#my computer is finally done updating aFTER 3 HOURS

[firefly-ace]

The Look of Love

cw: mentions of alcohol, part of a series, no smut, written by a minor 

wc: 2k

a/n: sorry it's so short but this is my first formal fic like-- ever. I hope y'all enjoy :3

After moving to Seattle for school, you got a job at a local music shop, small, local place, nothing special really but the pay was good and the work, not too hard. One day, you were flipping through records, looking for one to play that would be heard all around the music store you were working at. It was a slow shift, like most you had on Monday afternoons. No one was looking for a good record or new Fender on the first day of the week. After you select “The Bends” album by Radiohead, despite the depressing everything of Radiohead, the songs are great. You go back to the front desk and register, pull out the work computer and do some record inventory and update the Valiant Music Shop website. You let yourself zone out and be consumed by your work. You didn't even notice the auburn-haired girl awkwardly walk in. She awkwardly paced around the shop, looking at the vinyls, CDs, some instruments, honestly you weren’t paying attention to her much but the amount of time she kept walking around the same aisles suspiciously long. Finally she walks up to you at the register, awkwardly fiddling with the fingers on her left hand,

 “He-Hey– uhm, I have no clue where you guys moved your guitar strings to, and I need some before my gig tomorrow night…” Her cheeks and ears were pink, it was adorable honestly.

“Oh, yeah they’re right here, follow me…” You got out from behind the counter with the flip-top counter door and showed her to the new tiny nook all the guitar strings had been pushed into. You glance back at her face, now redder than before, embarrassed expression on her face. “Yeah we moved them over here to make room for more bass stuff as well, had to push these back..” You say, rocking from the balls of your feet to your heels, unsure if she’s good now and you can go back to doing your job and scrolling to music on your phone.

“Oh- uhm–,” The girl laughs nervously, in this lighting, in front of the store windows, the sun makes her viridescent eyes look like the most beautiful thing you’ve seen. “I walked past this section like– a billion times.. I feel so stupid now..” She chuckles again, scratching at the nape of her neck.

“So… I’m gonna go back to the counter now..” You awkwardly mumble, doing two thumbs behind your back to where you’re gonna be, before slowly turning around and speed walking back to the register counter. On your way though, you notice that the record is finished and replace it with the “AM” Arctic Monkeys album for a good vibe, something to sway your hips to as you do boring web and paper updating. The girl comes up to your register, guitar strings in hand and gently slides them towards you. “Just these?” You ask with your customer service voice to which she nods. As you’re ringing it up, she takes a paper out of her back pocket and unfolds it before combing her hair back shyly.

“You guys hang up gig flyers right..? On some pin board..?” She actually looks up at you when she speaks which you didn’t expect.

“Oh! Yeah we do! On the pinboard in the back, hand it over, I’ll put it up for you.” She hands it over and you straighten it out as she takes the pack of strings and receipt from you. You look at the poster, it looks.. Super well done. Nothing like the usual Canva template you see, this one had little drawings of the band members looking all cool. “Damn, this shit looks amazing. Who'd you commission for this?” You look back up at her, grabbing a push pin for the “Board of Bands” as you called it.

“I-I drew it actually..” She laughs awkwardly again, you notice it must be a nervous habit by now, that and her fiddling with her hair and fingers. It’s kind of endearing honestly.

“Oh shit man! That’s awesome man, nice job.” She smiles and it’s so sweet it's like she passes it to you too.

“Yeah.. worked for like 30 hours on it, took that and like 3 redbulls.” You both chuckle and you watch as her ears light up red again. You look at the flyer again to maybe catch her name, right in the middle of the poster is a drawing of the girl holding a guitar, her name right underneath. “Ellie.”

“So… Ellie, what kind of music does your band play?” You ask, looking at the flyer again to see if you could make it to their show. You recognize the gig to be at a local dive bar which often lets new bands host.

“Well..” , She glances down at your name tag, “Y/n.. It’s like.. Rocky, alternative, punk almost?” She hesitantly claims with a smile, her hands are planted in the back pockets of her baggy jeans.

“So more SOAD, Green Day, or Sex Pistols?” You lean in on the counter top, rhythmically tapping the wood with your fingers.

“Uhhh– I dunno.. Kinda SOAD but sometimes MSI and occasionally The Front Bottoms if you know them?” Ellie half smiles and you notice her dimple as her lip quirks up.

“I might check it out, tag a friend along..” You go put up the flyer in the middle of the pin board and when you turn around, she stares back at you wide eyed.

“You’d really go see my band..? We’re really nothing special honestly..” Her face has this look of disbelief on her face.

“Yeah, why not? I know the owner of the place.” You mention off handedly.

“You do?” Ellie asks with wide eyes. You nod in response.

“I’ll see you there, Ellie.” You whisper with a warm smile after a comforting smile crosses your lips.

I’l- I’ll see you.” She stammers before nodding, turning on her heels, and speed walking out of the shop. As she walks, you notice she has spiderwebs painted on her back pockets, which make you smile to yourself for reasons you cannot explain.

That’s now you ended up on a Friday night, convincing your friend to go with you. “Erin, c’mon just keep me company. We like this bar!” You reason with her. You’re sitting at your desk with a mirror you bought at the local Daiso store, doing your makeup; while your friend, Erin, is still laying on your bed behind you, hoodie on, scrolling on her phone.

“Yeah, but I was kind of feeling like staying in tonight. And why is it so important for you that we see this band?” She asks, rolling over onto her stomach.

“I told you, this cute girl at my work told me her band was performing and I told her I’d be there.” You replied, as you were contouring your face.

“Ahhh, so this is because you want to be her little rockstar girlfriend.. Or is it more of a one night stand sort of thing?” Erin sat up, thinking about entertaining your idea with a cheeky grin on her face.

“It is not a one night stand thing!.. She’s cute, charming.. I just wanna like– squish her cheeks and kiss her forehead.” You look back at her face and scoff.

“You knew this girl for like, what, 10 minutes?” Erin replies in a sarcastic tone.

“Love at first sight or whatever! Plus, there’s a guy in the band. Go see if he’s hot or something. Erin, c’mon, come to this show with me or I will drag you there. Go raid my closet for an outfit.” You ordered, snapping your fingers at her. Finally, she limply slides down the bed with a loud, dramatic groan, and goes into your closet to pick out an outfit as you do your eyeliner. Erin emerges in an oversized tee shirt with the neckline cut to be off the shoulder, bra strap showing, with a fishnet shirt underneath for some flair, paired with bootcut jeans and doc martens. You on the other hand opt for short jean shorts with ripped tights, a cropped black tank top, a red flannel over it, and some chucks to tie the whole ensemble together; frankly giving Rachel Amber energy.

You two walk in and they’re just beginning, “Uhh– Hey guys.. We’re The Fireflies. My name is Ellie, I’m the lead guitarist and vocalist; my friend, Dina, is on drums, and my– other friend, Jesse, is on drums, and we have Cat on rhythm guitar.. We have a set of , like, half of our new album and then some covers. Hope you guys like it..” Ellie explains into the microphone. Frankly, you feel a little bad, the poor girl looks so awkward you wonder if she’s singing or someone else will be. The music slowly starts with Ellie’s skilled fingers moving across the fretboard and the other instruments joining in. You and Erin find yourselves nodding your heads along whilst sitting at the bar, you’re drinking a simple rum and coke, while she sips on a simple hard lemonade. Then, to your surprise, Ellie’s raspy voice starts to fill the bar. “When I was just a girl, we’ll call it fifteen or so,” Her voice isn’t the traditional flow of pop, and it’s not timid and stuttering like her speaking voice, it feels raw, intentional, like the lyrics hold actual deep meaning to her. “She said, ‘All I can hope for is for me to get better. ‘Cause all I can take is no more.”

Ellie sings, the words even stirring emotion on her face and body language, the frustration of whatever inspired the lyrics. It amuses you, the switch from shy nerd to some rising star indie-rock performer. The whole set goes pretty well, you can tell the band actually does like doing what they do, giving their all for this performance for a crowd of maybe 25-30 people in this dive bar.

The set comes to an end after about 2 hours and it didn’t disappoint at all. After Ellie thanks the crowd she takes her guitar off amidst cheers and hollers, she uses the bottom of her tee shirt to wipe sweat off her forehead, unintentionally showing off her lean abdomen. Thanks to the multiple drinks you had throughout her set, your inhibitions were lowered, explaining why you let out a wolf whistle when you saw her abdominal muscles. In the lighting, it was hard to tell but Ellie’s cheeks and ears flush red. She’d noticed you were here a while ago, watching her band perform, with your friend who had left earlier. Jesse and Dina are packing up their instruments and are planning to go back to their apartment, not wishing to linger long, but Ellie wanted to talk to you and Cat wouldn’t mind a drink. Ellie sat right next to you admiring your cute tipsy expression. “Hey, you actually came.” She smiles, taking a sip of a cold soda.

“I did yeah, you guys are great. Happy to say I knew you before you got big.” You weren’t drunk but your words were starting to melt together a bit.

Her hoarse voice dips into a tone of concern as she tries to locate Erin who seemingly abandoned you. “Well, I think it might be a while before that happens. Hey, didn’t you come here with a friend?”

“Oh yeah, she wasn’t having fun so she went back to our apartment but I told her I wouldn’t get too drunk..” You explain as you fiddle with your necklace, noticing that you didn’t quite follow through on the last part.

“Really now?” Ellie teases with a soft laugh, “You live in walking distance?” Her smile shifts to something more considerate and soft.

“Yeah only ‘bout like 10 blocks or somethin’ ‘round that.” You smile, swirling around the remaining ice in your glass.

“You want a ride home, Y/n?” She asks with a caring tone.

“I’d like that.”

[dearfuturehusbandblog]

Hotter Than Hell

Dear Future Husband, 

82°.

It is 82° inside my apartment right now. 

The middle of a heat wave, 96° outside with a humidity of 93%, and our hvac unit decided to go kaput. 

Oh, yeah, and it was on Tisha B’Av. 

7am on Tisha B’Av morning, there was an awful grinding noise and the compressor just completely died. 

On Tisha B’Av. 

In the middle of a heat wave.

The unit is barely 3 years old. We got it brand new. For $8300. And this repair? Almost $1000. Ironically it’s not even the part that costs that much, it’s the coolant they need to add after replacing the part. 

I’m done with this crap. 

I listened to a shiur on Tisha B’Av about how we’re not supposed to be comfortable both in this galus and on Tisha B’Av, but this is beyond discomfort. This is dangerous. 

And it’s always something! I have no time to just stop and be and think because I’m constantly bogged down with this crap. 

Since we moved into this building like 8 years ago, it has been non-stop with the HVAC insanity. I just checked my messages - August 2016, July 2017, July 2018, October 2019 were all dates that we had major HVAC problems. Finally got the unit replaced September 2020 and now this. 

I understand that struggle is important for growth. But there are two different types of struggle - the first is the kind of strain you put on your muscles that leads to muscle development. The second is constant, never-ending, cortisol-inducing trauma that does not lead to growth and in fact impedes it. 

The second is my life. My entire life. I’ve never had a minute of reprieve from any of this crap and I’m just done. 

I’ve gotten barely 8 hours of sleep the last two days. I’m dehydrated but too nauseas to drink. 

This is not struggle that leads to growth. 

This is suffocating. 

Hoping you’ve got it better wherever you are. 

-LivelyHeart

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

Update: We were able to borrow two free-standing a/c units for Shabbos. One is going in the kitchen, the other in MotherLivelyHeart’s room. 

Remind me again whose ceiling is open to the elements and whose room is essentially the same temperature inside as it is outside? Mine? Oh, right. But is there a reprieve for me? No, of course not. 

The replacement part for the HVAC should arrive in about 5 days. Joy. 

So if the local Misoskim needs the free-standing a/c units for someone sitting shiva, we have to give them, but for now let’s see if the inside temperature will actually drop back below 80° this Shabbos. 

And in case you were wondering, yes, my computer is overheating. Just like everything else.

[pbandjesse]

I decided to work from home today. I am really glad I did. I needed to be alone. And I got my work done and got stuff done at home and that was really nice.

I slept okay. But when I woke up I felt sad and off. James came in to say good morning and I let them know I needed to stay home. I texted Alexi and she was totally chill. And I went back to sleep for an hour.

When I woke up, Heather has texted me a few minutes before, asking me to answer an email and do some back end changes to our registration. Can do! It didn't take long. I had to do a little detective work to make the changes necessary and discovered that the website was still talking about the CIT program. Which we are updating. And had a lot of wrong info, including the cost and the name. So I would reach out the Heather about that. And went to get dressed.

I would change 3 times. I was not feeling nice. About myself. But it would get better throughout the day. My eye was slightly swollen still. My bangs weren't laying right. I was just frustrated with myself for being upset about myself.

James left me a sandwich and I would eat that before I got on my computer to do some other work. And I was making great progress. I worked on a slideshow for the open house this weekend. Which took me a really long time because there is not a way to mass upload photos to slides. Like you have to place each photo individually. But it was fine. I was glad I had something to do.

I would take a break and worked on some painting in the stairwell. I was able to tape the paint brush to the extending pole and got all the edges and it was fun. I was having a good time.

I was standing on the ladder painting when I heard someone knock on the door. I went down and no one was there but when I leaned out the door I saw a man and he was like. Oh I'm knocking for the neighbor. But then proceeded to knock on my window? And I was like oh that's the confusion that's my window! And he was so embarrassed! I was like it's all good but it was funny.

I had lunch after that. I texted Heather some questions for the vender documents so I could work on that. I tried having a Celeste pizza, which was my absolute favorite as a kid. It ended up hurting the wound on the roof of my mouth and was strangely creamy. Like it wasn't horrible but the pain made me stop eating.

While it was cooking I started working on drawing on the ceiling in the studio. I had a thought about drawing a sunburst or a flower around the ceiling light. And so I drew that out. Had my lunch. And went back to paint it. It will need another coat for sure to cover the pencil but I love how it looks. I texted my mom and said how it's great owning a house. I can just do things. It's great.

I would work on starting to draw out a map for the music festival. And once I was as far as I could go before I got more info, I headed downstairs.

I would work on the living room. Now that the one walk is in a good spot I finally moved the small book case to it's new home:next to the couch. I took down the board I put there as a temporary piece. I had to move all the objects I had on the book car and got everything moved and started decorating. And I'm just thrilled. I looks so good. There is still a lot to do. But I'm really happy.

I would do some measuring for the next bookshelf I need to create for the weird transition spot between the living room and kitchen. It's such a weird size so I am going to have to build something myself. Which is fine. But will take some thinking. And my bandsaw.

I would go through our flat art box. Pulled out some pieces and put others away. James would out the box in storage later on but for now I just made sure my art was out and everything was ready for hanging that I wanted up.

I would hang a few little pieces. And made some choices about where things will get hung later. I would put our plant shelves outside. And just some small poking around. I put my little beer can lamp up and created a makeshift shade with a piece of tracing paper. And I just love the warmth it brings. I still need another lamp for the living room but I'm really happy with the progress.

A little before 4, after double checking there was no other stuff for me to do work wise, I would get in the couch with a snack. I was really cold all of a sudden. I would get cozy on the couch and waited for James to get home.

When they did get back it was still raining a little. They made a big fuss about how nice everything looked. They also had a package for me and I was excited about that.

They were excited to paint. I had started taping out the backsplash and they had finished that so they could jump right in. And they would spend the next hour or so painting and it looks so good. They are going to wait til the morning to take the tape down and put everything back. But I am thrilled with how it looks.

Before they did the second coat they would go to Burger King to get dinner. I felt very weak all of a sudden when they came back. The food helped. Even if it still hurts the roof of my mouth. Ouch.

We would talk while they painted. Sweetp was being really cute and cuddly. It was nice. It was a really nice evening.

Eventually I would come up here and try on the dress I got as a possible option for Sam and Paul's wedding. And I think it will be a good option for the week. At least one of the events for sure.

I came up stairs to hang a few things. I also tried to change the door knobs on my closet but I couldn't get the handles off because the screws are stripped. The people who flipped this house did such a shitty job about that. We keep running into this issue and it's so frustrating. I'll figure it out but not tonight.

James fixed the one curtain rod that got bent. And I worked on hanging up all of our enamel pins. I finally got a new canvas banner for them. And I'm really happy with how they look against the black fabric.

Now I am very tired. It was a really nice day. And I am hoping that it makes me feel nice enough to tackle going into work tomorrow. And like. It will be fine. I love camp. I just hope that emotionally I can pull myself together to get there.

After camp tomorrow I have a workshop! And I'm really looking forward to it. I have 4 sign ups right now and I would love to have 6 to 8. But regardless I will have a great time. And I hope you all have a great day tomorrow too.

Sleep well everyone. Take care of yourselves! Goodnight!!

[maria-mga2024mi4014]

Working on one of the lab computers

02/10/2024

Hi everyone! I've currently saved my 3D work onto one of the laptop computers in hopes that I could get right into the camera movements and the rendering.

Here's the issue...

All my substance painter textures disappeared when I opened the Maya file. I had to download all my texture and fbx files onto the lab computer and I had to start re-texturing the props.

I've currently made a google doc where I'm adding all my work in progress details. So everything should be alright.

I'm unable to apply some of the textures. So, I'll have to add them fresh using substance painter in the lab computer.

For today I think I'll only be able to texture and add in the camera movements to the environment. I highly doubt I'll have time today to render the environment.

Once I get home today, I will update the blog, and I'll complete the look of the inner world. I'll even get started on the cave wall Png.

Then, after the outer world rendering is complete tomorrow, I'll add in the textures to the inner world, and I'll add in the camera movements.

Finally, on Friday, I will render the inner world!

Then I can get some help from Hemansha to use aftereffects and save both the videos for edits during the weekend.

Update :-

Hi everyone. I was feeling quite tired as soon as I got home so I couldn't update the blog right away. I decided to sleep for 2 hours so I can stay awake and get some project work done.

Right before leaving uni at 6pm, I was able to finish texturing the outer world. My plan is to go to uni early in the morning tomorrow to sort out the camera work and then render the outer world.

Here are some changes I made to the outer world while working on the lab computer.

Started off by downloading the sky png -

Quick reference as to where I have saved my project on the lab computer -

Adding the cave textures -

Luckily, the texture colors I had previously added for the cave structure and the lion stone entrance are quite similar in color. I believe I had only added the color and roughness texture templates for both of these props.

Re-creating the texture for the forest ground -

Now, the previous texture I had made for the forest ground was lighter than expected. I kept playing with the texture templates, but the ground either looked too orange or too red.

So, I had to start with a fresh texture on Substance painter. It's during moments like these that I'm so thankful to my past self for adding tones of screen shots and descriptions of my work in progress because I was able to go get the exact same texture, I had previously added, but this time, I changed the texture color to a brown tone.

Adding the tree trunk texture:-

Over here I've made quite the change to my extra idea of have 3 different colors of tree trunks. When reapplying the textures, I realized that 2 variations of the tree trunks were in similar color to the forest ground. So, I needed to go for the very first tree trunk texture I made and apply it onto all of the trees. It was the best decision because this texture color has the trees standing out. For the tree trunks, I added the color and roughness texture templates.

Texturing the bridge:-

This one took some time to complete since I hadn't saved the texture templates for the wooden bridge planks and the long poles. So, I headed over to substance painter and I recreated the texture I had made previously. The texture templates I used were color and roughness.

For the bridge nails however, I did save the previously made textures. I just needed to reapply them. I added the color, roughness, and metalness texture templates for this prop.

That's basically it for this blog post! For the moment, I'll be taking a break from this module to focus on my other modules. I will be making a post on my inner world assembling process and the textures to be saved and exported onto the lab computer tomorrow.

[thecoffeelorian]

(De)Stressing: Howzer x Reader

Title: (De)Stressing Fandom: Star Wars--The Bad Batch Word Count: Under 1K Alignment: Captain Howzer x Reader Rating: SFW/No Funny Business Brief Description: After one of the worst work days ever, a certain Captain decides to give you what nobody else has--a little tender, loving care... Special Credit: The divider below was made by @saradika-graphics. Special Notes: As described in this poll, the word 'pika' in Twi'leki means 'beloved person', or 'held close to the heart'. No-Pressure Tags: @darthnihila @ci-avmovies14 @vrycurious @gun-roswell and anyone else who wants to see more Howzer x Reader tales! <3<3

Your day officially started going downhill the moment someone in Produce called off of work…and, much to your dismay, it hasn’t seemed to want to let up since then.

For starters, it rained for half the day, and the change in air pressure bothered your already aching head bad enough to force you to pop a few pills, if not also pray they kicked in as fast as possible.

No luck there.

For another, no sooner had you been forced to switch cart duty with the guy they called up as the replacement, a bunch of other workers decided they would start calling you up to do other tasks as well...not that you had that much to do.  No, you obviously needed some more work alongside your original duties, so for today, this would include having to scrub down the outer doors (because the usual cleaning crew had decided to avoid them), going out on another hour of carts (all the other baggers were already out there), and almost having zero time to do any of your daily computer training.

Surprise, surprise.

And if that wasn’t enough to suggest that the vast universe itself was suddenly outraged at your existence and wished to thoroughly punish you for it…that “My Hero and I” fanfiction you’d struggled all of one year to finally update received zero engagement from everyone on the holonet.

Figures.  You work your butt off all day, and yet NOBODY notices a single thing…!

In other words, the planet seemed to see you as either the maid—someone to clean up everyone else’s messes, fix everyone else’s problems, and somehow never need anything in return—or else the Invisible Woman, only being alive for everyone else around you to totally ignore and move past.

Small wonder, then, that you were just about chomping at the corner of your mouth by the time you were able to return home for the day, even if only as an outlet for the mountain of stress that had been dropped upon your head.  And not just that, but your head had started to ache a little worse by then, your nerves were pretty much shot, and anything enjoyable you might have otherwise planned with your live-in boyfriend had been driven out of your mind a long time ago.

In fact, when you finally had a moment to collapse into your chair and relax…you might very well have started banging your head against the nearest wall as your own weird form of stress relief.

At least, that’s what you would have done if Howzer hadn’t been there to meet you at just the right moment, thus saving you from a surprise trip to the hospital, a few hours’ worth of embarrassment, and an equal amount of pain on his end.

And, wouldn’t you know it…he already had your afternoon coffee ready.

“Hard day?”

You manage a quick nod alongside your scowl, the horrors of the afternoon still fresh in your memory as you rub silently at your forehead.  It’s a wonder they didn’t drive you into a screaming fit—and that was just before noon.

“Zat bad, hmm?  Did your coworkers drive you crazy?”

Another nod.  You weren’t ever much of a talker whenever you got scared, or sad, or angry enough to bite…but lucky for you, this good Captain of yours took it all in his stride, even if one day at a time.

If only you could make it up to him the moment you felt more like yourself again…but how?

“Well, it’s over now, I’m sure…so let’s not think of zem any further. Take zis instead.”

He’s careful to pass the coffee to you without spilling a single drop, a trace or two of his experience handling explosives manifesting itself—and yet, when your hands make contact with his so that you can start in on the long-awaited drink, both of you come close to losing your grip upon the cup.

“Careful, goofus!  You’re gonna make me drop it!”

“Me, make you?  Ze hero of Ryloth, a saboteur?”

Howzer fakes an air of dismay at your words, and just as though he were an actor upon the big screen, places a hand over his heart as he pretends to stagger backwards.

“Oh, pika!  How you so mercilessly wound me!”

“Save yourself, then, and get over here!”

Feeling your first laugh in hours start coming over you, you’re careful enough to set your cup down before pulling Howzer down beside you, there being just enough room upon the arm of your chair for one more.

Together.  Yes, sitting together could be a good start here. 

“So…how’s this?”

You weren’t the best of planners either on or off your work site, unfortunately—but this could actually work.

“How’s what, exactly?”

“Us sharing a chair…are you comfortable?”

As though to confirm your thoughts, Howzer’s balanced himself upon the chair’s arm just as easily as he would any other vantage point, both eyes locked upon yours. “Well, it’s not a spot in the Ryloth jungle, zat’s a certainty.” He’s also careful not to try and fall over this time, and so allows you both more than enough room to guide you into a comforting embrace. “And I’m no lylek…right?”

It’s finally here that the stresses of your crazy day begin to let up, and as you’re able to rest your head upon Howzer’s shoulder, so, also, are you finally able to relax. “More like a can-cell,” he teases, rubbing circles along your back to help loosen you up a little at a time.  “But at least you’re mine.”

[ageless-aislynn]

Thanks so much for all of the info! The sad thing with Georgette is that, specs-wise, she should be a beast: 64GB RAM, 13th gen i9 Intel chip, NVIDIA RTX 4070 graphics card. She should cook when it comes to games and video editing. And yet she blue screened day one right out of the box. My dad got her on a Black Friday sale and I didn't start her until the day after Christmas (since she was a present) and thus by the time I realized, hey, there's something wrong here I'm not going to be able to fix by doing a bunch of updates, which is the first thing they tell you to do, we were one day past the time she could've been returned. 🫤

Thus began 5 straight months of daily BSoDs, sometimes as many as 8 an hour. Dell was absolutely useless in helping me, they kept insisting nothing was wrong because she'd pass all of the tests. I finally got to the point where I had to accept that my computer was going to crash multiple times a day no matter what and just roll with it.

Eventually, I decided to put on her what I wanted since she was so broken and limping anyway, to try to at least get some use out of her, and that's how I ended up installing the Epic game launcher. The second I installed that? The BSoD stopped.

As near as I can tell, the Epic game launcher is the only thing that keeps the NVIDIA card from turning itself off at random times, thus when Windows tried to use it, it would blue screen with a "Driver Power State Failure." None of the BIOS updates stopped it, none of the NVIDIA or Intel updates stopped it. A clue was that she did better the more Halo or other games I played, I suppose because they were forcing the card to stay on.

The other day, I launched Epic to take a free game from them and the launcher crashed. While it was down, the NVIDIA logo light (which I thought was an activity light since it was always off as much as on but seems to actually be the power light), turned off. 😱 As soon as Epic launched itself again, the light came back on. So it's definitely the thing that's standing between Georgette and the Infinite Abyss of Never-ending Blue Screens*

*Sounds like a rad movie title, doesn't it? I don't want to see it, though, I lived it for nearly half a year, lol!

Anyway, my long-winded point is that I spend my days desperately trying to keep anything from updating that I can stop, because I really can't replicate the exact conditions again that finally solved the problem. So if I have to wipe Windows 11 and start again (done that 3 times already), even if I put back on the same drivers and the Epic game launcher, it might not work this time because of some other thing in there that I can't control not being the exact same version. And so thus I'm terrified to do anything that might upset the ol' applecart, as the saying goes, because then I'd be right back with a barely usable computer.

If she'd been normal all of this time, I'd go ahead and take the chance with Denuvo and figure if I had a problem with it, I'd uninstall it or, if that didn't solve the issue, I'd just wipe everything and start again.

I miss having a normal computer, honestly. I'm so thankful she's been working for the 3 months since I installed the Epic game launcher (I need to send them a fruit basket or something, lol) but I have to always be aware of how fragile this peace really is, since I'll never be able to replicate the conditions that got it here.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply back about this! Would you care for a freshly baked cookie or 3? Help yourself, just be careful, they're hot! 😉💖

Hm, a question for any of my PC gamer friends out there... Have you had any problem with Denuvo Anti-Cheat? I've heard of people attributing it with causing system instability and Blue Screens of Death and, if you've read my blog at pretty much any point after I got my computer last December, you'll know that system instability is the LAST thing I want to introduce back in. It's been 3 months now since Georgette (my computer) finally stopped blue screening often multiple times a day and I don't want to go back to that.

Why I'm asking: I noticed that the Dead Rising Remaster that I've been super looking forward to has Denuvo in it. 😬 I know nobody can see the future and tell me if that would cause Georgette to go back into the seemingly never-ending blue screens but I thought I'd just ask if anybody has had any issues with it while I'm debating what to do. Doing some research, I've found that several games I have installed right now did once have Denuvo but it was removed before I got the games. The Halo Master Chief Collection uses Easy Anti-Cheat, which, for the most part hasn't bothered Georgette. Though the very last time she did crash? It was caused by Easy Anti-Cheat. 😬😬😬

I don't know what to do now, honestly. On one hand, I adore Dead Rising and I've been practically counting down the days to this remaster (though I haven't pulled the $60 trigger on it yet 💸). But on the other hand, there is NOTHING worth going back to Georgette being almost unusable. I haven't installed my Vegas Pro back for that exact reason: I desperately want to be able to vid and make GIFs again but is it worth the risk?

I don't have an answer to that just yet and now I've got to figure out this thing with Denuvo. Also, I didn't realize at the time but some games I already own but haven't installed yet also have Denuvo: Dead Rising 4, Final Fantasy XV, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Um, yikes?

I don't know, like I said. It might be fine. I just live in complete and utter terror of going back to those "8 crashes in an hour" days, you know? But, at the same time, I know I could hold my breath every time I move the mouse or click a key and that won't stop something from going wrong if it's going to go wrong. I just don't want to be foolish about it and make things harder on myself if I don't have to.

Ugh. Decisions, decisions, which way should I go? I feel like I'm just spinning in place on this one...

[kycdai-blog]

tfw you’re feeling ALL of your muses at once

[phlurrii]

Okay we’re 2 day late, buT-

I am SO. Happy to announce 2 things! The first is that Meau and Noe will both be getting New reference sheets with a lil change to them after the next update which is so close to being done I could scream. The second is the reveal that Meau and Missingno. are now…

REAL.

Okay wooptydo so are mostly every other Mew/Two nerd’s cats on here. What’s so special about these bozo’s?

WELL. LEMME TELL YA.

They are both, including shiny Noe there, from Pokémon Red virtual console. What does that mean? It means I ripped them straight out of the first ported Pokémon Games ever made! They are both from the classic Mew glitch that ravaged playgrounds from 1996 and beyond. As seen below, we got some neato pictures of them in their pixelated glory. The process to catch them is easy, get to cerulean city, dip before a trainer can see you, beat up a slowpoke/shelder and then hit nugget bridge. Boom, notorious cat, just don’t talk to TC while catching it they WILL doom your catching luck.

The hard part is AFTER. Since you summon these lil buggers using glitches, shocker! Poke transporter doesn’t see them as legal and banishes them to being stuck in the VC. So the process of yanking them out is a very long and tedious maiden, filled with accidentally erasing my save file twice and murdering my mews along with it. First time wasn’t my fault, second time definitely on me XD but I digress! You basically break into the games inaccessible bag through item overflow and rip out things you really shouldn’t have, AKA, 8F. Then through having select Pokémon, items, all in a specific order, you use 8F and BOOM.

They are now legal and get be dragged through to home! Do a lil extra leg work to force one to be shiny through stat manipulation + 8F and you’ll have yourself a normal and shiny gameboy marked mew! But the shitty part is once you finally take them OUT of the game…

They lose their nicknames.

So you just did all that work for two custom gameboy mews and you don’t even get to name them? Abosolute BS and Lowkey broke my heart, cuz I didn’t just spend 3 play throughs, 37 hours total, to get these guys and NOT have them named. So 8 forums, 3 poke editor tools, a dump of my moon save file onto my computer, an action replay, super sweet redditor, and a modded DS later…

They got their names back and we’re still legal lil bastards that I’m currently getting some ribbons on before they make the last leg of the journey to Pokémon Home, for SWSH and eventually Scarlet and Violet. Officially making all 7 of my individual mews I’ve collected from events, gifts, and questionably legal glitches, safely in one place.

The actual ancient mews were definitely the HARDEST to get out of all of them, but if your interested, I did the majority of this process right before Austin John Plays YT dropped a whole video on it. So if you also wanna do this, I’d recommend it only if you have the time and energy to suffer. As well as DONT go in and name them, you will lose it, I am simply a mad man and was determined to they their names back.

[tracybirds]

Where Parallel Lines Meet (1/?)

oh boy, I’m exceptionally nervous to begin posting this one. It’s a longer fic and so I’m trying to do it all right and proper. I’m going to try update at least once a fortnight because that sounds manageable. I’d not been excited about any of my stories before I began this one and I’m really excited and hope that you enjoy the adventure :) Many thanks to @gumnut-logic for reading it over :D

Title is adapted from a line in Sarah Howes’ poem ‘Relativity’ (scroll to the bottom of the article)

A fight between John and Alan is followed by an interstellar storm with unexpected consequences.

[Part 1] | [Part 2] | [Part 3] | [Part 4] | [Part 5] | [Part 6] | [Part 7] | [Part 8]

---

“I just don’t understand how this could have happened,” growled John, a furious hand swiping through the backlog of missing assignments. “He has time to work on school every day.”

“Every day, John?” asked Scott. His brows knitted together over his piercing blue eyes, the troubled expression deepening as he reflected on recent weeks. “Look at his call-outs, we’ve been relying on him more and more ever since the Chaos Crew appeared. We’ve needed him, and he’s barely getting any more recovery than the rest of us.”

He was right. Scott was right and now that he’d pointed it out, John couldn’t understand how he’d missed it.

He closed the file, ignoring Scott’s pestering, digging down into the code to discover why his computer programs had failed him so thoroughly.

“Look at this,” he said, his voice deathly quiet. “He hacked the alert system so that it showed him working the right number of hours.”

Scott inhaled sharply, twisting his head as though he could peer over John’s shoulder from three hundred miles away. It would have been comical if it weren’t for the blood that was pounding in John’s ears.

He forwarded the data.

Scott whistled.

“Look here, he was in Argentina then, and here I know he was asleep, that was after that back-to-back in the Mediterranean, Virgil said he conked out on the way home and gave him a 48-hour stand-down.”

Scott looked up and met his eyes.

“How’d we miss this?”

John clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the tendrils of fury that were wrapped around his heart. He didn’t need Scott to point out that monitoring call-outs was his job, didn’t need him to remind him that this was in fact his fault.

“This isn’t your fault,” said Scott, instantly reading the sour expression on his brother’s face.

“More mine than yours,” said John with a scowl. “Why didn’t he say anything?”

The muttered question was meant to be rhetorical, but Scott couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips.

“Really, John? If you were still sixteen and some rock star older brother said he needed your help to be a superhero, are you telling me you wouldn’t drop everything to ditch school in a heartbeat?”

“You’ve never been much of a rock star,” John sniped at him.

“You’d have dropped out faster than it takes Thunderbird One to go supersonic and you know it,” said Scott with a smirk. “You’d have done anything I asked you to do.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“You gave up NASA for me, Johnny.”

“I gave up NASA for Thunderbird Five.”

“And I suppose working with us was just a perk,” said Scott, rolling his eyes good-humouredly. His expression grew serious. “You sure you can handle Alan? I can wrangle him for you if you need the support.”

John sighed, mind flitting back to the report that had finally caught the issue.

“It should be fine,” he said with no small amount of reluctance. “Alan knows how important high school is, he’s been working towards an early-track finish for two years now.”

Scott shot him a quick smile.

“Good, because he’s just arrived for breakfast. See you soon, Johnny.”

“Bye,” said John tonelessly, already reading through the list again.

It didn’t matter what Scott said, he blamed himself. Alan’s lessons were his domain and, in the constant chaos of deliberate sabotage and criminal destruction that they’d been trailing for the past several months, he’d let them slip to the bottom of his pile of concerns. All that had mattered was managing the near constant barrage of rescues and the stream of operations that meant he had hardly known who was coming and who was going down on the island below.

He wasn’t certain he’d even managed to speak to his brothers outside of rescues in the last fortnight, his days morphing together in a continuous flow of work and sleep and work and work.

“Alan,” he called, bypassing the message notification in favour of direct contact.

His brother startled, knocking an unknown object across the table.

“John!” he said, eyes widening before he relaxed into a smile. “How’s space?”

His usual response stuck in his throat, the words turning to chalk on his tongue.

“Do you have a minute?” he said instead, the flat tone brokering no discussion. “We need to talk.”

Alan frowned, his eyes flitting to someone – Scott – who stood off-view.

“Sure,” he said, dredging his agreement up from unwilling depths. “Now, or…? Only I was gonna meet up with Brandon online for a thing.”

“Now,” said John firmly.

There was no point delaying the inevitable. He sent the assignment log.

A sharp ping echoed in the holo, and John watched grimly as Alan looked down and stared at the file that now sat in his hands.

“This is… oh.”

John saw more than heard the words that Alan caught in his chest, the shaky inhale barely enough to make the air shudder. He watched as his youngest brother shook himself, eyes sharpening with anxiety as he glanced up. Full-blown panic erupted across his face, and John had to work to school his own expression of empathy at the sudden, forcible reminder of his undergraduate days when he had vastly underestimated the time requirements of his own assignments.

But even that had been careless foolishness rather than carefully considered and deliberate dishonesty.

John felt like a fool today as well.

“I can explain!”

“You don’t need to explain,” snapped John. “I know how this happened. You ignored the limits we put in place; you failed to uphold the one condition we gave you when you started as an operative in International Rescue; you hacked our safety systems because you thought you knew better than me.”

“Just listen–”

“You don’t get to talk right now, Alan,” he roared, and the line fell silent.

He breathed heavily, taking a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Did you deliberately change the learning program so that it reflected a false record of your work ethic.”

“Yes, but–”

“And did you,” said John loudly, ignoring Alan’s protestations, “do this specifically so that I wouldn’t know that you’d been skipping your lessons.”

“I guess technically, but–”

“And is that list correct in saying that you have failed to hand it complete work for the last thirty-eight assignments.”

“I was just trying to help!”

“Well, you didn’t,” John snapped, eyes flashing. “When will you get it through your head that we’re responsible for you. That your schooling is the most important thing in your life, over and above your responsibilities to International Rescue.”

Alan scoffed, mumbling as he turned away from John.

“Want to try that again?” John asked, venom coating his tongue.

“I said ‘that’s easy for you to say’,” shouted Alan, his hands curled in fists. “What do you know, you don’t even come down anymore. You don’t care about my lessons; you don’t help me with them. I can’t ask you when you’re monitoring, I can’t ask when you’re asleep – what did you want me to do? International Rescue is the only thing you even care about anymore, so why shouldn’t I?”

“There’s no shortcuts for this,” snarled John, trying to forget the way his father’s words echoed in his head after they’d traitorously left his mouth. “You can’t cut corners when it comes to your education, it’ll only hurt us all in the long run. It’ll only hurt you.”

“You don’t know anything,” yelled Alan.

John wrenched open his mouth in furious response, then paused as Alan’s image wavered, shot through with sudden flecks of light.

He held up a hand and silenced Alan’s indignant tirade, ignoring the soundless outraged squawk and furious typing that ensued. His attention was captured by the insistent malfunction that blazed brightly across the image. He checked his equipment meticulously for hardware faults and a quick glance through the error logs indicated no reason for the sudden failure.

The answer came in a flash when he blinked and the light streaked across his vision behind his eyelids.

The silence shattered as Alan shattered his mute command, the indignity of being cut off too great to bear.

“I wasn’t finished.”

“Be quiet, Alan,” John ordered, no longer entertaining thoughts of past arguments. “EOS, check Cherenkov radiation levels, correlate against solar activity.”

“Cherenkov radiation levels at 508%, limited correlation with solar activity which peaked with an intensity of 1.048 four days ago compared to expected levels.”

“Compute likely origin of unknown radiation.”

“No change in the Earth’s magnetosphere; it is continuing to deflect the majority of solar and Jovian activity. Likely origin is interstellar.”

“Check other background radiation counts.”

“Cosmic rays increasing in intensity and the ICNO is reporting a spike in neutrino activity. Beta and gamma counts ticking upwards. Recommend immediate shelter. Radiation storm incoming with 98% probability of impact within fifteen minutes.”

John swore. EOS wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.

“This conversation is not over,” he snapped in Alan’s direction.

He hardly glimpsed his brother’s stricken expression as he killed the holoprojector and swung himself towards the radiation refuge at the heart of his ‘bird.

“Are you backed up, EOS?”

His voice echoed around him as the space station slowed to a halt. Gentle vibrations stilled, the background hum of his home fading into nothingness.

“I am.”

EOS sounded more disembodied than ever, with no way to jump to the internal circuitry kept separate and reserved only for the temporary lead-lined shelter. John blinked as a dim red glow activated, revealing the small metal room. There was no bed, only a series of Velcro straps to hold him down should the storm outlast his ability to stay awake. A selection of old school paperbacks was locked in a cabinet, and John propelled himself towards them, running a gloved hand over the latch.

He continued circling the room, taking a moment to check on the dehydrated food supplies and emergency oxygen tanks, before turning to face the door, lights still flashing behind his eyes.

“Sensors are functional,” he said softly. “I’ll see you soon.”

EOS said nothing, her array hovering at the threshold.

“John? Will you be okay?”

He tried not to think about the game of chance he was playing, living in a home where any second a stray cosmic ray might collide with his DNA and reshape it forever.

“Always am. Commence Protocol XR-4.”

“Communication blackout confirmed,” she said. “Gravity ring disengaged. Oxygen supplies have been mixed with inert gas tanks. All systems shut down in safe mode.”

The list went on, with none of EOS’s usual dynamics. John felt a twinge of pride at her efficiency and then of fear as it drove home the very real danger of the storm that was only minutes away, that had indeed already begun.

“Thank you, EOS,” he said quietly. “See you on the other side.”

“Goodbye John.”

The door swung shut, leaving him blinking in the subdued glow. He suddenly missed the gravity of Earth, feeling the need to sink into a chair, sink down into his very bones and collapse under the weight of the lingering fight with his brother.

“Stupid,” he whispered, unsure if he meant Alan or himself.

There was no sense in dissecting the situation but John couldn’t help playing the scene over and over; stuck in a tiny room with starlight shimmering behind his eyes like a prism hung in a window. The lead might protect him from the radiation, but heavy metal atoms were nothing to the tiny slips of neutrino matter, the only indication of the silent, raging storm.

He wished he could have said something different, that he’d been able to make Alan see reason. That he’d been empathetic instead of angry, understanding instead of terrified.

He wondered if there was anything else he wasn’t seeing, if he had a blind spot for each brother.

Thus the long hours passed, John flitting between worries that plagued his restless mind. He couldn’t sleep, wasn’t truly awake, and he couldn’t forget the universal barrage outside that had travelled for longer than he’d been alive.

He never let his helmet leave his hand. He never let his last conversation leave his mind.

Just another worry.

In time, the light show began to die down and he turned his attention to the radiation sensors that would dictate his final escape.

“Come on,” he whispered to himself. “Just another three sieverts.”

The slow drop in radiation took hours to tick down to an acceptable level, but the final shift in numbers happened in milliseconds.

At once, the lights brightened and John somersaulted to the door, staggering as it flung him outwards with little effort. He wasted no time, racing to the central control dome and running through restart with a fresh fervour alight under his skin, unable to wait to bring Thunderbird Five back to life. He resurrected gravity, he woke EOS from her last save point, he revived the giant monitoring screen showcasing a world who needed them. With comms back up and running, John couldn’t help but cast an eye over what they’d missed.

“John?”

“Virgil,” he greeted, hardly pausing to look up at his brother.

He heard a soft chuckle.

“So the radiation didn’t kill you then?” said Virgil drily.

“We’ll find out in sixty years.”

“Get down here. Five can wait.”

John shot him a poisonous look and Virgil held up his hands in surrender.

“These are your protocols, not mine. Check the levels, this is the worst radiation storm to hit Thunderbird Five ever. Brains heard from Moffie, the particle physicists are all over this. And the auroras are incredible, they’re being seen worldwide. Besides, you need a full genetic work-up and, if you’re good, I’ll even let you look at the observatory data.”

“It was all recorded?”

“Arrived about a second after communication with Tracy Island was re-established.”

John grinned, backlog momentarily forgotten and already envisioning the years of research others would develop from the day’s data when it went public.

But it wasn’t enough to survive the apprehension that gnawed at his gut.

“How’s Alan?”

Virgil grimaced.

“Catching up on schoolwork. Scott ripped him a new one about lying to you and how we needed to be able to trust him once you fell offline. And he was freaked by the storm – you cutting him off so quickly scared him, I think.”

“I shouldn’t have lost it.”

Virgil shrugged.

“Maybe not. But trust me, it’s forgotten; he’s just happy you didn’t die up there.”

John sighed, glancing down at the planet that lazily spun beneath his feet. It shone a brilliant blue under the light of the sun and he knew that somewhere below the swirling clouds his brother was waiting for him. They all were.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m heading down.”

As the elevator slipped into the atmosphere, John felt a bone-crushing weariness settle upon him. The day had been long, much longer than his usual fare, and the hours of tension and worries about Alan were quickly dragging him down faster than gravity could account for.

He waved everyone away when he hit landfall, allowing Virgil to half-steer and half-carry him to his room, where he crawled under the bed covers and fell asleep even has Virgil was running his tests.

He didn’t hear Scott slip in, didn’t hear the low, hushed voices at the foot of his bed.  The small figure that crept into his room and lay down on the rug next to his bed long after the rest of the house noise died away remained unknown to him.

No sound penetrated the fog of dreamless sleep.

[Part 2]

[interact-if]

Day 3 of the Game Jam Winners Months Featured Author Interviews, continuing with Albie!

Albie author of Mousetrap.

You’re one of the many overworked interns working at Whimsey World. When it was announced that Imogen, a category three hurricane, would soon hit Orlando, Florida, your employers asked for volunteers to remain in the parks during the storm, promising triple pay for at least 24 hours. You and your friend seized the opportunity. After all, Whimsey wouldn’t ask its cast members to stay behind if it was potentially dangerous.

That’s what you assumed before you were knocked unconscious. Before you woke up in a costume chained to your friend and three strangers. Before Dickey the Rat informed you and your “team” that you get $250,000 for each person you kill. Before the neurotoxins pumping through the park’s air system began to loosen your grip on reality. Before nightmares and the real world bled into a horrifying, broken fantasy you can’t wake up from.

If you survive the storm (and the things lurking within it), you’ll win riches beyond your wildest dreams. But how far are you willing to go? How committed are you to pleasing your guests and satisfying your spectators? The Show will go on. It will always go on. But what role will you play in it?

Read more about Mousetrap [here] Mousetrap Demo | Dev Blog | Albie's Blog Tags: Horror, Thriller. Survival. [INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]

Q1 . Tell us about the story you made for the Jam!

Mousetrap is a surreal survival horror story about theme park employees forced to participate in a deadly game where teams win money for each death they cause. As players fight to survive, neurotoxins pumping through the air system begin to wreak havoc on their minds. Fantasy bleeds into reality and the characters’ worst nightmares come to life.

Q2. What was the biggest challenge in creating a game in such a short time span? How did you manage it?

The biggest challenge for me was just getting the writing done - trying to stay focused without hyperfixating on things. Distractions were my biggest hurdle. When I noticed myself getting wrapped up in proofreading, testing code, playing with the UI, etc. I’d take whatever I was working on in Twine or Scrivener and transfer it to a plain .txt file. That would remove or quiet most of those distractions and help me focus on getting the story out of my head and onto my computer. I also set a goal for myself of writing 1,000+ words a day but didn’t beat myself up for failing to reach that. Having the goal encouraged me to write but not really caring about it made the process more enjoyable and less stressful.

Q3. What was your inspiration for your entry?

Honestly, personal experience was my main source of inspiration. Almost everything in this story is directly based on my time working at “Whimsey World” and is symbolic of the things I went through/witnessed there. If it’s not, then it’s a nightmarish representation of other traumas which haunt me or things which generally terrify me.

I also didn’t set out to make a game that was like Saw, but it ended up being a big source of inspiration for me as well as other classic horror stories. Dimension 20’s Fantasy High: Sophomore Year also influenced me with its Nightmare King storyline – which D20 fans will surely be able to tell after the next update. Finally, old RPG Maker horror games like Ib, The Witch’s House, Misao, and The Forest of Drizzling Rain were really inspirational especially when I was doing the audio.

Q4. Is this your first time working on a game like this? What do you like (or not like) about working in this format?

I’d been working with Twine for about three months when I started Mousetrap, but this is the first jam I’ve participated in, the first sprint project I’ve done, and really the first game I’ve published (in truth, it’s only the second creative project I’ve shared with others). I love this medium and using Twine to make IF is perfect for my interests/skills and the way my brain works. I honestly can’t think of anything I dislike about the format. Non-linear storytelling is my passion, and my goal is to eventually work in the video game industry, but for now Twine allows me to easily make games on my own and that’s been really fun.

Q5. What is your favorite part about your entry? What have you enjoyed most doing during the Jam?

I was really happy with the atmosphere and variability of the game, but my favorite part might be the audio. I’m really proud of that since it was completely new to me and I wasn’t sure how players would react to it. It’s something I’m considering adding to all my projects now.

I really enjoyed coming up with the horror stuff – taking conceptual things and trying to abstract them into something terrifying and tangible. Figuring out what I wanted to say or depict and then finding an indirect way to represent those feelings. I don’t know why, but that was even more fun than normal. Maybe because the subject matter was so personal.

Q6. What is your advice for sprint projects like this one?

I’d suggest starting with a small idea, then making it even smaller. Adding to a short story is far easier than whittling a big one down. For me, it’s hard to abandon aspects of a project without feeling like I’m betraying my original idea in some way or compromising the integrity of the story. So, starting smaller than you think you need to will set you up for success, make the process less stressful, and save you grief down the line. Also, work off of a template. Experiment with and customize the UI all you want but starting from a template is very helpful. Shoutout to Ash (@innerdemons-if) for her amazing one <3

Q7. Do you have any other works you’d like to promote?

Sure! My other big projects are Hades’ Kitchen (@hadeskitchen) and Zorlok (@zorlok-if).

Hades’ Kitchen centers around a cooking competition show set in the Greek Underworld. Players take on the role of a recently deceased chef presented with the opportunity of an (after)lifetime – a chance to become one of Hades’ personal chefs. It’s a character-driven story about rivalry, redemption, and (optionally) romance, in a postcyberpunk setting that combines mythology and science-fiction. Hades’ Kitchen is also the precursor to another mythpunk series called Neo Olympus. The demo for Hades’ Kitchen hasn’t been released yet but there is a lore bible called Hades’ Guide available on Itch.io.

Zorlok follows the bizarre misadventures of a demon with no memories and the nerdy high schooler they’re bound to serve. Players can uncover mysteries and cause mayhem in this dark comedy about monsters, found family, personal identity, and the nature of good and evil. Zorlok is inspired by cheesy horror films and campy murder mysteries (+ it was originally a MotW campaign). The demo will be released on May 13th, 2022.

You can find updates on these and any other projects I’m working on at my blog @gamesbyalbie :)

[neonacity]

LUCID | NCT DREAM ‘00 LINE X READER | CH.6

LUCID DREAMS - A TYPE OF DREAM WHEREIN THE PERSON IS AWARE THAT THEY ARE CAUGHT IN A DREAM WORLD.

Summary: It was supposed to be a harmless, professional transaction. You were to tutor a group of boys, get your pay at the end of the day, and go home to your loving fiance. Kids aren’t supposed to be dangerous, right? So why, then, are you caught up in a web of madness that slowly makes you feel like you’re in a living nightmare?

NOTE:This is a yandere plot featuring NCT Dream ‘00 line which means there will be mature themes in the story as well as obsessive, toxic behavior. If you’re a minor, please refrain from interacting. If this isn’t your thing, then just scroll and skip. In no way am I condoning anything written here— this is not love, this is obsession—nor do I think that any of the people mentioned here will act any way like in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.

Genre: yandere, horror, suspense

TW: abuse, obsessive behavior, toxic relationships, suggestive scenes, stalking, possible kidnapping, mental health. Age gap–though nothing dramatic. Everyone is of legal age, drugs, slight smut for this chapter but nothing graphic, questionable consent (?) I guess? Creepy, creepy, creepy! This will be updated as the story goes along.

CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5

“EVERYONE HAS A DARKER NATURE. EVERYONE. GOOD MEN FEAR IT, AND EVIL MEN EMBRACE IT.” - JAMES ISLINGTON

The silent hum of the air conditioning filled the space like a foreboding chant. Nothing else but the sound of the hospital machinery and random noises outside pierced the stillness of the room as you stared, unseeing, at the green and orange numbers that blinked on the monitor above the bed. 

You barely have any recollection of how you managed to find yourself in the hospital, but you do remember brief memories of Taeyong picking you up from the floor you found yourself crumpled on after you got the call. You remember seeing Jaehyun's parents at a brightly lit corridor and his mother pulling you into a hug as she broke down and his father telling you how his son hasn't woken up since he was brought to the emergency room.

You remember your heart breaking in shock, mind too numb from the godforsaken pills you have been taking and your own injury. So many times you wondered to yourself if you were still caught in one of your nightmares, but every time you tried to break free from it, you're slapped back with the reality of how all of this is real.

Your fingers gently tightened on Jaehyun's hands now as your gaze landed on his face. He looked so peaceful, like he's just sleeping, that you almost wanted to bend over and try to kiss him awake. You don't even have any idea what time and day it is already, but you have barely left his side since you were brought to him. The nightmares and sleeplessness? They're barely a problem for you anymore because right now, you're entirely not resting at all unless your body forces you to crash from physical exhaustion. Even then, you usually only sleep for about two to three hours at best to make sure that you never miss a moment with your fiance.

"Severe traumatic head injury. He was lucky enough that the airbag shielded him from the worst of the impact."

The words of his attending doctor echoed in your head again like a faraway voice. You could only remember bits and pieces of what he said to his parents back then as he reported his findings, but you caught enough context for you to draw a picture of the situation. You remember Jaehyun's mother asking the chances of her son waking up again, her voice barely holding up from her emotions. 

"I cannot promise anything, Ma'm. I'd say he has a 60 percent chance. He's fighting."

And he is. You know Jaehyun inside out. He might be unconscious now, but there is no way he is giving up. Not from something like this. 

"Keep fighting baby…" you whispered in the stillness of the room as you lifted his hand gently to your lips to kiss. "I'll wait for you. We still have a wedding to do."

The slight creaking of the door barely made you look away from his sleeping face. You only did at the gentle sound of a throat clearing, your eyes slightly widening as you recognized the man who just walked inside the room. Taeil had the same mildly shocked look on him as he stopped on the  other side of the bed across from you. 

"You…"

"Are you a relative of the patient?" He asked now as he tucked his clipboard under his arm. You simply nodded, watching him quickly glance at the numbers on the monitor before his eyes settled on you again.

"I'm his fiancee."

That made him raise his brows slightly. He pulled a pen now from the pocket of his coat to quickly write something on his file. "What a coincidence. Not a good one obviously. I'm sorry to hear about him. Mr. Jung, right?"

You swallowed. You didn't want to acknowledge anything that he just said so you tried to divert the conversation instead.

"You're not his doctor. Why are you…"

"Oh. He was turned over to me today. I am one of the resident neurologists here but he had to be moved to me because his first doctor has too much in his plate already. Don't worry, I was briefed properly about his case."

Your gaze followed Taeil as he bent over to check Jaehyun's oxygen level as well as the other wires attached to him. You don't know what to feel about him taking over, but at least you already know him previously.

"Are there any changes? Positive ones?" You asked in a frail voice that Taeil definitely didn't miss. You told yourself to not act silly and ask questions that probably do not have answers yet, but you couldn't help yourself now. The man seemed to think over his words first, noticing your state, before calmly giving his reply.

"No particular ones, but the fact that there are no negative developments is… something. I will have to request for some tests to be done on him again tomorrow so we can see if there are positive changes in his brain."

Neutral. Not good, but at least it's not bad either.

"How are you? I was about to check on you again. Is your head okay?"

You were still thinking over his words that you barely caught his question. Looking up, you tried to scramble for an answer to give. To be honest, you haven't given proper attention to your own injury since this happened. You would even only remember to take your medications on your clearest, less anxious moments, which, honestly, isn’t a lot. 

"I'm uh… the wound has closed. But the headaches. They're still there."

He simply nodded. "Any other side effects?"

You didn't immediately answer. You didn't want to sound whiny, but it's not like you're going to lose anything by telling him the uglier parts of your recovery. You swallowed to try and dislodge the slight blockage in your throat.

"Nightmares…" you said now, voice soft. You briefly remembered the last one you had back in the manor before you woke up to the bad news and you felt your stomach turn again. "Lots of them. Hallucinations sometimes…"

The doctor watched you carefully and you know he is trying to compute things in his mind despite his face remaining calm.

"Have you been keeping to your schedule with your medications? Are you taking too much?"

You firmly shook your head no to his last question.

"No, I haven't been overdosing. But… I've been skipping my pills the last few days because of...because of this."

"How have you been feeling since you started missing your dosages then? Do you remember?"

That made you actually stop and think about it for a moment. Now that you are paying attention, you did notice how the nightmares have calmed down slightly. Even the hallucinations are almost gone. You frowned slightly to yourself.

"A bit… better actually."

Taeil took his time to observe you a bit more before writing something on a new page of his clipboard.

"You must have had severe reactions to the mixture of pills I gave you. I'm going to prescribe you new ones and ask the nurses to pick them up and bring them to you here. Can you promise that you'll try and take them though? You really need them to fully heal."

You nodded and gave him a slightly sheepish look.

"I will, thank you very much."

Taeil dug his hands into the pockets of his coat and gave you a gentle smile.

"Well, that's it for today. I'll come back tomorrow to give you updates about Mr. Jung." He had already turned and started walking away when he suddenly stopped to look at you again.

"Oh, and another thing. Please try and get some sleep. Recover… and then focus on helping your fiance."

******* You didn't really know what woke you up. Stirring from your sleep, the first thing that registered to you was the sound of distant traffic mixed with the gentle chirping of the morning birds from outside the window. A warm feeling radiated on your cheek and made the back of your eyelids glow red.

You flickered your eyes open and immediately rolled away to escape the ray of sunshine that slipped from the open curtains and shone directly at your face. You easily evaded it as you moved over to the other side of the bed which was empty and cold from the night before.

That was when you finally remembered that you were back in your home, in the same bedroom you share with Jaehyun. The day before, his mother offered to take the responsibility of watching over him so there was a sudden change of plans that finally gave you the reason to check back into your apartment after so long. If it were you, you would have preferred not leaving your boyfriend’s side until he wakes up, but you also knew that your future mother-in-law wanted to spend time with him so you relented. 

Of course you weren't thrilled to be home alone, especially with Jaehyun not being there, but the comfort that a real mattress provided—over the small couch you used to sleep in back at the hospital—is definitely a welcome change for your body. You even tried to take your medicine properly, the new ones that Taeil had provided, in the hopes of getting knocked down fast. Your adrenaline and anxiety had been fueling you in the past days, but you know from the way your heart thumped and your hands shook that you need a solid rest.

And you got it. You still feel a little groggy now but your body is definitely lighter and your head clearer. The nightmares didn't even come, and while they were replaced by total darkness or dreams in white that still made you anxious, you are willing to take those anytime over the graphic ones that you used to have.

You gently sat back against the headrest of the bed now and reached out for your phone to check the time. It's barely 7AM but as expected, Jaehyun's mom has already provided you with updates from the hospital. He’ll have some tests taken today as Taeil advised and then they’ll hear more about his progress. From the looks of it, she seems still set on watching over her son, which means you still have at least today free to yourself.

You quickly typed a reply to her and sighed. You’re thankful that even though you weren’t related by blood, his parents have always treated you as if you were their own. Having a family is not something you’ve really experienced in your childhood, so that’s something you’ve always appreciated about them. That is also the reason why you wish for the best out of this situation, because you also couldn’t bear seeing your fiance’s mother and father heartbroken. He’s their only son, after all.

A quick look around your room left you feeling empty. The last week has been so hard that it felt longer and now you’re struggling to find your normal pace again. In an effort to bring yourself to focus, you decided to pick up your phone once more and started flipping through your calendar to check your schedule. It didn’t take long for you to frown when you realized the upcoming dates there. You’ve plotted important academic schedules in advance and one quick look at it told you how much you’ve obviously missed in the past week. You’ve been so lost in the mess of everything that has happened that you’ve entirely forgotten about your job at the manor. You realized that they didn’t even call you once to ask about your absence, probably because they also know about the situation, but even that is not enough excuse for you to entirely fall off the radar.  

Biting your lip, you quickly scrolled through your contacts now to look for the number you need. Your thumb hovered over the call button momentarily, but you eventually pressed it anyway. Your eyes wandered towards the clock on the wall, hoping silently to yourself that it wasn’t too early for you to call.

“Rosewood Manor, how can I help you?”

You straightened on your seat.

“Hey, Taeyong. It’s me. Sorry if I called so early.”

The other boy seemed to have been taken slightly by surprise by the way he fell silent at the other end of the line. You tapped your finger against your knee, waiting for him to speak again.

“Hi. No, it’s fine. Work started for me about an hour ago. Are you okay? How’s things on your end?”

You nibbled guiltily on your lower lip and finally got off your bed to walk over to the window. You pushed the curtains open and stared at the slight snowfall that had started falling on the ground. You’ve missed so many days of reporting to them but the first thing he does is to check if you’re fine.

“I um—things are still the same. My boyfriend’s still at the hospital.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Look, I want to apologize. I haven’t really reported to work and I didn’t even call about it. It’s just that—things have been so crazy lately, but still that isn’t an excuse for me to just not show up.”

Taeyong, however, was understanding as always. You were about to go off for another round of apologies when he gently cut you off. 

“Hey, it’s fine. We know you’ve been dealing with a lot lately so we also weren't expecting anything. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“But, the boys’ examinations and portfolio review is happening in three days and I haven’t really checked in with them. How are they doing now?”

“Oh...that. Well, we actually tried looking for a temporary tutor to help out but I...uh… I think he isn't really cutting it. Maybe because he isn’t the one who started the program with them. But he’s a big help still.”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry about that. I should have at least—look, I can drop by today and just try to fix things.”

“Are you sure? You really don’t have to. Don’t you need to be at the hospital?”

You started going around your room now, trying to gather the scattered papers and files that you’ll need. It’s a good thing you woke up early so you still have time to prepare for work. “My boyfriend’s mother is the one watching over him today so I have the day off.”

“And your injury? How is it?”

Your eyes landed on the new bottles of medicine sitting on your bedside table.

“Better. I’m feeling so much better.”

You heard Taeyong sigh in relief over the phone. “Thank god. We were so worried about that. Well, you really don’t need to go, but if you have time, I guess doing it today won’t hurt. It will help us a lot.”

A small smile tugged at your lips now and you switched the phone over to your other ear as you started arranging your bag. “Thank you so much for being understanding. I need a distraction anyway. I’d rather work than stay home alone… Thanks for not firing me.”

That made him laugh a little. “I’ll tell the boys that you’re coming over. Oh, and be careful on your drive here. The roads are a little bit slippery today because of the snow.”

“I will, thank you. I’ll be there by 9.”

******* “Noona!”

You have barely finished arranging your materials on your desk when the door to the room burst open and ushered an anxious-looking Jisung inside. You looked up quickly at him, only barely catching Chenle wobbling with his crutch before your vision of the entrance was blocked by Jisung’s tall frame. His hair looked swept up as if he ran and there was a slight flush staining his cheeks. He stopped right in front of you, stopping just in time for him not to topple you over.

“Hey, Jisung how are—” You tried to give him a smile but he was quick enough to grab your hands between his.  

“Are you back? Are you really back for real?” He pressed now, eyes wide as he tried to bend over to look closely at you. He looked like a puppy, the only missing thing being a wagging tail to complete the look. You couldn’t help the brief laugh that passed over you as you tried to calm him down.

“I am. For the day, yes. Sorry I missed so many of your sessions.”

“We thought you left us,” Jisung continued, his lower lip protruding just a bit. Just then, Chenle had finally reached the two of you, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. This is actually the first time you saw him again since the day the two of you had your accident and you’re glad to see him healthy despite his broken leg.

“Hi, Chenle. How are you?”

The boy scratched the back of his head and looked away slightly. “Fine… I’m sorry, noona. I wasn’t able to visit you when you stayed with us. I’m really really sorry about what happened in the forest.”

You tried to give him a reassuring smile and freed one of your hands from Jisung’s hold to ruffle his hair. The action seemed to have calmed him down a little because he finally looked at you again, a small apologetic smile on his own lips.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. But be careful next time, okay?”

“Are you going to be our tutor again, noona?” Jisung pressed once more and you turned your attention back to him. To be honest, you’re still not sure how your schedule will turn out after this, but you couldn’t really bear to break the poor boy’s heart at the moment.

“Yes… I’m here to teach your big brothers today for their tests though. We’ll have to schedule you and Chenle’s lessons again. Is that alright?”

A brief look of disappointment flashed on his face but he was quick enough to pick it up. Jisung smiled and gave your hand a squeeze.

“Okay. We can wait. It’s good you are back, Jaemin-hyung was so—”

“Yah, don’t hog her by yourself. You’ll scare her away.”

A new voice made the three of you look back to the doorway. Haechan smiled at your little group as he strolled casually into the room followed by Jeno and Jaemin. The three of them joined your crowd and you felt Jisung finally let go of your hand as he stepped away to go over to his brothers’ side.

“Hi. Sorry, I only returned now. Taeyong told me that you—”

You weren’t able to finish what you wanted to say as Haechan gently stopped you mid-sentence. He leaned his head to the side, eyes briefly scanning you from head to toe. Unlike Jisung, he looked calm and only barely excited.

“It’s fine. We knew you’ll come back. How are you?”

“Oh… I’m good. My head is better. I haven’t had the chance to thank all of you for taking care of me when I was here.”

“How about your boyfriend?” It was Jeno who asked this time and you quickly turned to him to address his question. Your eyes briefly slipped to Jaemin who was standing behind him before you could even speak though, and for a moment you had the impression that Jeno was shielding him—or blocking him from you. You blinked a little bit in confusion, wondering if it was just your imagination that was making you think that way.

“He’s still… still unconscious,” your smile dropped a little but you tried your best to keep your voice casual. “We’re getting more tests for him. His doctor said that he isn’t showing bad signs at least.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about him,” Haechan said with compassion and you gave him a grateful look. Your gaze settled on Jaemin again, however, who for some reason had barely looked at you since he came into the room. You know that he can be quiet and reserved at times, but there is something in the air around him that makes you slightly worried. He’s so still, but the way he carries himself makes it seem like he’s so strung up at the same time. It also doesn’t help that Jeno seems to be almost pushing him back from view.

“Hi Jaemin… How are you?” You tried to gently ask him to make sure that he is okay. He didn’t look at you at first, but when he finally did, you felt yourself freeze a little. His eyes looked dark and almost emotionless when he met yours and there were shadows under them as if he hadn't slept properly for days. He didn’t even answer and just simply stared, his gaze blank and accusing at the same time.

Haechan casually glanced over his brother and chuckled. “Our Jaeminie here has been sick for the past couple of days so he’s a little out of it. But he’s going to be fine now,” he put a hand over the other’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze as if to calm him down. “Right, Jaemin? We’ll try our best to go to class today since noona is finally back, hmm?”

Jaemin, however, didn’t even seem to hear him. He continued staring at you the same way that kept you pinned on your spot.

“Are you leaving again?” he finally asked and you almost felt goosebumps rise on your skin. It didn’t sound like a question… but more of a threat. You swallowed.

“I’m going to have to arrange my schedule till things get better…” you answered carefully, as if you’re navigating dark waters. That didn’t seem to cut it for him, unfortunately.

“So you’re not leaving. Forever?”

You blinked. To be honest, you’ve been thinking of quitting and just finishing the rest of the month if things didn’t improve, but you don’t think that’s the right answer to give at the moment.

“No… not for now,” you finally managed to say. You watched as Jaemin seemed to visibly relax, his stiff shoulders loosening under Haechan’s grip. He didn’t say anything after that, but he at least looked away, seemingly more satisfied with your words.

“Great. I think we should get to work,” Haechan broke the silence and looked around the room as if the tension you were feeling was just something only you could feel. He nodded towards Chenle and Jisung then. “You guys go back to your own classes. You’ll have your share of noona once it’s your turn.” He then glanced at you, smile still in place. “Should we start then?”

You nodded. “Is Renjun still not back?”

“Not yet. He’s going to be here tomorrow though,” Jeno answered as he took his seat on one of the desks.

“I see…”

Haechan also found his spot, but not before you’ve noticed him urging Jaemin to do the same. Playfully, he took the pencil you’ve arranged on the desk and started tapping it against the wood of the table.

“Don’t worry. We’ll tell him you’re back. I’m sure he can’t wait to have his lessons again~”

******* You looked over the window for the third time in the last fifteen minutes and sighed. The day had been busy with you trying to catch up on the boys’ lessons that you barely even noticed the state of the weather outside. When you finally did, it took you by surprise when you saw how much of the ground was covered by snow—one look at it told you that it is at least a feet deep by now. Your first instinct was to try and maneuver your car out of the lot before your tires get entirely buried in it, but then you remembered that you promised to wait for Taeyong to come back before leaving the manor. The butler requested for you to temporarily watch over the manor while he tries to do some last minute errands back in the city, but it’s been two hours since he originally promised to come back. You eyes glanced at your watch now, then back at the quickly darkening view outside. 

“...severe snowstorm has blocked some of the main roads in the city at the moment. Expect heavy traffic and don’t forget to drive safely.”

You turned to the television now to catch the last of the rambling dialogue of the reporter about the weather. You’ve been debating on whether to call Taeyong or not to check on him, but you didn’t want to seem impatient to go home when you only really wanted to make sure if he’s safe. From the looks of it, he’s stuck somewhere because of the hale, too.

You were on your way to get your phone from your bag to at least try to shoot him a message when you suddenly heard it ring. Getting it just in time, you almost sighed in relief when you saw his number there. You quickly took it and went over to the window to answer it to make sure you get some proper signal.

“Hello? Taeyong?”

“Hey. Finally. I’ve been trying to call you for the last hour, thank god it finally connected.”

“Oh, sorry, my phone’s in my bag. I think the signal’s getting bad because of the snowstorm. Where are you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, about that, I’m still stuck in town. The traffic’s so bad here because a section of the main road is blocked. Road maintenance is supposed to come thirty minutes ago but I think there’s a delay because there are other roads they are working on.”

Your gaze drifted back to the television where scenes of the same blocked avenues were being flashed. “Yeah… the news says the same.  Are you safe though?”

“I am. I’m really sorry for making you wait. I’d tell you to drive back and not wait for me anymore but I don’t think you’ll also make it home in time with all this traffic going on. I don’t think it’s going to be safe. Do you mind waiting for a little bit more? I’ll tell you once the roads are better.”

You thought it over quickly, a frown settling on your face. You really want to go home, but he’s right. There’s no point in trying to drive back if you’ll only find yourself stuck in the roads for hours. Not being a big fan of night driving yourself, you can already imagine the stress waiting for you if you add a snowstorm to the mix. As much as you wanted to leave, you’re left with no choice, at least for the moment.

 “I can… I’ll just wait for you, I guess. Do you want me to do anything here while you’re gone? Dinner for the boys?”

“Oh no, no, you don’t need to do that, that’s not part of your job,” Taeyong sounded abashed when he said that. You stepped away from the window then and took a seat by the fireplace that Jeno started earlier. Half of your concentration was on the news which has now shifted to a different set of reports also caused by the snowstorm. “They’ll know when to go down and eat. Don’t worry about them. Where are they right now?”

“Ah, I think they went back to their rooms? I did tell them earlier that I’ll try to wait for you.”

“I see. Yes, I think that’s better. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated. If things don’t get better, I think I’ll have no other choice but find a hostel here and wait for the weather to calm down. You can stay there and just ask for help from any of them. You can stay in the same room just in case.”

You didn’t quickly react to the offer. Instead, your eyes flickered to the doorway of the room before refocusing your attention back to the conversation. It’s not like you have anything against spending the night again at the manor—you’ve done it before, after all—but it’s honestly not really something you’re comfortable to do again. Maybe it’s because you’ve never really been okay with overstaying at strangers’ houses but your gut feel is also telling you right now that it shouldn’t be your top option regardless of the situation you are in.

Still, you didn’t want to come off rude to Taeyong, not when he is only being kind to offer you temporary shelter while being stuck in the middle of nowhere himself. So instead, you went against your initial doubts and offered him your thanks in return. It’s just Plan B that he’s proposing after all. 

“I will. Keep me updated though if you need anything you think I can help with.”

“Thank you and I will. I have to go now though. Please make yourself at home. I’ll try to call again after an hour.”

“Okay. Take care.”

You put your phone down now with a worried frown as you heard the line drop. You couldn’t believe this is happening the first day you got back to work but it’s not like you can really blame anyone for it. The only good thing is that you’re sure Jaehyun is being taken care of right now so that is at least one thing off your shoulders. You didn’t really need to rush anywhere, not especially to a vacant home. Leaning back against your seat, you tried your best to relax as your gaze travelled around the room once again. You deliberated on sending a text to your mother-in-law to tell her about your situation but decided against it, not wanting to worry her more. You sighed. For now, you guess you didn’t have any other choice but to wait.

You did try to distract yourself by watching the news for a few more minutes before finally giving up on it. With resignation, you picked yourself up from your seat again and turned the television off. For a moment you simply stood in the middle of the room, trying to figure out what to do with your time when your gaze settled on the door again. Everyone retreated to their own rooms after they finished with their lessons so it means the house is pretty much yours for exploring if you wanted to. You toyed with the idea for a little bit, before finally resigning yourself to it. It’s not like there really is anything else left for you to do, and Taeyong did say you can make yourself feel at home if you wanted to. With a sigh, you finally turned on your heels to leave the room and peered silently into the hallway. It was deserted as expected, but still your eyes travelled left and right to check if there’s anyone out and about at this hour. It was only after you made sure that you were alone when you finally allowed yourself to step into the corridor.

Of course, you have a plan. You’re pretty much sure that checking out the rooms on the first floor is acceptable since it’s where you’ve been rotating your classes so you’re going to stick to those areas. You remember finding a library there once and you focused on finding your way to it to maybe check out some of the books in the collection. 

It did take you about five minutes to finally find the place you were looking for. For some reason, the sections in the manor always confuse you no matter how many times you try to memorize each one, probably because of how big and similar-looking they are on the outside. You’ve already tried four doors when you were finally welcomed by the familiar-looking bookshelves at the fifth one. You sighed and gave one quick look around the room before slipping yourself inside after making sure that you’re alone.

There will probably never be a time when you won’t find yourself fascinated by anything in this grand home. If the architecture of the mansion is not enough to convince anyone how rich the family is, their book collection is enough to assure that at the very least. You’ve only ever taken a quick glimpse of it once during one of your lessons with the boys, but one look of the titles in their shelves is enough to make any literature major excited. You looked at the floor to ceiling collection now, your fingers gently running over the spines of the books you could reach with a small smile on your face.

You were about to check out the rest of the collection on the other side of the wall when something in the middle of the room caught your attention. You didn’t really catch it at first because of the shadows that concealed it when you first came in, but you could pretty much discern the outline of a blanket covered standee now from where you stood. You frowned. Taking careful steps, you closed the distance towards it to try and figure out what exactly it is that you’re seeing.

A closer look revealed it to be an easel covered with white cloth. You could see the outline of the canvas where the blanket falls over it while shadows of colors peeked out into the thin fabric from the surface it was covering. How odd… you knew that Renjun had a different art room for his paintings so to see this now here in the middle of the library seems uncanny.

You didn’t know how long you remained standing in front of it, too. You know you should have walked away—after all, the white cloth hiding it away from plain view means whatever is on that canvas is not meant for everyone’s eyes to see, but you simply couldn’t tear yourself away from it. It’s as if there was a silent force asking you to pull that cloth to reveal what’s underneath, the inclination so strong that you could almost hear its voice breathing down next to your ear, unrelenting until you do what it says.

The next thing you know, you had your hand attached to one end of the fabric. You stared at it now, wondering last minute if you should go ahead or not. You swallowed and glanced around one last time around the room. If you’re alone… it wouldn’t hurt if you could take a peek, right? Nobody will know. You just have to see, then cover it back again. Before you could even think about it too much, your arm was finally moving on its own as it gently tugged at the covering. You watched as it fell gently on the floor, like a bodiless ghost melting into the shadows on the ground.

Your eyes couldn’t make out what you were seeing at first. The dim lighting of the room wasn’t helping at all, but you were sure that it was a woman’s silhouette that was staring back at you from the canvas. Colors swirled around her, like some unknown mass trying to drag her back into unknown depths. Shapes and tones jumped from the picture, but her form stood out from the rest, gracefully twisted as if she was in the middle of trying to fight and succumb to it at the same time. You frowned. Taking a step closer towards it, you tried to study its details under what little illumination the lamps above afforded you.

That’s when it all happened simultaneously. Your heart stopped beating the same time your eyes widened as they finally focused on what’s in front of them. It’s as if the ground suddenly vanished from underneath your feet and you were falling, falling, deep into the abyss despite your body being frozen in fear and shock.

You know this painting. You’ve seen it before. It was the same one by Renjun, the one that you saw on your first day working in the manor.

But it was different now. Instead of the unfinished state that caught your attention before, everything about the picture now is in sharp focus. The lines on the woman’s nude body, the hands—which you thought were simply dark swirls dragging her back—and her face twisted beautifully in pleasure and madness stared back at you like a nightmare.

But it was not those which truly shook you to your core. It’s the realization that it was your own face in the portrait that was staring back at you, silently screaming for you to run away.

You stumbled back in shock. Your chest felt tight as you tried to grasp for air while your hands fumbled to find something to hold on to keep you from crashing on the ground. Before you could even take another step, however, something hard hit your back and you felt strong arms wrap around your waist like a vice. You have barely realized what was happening when you felt someone lean over your shoulder, lips pressing against the shell of your ear.

“Isn’t it beautiful? You’re the perfect muse, don’t you think?” Renjun asked softly as he pressed a gentle kiss to your temple.

******* You didn’t know how long you stayed frozen in his embrace. For a brief moment you thought you were dreaming again until you felt his arms slowly tighten around your waist. As if a jolt of electricity shocked you, you immediately turned to push him away as you scrambled to put some distance between the two of you.

Renjun didn’t seem the least bothered when your eyes finally focused on him. He remained on his spot, his gaze on you unwavering. You, meanwhile, were shaking from head to toe, the vision of the painting still branded vividly in your head.

“Renjun—what’s this?” you managed to stutter as you pointed at the artwork in the middle of the room. You couldn’t even spare to look at it again while he merely gave it a casual glance.

“It’s you. I’ve been working on it for a long time. I was about to show it to you but it seems like you couldn’t wait for it yourself.”

You felt nauseous. A part of your rational mind was slowly losing it as you tried to process his answer. Something's not right. Something is so terribly wrong.

“Why—why did you do this?”

Renjun simply stared at you and leaned his head a little bit to the side as if he was only mildly curious of your reaction. Your stomach turned even before hearing his answer.

“You said it’s beautiful.”

“This is not right—!”

“I came home because they said you were leaving for good,” he continued speaking softly, effectively cutting you from what you were about to say. The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end and you took another step back as you watched him get close to his artwork. You watched in horror as his thin fingers lovingly ran over the corners of the canvas. “Jaemin almost lost it… It’s a good thing I got here on time.”

And just like that, everything seemed to have clicked into place. The glances, the touches, the words that seemed to have a different undercurrent under them… they weren’t just fragments of your imagination. Every little thing that has gnawed at you from the inside came into crystal clear focus and you felt your knees go weak from the weight of it all. It took every fiber of your being to try and keep yourself steady now, your legs moving on their own as they took small backward steps away from the boy staring at you now with dead eyes. You couldn’t breathe, but it was the last words he told you that finally snapped you to run.

“I don’t think you’ve realized it yet. But no, you cannot leave. Ever.”

You didn’t know where you got the energy for it but in seconds you were flying out of that room and running blindly down the darkened corridors. Your blood pumped noisily in your ears and your chest felt like it was going to split from the sudden exertion you put on it, but you didn’t stop, not even looking back as you tried to put as much distance between you and the library. You didn’t even know where you were going. All you’re focused on is to find the exit and leave the house as soon as possible.

A loud bang that sounded off to your right startled you and you screamed, the force of your shock making you whip around and almost lose your balance. Before you could even hit the floor, however, a pair of hands caught you and you immediately turned, grasping at the chest of your rescuer.

You froze. Haechan smiled down at you as he tried to steady you on your feet.

“Haechan,” you gasped as you took fistfuls of his shirt and tried to shake him in your panic. “Renjun—he’s—please, help me. He’s after me—” you gasped out, almost out of your wits. You’re on the verge of a total breakdown that it almost escaped you, the way he simply smiled down on your shaking form. It was only when you felt one of his hands gently caress the top of your head that reality slapped you in the face again. You suddenly stopped struggling in his hold, pupils shaking as you watched him study your features lovingly.

“Shh… it’s fine. I got you,” he whispered and you could swear ice pricked you from the inside. A slight movement to the right made you turn your head and you saw Jaemin lean casually against the banister of the stairs, his face serene. He gave you one quick look before a gentle smile finally lit up his features.

“Has it started?” he asked and you felt Haechan’s hold on you tighten.

“It has.”

You didn’t struggle. It was as if any trace of fight you had left you in that moment and you let your hands fall limply on your sides. Haechan also loosened his grip on you and you stared at the two boys blankly, your chest heaving as if fighting for air. They didn’t move from their spots and simply followed you with their eyes as if relishing the fear and realization flashing in your face.

Trapped.

You’re trapped.

You’ve always been.

You didn’t even realize that your legs had started moving again on their own as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall together in your mind. You were only shaken from it when your back finally hit the front door, the cold metal of the knob pressing against your spine. Jaemin and Haechan remained on their spots still, even as you blindly reached out for it from behind.

You were expecting it to be locked, so you were a little bit surprised when you felt it give way under your hand when you tried to turn it open. Just before you could even entertain the idea of escaping, however, any trace of hope you had quickly died as you turned and came face to face with Jeno standing right in front of the entrance. He didn’t look the least surprised seeing you there, as if he was waiting for you in the first place.

You eyes took in his calm countenance before slowly moving to stare downwards at what he was holding by his side. Your gaze locked on it in fear, and that’s when the flight response in you flared up again.

Jeno’s hunting rifle shone dully in the light of the entryway, his pale fingers wrapped on its handle.

“There’s really only one place you can run, noona, but I won’t advise it,” he said evenly and you felt your blood freeze in your veins.

“After all, no matter where you hide, I’ll still find you in that forest.”

It happened all at once. You broke into a run, your body screaming at you to go faster as you heard gunshots pierce the air.

---

CHAPTER 7

A/N: Good lord, I wasn’t expecting I’d finish this today but I got one large iced coffee and well... things happened. Anyway, enjoy! Let’s hope the format won’t mess up this time. T.T Finally, all hell broke loose~ <3

Tag list! 

@negincho, @jhornytrash, @jaeminhyuckiii, @jungwoosswhore​, @jsturkey, @aj-7, @pukupukupawpau, @tomiesgirlfren, @vsszn, @those-winternights, @xsnelly, @lihyuck, @laheyspizza, @miyeux27, @haoshitt, @mindofthescattered, @huangberryyy, @d1nne, @choppedupcactus, @neokat​, @yutasnabi​

[veliseraptor]

hghghghghghghghggh

so about two weeks ago now my computer sound was not working - there was a distortion in the audio, but it worked with headphones so the issue wasn’t internal or a driver or anything. so I took it into a computer repair place, they said they’d fix the speakers for $250 but I had to wait 3-5 days for the parts to come in, did I want to drop my computer off?

I, since I didn’t want to not have my computer for that long just waiting for a part to show up, and since it was still technically working I just couldn’t use the sound, was like “nah I’ll bring it back when the part’s ready.” got the notice the part was ready, was like “okay I will go drop it off in the morning, work from the city, and pick it up after work”

(for context, getting from home to the computer repair place and back is a one hour trip each way. two hours commute time total.)

so first I go to drop the computer off when the place opens; there’s no one there. I call the number on their website and the person who picks up apparently...is not actually at the store? and basically says “yeah I’ll contact the person who should be there and let them know”

20 minutes later! guy shows up and opens. I drop off my laptop. in the meantime I have been standing in sweltering heat with no a/c stripped down to a cami to maintain a remotely comfortable temperature. this is fine

anyway, come back at the end of the day and pick up the computer, great, okay, fine, I’m down $250 and that was a bad experience but it’s fixed now! great!

take my computer home (again, an hour commute), pop it open to watch critical role while I’m cooking dinner

the sound still isn’t working.

okay, cool, well, guess I just have to bring it in next week to hopefully get it actually fixed this time, that’s fine and not a problem at all particularly not in a heat wave where I prefer to leave the house as little as possible. whatever! go down after work on Monday, drop off the machine, of course as I’m trying to demonstrate it there it’s working fine. they told me they’d call me the next day

Tuesday, 3pm: I’m going into the city anyways and hoping to combine trips to get this laptop thing finished and my computer back, but nobody’s called to tell me anything about what’s going on. I call the repair place, guy mumbles something about ‘can’t tell what the issue is, hard to determine.’ about a half an hour later I get another message asking for my computer password.

this tells me that nobody even looked at it before I called, most likely.

through a great deal of back and forth, finally at about 6:00 pm they tell me that they don’t know what’s wrong with it and will have to look at it more. I ask for an ETA on when that might be done and they say they’ll update me tomorrow.

it is now 2:00 PM and I have not heard anything. the place closes at 7:00 PM. I need an hour to get there at least. I’m leaving town on Sunday so the last chance I’ll have to pick it up before I’m gone for a week is on Friday.

the saving grace here is that I do have a work computer I can use but the thing about that is that I very deliberately do not use my work computer outside of work, because since I’m working from home that is one of the only ways to delineate my working time from my not-working time, and now I don’t have that so it feels like I’m just never really leaving work. 🙃🙃🙃

anyway I’m going to rip out someone’s spine.

[holidaywishes]

a bit of stress relief

  Requested: 👍

  Summary/Request: Can you PLEASE write about Freddie coming to your work and having a quickie in your office

  Warning: smut, fluff, whiny Freddie

  Author’s Note: REQUESTS ARE CLOSED for a bit. I do have one more in my inbox right now so I’ll add it to my drafts but after I write that I won’t be taking requests for... a while. Maybe a month? I have a few series I want to finish up before I start having requests piling up. I always love seeing my inbox full of requests for different types of fics, so this isn’t forever, just until I’m able to finish my Gally series for sure and possibly my 9-1-1 series. This request was fun and I just couldn’t say no lol. Thanks in advance for your understanding and I hope I’ll be able to get back to requests sooner than later but I’ll keep y’all updated! Stay Golden, loves! <3 

  masterlist

  the other masterlist

xx

  Your boss asked you to go into the office on a Saturday to finish an assignment that she had forgotten to mention earlier in the week. You would’ve argued that you had plans but your boss said it was for a presentation the next morning that they needed the information for

  “I’m sorry, Freddie,” you whined to your boyfriend as he tried to convince you to stay at his apartment, “believe me, I’d much rather be here but I’m not about to get fired...”

  “It’s not your assignment, it’s hers,” he argued, “she made the mistake. Why do you have to do it for her?”

  “It’s my job” you admitted

  “Except when it’s not...” he groaned

  “Freddie,” you sighed, “I won’t be long I promise. I just need to go in and print up some stuff and make a couple calls. Nothing major...”

  “So why can’t your boss do it?” he challenged, “it’s her mistake, so.. she should be responsible for fixing it”

  “I know,” you repeated, wrapping your arms around his neck before kissing his cheek, “but I can’t lose this job. I have loans to pay off”

  “You know I can help with that”

  “No,” you scoffed, “no you absolutely cannot. I don’t want to feel like I owe you anything. That’s not the relationship we have... I’m not your sugar baby”

  “But you could be”

  “But I don’t wanna be”

  “Alright...” he laughed, kissing your nose playfully

  “I’ll call you when I’m finished okay. I give it one, two hours tops”

  “If you’re not finished in two hours, I’m coming down there and taking you home” he teased

  “Okay,” you scoffed, “I’ll see you later.” You got to the office and rushed into your boss’s office to find the information you needed to work on. The office was empty, as it should’ve been, but when you heard the door open and close, you popped your out of the door to see who was there, “Hello?” you called

  “(Y/N)?” your co-worker asked

  “Mason? What are you doing here?” you returned, noticing now that a bunch of your co-workers were walking in

  “We could ask you the same thing” he chuckled

  “Laura forgot to do stuff for the presentation tomorrow, so she asked me to come in and do it”

  “For the conference?”

  “Yup”

  “Yeah,” he replied, “our team is having the same issue. Except they’re saying they ‘lost it’ or that it ‘must have gotten deleted somehow’ so now we have to be here all day trying to fix this”

  “Why are any of this people in charge again?” you asked

  “Maybe they slept their way to the top” he joked before waving you goodbye and heading to his station. You started at this company as an intern, mostly handing out mail and grabbing coffee for everyone, but they kept you around because you had a good eye for graphic design which was important in a marketing firm. However, your boss, Laura, had replaced Debra, the former Head of Marketing, a month before you were hired to be her assistant and she really wasn’t all that fond of you. She claimed that your degree should be in Business or Marketing not Graphic Design and that you’d only ever be an assistant in this industry so ‘don’t hope for more than that.’ You didn’t think too much of her comments though, at the end of the day, you had a job to you and you were going to do it well; even if it meant coming in on the weekend to do her forgotten assignments. When you finally found Laura’s papers, you groaned audibly, realizing this wasn’t going to be quick work

  “Hey!” Freddie greeted you from the other end of the line when you called him to let him know what was happening

  “Hey...” you sighed

  “What?” he groaned, “what’s going on?”

  “It looks like I’m gonna be here for a while. Laura underplayed how much work there was for me to do...”

  “You can’t really be doing this?” he whined

  “Babe, I have to. I told you, it’s my job. But,” you added, hoping it would make him feel better, “it’s not just me! Apparently, all the senior staff forgot to do these super important assignments for the conference. So, a bunch of us are here working until we finish them”

  “You need to quit this job,” he grumbled, “clearly no one is good at what they were hired to do”

  “I can’t quit unless I have something lined up,” you argued, “babe, I’m sorry. I know I promised that we’d lay in bed all weekend because this was the first time that you had free time but I have to do this. I promise, I’ll work as fast as I can but the longer I’m on the phone, the longer I’m at the office. So, I gotta go. I love you and I’ll see you as soon as I’m done okay?”

  “Call me and I’ll pick you up,” he replied, “you shouldn’t have to take an Uber back here...”

  “Okay,” you smiled, “that would be nice. Talk soon. Love you”

  “Love you, too” he said before you ended the call. You took a deep breath and started getting to work. Organizing timelines and trying to understand doctors-note-handwriting from past meetings

  “How can she possibly expect me to be able to understand this?” you thought to yourself. You signed onto her computer and were immediately left in shock at the jumbled mess of her desktop, “holy fuck!” you exclaimed silently, it’s no wonder she gets nothing done, “she’s the most unorganized person I’ve ever seen!” You spent the next 20 minutes opening files to find what you were looking for, closing what was not it immediately so you could legally say you didn’t see anything, and then you had to spend the next half an hour printing documents and running back and forth between Laura’s office and the copy room

  “How’s it goin’?” Rob, one of the other team members who was forced to come in and work on a Saturday, asked when he noticed you rushing throughout the room

  “Oh, you know, I’m sure I’ll have a panic attack in the next, oh, twenty or so minutes” you replied, sighing as you walked back to the printer one last time. You had managed to get most of the paper work done but you still had to make a few phone calls to get estimates on some of the ad spaces needed and whether or not there could be a discount involved for the company

  “Hey!” Freddie said gleefully, walking into your boss’ office like he owned the place

  “Freddie,” you gasped, a slight sneer on your tone, “what are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you...” he replied, furrowing his brow at your response, “when you said you were gonna be longer than you thought, I thought I’d come down and surprise you. Maybe take the stress off a little?”

  “That’s sweet, babe,” you smiled, noticing the look in his eyes and realizing what he was really there for, “but I have to make some calls so I can’t... do that”

  “We can make it work” he teased, biting his bottom lip quickly before pulling you close to him

  “Fred...” you whined, kissing him once before pushing him away from you and walking back to Laura’s desk, “I really do have to work. You can sit if you want but that’s it...” he slumped onto the plush couch against the window and frowned before scrolling through his phone as you started to call the businesses on your list. After about 10 minutes, you noticed Freddie peering up from his phone to look over at you, as if he was trying to get you to hang up the phone just from a look, choosing to walk over to you when you didn’t. “Yes, that’s right. I know you’ve been with us for quite some time and our relationship has helped both our businesses grow,” you spoke as Freddie swiveled you and your chair out from the desk, “we want that relationship to keep growing” you continued before noticing the smirk on Freddie’s face as he hovered over you, kissing your neck as you tried to pay attention to the call. “Mhmm,” you said to the person on the other end of the phone, distracted by Freddie’s lips pressing against the sensitive skin on your neck, his hot breath cascading down your neck, “mhm, sure. I understand” you said again, trying not to let on what was happening. “Laura is so sorry she couldn’t make this call to you herself,” you lied, Freddie kissing his way down to your core, pulling off your leggings quickly and kissing your inner thighs as you spoke, “however, she is excited to showcase your work to those at our conference tomorrow. We all just wanted to make sure the numbers were 100% accurate...” you had to bite your lip and move the receiver end of the phone from your mouth in case any sound escaped when you felt Freddie’s tongue finally press against your clit. “Oh that’s great!” you exclaimed when the partner on the phone added a discount to the quote you’d already been given, claiming that, had he known other businesses would be hearing of his services earlier, he would’ve offered it sooner. “Thank you so much,” you smiled, Freddie’s hands pulling your body closer to his him as his mouth brought you closer and closer to your orgasm, “I or Laura will let you know how everything goes. Thank you again” you said quickly before hanging up the phone. “Fuck,” you cursed breathlessly, “oh my god, Freddie!” your back was forced to arch, as you were pretty much falling out of your seat as Freddie continued to stimulate your clit, only now moving his finger to caress your folds before slowly inserted it inside of you and pumping until you whimpered, tugging at his hair. “Freddie,” you squeaked, trying not to be heard from outside the office, “fuck” you repeated quietly, your grip loosening from his hair as his ministrations slowed and your breathing steadied.

  “How’s your stress now?” he smirked, wiping his mouth casually before standing up in front of you once more

  “You can’t do that” you said, small pants escaping your lips, making Freddie believe you less than you intended

  “I think I can” he teased

  “I was on a business call, Fred!” you exclaimed, pulling your leggings back up, “what if they heard something?”

  “They would only hear something if you let them” he countered and, ultimately, you knew he was right but you still shook your head

  “You can’t do that” you repeated and he scoffed, hovering over you once more to taunt you with a kiss but stopped right in front of your lips

  “We’ll see about that...” he smirked, taking his hands away from the chair and walking back to sit on the couch

  “What’s goin’ on with you?” you asked

  “I just want to be with you,” he whined, giving you puppy dog eyes and earning a scoff from you, “that’s what we were supposed to be doing anyway...”

  “I told you we would when I got home...” you said

  “Come here,” he said, patting his thigh, “come sit on my lap” you chuckled but obliged. You wrapped your arms around his neck after sitting on his thigh, playing with his hair and kissing his nose before he spoke again, “see, isn’t this better than making a few phone calls?” he asked, his hand beginning to rub your back lightly

  “You know I would rather be doing this, or more than this, with you,” you admitted, leaning in and kissing him softly, letting your lips linger a moment before you pulled back, “but I have to do this stuff...”

  “Just a quickie...” he whispered, “and then I’ll go. Then we can pick up at home”

  “This is my boss’s office” you whined

  “All the more reason to do it. We’re in a private spot, secluded from everyone else, it’s perfect” he replied, kissing your jaw before moving down to your neck and you let your head fall back to give him more room

  “Mmmm,” you hummed, melting into his kiss, “I can’t”

  “(Y/N)...“ he groaned

  “Just a few more calls,” you argued, “I don’t have a lot left. Just like, five, maybe six”

  “That’s a lot. How long are each of those calls? 10 minutes? 20?” he asked, “we could do a lot with that time...”

  “Stop,” you smiled, standing up from his lap and walking back to the desk chair, “just a few more calls...” you repeated. He slunk into the couch and angrily unlocked his phone while you picked up Laura’s phone and began dialing. You were able to make three calls before Freddie began sighing loudly across the room and you had to glare at him, which is when the texts started

  “I want you” he sent as you spoke to another advertising partner on the phone

  “Like now” another came through

  “I’m gonna come over there”

  “And make you cum again” you glared up at him and he smiled

  “And again” you shook your head, turning off your sound so the partner didn’t hear the constant dinging

  “And again”

  “And again”

  “Until you can’t cum anymore” you noticed him smile as he thought up more responses and you threw a pencil at him, still paying attention to the conversation on the phone before mouthing ‘stop’ to Freddie but he just shook his head with a teasing smile

  “You won’t be able to walk”

  “Your legs will be numb”

  “Your chest will be heaving because you can’t catch your breath”

  “You’re gonna crave my dick”

  “Every time you move”

  “You’ll have to physically stop yourself from jumping me in public”

  “Because you’re still feeling me inside you” your eyes went wide as you read his messages, heat flooding your face as you ended the call, forcing yourself to dial another number before Freddie could get the upper hand. He slowly made his way to the desk once more and you gulped as you swallowed the saliva that had filled your mouth, Freddie hung up the phone before it ever even really began to ring

  “Seriously, don’t...” you whispered, knowing that you were about to break from whatever move he made next

  “But I want to” he growled, grazing your nose with his and you started to give in when he walked toward the door, “crap” you thought to yourself when you thought he was about to leave but he was only locking the door

  “What the fuck?!” you exclaimed, “that was unlocked this whole time?!”

  “Yeah?” he chuckled

  “Freddie! What would have happened if someone walked in earlier?”

  “They would’ve gotten a great show” he replied, walking over to you, leaning over you but not doing anything. You took a deep breath before running your hands up his arms, tangling your fingers in his hair before bringing him down to kiss you

  “We have to be quick...” you whispered, earning a grin from Freddie before he pulled your leggings off and directed your thighs around his waist so he could pick you up to carry you to the couch. You laughed when he sat down and you fell into him clumsily, “quiet” you shushed him before kissing him slowly and trailing your hands down to his waistband, pushing his pants down just enough to free his erection while his hands lifted your shirt up, stopping to massage your breasts. You heard a laugh outside of the office and stopped what you were doing, “wait,” you whispered, “I think someone’s there” he didn’t listen, kissing your neck and lining himself up with your entrance before bucking his hips to yours; your nails digging into his shoulders to stop yourself from making any sound. His hands gripped your hips as he thrust into you, bringing your attention back to him while your lips found each other in a clumsy rush to muffle the sounds of each other’s moans

  “Fuck,” Freddie moaned first, “fuck” you were about to reciprocate his sentiment when the phone rang and your head jerked back in panic

  “Shit” you sighed, worry mixing with pleasure as Freddie continued to grip your hips tightly

  “Ignore it” he said, kissing your peaked nipple over your shirt before moving a hand to your core, but your head still stayed looking at the ringing phone

  “What if it’s her?” you whined, referring to your boss

  “Ignore it” he repeated

  “What if it’s one of the partners or the vendors? What if it’s one of the really important clients?” you asked, knowing he wouldn’t give any helpful advice other than

  “Ignore it” he said once more, pulling your face back to his before kissing you harshly. The phone stopped ringing and you felt a faint sense of peace course through you as you softened the kiss that Freddie had started, your tongue begging for his lips to part, a muffled moan intertwining with his warm breath as it brushed over your exposed neck. Your tongue danced with his for a while as his fingers circled your clit, pressing down on the sensitive flesh every so often

  “Fuck” you breathed finally, now beginning to ride him faster, feeling his thighs flex underneath you as he welcomed the sensation of you crashing onto him. “Fuck,” you repeated, “shit, oh my god. Fuck Freddie” you felt your climax build as his lips met your neck, his finger still working on your clit while you rode him harder; the loud ringing of the phone the only thing that brought you back to where you were. “Ugh” you groaned

  “Leave it” he groaned back

  “Fuck” you sighed, reluctantly ignoring the phone to continue fucking your incredibly broad shoulder boyfriend

  “That’s my girl” he smirked, watching you bounce up and down his length

  “Fuck, Freddie, I’m gonna cum” you panted, your hands clutching his shirt as your hips began to shake. “Sh-i-it, god fuck! Freddie” you moaned, still trying to be as quiet as possible but knowing that everyone in the office was probably putting on noise cancelling headphones just to try to escape the sounds they were undoubtedly hearing.

  “Almost there, baby” Freddie breathed, clutching onto your waist to assist your movements. Fuck, his hands fit so perfectly on your body, you really hated that this had to end so quickly, but that’s what he came here for. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum in you”

  “Fuck” you breathed, dropping your head onto his shoulder, your body taking over until you and Freddie met your release. Like clockwork, the annoying ringing of the phone appeared and you had to scoff at Freddie while you quickly got dressed

  “That was fun,” he smiled, “you sure you don’t wanna go round two?”

  “Hello” you greeted, picking up the phone to continue the work you had come to do, “I am so sorry about that. I’m not sure what was happening with the line…”

  “So we’ll continue this at my place then?” Freddie teased before and you nodded with wink before shooing him away but not before he kissed you goodbye. You were dreading the walk out of the office if Mason and his team hadn’t left yet but you knew it had to happen sooner or later

  “So, should we hire a clean up crew before your boss gets back?” one of the guys teased

  “Shut up” you said, hoping your embarrassment didn’t show too clearly

  “You do know we put on our headphones as soon as we saw him,” Mason admitted, “we knew there’s no way that he was gonna just show up to say hi”

  “He could’ve,” you tried, exhaling when you realized you were never going to fool any of them, “fine. Just, please, don’t rat me out. I just pulled together a miracle in that office and I don’t need Laura finding out about my office sex-capades — I don’t want that to be the reason she fires me. I’m not that girl…”

  “We know” another co-worker smirked

  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us,” Mason assured, “it’s a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy as far as we’re concerned” you gave him an appreciative smile before heading out to meet Freddie in the parking garage

  “Hey” he smiled as you sat in the front seat

  “Hi” you replied, leaning over to peck his lips

  “Did you get your work done?” he teased

  “Yeah,” you chuckled, “it was a miracle but I got it done” he took your hand and brought it to his lips to press a kiss to it

  “No more quickies,” he whined, holding your hand for the remainder of the ride, until he needed it for one reason or another, “I need more than that”

  “I agree,” you smirked, “now, let’s go home so you can fuck me until I can’t walk

  “Yes ma’am.”

[aeonmagnus]

Happy 20th Anniversary Robots In Disguise!

This year, and today in particular, marks the 20-year anniversary of Transformers Robots in Disguise airing in the United States.  This was the official English language dub of the Japanese show Transformers Car Robots, which aired in Japan the year before.   This show and it’s accompanying toy line were a big shift in the Transformers brand and affected how things moved forward in the new millennium.  It was also a big influence on me and this website in it’s early years, so both the brand and TFW2005 may not be what it is today without it.

We hope you will read on after the break to check out our celebration of Robots in Disguise on it’s 20th!

Intro

The following is not a comprehensive article on the show proper, but rather a trip down memory lane from my personal perspective.  It was a period of change in my life, in the fandom, in the brand, and in the world – all happening at once.  Robots in Disguise was smack dab in the middle of it all and I think that’s why it still resonates with me all these years later.  For a deeper dive into the world of Robots In Disguise you can check RIDForever.info, a site I maintain just about RID and Car Robots. The 2021 updates are here, and the 2017 round of updates are here.  I’d also suggest checking the TFWe issue all about RID over on the 2005 Boards.  Now, onto today’s festivities…

The Show

RID, and yes I say RID as if it is the only RID.  If you must reference that other RID show and it’s off-shoots, refer to it as RID 201x, thanks. 😊 RID aired during the Fox Kids programming block on a Saturday morning, with additional episodes set to air each weekday during the afternoon hours.  Instead of stretching the show out over the course of 30+ weeks with only a new ep each weekend, they were going to blaze through it non-stop.  By the end of the first week, we would have been 7 eps in.  That however hit a big roadblock due to 9/11 just three days later.  While some local markets did air the episodes, many larger city networks, and especially east coast markets, stuck with news coverage.   Many of us did not catch the early episodes on TV the first go around.  In addition, several of the episodes got pulled from TV due to depictions of buildings being destroyed and other similar visuals which understandably could upset children that just experienced 9/11.  So right off the bat, the new millennium and new era of Transformers were dealing with a new reality.

The show, for those that don’t know – was a weird one-off in Transformers history.  We had G1 and then the G2 remixes for a bit.  Beast Wars came on the scene and ran all the way through 2000 with it’s successor – Beast Machines.   During the Beast Wars era – Japan did a couple of their own Beast Wars shows, non-CGI extensions of what we saw in the US.   Their market wasn’t quite ready for full CGI so they stuck with traditional anime.  When Hasbro decided to continue Beast Wars into Beast Machines, Takara went a completely different way – a traditional animated show which brought back Autobots and “Decepticons”, mixing them in with the beasts.  They focused the toys on a couple new and complex molds, then filled the rest of the line with repaints of previous toys.  Old 2nd tier Beast Wars toys, G2 Laser Prime, and even some Generation 1 molds in the form of the Combaticons got new life as new characters in this show, capped with the biggest TF of them all at the time – a repainted G1 Fortress Maximus, now Brave Maximus.  It was the prototype for what the Transformers brand did for years to come – repainting old toys into new characters.  Universe, Classics, Botcon, and even some Generations runs used this method to give us some great toys in the 00s.

While there is a very complicated and long explanation for how every single Japanese show is one continuity, to someone casually starting with Car Robots it was a refresh, a new story, a new arrival on Earth.  The Autobots vs the Predacons, and eventually the Combatrons/Decepticons. It was a hard cut from the last 5 years or so of CGI Beasts.  Hand drawn traditional animation featuring vehicle Transformers.  It wasn’t G1, but many of the folks who grew up with G1 were just getting out of college around this time.  They were rediscovering their childhood love of Transformers through Beast Wars, flea market finds, raids on their parents’ attics and basements, and for the internet savvy – imports of Japanese reissues from Takara.  It was a perfect storm of nostalgia; a return to Autobots and Decepticons was welcomed by kids and adults alike.

RID and TFW2005

In the years leading up to Car Robots, I was just getting into the internet, coding, design, some digital music, and all the possibility that came with it.  Beast Wars, especially when it hit Season 2/3 and the inclusion of G1 lore, really got me focusing on Transformers again as a hobby.  I eventually combined the two newfound hobbies into one and Transformer World 2005 was born.  At no point did I ever think it would last 20+ years and take over my life in the way it did.  I started the full version of TFW2005 around April 2000, with some starts and stops before that.  That was right around when Car Robots started airing in Japan.  Through the magic of 56k internet, I was able to connect with folks in Japan and get them to send me VHS tapes of Car Robots.  Really nice, high-quality tapes too, I still have them hehe.  To the younglings reading – try to picture this: no youtube, no video sharing. The concept of streaming anything did not exist yet. Napster and the eventual peer to peer stuff hadn’t fully kicked off.  Plus, we were all viewing the internet on giant computers in our rooms at the speed of 1x on your phone.  Less than 1 bar 3G mobile speeds today.

Yes, someone recorded episodes from TV to video tape over there, did that a couple weeks at a time, then physically mailed them across the world to me, who then got them on the internet.  Can you imagine waiting weeks to watch an episode of TV the size of a twitter profile avatar?  Crazy.  Uploading a full episode to the internet was a big pain in the ass, not easily done.  I decided to get a converter that allowed me to plug my VCR into the computer and encode the tape into digital format.  From there, it was reduced using Microsoft’s WMV technology so that the episodes were about 5 MB each.  30 minute episodes at 5MB each. Dimensions – 176 x 144 pixels.  4k video today – 3840 x 2160 pixels.  You can imagine that video looked like crap.  But we didn’t care – we were blown away.  Old school animation, vehicles, some cool Japanese anime vibes, it was what we as G1 fans kinda had in the back of our heads on what Transformers should be in a new era, and we were seeing it.  Most of us had no clue what they were saying or what was going on.  Also didn’t care.  I still to this day think CR/RID is better like that.

So one of the first things TFW2005 did on the internet was provide these super small windows into Car Robots and what was going on in Japan. It helped get US fans hyped up for what Transformers could be. It got us wanting the toys, and importers bringing the Takara toy line over were moving serious product.  It helped swing Hasbro, who was planning to return to Autobots and Decepticons again down the road, to move that schedule up.  Instead of running Beast Machines until 2002 and then starting what we now know as the Unicron Trilogy, it was cut short.  Robots in Disguise as a toy line and show came over in 2001, ran fast and hard for a year with non stop releases, got extended because it did so well, and then faded into the Universe line of repaints.  The new millennium of Transformers was here and Robot In Disguise kicked it off with a bang.

Wrap Up

As we all continue with collecting Transformers now, regardless if you tagged into the fandom during G1, Beasties, the Unicron Trilogy, the Movies, or just yesterday – let’s take the time to give Car Robots and RID some props!  It set the tone for what the new millennium of the brand would be.  It gave us some toys ahead of their time.  It solidified the repaint as an accepted thing in the hobby. And it gave us one crazy 39 episode run of TV that’s still a fun ride 20 years later.

For those that would like to learn more about RID and Car Robots – I still maintain a Robots in Disguise website that archives everything I have or came across.  There is a lot there if you want to go on a tour of all the awesome Car Robots and Robots In Disguise era stuff.  Check it out at RIDFOREVER.INFO! FIYAH!

Let us know what you think and remember from the good old days of RID on the 2005 Boards here!

Epilogue

If someone over there at Hasbro is reading – can someone please figure out who owns the rights to the show in the US market and then get it out on DVD in full, finally?  Work all that funky licensing stuff out (if there is any) and get it done.  The US has never had access to it via an official release.  Maybe get it up on YouTube like G1?  Something.  Announcing plans for that before the end of 2021 would be a nice 20th anniversary tribute.

[greengrayeyeswrites]

shit-faced in love (chapter five)

Title: shit-faced in love

Pairing: Corpse Husband x OC (fem!youtuber!reader)

Word Count: 1,158

Warnings: Mental Health/Mental Illnesses are a big topic in this story. Mentions of depression, bpd and other mental illnesses. Angst, Fluff.

Note: This may be a Corpse x OC story but feel free to insert yourself into the main girls role. If Corpse ever announces that he doesn’t like fanfics about him, I’ll delete this.

Prologue — Chapter 1 — Chapter 2 — Chapter 3 — Chapter 4 — Chapter 5 — Chapter 6

Author’s Note: Hello guys! I am very, very sorry that I didn’t update this any sooner. I’ve had a lot of troubles with my mental health lately, especially my bpd acting up and making me feel so worthless I wanted to punch myself in the face with a chair... But I thought that I need to get my shit back together and post a new chapter. I am really sorry about the delay. All these likes I am getting on a story that I mainly write for myself is overwhelming... so a massive thank you!

Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORPSE!

— — —

Imogen ended up being MIA for two whole days. She didn’t update her Twitter after cancelling the stream and didn’t upload anything on her Instagram story and her feed. 

The day after her bad mood swing she stayed at home and Baylee came over. The two girls were spending the day on the couch watching silly old-school romcoms; Buddy sitting in between them in case Imogen needed him.

They were watching movie after movie, falling asleep in between and Imogen felt bad for Baylee. She apologized for being so unmotivated, boring and weird today but Baylee quickly shook her head and told her that it was okay. 

Imogen couldn’t believe how happy she was to have Baylee as her friend, but since she was shifting from black to white thinking and back to black, she couldn’t really feel the happiness she knew existed somewhere. 

All she felt was emptiness and sadness. The episode lasted four whole hours and Imogen fell asleep crying in the middle of it. 

On her final day in Houston, Imogen and Baylee decided to go shopping and Imogen wanted to spoil her best friend. She got her a new computer and a new phone—which Baylee couldn’t quite believe. But Imogen was persistent and wanted her to keep the things.

Imogen then rented a beautiful NCT green colored Jeep Wrangler; which the girls immediately tried out when they were driving to the Space Center Houston for their last day.

„You almost sounded like MrBeast, when you gave me the phone and Macbook“ Baylee chuckled, as the girls looked for a parking lot in front of the Space Center. „I mean I’m meeting him and the crew next week for the first time, so I have to practice“, Imogen grinned, feeling way happier then a few days back.

„D’you already know what you’re doing with them?“ Baylee asked, but Imogen shook her head, when her phone rang with a message notification.

„Would you mind?“ Imogen asked nodding towards her phone, that was peeking out of her totebag in front of Baylee’s feet. Buddy was lifting his head from the backseat, looking at his owner and her friend.

„You got a voice message from Corpse“ Baylee read the notification on the lock screen and Imogen gulped. „Would you mind playing it?“ The twenty-eight year old asked and Baylee nodded, unlocking Imogen’s phone and pressing play.

The first thing both girls could hear was shuffling in the background before Corpse’s deep voice rang in their ears. „Whaddup baby?“, he asked and a shiver went through Imogen’s body, while she maneuvered the car into a parking lot. 

Baylee slapped her hand over her mouth, staring at Imogen in shock. Hearing his go-to phrase so close to her ears and so intimate was kinda scary. Baylee felt like she was eavesdropping.

„How are you feeling?“ Corpse asked, „We were kinda worried when you didn’t respond to the group chat. I know I go MIA as well but you usually told us what was wrong. Rae was worried and I was as well. Please text us soon, so we don’t have to worry anymore.“ 

A quiet breath left his lips and Imogen looked over to Baylee, who was still covering her mouth. „I hope you finish your MrBeast stuff soon. I want to meet you real quick!“ Corpse finished the message and the phone screen turned black.

„Oh my god“ Baylee let out and stared at Imogen. „I felt so bad for listening, Mo!“ She cried out and Imogen gulped. „I feel so bad for not telling them what happened. I know how worried they get when I don't text!“ Imogen shook her head.

„Here, here!“ Baylee pressed the phone into Imogen’s hands. „Text them now! Tell them how you’re feeling and what you’re up to today!“ Baylee turned around to Buddy.

„Buddy, I can’t believe I heard Corpse speak like that! He was genuinely worried!“ Imogen watched her best friend and shook her head.

She had to be honest. Hearing Corpse’s voice like that made her heart jump a little bit. What was he doing with her? She didn’t even know what he looked like, yet he made her heart do weird dancy-dances. 

She knew Baylee was watching her, while she typed into her phone. She knew Baylee wanted to know what she wrote—and she would’ve told her, if she wouldn’t be so shy about it.

When the women came home this night, Baylee decided to crash over in Imogen’s AirBnB. They stayed up most of the night and talked about everything and nothing. They were talking about Baylee’s crush on her co-worker, that didn’t even notice her presence. They spoke about Imogen’s therapy and medication and how Buddy had helped her out of so many dark places already; and then, as the sun was about to rise again, they fell asleep.

— — —

They woke up to Buddy licking their faces, wagging with his tail only a few hours later. Baylee sat up and looked at Imogen, fighting her dog off her.

„You know what? I’m going to miss you.“ Imogen finally got Buddy off her and looked at Baylee. Tears filled her best friends eyes and Imogen looked at her. „Bay“, she whispered and crushed her best friend in a hug. „This week went by way too fast“ Baylee cried into Imogen’s shoulder. „I swear, before I go back to Ireland, I’ll take you on a vacy to Hawaii. So be prepared to take a few days off, once I’m done with my travel!“

Imogen started laughing and Baylee grinned. „Gotcha!“

After having a breakfast together, Baylee helped Imogen pack her stuff and load it into the Wrangler. Imogen was fastening Buddy in the backseat, when she closed the door behind her and hugged Baylee once more.

„Take care, Mo.“ Baylee said and squished Imogen’s cheeks. „I will.“ - „No, I’m serious. When you feel low or sad or empty , turn off the cameras and hold Buddy. Okay?“

Imogen smiled. „I will. Thank you, Bay.“ The girls hugged once more, Baylee clinging on to Imogen as if her life depends on it. „I just wish I could quit my retail job and follow you around, being your camera woman or something.“ Baylee sighed and Imogen looked at her.

Imogen’s brain buzzed. „Keep that in mind, Bay. Okay? I’d even pay you.“ Baylee looked at Imogen and the Irish lass grinned. „Whatever you say, big girl“ Baylee grinned and softly banged the side of the Wrangler.

„Go and take the NCTzen car through the states.“ Baylee grinned and stepped aside to her own car. Imogen grinned and climbed into the Wrangler.

„Good luck on these 1,270 miles!“ Balyee yelled, as Imogen turned on the engine. „Take breaks in between okay?“ Imogen nodded and started backing out of the driveway.

Baylee disappeared into the distance and a piece of Imogen’s heart broke, when she left Houston behind.  

to be continued...

Taglist: @wineandionysus​ @chanbaeol​ @rexit-mo

[fountainpenguin]

Hi, little update. Almost done with the next Reedfilter Rules chapter, hoping to post it next Friday or maybe the one after. It took a lot of overhauling but I think I’m finally looking at something I like instead of dread.

I’ve been going through a heckuva lot emotionally for the past month, so please be patient if this chapter ends up falling through and/or if I don’t reply to you. FOP is going to be my crutch for a while so please keep any negativity away from my inbox / reviews / replies, ty.

Also... At this point I’m pretty sure I never posted it because I have looked EVERYWHERE, but if anyone remembers me posting a screenshot of a spreadsheet that tells me how to craft Anti-Fairy Vatajasa names, I’d be super grateful if you could direct me to it :/ I think it’s saved on Excel on a different device so I’ll have to look for it when I return to the place the old computer is, but I’ve been going insane. Almost as insane as when it took me 3 hours to find a scene for the next Knots chapter that I don’t remember deleting but I finally found buried halfway down the the edit changes of some other doc, aye yai yai...