously wrap her ankle. It was pretty careful care for someone that could have been stalking him, but he had already started, and if he was going to do it, his sense of perfectionism said he had to do it right. 

“Are you…insane?”

“Excuse me?” She didn’t look very amused, but he guessed it wasn’t exactly a polite question.

“You said a sane person wouldn’t believe you…” he explained. 

“I am not insane,” Y/N rubbed a hand to her forehead. “I just feel like I am lately,” she whispered. “I was dining out with some friends, in the restaurant bathroom and then…”

Jungkook waited while he secured the wrap with some bandage clips and closed his first aid kit. “And then?”

“It’s going to sound insane,” she finished matter-of-factly, “You’re going to call me a liar and accuse me of stalking you, then we’ll be right back where we started.”

Jungkook was torn between still wanting to contact security, but also experiencing some curiosity he couldn’t quite tamp down. “Do you have proof?” It didn’t sound like she did. 

“Proof?” Y/N repeated, arching a brow as if he had just said something strange.

“You’re not even going to try to make me believe you?” he goaded. 

“Sure, help me up and I’ll hobble right over to the mirror. You’ll see exactly how I got here and this whole think’ll be cleared up just like that.” Her tone was so sugary the sarcasm was evident. 

Jungkook figured he had indulged this for this long…why not go all the way. Offering her a hand, he warned her to brace herself, and then pulled her up with ease. “Okay.”

“Okay?” She said warily, trying not to show him how much she was utilizing the wall for support. 

“Okay,” Jungkook nodded, “Show me.”

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

Idols were weird. Y/N wasn’t sure if it was just the fact that they lived in a completely ‘different world’ from normal people or what, but she hadn’t expected her first extended run-in with some world-famous celebrity to go like this. 

Park Jimin was one thing; he’d been concussed, so that was enough to make him loopy. She hadn’t expected anything out of his mouth to make sense. But this guy, Jean Jungkook? 

Totally different. He wasn’t suffering a head injury, for one. And he had seemed angry at first, but still handled her appearance in much the same way a mean boy on the playground would in elementary school. Playing keep away with her phone, really?

He’d even treated her with decency when she tripped and sprained her ankle. God, that was yet another thing she was going to have to deal with. Sprained her ankle! Sprained! How was she supposed to get around campus quickly? It was huge. Though she supposed that wasn’t a concern at present. 

The idol’s strange demand was at the forefront of her mind, seeing as he was right behind her while she hobbled slowly to the mirror, her heel in one hand and her phone in the other. 

She must have looked like a suffering pigeon, doing a funny little hop. But she refused to let him touch her after she got her bearings. It was humiliating enough to have someone see her make a fool of herself and get injured to boot, idol or no idol. Well actually, his status made it even worse. 

And he was watching her oh so closely as she made it to the mirror, taking a deep breath and turned around to look at him with some difficulty. “Here it is.” She said flatly. “How I got in, and how I probably would be able to get out, if life felt like cutting me a break.”

He stepped around her, staring at her incredulously like she knew he would. She would look at herself that way in his position. Jungkook pressed against the mirror with the flat of his hand, one good time, as if to confirm it was solid. “You used the mirror? What, like magic? Like a drama?”

“You’re the one who said you wanted proof; I never said it would satisfy you.” she retorted. “I barely understand it myself, but what I’m saying is the only truth I have to cling to.” Her chin dipped, “No matter how implausible it is…” 

She knew she would get the same result he had when she pushed on the mirror, but as if to confirm her fate was truly sealed, Y/N tried anyway. When her hand went right through, the cool glass giving way to cool nothingness, she yelled, pitching forward.

Jungkook made a noise, something startled, and she glanced at him to confirm he was seeing what was happening. His bulging eyes made it evident that he was. Yes! Y/N jerked her arm away too fast, and in doing so almost fell back on her ass, if not for the lightning reflexes of the idol who moved to extend an arm around her waist.

 Y/N got her bearings, smoothed a hand over her shirt and her racing heart, and tried to hold back her tears. He could see. He could really see. The weeks of going crazy in silence, holding it all in, and someone else…could see.

“Your arm went through the glass,” he breathed.

“More than my arm’s gone through.” Y/N spoke with more confidence, now that there was no way he could deny it. “That’s…how I got here.”

The idol once again moved forward, pressing both hands against the mirror. Nothing. “How?” He wondered.

“I don’t know.” Y/N replied, “It’s been happening since…since I got this phone. So that’s my only theory, that the events are connected.” She held up the dead device and wiggled it around. “Not that that’s a story anyone would believe if I got caught breaking and entering.” 

The idol appeared to be thinking, worrying his lip piercing with his tongue, “Unless they saw it.”

Y/N squared her shoulders, eyeing him up and down. He fidgeted, looking small somehow, despite being fairly tall with a healthy amount of muscle. From close up it was even easier to see than watching him from behind the wall. 

“It might come as a surprise for you to know, not everyone would be as cavalier as you about all this. In fact, I’d go as far as saying your reaction was a bit…strange. Has anyone told you that you’re odd?”

  ‘Nice going, Y/N.’ She thought bitterly, ‘That was over the top blunt. You’re not trying to make an enemy out of the very first person to be witnessing the crazy with you.’

Luckily, the idol didn’t look overly offended. Jungkook pursed his lips, big eyes sheepish as he rubbed his head. “Uh-huh, my hyung.” he said thoughtfully.

“Well…” Y/N gestured vaguely. “Now that you’ve seen what I’ve seen, you know about as much as I do. Would it be too much trouble to ask if I could…go?” Pointing a thumb toward the mirror like she was about to miss her cab would seem dumb if he didn’t know. 

“Oh, right,” Jungkook’s tapped the mirror again. “You’re going back to where you came from.”

“Ideally,” Y/N frowned, “I’ve been gone a long time. There’s no way my friends aren’t concerned about that. And when they can’t find me who knows what they’ll think.”

Somewhat afraid the give they had both witnessed was a one-off, Y/N pressed her hand to the mirror once again, happy when it rippled and went right through. It might have been too late to salvage the evening with her friends, but at least she could salvage her reputation.

[of-foolish-and-wise]

a uni survival guide: tips from a phd

if there's one thing i know about, it's college. i've done it, i've taught it, i've lived and breathed it. these tips are for first years in particular, but honestly for everybody. i think it's so important for people to have balanced lives in these years -- academics are not everything. you know what didn't help me in the real world when i was afraid i wouldn't live through it? my fancy college note-taking format. you know what did help me? the friends i made there who i knew would get on a plane and fly across the country in a matter of hours if i told them i needed them.

academic

- figure out where class is held ahead of time: don't be that kid who's late on day one, i beg of you

- use the writing center: especially for basic grammatical editing, which a lot of professors don't have time to mark on papers

- speak up in class: talking through ideas helps you work through them, and asking questions about something you don't understand can open up great lines of conversation

- find a regular schedule that works for you and stick to it: my college schedule was morning free time, class, lunch, class, practice, homework. that consistency was a life-saver

- keep a planner: it's so important to have a central place to track deadlines, assignments, and engagements

- annotate your reading: when you're stressing about a paper topic, being able to go back to what you've highlighted and written in the margins is a life-saver

- color-code your coursework: i use the same color highlighter, pen, and notebook for any given class. it's super helpful

- if you can't focus while studying with friends, don't: i reserved group studying for days when i didn't have important work because i can't be in a room with other people without talking to them. if your school has one, the quiet floor of the library is your best friend

- treat yourself to a "fun" class: art was always my place to just sit back and chill, a way to end the night all zen in the darkroom instead of conjugating russian verbs in a fluorescent-lit cinderblock prison. for you, it could be gym, it could be pottery, it could be some random course about, like, the history of cooking or something -- explore!

- profs are people too: don't be too nervous around them. also, know that if you're struggling -- even b/c of something in your personal life -- you can admit it, and they'll almost always understand why you missed a deadline or bombed a test

- go to office hours: it's the only way to get to know professors in big courses, and it's so helpful for both your grades and learning how to navigate relationships with authority figures

social

- don't let academia keep you from your friends: it's a case-by-case basis, but sometimes it's okay to let the reading slide and spend time with friends. i graduated seven years ago and my college group text still talks every day. that's so much more important to me than the fact that i never finished brideshead revisited

- joining a club is one of the best ways to make friends: i played ultimate frisbee through college and it was the source of so many lasting relationships, as well as the way i met all my local friends when i was abroad

- say yes to things you don't know if you'll like: you'll surprise yourself. me? turns out i love drinking games. and theme parties. and skinny dipping. and rock climbing

- don't be that person who looks down on their peers for partying: honestly? that person kind of sucks. you don't have to party if you don't want to, but actually, a lot of those people are super nice and also good at school -- don't just write them off!

- show up for your friends: go to their games, their concerts, their art shows, their standup nights. show them that what matters to them matters to you, too

- set aside a night to do a group activity with others: whether your vibe is wednesday night trivia, a weekly "terrible movie" showing, or a get-high-and-watch-nature-documentaries-type thing, these are great ways to liven up the week and de-stress

- this is a great time to figure out who from high school really matters to you: you don't have to force relationships that were built mostly on convenience if there are friends at uni with whom you click more. people you became friends with purely based on the coincidence of where your parents lived do not have to be your forever friends. they can be! but they don't have to be

personal

- don't expect too much of yourself: a 4.0 is not the end-all, be-all. if your family or somebody tells you it is, tell them to call me, and i will personally talk some sense into them

- take advantage of university support services: mental health counseling, free yoga classes, multi-cultural societies, etc

- drink water: please, please don't get kidney stones in the middle of the semester, says the girl who got kidney stones in the middle of the semester

- let yourself take breaks: if you need to lie to a professor and say you're sick when really you're just feeling down and you need to sit in bed and watch a movie, that's totally valid

- don't freak about individual assignments: my students come to me freaking over a B+ and i tell them, honey, no job interviewer is ever going to ask you about your second paper from communications 101. i wish i'd known that

- go see speakers if there's someone interesting coming to campus: these talks are always cooler than you expect. i'll never get over the fact that i didn't go see anita hill when she came to my undergrad

- do your laundry on the same night every week: i can't explain why this is so helpful but it really is

- keep up on the news and the memes: read the school paper, the school blog, the memes page -- college politics and inside jokes are fun and convoluted and fascinating

- set the groundwork for long-term self-care: all of the above is really just to say -- university isn't just for learning about the french revolution, it's also about learning how to balance, how to handle failure, how to ask for help, how to make a salad that doesn't totally suck, etc

[sen-no-kotowari]

PGR Roland Character Profile

As promised, I will be slowly filling up the character profile content. This time, it's Roland's Character Profile. There won't be any particular order of which one will I be releasing next since I'm also juggling with interlude stories as well as getting the raws myself. However, I am thankful to everyone who enjoys my fan translations despite how slow it is. With all that said, you can learn more about Roland on the cut down below (*´ω`*)

Voice Line Data

Motion Voice Lines

Lobby Voice 1

Roland: I talk too much? Fine, I'll try to be more careful from now on. But... Hm. You see, someone also said the same thing to me before. As to what happened to them... Fufu, care to take a guess?

Lobby Voice 2

Roland: Hola, amigo! Hahah, guess I've been playing the fool for so long. Even my usual quips laced with deceit would still naturally come out of my lips. What are your thoughts about this tomfool such as myself?

Lobby Voice 3

Roland: "I wish I had met you sooner"—'tis such flight of fancies that humans cling on to in every story. When I'm faced with an apt scene, I can't help myself but utter those words. ...For instance, right this very moment.

Raise Affection Level

Roland: If you're going to treat me this kindly, it's about time that I become honest with you. What I truly want is love, sincerity, and a dream! ...Bwahaha! I'm just kidding, I don't need those things, because I already found a replacement for them.

Repetitive Taps

Roland: Humans reaffirm their existence to other individuals through this body-touching skinship, right? I understand. If that's the case, do you not wish to try and touch me differently?

Log-In

Roland: A pleasant day to you... (chuckle) Since you're here now, today's also going to be a fulfilling one indeed. And so, do you have anything in mind as to what you'd like for us to do together? Yes, you heard me, together.

Online for a Long Time

Roland: Okay, you have zero ability to make a sound decision with how exhausted you are right now. I won't let this chance slip by. Come now, lean your head here and rest. That's right, beside me. It's fine if you mistake me for someone else, I'll act as that person and let you take a nap...

AFK

Roland: You sure are sleeping deeply. If you knew you were holding my hand in your sleep, would you think that you're still dreaming? Once you awaken from your slumber, what kind of joke should I use to lead you on I wonder? Or are you telling me it's fine for me to hold your hand in mine, then...?

Shake

Roland: Aaaaah, I fell over~ I can't do anything now. My only hope is to wait for you to help me. ...Hm? That looked like it was on purpose? (sigh)... I expected this kind of plot twist to happen.

Offline for a Long Time

Roland: The world around me felt like it had stopped and everything had become a lie when you weren't here... And so, that's why the distorted time I've idly spent shouldn't have felt this long, you know.

Introduction and Formation

Structure Acquired

Roland: Hola, amigo! The name's Roland. You know why I reveal myself here, right? Ahahaha, no, there's no way you wouldn't know—it's because you never knew anything about it. In any case, I shall be under you from here on out, so let's get along with each other.

Level Up

Roland: Yeah, I get it, my model's gotten a level up. Have you heard of that one story about a farmer who is raising a dragon?[1]

Advancement

Roland: A star rank increase? Placing ranks as a means to bind people down on shackles, humans sure have great preferences there. I look forward to what would you do from here on out, as the fool whom you've given a high level of obligation.

Model Improvement

Roland: If you were to completely replace all my parts, will I be able to survive in my new model as an innocent newborn?

Skill Upgrade

Roland: My fighting abilities have improved even further. Go on, keep on training me. You won't be rewarded back for it though.

Equipment

Roland: How this weapon feels in my hand, it's not bad. A perfect tool for this fool to wield.

Add in Team

Roland: Okay fine, I'll do anything so long as you order me to do so. Although, you'll have to be careful that I don't get sidetracked and do something unnecessary.

Assign as Captain

Roland: Damas y caballeros[2]—the show is about to start.

Mission Accomplished

Roland: Mission's done now. So, would the reward be some meaningless golden mechanism of sorts? Ahahaha, I jest. It's just a joke.

Daily Small Talks

Voice Line 1

Roland: What my wish is? For the world to be destroyed, the Punishing becomes widespread, for Earth to be thrown into chaos... How was it? Were my answers per your expectation?

Voice Line 2

Roland: I talk too much? Fine, I'll try to be more careful from now on. But... Hm. You see, someone also said the same thing to me before. As to what happened to them... Fufu, care to take a guess?

Voice Line 3

Roland: Sincerity sure sounds like a nice word, huh. To be able to stop thinking about things and let other people handle just about anything. So long as they'd follow the orders given to them and just read documents, people who have that quality have it easy... Hm? What's with that look? I only remembered about an old "friend" of mine, that's all.

Voice Line 4

Roland: Hola— ...Hm? Ahahahaha, that look on your face. You never have any good memories whenever you hear this phrase, right? Nice, really nice. I shall make these words be burned into your heart even more, so look forward to it then.

Voice Line 5

Roland: Since I've decided I won't be doing any funny business in front of you, feel free to ask me things you're curious about. It can be anything—from the entire truth about the Ascendant's Network, down to my strange, personal preferences. Assuming you have a compensation fitting as payment that is... Ahahaha, I'm kidding.

Voice Line 6

Roland: Now try to imagine this—the Punishing never existed in this world and we're ordinary citizens who're abducted and betrayed by an evil organization, decide to cooperate with each other to escape... Were you able to imagine it? Okay, good, we'll be heading out now and face the reality in front of us.

Voice Line 7

Roland: Hola, amigo! Hahah, guess I've been playing the fool for so long. Even my usual quips laced with deceit would still naturally come out of my lips. What are your thoughts about this tomfool such as myself?

Voice Line 8

Roland: Have you heard of the "Normal Troupe?" They're an extremely violent group of people who have no regard for neither their own life nor other people's lives for the sake of their ideals during the Golden Age Era. Now then, have you ever thought that I was also a member of the said group? ...Ahahaha, of course, that's obviously impossible—I made that story up right on the spot.

Voice Line 9

Roland: Humans are good at making stories. Even though it's a made-up story, you can feel how realistic it is with how the creator has included their experience and imagination. That is, if one were to excellently narrate it, fiction can fool others as if it's actually a part of one's life. Don't you think so?

Voice Line 10

Roland: I've watched this "Operation: Recapture Earth" comedy of Eden for the longest time now. Even though the facets of the protagonist's struggles, depravation, and madness are interesting, it's too long—because it has been too long, even the audience has now become involved in the story and wants to distance themselves from it.

Voice Line 11

Roland: To have a reason to live—my wish since long before hasn't changed. There were times that I have to face the music until now, whether it be publicly performing or the Ascendant's Network. Heh, it's okay for me to look for my own reason to live, you say? For someone who plays the fool, without a doubt that's quite an awful.....and honorable circumstance.

Voice Line 12

Roland: If it's stories and fables, then I've read quite a lot of it. While there were plenty of dull ones, they aren't as dull as my own life though. But so long as you're here, maybe my stupidly cliche life could become a little bit more interesting. Ahahaha, it truly is— Truly......What is it that I should truly call this then?

Voice Line 13

Roland: All five senses of a Structure are implemented with devices that imitate the sensory organs. Perhaps that is why the person projected in front of me may not be the real you, but an existence glorified by the programs from those devices. ...Then again, that never bothered me. Because I already engraved the real you in my own eyes.

Voice Line 14

Roland: Actors cannot change the scenario, nor can they have any obscure expectations. Right now, however, a certain actor wants for you to remain up on stage so much, that person has been wishing for this play to reach its conclusion right now. Ahaha, I'm kidding, it's just a joke.

Voice Line 15

Roland: "I wish I had met you sooner"—'tis such flight of fancies that humans cling on to in every story. When I'm faced with an apt scene, I can't help myself but utter those words. ...For instance, right this very moment.

Raise Affection Level

Voice Line 1

Roland: Uhh, if I were to express what you guys will say in these situations... "I appreciate the consideration you've given me! From here on, I, Roland, will do the best I can in my abilities for the sake of fighting. By all means, let us get along well!" ...Or something like that. How was it? Have I met your expectations for me?

Voice Line 2

Roland: Thank you very much, I feel immensely grateful. Well then, I shall graciously take up your offer.

Voice Line 3

Roland: Humans seem to blindly seek the significance of things. Wouldn't that mean they're just looking for benefits after all? Then what kind of benefit are you seeking from me? I'm dying to know about that, you know.

Voice Line 4

Roland: I won't refuse any presents or requests from you. If it's by your command, then I shall take care of it no matter what. If you can bear the consequence of it, that is.

Voice Line 5

Roland: Accepting a phantom[3] and showing it mercy will only grant you ambiguity. Does this commander of Eden prefer wasting all the good things in life?

Voice Line 6

Roland: Do every commander in Eden just casually show their grace like this?

Voice Line 7

Roland: Ah, well it's fine, showing this kind of friendly behavior in our candid relationship is relatively refreshing.

Voice Line 8

Roland: (Sigh)...You know, what are you expecting from a phantom? At this rate, I don't know what to do about this...

Voice Line 9

Roland: Hmm... ...Why am I always looking at you? It's nothing, really. I'm just observing you on what you want as a present. My findings? Hm. I have no idea.

Voice Line 10

Roland: Each time you give me something, I find myself smiling. Eh? I'm always smiling though? Ahahaha, that's true I guess.

Voice Line 11

Roland: Did you know? The more you observe a person, the more you'd be interested in them. And once that said person is gone, the observer will be extremely bothered by it. Now then, I wonder how long am I going to stay by your side now?

Voice Line 12

Roland: It makes me wonder why I become strict whenever you give me a present, even though I shouldn't be complaining about it... Could it be perhaps I'm looking forward to what you're going to give me?

Voice Line 13

Roland: I thought that self-deception shouldn't be moved by the words of others, but you've proved me wrong ever since I met you. Quite a far-fetched story. Tell me, how will you handle this fake version of me who'd spout needless affections?

Voice Line 14

Roland: If you're going to treat me this kindly, it's about time that I become honest with you. What I truly want is love, sincerity, and a dream! ...Bwahaha! I'm just kidding, I don't need those things, because I already found a replacement for them.

Voice Line 15

Roland: I can't understand whatever it is you're thinking, no matter what. So why not try to guess what I'm thinking about then? A certain pierrot saw the good in others and has now begun to think to himself that perhaps he could devote his loyalty to his master. And so, why did he think that way?

Voice Line 16

Roland: Starting now, I will be telling you a single lie. The me who used to be popular has received tons of presents. Among them were boring, ordinary things as well as tremendously strange things. However, the presents I received from you were neither ordinary nor strange—Now, where-is-the-lie-in-that?

AFK

Voice Line 1

Roland: A nice dream is just like a song? We shouldn't disrupt this peacefulness then. It's just that my singing voice might call forth an even bigger danger[4], however... Hehe.

Voice Line 2

Roland: Dreams are the easiest, most luxurious illusion humans could easily grab ahold of. Though if you stay inside that dream for too long, the whole world may be destroyed by the Punishing once you wake up from it, you know.

Voice Line 3

Roland: Keep up with that carefree attitude, and you might meet the same end a certain corrupted Structure did... Hahaha, well it's not like that Structure in question is living a miserable life right at this very moment though.

Voice Line 4

Roland: If you're going to be this defenseless in front of me, does it mean that it's okay for me to be myself and put down this fabricated mask I wear? ...I'll always watch your sleeping face, just like this.

Voice Line 5

Roland: You sure are sleeping deeply. If you knew you were holding my hand in your sleep, would you think that you're still dreaming? Once you awaken from your slumber, what kind of joke should I use to lead you on I wonder? Or are you telling me it's fine for me to hold your hand in mine, then...?

Online for a Long Time

Voice Line 1

Roland: Devote everything you have for that single goal and spend your free time sparingly... even if that goal is nothing but an illusion. How lamentable... Haha, I'm not talking about you. I simply remembered how I used to be.

Voice Line 2

Roland: I know quite a few method—ways of how to actively keep working without any sleep. I tested them myself and without a doubt, they're effective. Do you want to try them out? Fair warning though, it's going to cause irreparable damage to a human's body, no matter which method you pick.

Voice Line 3

Roland: Getting tired? Well then, shall I tell you a story 'til you fall asleep? Most of it surely contains a nightmare-inducing plot though. If it's you, you'd definitely find something wonderful even in a nightmare.

Voice Line 4

Roland: They say that one's more prone to have a lapse in their judgments when they're tired, right? This is just a what-if but, what if I were to perfectly pretend to be a Structure? Will you be able to think that's who I really am?

Voice Line 5

Roland: Okay, you have zero ability to make a sound decision with how exhausted you are right now. I won't let this chance slip by. Come now, lean your head here and rest. That's right, beside me. It's fine if you mistake me for someone else, I'll act as that person and let you take a nap...

Log-In

Voice Line 1

Roland: Good day to you, Commander. I, Roland, shall always be waiting for you right here! ...Ahahaha, were you surprised? I thought you'd like this kind of greeting though.

Voice Line 2

Roland: You came at a right time. So I remember some things about my past, are you interested in it? If you wish to hear more, you definitely wouldn't want to talk to me ever again.

Voice Line 3

Roland: I'm so glad to see you. Okay then, let's celebrate whatever happens today and take a commemorative photo— ...Oh dear, sad to say but it looks like you don't show on film with my built-in photography function.

Voice Line 4

Roland: This is simply a premise of a frequent discourse during the Golden Age... But I made all that up, a few seconds just before you came here. If I tell you that, would you believe me?

Voice Line 5

Roland: Ciao! Ahahahaha, for me to be here would mean that I would very much like to see you. It's true. That's right, I'm not lying today.

Voice Line 6

Roland: I've been thinking long and hard—about what I should do so you'd frequently wish to see me more often. Ah, ahh~ I guess I should strike a conversation just like this and keep you talking, huh...

Voice Line 7

Roland: Did you come to see me again? Heh, you're saying that there's value in looking at a phantom like myself? Could it be that you were thinking that I am your truth or something...?

Voice Line 8

Roland: A pleasant day to you... (chuckle) Since you're here now, today's also going to be a fulfilling one indeed. And so, do you have anything in mind as to what you'd like for us to do together? Yes, you heard me, together.

Offline for a Long Time

Roland: The world around me felt like it had stopped and everything had become a lie when you weren't here... And so, that's why the distorted time I've idly spent shouldn't have felt this long, you know.

Shake

Voice Line 1

Roland: Aaaaah, I fell over~ I can't do anything now. My only hope is to wait for you to help me. ...Hm? That looked like it was on purpose? (sigh)... I expected this kind of plot twist to happen.

Voice Line 2

Roland: Ahahaha, why not put your back into it? My internal parts would be flying out from my body, just like popping champagne back in the Golden Age—that's going to be exciting for sure.

Voice Line 3

Roland: Are you that desperate to see me flustered? If you want to see me all worked up, maybe your words would surprisingly be more effective than this kind of behavior, you know.

Repetitive Taps

Voice Line 1

Roland: For you to be this immersed over me, could it be perhaps you thought there's some kind of magical button somewhere in my body that could make you rich in an instant? It might be a button that would destroy this world after several centuries instead, though[5].

Voice Line 2

Roland: I'll be honest here, this is quite ticklish. I'm only putting up with you because I want to see your face... If not, I would've already been rolling around, writhing in pain from laughing. No really, I'm...aha, hahaha (cough) ...Okay fine, I give up~ you can stop now.

Voice Line 3

Roland: Humans reaffirm their existence to other individuals through this body-touching skinship, right? I understand. If that's the case, do you not wish to try and touch me differently?

Activity Task Full

Roland: Activity level's at max now, good job. I wonder, what kind of determination did you have for you to do your best?

Battle Dialogues

Battle Start/Character Switch

Roland: I'll show you how to properly utilize a tool for its intended purpose then.

Voice Line 1/Successful Dodge Counter

Roland: Where do you think you're going?

Voice Line 2

Roland: Let me hear more of your genuine scream!

Voice Line 3/Finisher Move

Roland: Everyone in the audience is watching with bated breath now.

Ultimate Skill

Roland: And now! It's time for the climax!

Light Damage

Roland: That hurts now, you know~

Heavy Damage

Roland: Should I make my pained expression more believable then?

Incapacitated

Roland: This is why...illusions are but a waning thing...

Friend Support

Roland: I'll be making a special appearance then.

QTE

Roland: Would you like to see a clown show?

Battle End

Roland: With this, the curtain draws to a close. Did you enjoy this burlesque[6]?

Structure Documentation

Document Detail 1

Roland was born as an ordinary citizen in the Golden Age. His closest appearance can be seen on the many movie posters in the previous area. As he was a former Ascendant, he has shown up in every part of the world.

Document Detail 2

He was one of the experimental subjects during the Structure's initial development stage. Even though his former model's abilities were excellent, Roland trained both his reflexes and strategic skills to make up for his shortcomings to sufficiently demonstrate his current model. The history behind his old model, however, is often ambiguous.

Document Detail 3

Roland is stoic when it comes to the goals he chose and once he set his heart to them, he would ensure those goals would be fulfilled no matter what the cost is or if the whole world has to burn to the ground as if it was the only goal existing in the world. This was evident in one of his fights with the past Gray Raven Unit.

Document Detail 4

"Now then, it's showtime." Maybe it's because he used to be an actor, Roland constantly exaggerates his expressions. It remains the same even when he's alone, as though he is under the spotlight, looking at the camera the entire time.

Document Detail 5

Although he practically laughs off grandiose stories, Roland holds respect for people who remain steadfast and insightful in the face of reality and applauds them. It doesn't guarantee he would save those people, however.

Document Detail 6

"Please give me the order. I guarantee to try and follow through, for real." While there are several meanings behind both Roland's speech and attitude, he requires a careful choice of words as he interlaces the truth and the lies. Whatever the true madness behind his speech and attitude may be, nobody ever knows what it truly is.

Rumors and Secrets

Secret 1 Even though Roland could speak several languages, he isn't exactly fluent in them—he only knows specific vocabulary or proverbs. He provokes others with it and to see their reactions, he purposefully speaks in a language they couldn't understand from time to time.

Secret 2 Roland spaces out during his missions and can do it continuously for 24 hours. Even though it puts a strain on his body to an extent and had to bear unimaginable things, his Sea of Consciousness seemed to be used to that kind of feeling.

Secret 3 Although Roland is devoted to pop culture enough that he could hold a conversation with enthusiasts of every genre whether it be songs, visual arts, or games, he usually shows indifference or contempt towards that kind of culture.

Secret 4 He has read plenty of literature or theatrical works, ranging from the classics to modern works. While Roland changes his answer daily when asked what his favorite work is, his answer to what his most disliked work remains consistent—"my own life."

Secret 5 He is surprisingly discrete and uses other people's inconsistent actions to irritably criticize them—even the most perfect person will be compelled by their sense of self-reproach during an interrogation. Roland calls it "fault-finding."

Secret 6 As much as his usual words include different meanings in them, Roland treats people who truly can't understand his words like children by giving them snacks and treats, joking around them, or even enjoying a magic show with them.

Secret 7 His feelings toward his "family" are quite complicated. Although he's compelled with a strong destructive impulse whenever he sees a scene of a happy family, Roland would never take any action against it, and there even are times he would wish them all the best instead.

Secret 8 Back when Roland was still an actor, smiling was an expression he takes pride in. He can express several varieties of emotions while the corners of his mouth are lifted. Perhaps there aren't that many individuals who could understand what he truly feels behind that smile.

Secret 9 As much as Roland places high regard on outward appearances and his garments seem to be "something he thoroughly thought of," his aesthetic sense is niche. He would willingly adjust to other people's appearance if he needs to.

Secret 10 Roland is the type of actor who puts his acting into practice—he can hold a conversation with "himself" and he always talks to himself even with people around him. Whether he's teasing other people, it's difficult to discern if he truly is talking to his imaginary self.

Secret 11 Roland summons 6-phases of himself inside his Sea of Consciousness if he needs to, and holds a "round-table meeting" to discuss the next step he must take. The codename he gave to the attendees of the meeting is R, O, L, A, N, and D—the informant is Roland, the person himself.[7]

Secret 12 His forte is handicrafts and his true hobby is making dolls and stuffed toys. It's perhaps one may be able to take a glimpse of who Roland truly is from the "marionette" he created. However, it seemed like he hasn't been able to devote himself to his hobby for quite a long time.

The story Roland was referencing here is J.R.R Tolkien's "Farmer Giles of Ham."

Damas y caballeros is a Spanish phrase which translates to "ladies and gentlemen."

While 虚空 could mean "void" or "empty space," it could also mean something as "non-existent" or "fictional." I chose "phantom" instead to reflect Roland's wording choice towards theatre and literature.

Roland is drawing a similarity to sirens in Greek mythology.

This may be a reference to the "Daily Struggle"/"Two Buttons" internet meme.

Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. It is derived from the Italian word "burla" (TL: joke, ridicule or mockery)

This is in reference to a trope in anime "脳内会議" (TL: Internal Meeting). A few example of this trope is "Umaru Meeting" (Himouto Umaru-chan), "Catarina Five" (My Next Life as a Villainess), and Shinomiya Kaguya's (Kaguya-sama: Love is War)

[dangerous-disposition]

WIP wordsearch game!

rules: share snippets of your work containing each of the words the previous poster selected for you (optional addition: if you can't find the word in your WIPs, or you simply don't have any WIPs, you can just write a sentence around the word)

tagged by the bestest @scarcrossdlvrs

All of my snippets are gonna be coming from my modern AU stuff which I've shared a lot of already but WHATEVER i typically can't have several projects running at the same time lmao

First

In a bunk bed on a tour bus on the other side of the country, Eddie Munson stared at the phone in his hand with a little smile tugging at his mouth.

It was a short conversation but there was something really nice about having a conversation with someone who treated him like a normal human being. It had been years since Eddie could talk to someone other than his band mates, manager, and uncle without it being either drenched in starstruck hero-worship or stilted professionalism.

At first, that had been exciting. They finally made it. After all of their hard work and grinding and sleepless, penniless weeks of driving themselves to gigs, they did it. Eddie wasn’t the local drug dealing deadbeat loser every high school teacher believed he would be forever. He was somebody, and people either worshiped him or at least respected him.

He just never expected stardom to become so lonely.

Blank

Sitting back down at his desk, Steve pulled up the details for the block and opened the rooming list the tour manager sent.

He was startled, but appreciative of the fact that the riders were included in the same document, even if that meant that the rooming list was given to him in the worst possible format. A goddamn PDF.

Grumbling to himself, Steve did what he did best; tucked himself in to read the contract from top to bottom, then back again, then did the same with the riders. Then came all the technical stuff of building the room block, then struggling through getting the names off the PDF and into a spreadsheet to book the rooms.

“They could’ve sent this when it was still a Word document but no,” Steve grumbled bitchily, shoving his glasses back up his nose. “They had to be all fancy and important and send it as a fucking PDF.”

Finally, when that was all done and the rooms were confirmed, Steve pulled up a blank email and the tour manager’s contact details in their system.

The manager’s name was Chris Cunningham, according to the information the above-property sales manager input, and something about that name did sound familiar. Steve couldn’t place it right away, so he gave up trying and went back to starting his email.

Under

Steve sat at his desk typing up an email to one of the event managers’ clients, quietly grumbling to himself about why he had to email them without any real heat. The managers were busy, and sometimes it just made more sense for Steve to email them outright. He would do it, he would just bitch about it while he did it.

“Steve.”

Looking up, he met Joyce’s eyes and cringed under her stern face.

“Yes, Joyce?” he asked, but he already knew what this was about.

“I was looking through the turnovers. Did Nancy give you a group the other day?” she asked and Steve looked at his computer.

“It’s just a band and film crew. I’ve already made contact with the client,” Steve said, his ears heating up when Joyce sighed.

“I’d like to speak to you in my office, please,” she said and walked away.

Sighing heavily, Steve finished the email he was working on, sent it, and locked his computer. When he got up and turned, Nancy was hovering at her cubicle and chewing her lip.

“Sorry,” she mouthed and Steve just rolled his eyes and trudged across the room to Joyce’s office and shut the door.

Lips

“Nancy seems to think that if she turned it over properly and asked for you to assign it to me, you would assign it to one of the other managers,” Steve said with a knowing raise of his eyebrows when Joyce looked away and cleared her throat. “C’mon, she has a point, Joyce.”

“That’s because if I agreed to assign every group she wants given to you, you would be back in the same mess as you were last summer,” Joyce said a bit defensively. “Tell me about the group, and I’ll decide if you can keep it.”

“I already made contact with the client!” Steve said.

“And you were not actually assigned this group properly. If I decide I want to take the group from you and reassign it, that is my decision to make as Director of Events,” Joyce said, standing her ground.

Steve sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes. “You would undermine your team like that in the eyes of the client?” he asked and Joyce pursed her lips.

“And Nancy didn’t undermine me by going over me to assign you a group?” she challenged and Steve sighed heavily.

Deep

“Whatever, the point is Chrissy knows I always have her phone when she can’t find it. Her freaking out is just silly,” Eddie said with a sniff, glaring down at the Sudoku puzzle he was making zero progress with.

“Edward Munson!”

Jeff peered over the edge of his bunk to smirk at Eddie’s wide-eyed stare. “Uh oh,” he teased as Chrissy stormed into the room.

“You!” she practically shrieked, pointing at him as he shoved the phone between his body and the mattress as if she hadn’t already seen it in his hands.

“What?” he asked innocently, and he screamed as she dove into his bunk to wrestle the phone out from under him.

They tussled for a while, Chrissy yelling all sorts of expletives at him that were honestly still a shock coming from her sweet face. She was also a dirty fighter.

“Ow, shit! Did you just bite me?” Eddie hissed, grabbing Chrissy’s whole face and pushing her away as he looked at the distinctly teeth-shaped indents on his arm. They were deep, just barely not breaking skin and would definitely bruise.

Then Chrissy licked his palm like an animal, and he recoiled enough that he rolled off of her phone.

Okay! Now my no pressure tags: @pizzaqueen, @patchworkgargoyle, @scoops-stevie, @steddieas-shegoes, @afewproblems

And your words are: wish, falter, teeth, little, breath