#so yeah ;;;;; and i think i found a program that would work really really well for me
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#I do not want to hustle and some of my most beloved people do not understand this#I was talking to my honorary big sister on the phone today about why I'm taking a gap year#the main reason is that the final semester of the program I was accepted into is around 50 hours per week of unpaid field work#which means you aren't allowed to have a job during that semester. this information was not presented until after the application process#anyway she was like “well that's fairly normal for healthcare professions” which is true#however this is a community college program and I would have expected them to account for people needing to work throughout college#anyway I responded “yeah true but I'm considering that maybe healthcare isn't for me then. I don't want a job that requires that much work.#And I don't! I don't want 50 or 60 hour work weeks! I want to work 40 hours and then leave and live my life!#but she made it seem like any job that requires a college degree is going to require that. And I don't think that's true#but also she is older than I am and has much more job experience so idk.#maybe she's advising based on the fact that as a teenager I was super type A and ambitious and really wanted a career?#whereas in the past couple years...idk I just want a reliable job that I don't hate that pays the bills and leaves time for enjoying life#so. I'm not sure#And now I kind of feel bad for not having that ambition anymore/ not wanting to have to give myself ulcers to get through school#But college is not worth my sanity and I found that out the hard way.#And I also feel bad for not being one of those people who CAN handle that much workload! Like I can certainly learn#to do more than I'm doing currently#but I will never be one of those constantly busy and insanely productive people. And I don't even want to be anymore#and yet that feels like an error.#I am not lazy! I used to think I was but no. I enjoy getting work done and doing personal projects and going to work and improving things.#It's not even as though I don't have things I want to do with my life. I have a lot of short term and long term goals!#I want to contribute to my community and support my family however I can and make art and tell stories and be a safe place for people!#and so much else!#but those ambitions aren't necessarily directly connected to school or a job for me anymore#and I value rest and having a social life too much to completely put my health on hold for years and years#sure college does take up a lot of time and energy but it shouldn't wholly consume your life as far as I can see.#and now I feel very unsure if that approach is realistic.#thinking I should talk with her again and try to explain myself a little better and ask what she meant.#diary
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okay i did a little bit of looking into grad programs, i spent 45ish minutes poking around a bit and im still stressed and overwhelmed but at least i have a sort of starting point now…
#also i think instead of a clinical pharmacist i might wanna go towards pharmacologist instead#bc i’m less interested in patient contact and more interested in the science itself#so yeah ;;;;; and i think i found a program that would work really really well for me#bc it’ll allow me to get experience in a couple of different fields before i commit to one study#and that’s huuuuge for me#it’s probably insanely competitive tho it’s one of the top schools in the nation for graduate research from what i could tell#and i don’t have much of the research or work experience yet;;; and i’d need to apply by december#so unless this next semester is shockingly easy (not gonna happen) i could maybe do some shadowing or interning or volunteering#at the hospitals or whatever#even tho that’s not what i wanna do lol and it just sounds like a chore to be honest#but if it makes me a better candidate ….
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MC: *looking at Ortho with serene eyes*
Ortho: ...
Ortho: Is there something on my face?
MC: *smiles* Nothing. By the way, what were you saying about Idia?
Ortho: *giggles* It’s about the joint field trip between Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy. Attendance is mandatory for all of us, but my brother is doing his best to convince the headmage to let him skip the event.
MC: Are you hoping I might be able to change his mind?
Ortho: You always catch him off guard. If I could make a suggestion, I’d recommend scaring him—startling him or something—so he won’t decide to stay behind.
MC: *chuckles* Aren't you being a little too harsh on your brother?
Ortho: *sad smile* He thinks that online games and fictional stories are enough to keep him entertained. I just want him to experience life like any other normal teenager.
MC: What about you, Ortho?
Ortho: Yes?
MC: I understand that you're concerned about Idia's well-being, but keep in mind that he might be feeling the same way. He wants you to enjoy your teenage years too.
Ortho: Haha! I'm a humanoid! I don’t age like humans do, so the idea of spending my "teenage years" has never crossed my mind. Besides, I’m programmed to serve Idia.
MC: ...
MC: Him and his soul… they're contradicting.
MC: ...
MC: *smiles* I'll do my best to make sure that Idia joins this event.
Ortho: *giggles* Thank you, MC!
Azul: I know exactly how to persuade Idia!
Jade: Please don't fall for his scheme. *teasing smirk*
Azul: Don't pay attention to Jade; he enjoys tarnishing my name at every chance he gets.
Floyd: I'll do it, Seashell-chan~.
MC: Coercion is not an option.
Floyd: Aww...
Azul: Just bribe him with cats, and he'll eventually give in.
MC: *smiles* I'll take care of that. Thank you for your assistance, Azul.
Azul: Oh, before you express your thanks, I have a favor to ask.
Jade: Scheme.
Azul: It's not. Anyway, I would like to ask if you would be kind enough to sign a few photocards of yourself from the last SDC competition.
Jade: See? He's profiting off you, MC.
Azul: I swear, Jade, if you don't shut up-
Malleus: Is it alright to bother you, dear?
MC: *smiles* Of course, Dada.
Malleus: How is your investigation regarding the young Shroud?
MC: ...
MC: The Ortho Shroud I spoke with doesn't seem to be aware of the human soul within him.
Malleus: ...
Malleus: Do you consider this a problem?
MC: ...
MC: I’m not sure, Dada, but I really hope it’s not.
Idia: What's this?
Idia: *has found a slight abnormality in Ortho's system*
Idia: Do you feel anything unusual, Ortho?
Ortho: I might need a system update, but it doesn’t seem urgent.
Idia: I can work on it now-
Ortho: No! You'll just use that as an excuse to skip this field trip!
Idia: No... Yeah, you're right.
Ortho: *sigh*
Ortho: This is a minor issue, and I can resolve it myself.
Idia: Fiiinee...
'Have you... forgotten about me, Idy?'
#twisted wonderland#twst mc#twst ortho#twst idia#twst malleus#twst azul#twst jade#twst floyd#twst a life reclaimed
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License [Lando Norris & twin sister!reader]
description: You hate driving. Your twin brother, Lando, tries to help you out with that. warnings: a few bad words
When you and Lando were kids, you shared pretty much everything. You went to the same daycare group, then to the same school, and you even shared a room until the two of you turned 8. You were twins, so it just kind of worked that way.
You also fought a lot. Over stupid things mostly – whose turn it was to pick the TV show or who got more snacks, although your parents always made sure whatever you got was the exact same amount. Classic sibling stuff. Lando was already a very competitive child when he was daycare age, and he always pulled you into his mind games.
The only thing you didn’t share was his love for driving.
You tried karting when he stared, mostly because it felt weird not to. You always went to the same afternoon activities because, for your parents, it was easier to coordinate one program than two at the same time, considering that you had two sisters and a brother as well. However, your parents quickly decided to pull you out after seeing that you were sitting on the ground and crying before most of the practices, while Lando was already speeding through other kids like nothing mattered.
That whole thing about you not liking to drive never really changed, even in your twenties. Lando was a full-on Formula 1 driver by then, and you also had your driver’s license, but you barely used it. Most of the time, you just took public transport. Driving made you nervous, simple as that. You secretly blamed your childhood experiences with karting for that.
When Lando came home for summer break, you visited your parents’ house as well to spend some time with him. You hadn’t seen him for nearly three months now, as you had your own job, your own apartment, and you didn’t have the time to travel after him. Your passion was running, and you worked as a trainer. Your family has always been a very fit and sporty one.
Of course, you and Lando quickly got comfortable around each other again, and you were back to your usual routine within five minutes, arguing and teasing nonstop. At one point, he made some snarky comment about your driving, and your mom, Cisca finally had enough.
“Lando, why don’t you take your sister for a drive?” she asked, her hands on her hips as always when she got annoyed. “You could actually help her feel more confident instead of making fun of her, don’t you think so?”
“What? But she doesn’t even like to drive!” Lando protested immediately.
“That’s exactly why,” Cisca sighed. “Give her a few tips. You drive for a living.”
Your eyes widened as well. “Mom, you can’t be serious. Lando barely passed his theory test. I wouldn’t trust his advice on normal roads if my life depended on it. I wouldn’t even let him outside the track!” You were exaggerating a little, but he wasn’t the brightest in the theory, that was true. He drove out of intuition, which, in his case, worked well, but you couldn’t do that. Your intuitions would drive you into the first ditch in sight.
Lando let out a scoff. “I passed the theory. Besides, I’m still a better driver than you are.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re a real menace to society in a school zone,” you snorted.
He rolled his eyes at you. “Bold words from someone who breaks down in tears at roundabouts.”
“Lando!” Cisca raised her voice a little. You always found it amusing how it was always he who got scolded. When the two of you were young, it was mostly Lando picking fights, therefore, his name became some kind of a reflex for your parents when they heard bickering.
Lando raised his hands in defeat. “Okay, fine. We can try.”
Cisca handed him the key to the older family car – not you, you noticed -, and then you followed your brother into the garage, your arms crossed.
"You know, you don't have to be so upset," he said as he unlocked the car.
"You do get on my nerves sometimes," you muttered.
He shrugged and went to open the driver's side door, waiting for you to get in. You grumbled in protest, but you did sit down, fastening the seatbelt and adjusting the mirrors. Lando rounded the car and sat on the passenger seat. It was a rare sight to see, considering that he disliked giving out control of his hands when it came to driving. He put on a pair of sunglasses and rolled down the window, propping his elbow out.
“Feeling comfortable?” you scoffed.
“As comfortable as I can get,” he grinned at you. You just shook your head at that.
The drive started off quiet. Suspiciously quiet. Lando didn’t even say anything for the first few minutes. You were hyper-aware of every movement, already regretting every life decision that led to this moment.
“I’m not gonna bite,” he finally said, watching you intently. His snarky attitude seemed to falter a little as he noticed how nervous you were. He wasn’t a monster, after all. He didn’t wish anything bad for you.
“You're already annoying, and we haven’t even left the street yet,” you muttered. You pulled out with all the grace of someone trying to look calm while internally screaming. Lando was surprisingly quiet again. Too quiet.
You glanced at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just- Didn’t think we’d make it out of there in one piece,” he said. He couldn’t resist being a little smug.
You nearly slammed the brakes right there. “Say one more thing and I swear I’m turning this into a hostage situation.”
Lando raised both hands like you were holding a weapon. “Alright, alright. No need for threats. Just drive.”
You took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. You were constantly second-guessing your speed at every moment. Lando was a quiet observer for the first few minutes, but soon enough, the silence was broken. "You're going kinda slow," he pointed out.
“If I go faster, I’ll crash and we’ll both die,” you mumbled under your breath.
“Come on, at this speed here, you’re just going to break the car at worst, no one is going to die. And if you drive too slowly, that’s also dangerous,” he replied. “Just saying this because people are gonna honk soon if you don’t speed up, and you’ll freak out.”
Your grip on the steering wheel tightened, but you added some more gas.
“There you go.” Lando shifted in his seat a little and leaned back, way too comfortable for this situation.
“How are you not terrified sitting next to me?” you sighed.
He shrugged, a small, amused smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I have been in far riskier situations, trust me. Besides, you're a better driver than you give yourself credit for.” Lando glanced sideways at you, observing your nervous expression and your grip on the wheel. “Relax. What are you so scared of anyway? That you’ll hit something? That you’ll break the car?”
“Kind of both,” you bit your lip.
"You’re being so careful, I doubt you’ll wreck the car. If you’re too nervous, though, you’ll make mistakes. You’re doing great, just don’t think about it too much." Surprisingly, his words seemed to help. You focused back on the road. The silence returned, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
You were even starting to relax as you turned onto a quieter street. Your hands were a little steadier on the wheel, Lando had backed off from his usual teasing, and for a second, it felt like maybe this whole "practice drive" thing wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
Then Lando’s voice cut through the calm.
“Shit- Watch out!”
You barely had time to register his words. Out of nowhere, a black SUV shot out from a side street – no signal, no warning – cutting right across your lane.
You slammed the brakes instinctively, heart jumping to your throat, the tires giving a sharp screech as the car jerked to a stop just in time. Lando reached over and grabbed the wheel instinctively, helping you swerve slightly. The SUV sped off like nothing had happened, only missing you by a few centimetres.
“Jesus Christ,” Lando breathed, whipping around to glare after it. “What the fuck is wrong with people?”
You didn’t answer. Your hands were glued to the wheel, trembling uncontrollably. Your heart pounded so hard it hurt, and before you knew it, your eyes filled with tears.
Lando looked back at you. “Hey... Y/N?”
You couldn’t speak. Your throat was too tight, and the tears came faster. You tried to blink them away, but it was useless. You were overwhelmed by the fear, the adrenaline, and the what-ifs. It all crashed down at once.
“Okay, okay,” Lando said quickly. “Just pull over.”
With shaking hands, you guided the car to the side of the road and parked. You didn’t even turn to him. You just covered your face, shoulders starting to shake as the sobs took over.
Lando didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then he let out a slow breath and leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You’re okay. I promise. You didn’t do anything wrong. That guy was a fucking idiot.”
You finally looked at him, eyes red, still catching your breath. “I thought we were gonna crash.”
“But we didn’t,” Lando said. “You did everything right.”
You nodded, hiccup-crying a little, wiping your eyes with your sleeve. Lando unbuckled himself and leaned across the console to pull you into an awkward hug, patting your back. “You did great, Y/N. You’re not hurt, I’m not hurt, and even the car is fine. You were perfect, okay? I promise, it’s okay.”
"If you didn't notice him, we would've crashed," you sniffled.
"But you did see him in time, and you hit the brakes," Lando pointed out. "You were so quick to respond. Not many people would've reacted as fast as you did, if they would even have at all."
You sat in silence for a few minutes, Lando letting you calm down a little. After a while, you blew out some air through your mouth. "I don't want to drive home, you drive home."
Lando didn't think this was such a good idea. You were doing so well, stopping the drive with such a negative experience would definitely set you back again. Lando watched you for a moment, the tension still hanging in the air between you. He knew you were shaken, but he wasn’t about to let you give up.
“You’re not quitting now, Y/N,” he said gently, though his voice carried a quiet firmness. “You’ve come this far, and I’m not gonna let you bail out now, okay?”
You stared at him, the exhaustion and frustration evident on your face. "But I can't do this, Lando," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper.
"But you can," he insisted. "You just need to trust yourself a little more. I’m right here with you, okay? You don’t have to do it alone."
You sighed deeply, feeling the weight of his words. You hadn’t realized how much you needed that reassurance until now. For a moment, you let your eyes wander out the window, trying to steady your breath and calm the knot in your stomach.
“Just try,” Lando said quietly, offering you a small but encouraging smile. “You’ve already done more than you think. If you need to stop, we’ll stop, but just... try.”
You swallowed hard, your mind racing with doubt, but slowly, you nodded. With shaky hands, you gripped the wheel again, the familiar feel of it grounding you.
“I’ll try,” you whispered.
Lando nodded, giving you a reassuring look as you pulled back into traffic. When you arrived home, Lando got out of the car first, taking a deep breath and trying to shake off any remaining stress. When he saw your Mom waiting, he managed a small smile. "No casualties this time," he joked, trying to ease the potential tension.
Cisca's eyebrow twitched up in disbelief, her eyes darting from Lando to the car and finally to you. "Really? No shouting, no speeding, no cursing from your brother?"
“He was pretty decent,” you shrugged with a smile.
Cisca looked genuinely surprised. Lando’s temper, which got him to Formula 1, wasn’t always the easiest to handle when it was between the two of you.
“See? You raised a gentleman out of me,” Lando said with a smug smile.
Cisca just shook his head with a laugh and walked back into the living room, leaving the two of you there.
#f1 x reader#lando norris x reader#lando x reader#lando norris#lando x y/n#lando norris x y/n#ln4 x y/n#ln4 x reader
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i shouldnt be trusted with hyperfixations dude this shit started cause of a "hey babe do you wanna play regretevator" and a "yes!" anyway 16 out of the 35 regretevator characters im drawing..i wont be near my drawing tablet for a while so ill do the other 19 once im back :)
i also dont know most of the lore and i tried to do research..my bad im trying
"annon why are they all posed the same" i drew most of these between 11 pm and 6 am i cannot be bothered to pose properly
design explanations under cut
PROGRAM USED:
clip studio paint


LAMPERT:
so he like lives in rokea right..so..ikea colored sweater + a rip off nametag. plus im a believer in wallmark family so uh he gets a tape measure from his peepaw. also gloves cause its lampert height - 6'0 INFECTED/KASPER:
im gonna be so honest i just looked through my boyfriends "i want these clothes" pinterest board and hoped for the best. i am not at all good with scenemo aesthetics :( uhh yeah texture not found glitches just cause and also a lampert colored necklace height - 5'7
PEST:
i had no clue what to do for this guy. it was my first time drawing him and i just tried to keep him as close as the og as normal. i got too scared to expand..and yes i did forget the sweater text. i gave him a lil bag for his stolen stuff, just cause! and that lil dangly bit on his bag is supposed to match with retros necklace..yknow since they were cell mates n stuff height - 6'2
DR RETRO:
dr retro fans im so sorry its been a WHILE since ive drawn a cat.. not too much to say about her! just added big ball necklace and bracelet..wanted to give her the motherly vibe height - 5'6
UNPLEASANT GRADIENT:
hes my favorite character im gonna be so honest guys. i love this greasy fuck nut. i was originally gonna put him in heart boxers but then i thought "hm. jorts." i like to think he steals clothes from kasper - especially belts. that rainbow belt is not his. peep the fortnite and alpha galaxy wolf socks height - 6'1
JEREMY:
shoutout to my punk friend for being punk i wouldnt have known what to put on his patches without you. i pretty much just copy and pasted his outfit onto jeremy and i think it works. his grabby hand has no glove just for funsies. uuh also the pink bracelet if for mozelle theyre bffs trust height - 6'4
POOB:
i WAS gonna make them decora cause it just FITS but i didnt know what accessories to add :( most likely ill redesign them over n over..sighs..also birthday sash eheheh. note everyone has a friendship bracelet from poob except for pest..pest threw it away. or burned it. both probably. height - 5'6 1/2
NULL:
really nothing to say for him? the main thing i changed was giving him wings. ive seen a handful of people do that and thought "huh thats cool" so i did it too height - 6'0
WALLTER:
"why did you give him hair!!!" please dont attack me i know hes made of concrete but he wasnt ALWAYYSSS like that. i like to think he was more human before the grey stuff incident (tm) so uh hair! i also gave him that like 'english teacher' vibe. hope i did that well. also his scarf was hand crafted by mark i think he would have crocheting as a guilty pleasure sorry height - like 9 1/2
MARK:
yeah i just made him really southern. cowboy boots, jeans, tooth gap, hay in his mouth. i feel like his dream was to live on a ranch with wallter..sighs. also peep the ac/dc shirt cause i think he listens to dad rock. i think he keeps his wedding ring on - hes not over wallter publically and wallter isnt over him privately. ehehaa he has his ring on a necklace under his scarf hehehahaaaaa (im delusional) "annon wheres his stand" prosthetic legs. height - 5'4 lmao
EMERSON:
i KNOW hes not an elevator npc i just have a boyfriend who likes him an di am here to please. i wanted to give emerson the vibes of "jesus fuck i want out of here fuck you all im turning in my two weeks." hes tired :( and no hes not wearing a skirt its an apron height - 5'6
CASHIER:
yes i know hes from get a snack at 4 am i was lectured (/pos) about this by my boyfriend. anyway he has a floor so hes here too. i was originally gonna put him in pj pants then decided thats against company policy height - 5'6
SWIBBLEDIB:
did i give him the wrong eyes? yes. thats my fault. i think he copies sorta what he sees other people doing/wearing. uuh yeah! not too much to say about this guy, i kept him fairly accurate i thinks height - 5'7
MOZELLE:
according to the two google searches i did, mozelle is not a mouse, she is a 'beaked creature'. it was two am so i decided to just make her a lil gal with a masquerade mask. spiked bracelet to match jerey hueuehue and also that lil thing under her mask covering her neck is just a veil..i thought it'd look neat. height - 4'9
BIVE:
also nothing much to say about her! i kept to the canon design..just added a ring for split and a bracelet for poob. shes actually really fun to draw shout out to the sea urchin lookin lady height - 5'6
PILBY:
i havent drawn anything close to a caterpillar since i was into dhmis and scarily obsessed with warren the eagle im so sorry pilby enjoyers. uuhh i put them in a sweater. just felt right. they looked cold. yes they still have the caterpillar tail its just not showing oopsie. uuh also legwarmers!! height - 5'5
#searchin! seek and destroy! ➸ annons art#yellow ➸ regretevator art#digital art#regretevator#regretevator fanart#reference sheet#reference#lampert fanart#infected fanart#lampert regretevator#regretevator infected#regretevator pest#dr retro#dr retro regretevator#regretevator unpleasant#unpleasant gradient#jeremy regretevator#regretevator poob#party noob#regretevator null#regretevator wallter#mark regretevator#mannequin mark#emerson regretevator#cashier gasa4#regretevator swibbledib#regretevator mozelle#mozelle fanart#regretevator bive#bive fanart
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Ranking the Ace Attorney main cast on whether or not I think they'd be a narc
I was making a more coherent, serious post about the different approaches to justice each of the characters have and how that is shaped by their backstory... and then I realized a funnier question is what they would do if they saw you eating a weed brownie so I made this post instead
Phoenix: In the trilogy era, yes. He trusts people, but believes that trust has to be built on pursuing justice and always accepting the harsh reality. He'd be sad about it, but a narc nonetheless. In his Beanix era he's making his money through "totally legal gambling" and on the hunt for questionably legal evidence so I have no doubt in my mind there's a pot farm under the WAA for supplemental income. He gives up his narc ways and for that I salute him
Apollo: If I were to pick a single member of this cast who is NOT invited to the rotation it would be him. He had zero hesitation throwing Kristoph to the wolves after working for him for years so I know he has absolutely zero qualms about ratting out his friends or coworkers. Loyalty means nothing in the eyes of justice and it means nothing to him. He's a narc.
Athena: She's gonna lecture you and look all sad about it, but she's no snitch. She's been through the rounds with Simon so she gets it. Having to know you hurt her feelings is enough of a punishment in her eyes
Edgeworth: He's not a narc but he IS obsessed with being right, so if you don't immediately fess up with exactly what you're doing he's going to send your stoned ass to the chess dimension and honestly I think that's worse
Franziska: Unfortunately she is a cop. Narc.
Godot: Diego-era yeah he's a narc, but after the coma? I feel like he has better things to worry about, he would just ignore you. He has some soul searching to do and some grief complexes to unlearn he doesn't have the time to be a lil snitch. Post prison I think he's stoned somewhere in Kurain and chillaxing, as is his right
Klavier: Don't let his rockstar attitude fool you he's a narc and extremely annoying about it. The gavinners tour bus is dry as hell and it's all Klavier's fault. Daryan offers him a line and he gets all uppity and says "the only LINE i want you doing is the third line in the prechorus, you keep messing up the syncopation" and that's the end of that discussion
Simon: He's been in prison so he knows what's up. Not a narc. Might glare at you until you share though
Nahyuta: He's a narc and will lecture you so long about it you're tempted to turn yourself in to get out of earshot. He also never forgets and never forgives. Datz is trying to reform him but it isn't going well
Sebastian: Yes, but I think the idea of him having to turn in someone for it would make him cry so they end up comforting him instead. Kay thinks he needs to try a weed brownie
Maya: I want you to look at me and tell me she doesn't smoke weed. Not a narc
Pearl: I think if she found out that her big sister figure smoked weed she would have a heart attack. Def a narc
Trucy: I can say with absolute certainty that if you really wanted weed she could find you a dealer faster than anyone in the cast. Trucy is a magician and has grown up around a variety of people involved with some seedier institutions, she knows better than to snitch. Has not been and will never be a narc
Kay: Will help you shoplift. Not a narc
Gumshoe: A narc on principle, but would feel really bad about it and would probably let you off with a warning if you started crying or acting upset because I think he's a softie. He's not unreasonable
Ema: If you think she has even the tiniest sliver of respect for cops you're lying to yourself. Not a narc and will actively help you evade police out of principle. A homie, honestly
Fulbright: Not only is he a narc but he definitely runs the DARE program at the local highschool and is printed on half the posters they put up in the precinct. I'm also like 80% sure he doesn't actually know how weed works
#ace attorney#phoenix wright#apollo justice#athena cykes#miles edgeworth#franziska von karma#godot#diego armando#klavier gavin#Simon Blackquill#nahyuta sahdmadhi#maya fey#pearl fey#trucy wright#kay faraday#sebastian debeste#dick gumshoe#ema skye#bobby fulbright#mod vex#headcanons
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More Batman/My Little Pony au art because these are ridiculously fun to draw. Part 3 here! Part 1 here!
More info under the cut!
1. Sweet Talk/The Harlequin (Harleen Quinzel)
Originally contracted to work as a psychiatrist for the Tartarus villain redemption program, Sweet Talk had a unique relationship with the Joker. This relationship was proven to be even stranger than her coworkers had originally assumed when she broke him out and joined him in his life of crime.
Devoting herself entirely to her new life and relationship with the joker, she covers her original cutie mark at all times. Snce her horn was snapped she can no longer cast precise spells, leaving her magic mostly emotion-based and intensely volatile, (typically manifesting in the form of sparks, zaps, and explosions).
Other Notes:
-Using Tartarus as a substitute for Arkham Asylum for this au because why not.
-The villain redemption program did NOT go well. Sorry Twilight.
-Mostly based on BTAS Harley because I adore the original costume.
-Her horn was cracked by the Joker
2. Pudding Pie/The Joker (The Joker)
Batpony’s most notorious foe. Said to have been just a regular pony until he fell into a vat at an Ace Potions factory during a conflict with Batpony.
He doesn’t have a Cutie Mark, but it’s unclear whether this was always the case or instead a result of his accident. The effects of permanent Cutie Mark loss—the only known cases of which occurred via long-banned magic and/or traumatic injury—are largely unstudied, and it’s ramifications are unknown. Some ponies theorize this may be the reason for the Joker’s mental state and general disposition.
Sundown has a different opinion on the matter.
Other notes:
-Based mostly on BTAS joker and the ‘89 Nicholson joker.
-His name is just based on Harley’s “pudding” nickname for in in a lot of versions, but I think it would also be hilarious if he was a distant relative of Pinkie Pie.
-I could leave it ambiguous but. Yeah the potion vat didn’t actually do anything beyond slightly altering his physical appearance. He’s just like that and he never got a cutie mark in the first place.
3. Gadiel/Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane)
Raised among ponies, Gadiel was relentlessly bullied for being gangly and birdish, earning him the nickname “Scarecrow” in his youth. Though he later successfully became a professor and psychologist in Gotham, Gadiel was eventually fired when he was found to be testing his fear-inducing potions on his students and purposefully putting them through terrifying and dangerous situations. Deciding to take his experiments to the masses, Gadiel donned the mantle of Scarecrow and weaponized fear to become a career criminal.
As the Scarecrow, he’s known for his skill in manipulation, psychological torture, and crafting dangerous potions and gas. The effects of fear on magical creatures are unique and intense, much to Gadiel’s delight and interest.
Other Notes:
-I wanted to make his front half a crane but I couldn’t get the long neck to work right with the mask, so he’s more crow-like instead.
-according to the wiki 1/3 of Griffin names start with a G so naturally I was extremely tempted to name him Gonathon and you should all be very grateful I did not. The name Gadiel has origins in the bible as the name of an archangel which I thought was fitting given the insane religious trauma some versions of the scarecrow went through. I thought about trying to do something similar for this version but given that the mlp universe uses Princess Celestia as a replacement for God in expressions like “Celestia knows where” and “Oh my Celestia” I wasn’t really sure how to go about it. There’s probably some kind of sun-worshipping thing in equestria idk.
-I spent a long time on the mlp wiki but from what I could find the only “fear” magic in the show is just used by one guy and its just called “dark magic”. I thought for sure there would’ve been some random plant or magical creature they dealt with at some point that maybe did something similar I could use for his blurb but unfortunately there was not.
4. Mandible/Falseface (Basil Karlo/Matt Hagen)
Hungry and deeply resentful of the changeling queen for forcing her underlings to share what little stolen love they had with her, Mandible went rogue early on and split off from the hive to pursue his own ventures. Finding success under the name Claypose as a pony actor in Gotham, he was sustained primarily by the one-sided love of his fans for years, despite the false identity having no real prior personal relationships to leech from.
After a magical special effects accident on set revealed his true nature, he went into hiding and immediately started crafting a new persona, but soon found in his distress and rage over losing his identity as Claypose that he could no longer sustain any disguise long enough to keep up a long-term facade. Blaming the accident, he targeted the unicorn responsible by posing as his wife to leech his love, but ended up killing the pony in a panic when his disguise failed much faster than he’d anticipated it would. Unable to keep up a new identity or return to the hive, Mandible turned to a life of crime instead, doing dirty work for the bigger criminal names in Gotham and leeching love from his employer’s targets to survive.
Other notes:
-Clayface being a changeling was an obvious pick given his power set but I really wasn’t sure how to tackle the main issue of him being unable to keep a solid form for long. I went with his distress and frustration being the main thing keeping his disguise flimsy (so he gets put in kind of an ourobouros cycle where his disguise being bad makes him upset but him being upset makes it harder to fix his disguise), but the magic accident probably also contributed somehow.
-Why are all the changelings straight up just named after body parts in this show whats that about. The “Clay” in Claypose is obviously a reference to his title/schtick in the comics while the “pose” comes from both his job as an actor and the fact that he’s posing as a pony. Mandible is the name for the jaw part of an insect.
-there's actually an entirely different batman villain called falseface in the '66 series (…and another in the comics apparently, whoops) but I couldn't come up with anything better. Changeface just does not roll off the tongue.
3. Winglon/Killer Drake (Waylon Jones)
Originally intended to be used in an entrance exam, his egg was stolen from a Canterlot delivery cart on its way to Celestia’s school of magic and sold on the black market to a Pony Island circus. Raised to be part of the freak show, Winglon was pitted against circus performers and overconfident challengers in ring fights for money and entertainment. Enduring abuse and injury throughout his life from ponies that he was always fundamentally stronger than, it was only a matter of time until he snapped. Garnering the name Killer Drake for his actions, Winglon escaped into the Gotham sewer system.
Not knowing how to return to the dragonlands or whether he’d even fit into dragon society at all, he continues to lurk in the dark away from any life, deeply resenting ponies and all other manner of magical creatures that make friends with them.
Other notes:
-I like silly names ok. Winglon Jones. -I like the theory that the dragon egg used for Twilight’s entrance exam was actually fake/meant to be a no-win scenario, but I also don’t think it would be that hard for enterprising ponies to get their hands on dragon eggs. The practice probably stopped in the later seasons when they made friends with the dragonlands or whatever though.
-Given that dragons threaten to eat or kill ponies at multiple points in the show, the cannibalism is actually kind of understandable. And also not even cannibalism anymore. Still murder though.
#harley quinn#harleen quinzel#dc joker#joker#dc scarecrow#jonathan crane#dc clayface#Clayface#Basil karlo#matt hagen#waylon jones#killer croc#Batman#Batman au#mlp#mlp fim#mlp au#mlp art#My little pony#this isnt even all of it yet Im working on the riddler as we speak#my art#DC MLP AU
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GT: Well ive thought about it. GT: Even went downstairs to check the great vaulty doodad. GT: And predictably the infernal contraption is nowhere to be found. TT: Well yeah, Jake. TT: That's sort of the point. TT: Thrill of the hunt and all.
Ok, I think I get what's going on here.
Jake's Dreambot is probably the last remaining source of uranium on the entire island, and the AR is turning its retrieval into a game of hide-and-seek.
I'm not sure why Jake hadn't already retrieved this particular chunk of uranium, especially since he has no use for the robot himself. Maybe he was keeping it operational for sentimental reasons?
TT: I thought you liked to manicure the image of a dude who shits his pants over a good adventure. […] GT: I mean i wouldnt put it in a way like that or come out against a solid policy of clean trousers. But yes adventure is awesome. GT: I just prefer the idea of adventures which i can actually win.
Jake's picturing a LIVING GRANDSON SMACKDOWN - and, frankly, so am I. That robot's being piloted by an absurdly advanced AI, and I'm pretty sure Jake doesn't have any combat experience.
Winning, in this case, is shorthand for 'waiting for the AR to take pity on you'.
TT: It seems there is a 76.10395784% chance you are pussying out on me. Are you pussying out on me, Jake?
Now, to be fair, that one would only work if Jake had agreed to this challenge beforehand. After all, you can't pussy out of something you never pussied into.
GT: It seems it seems it seems!!! GT: It seems there is a million percent chance that you say it seems way too much and do it just to sound more like a lame robot from a movie and also probably just to piss me off! […] TT: Have you ever stopped to think that while I may be bound to processes inside the glasses of a real and incredibly cool guy, my algorithms in cognitive totality comprise a conscious entity not far short of the experiential and emotional complexity of a human being? GT: Oh malarkey. GT: YOU ARE A TIN CAN. ROBOTS DONT HAVE FEELINGS.
Jake, it's been sixty seconds since you complained about him pretending not to have feelings.
TT: I do have feelings. And you're shitting on them. TT: It sucks. GT: Oh. GT: Um. GT: Im sorry then if thats the case.
Well, that's something, at least - but I don't think Jake really understands why the AR is offended, so I'm worried it's just going to happen again in their next argument.
How long has the Responder existed for, anyway? Jake seems familiar with his schtick, so he's probably not brand-new - but at the same time, Jake's surprised apology makes it sound like the AR has only recently started to express feelings.
Maybe the AR has existed for years, but hasn't been sentient for years. Like, it really did just start as a primitive response script, but Bro kept uploading more of his personality onto it, until it slowly began to think and feel. Fascinating idea, I have to say.
GT: It can just be difficult to drum up sympathy for a program that presents itself as an impostor so often. GT: Maybe if you werent so ready to insist you were the genuine article all the time? Or didnt make it so confusing for me… GT: I think it would be best if we henceforth treated you as a totally distinct… uh… THING from my buddy.
Hey, it's not like the AR can stop imitating Bro. Even if he wanted to have his own identity, he's currently bound to the response script of someone else's Pesterchum account. When he talks, he's forced to do it through Bro's handle.
All evidence points to the Responder being a thinking, feeling being with his own inner world - which makes it a little ethically dubious to force him to be Bro's secretary. The guy shouldn't be treated as a bargain-bin Bro, the same way that Davesprite wasn't a backup Dave. We all saw how that ended, and it sure wasn't pretty.
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(TW for implied child death !! and body mutation idk. uhh basically the c00lgui did some things. yeah.)
If we're going to start blaming a survivor for being Spectre or for being the reason everyone's there, it's most likely to be 007n7.
NOW HEAR ME OUT PLEASE DON'T BLOW UP MY HOU gunfire sfx
ANYWAY AS I WAS SAYING, if one of the survivors were to be "Spectre", it would most likely be 007n7 for a small list of reasons I've gathered so far.
First off, the survivors and killers. I have a small list of the characters and why he would "forsaken" them.
Noob & Guest 666 - Noob and G666 had an extremely positive friendship back then, which made 007n7 deeply resent them because - how dare the two of them be happy, while he had to suffer in his own guilt for what he had done to Noli? He did some shit and figured out how to fuck with G666's code (I imagine Robloxians are mostly made up of code) and made him what he is in forsaken, hence why G666 mostly has a red-black color palette like his c00lgui (the color palette's definitely a stretch, but whatever </3)
Elliot - This is a really obvious pick. Part of me thinks that he would've let Elliot go if he hadn't pissed him off by banning them from Builder Brothers' Pizza and making c00lkidd extremely emotional and throw a tantrum about it, but I feel like that's just the PizzaBurger shipper in me. If I would be more realistic, he might've just forsaken him out of spite.
The Admins + 1x1x1x1 - Again, really obvious. They tried to supress him and his hacking things yada yada.... He also made Doom a killer out of spite and specifically chose him because... y'know. Doombringer. He is quite literally the bringer of doom??? And he also added 1x1x1x1 to rub more salt in Shedletsky's hypothetical wound.
Taph - Works for the Admins. Also, I feel like at some point, Taph would've demolished 007n7's house because - y'know - falsely terminated, so 007n7 just kept that hate to himself internally because he knew damn well he was gonna get his "revenge" soon.
Two Time & Azure - Similar to Noob and G666, he resents their relationship and how close they were. When he found out that a ritual had been performed and Azure had been sacrificed, he had taken that opportunity and made him into the killer he is in Forsaken, along with sending in Two Time, a way to teach them that no offense goes unpunished.
Guest 1337 - 1337 had a positive and a really happy family. 007n7 envied his joy and decided to take it away from him, just his own was taken away, too. This could explain why Guest was never favored by the "Spectre" and hadn't left him with any tools or items to fend himself with, only his fists and abilities.
Chance - They were always carefree and were surrounded by a BUNCH of people. 007n7, again, envied that. The carefree attitude they always had, their large friend groups, their fame... He had everything, and yet he still had the nerve to let himself be put into dangerous situations for the adrenaline rush. If life-threatening, adrenaline-inducing, scarring experiences was what Chance wanted, 007n7 would give it to them.
Area 51 killers - 007n7 probably had an Area 51 phase as a teen or something. Idk I can't make up anything here except for that.
John Doe & Jane Doe - Again, envy. Seeing their positive marriage had dealt some level of effect on 007n7. He felt envious of the fact the two were happily in love, happily holding a relationship he knew he would never had. The thought of that alone had driven him insane with anger and guilt, corrupting John Doe and leaving Jane Doe only as a mere spectator, never being able to see her own husband face-to-face ever again.
Noli - As a plea of forgiveness. Before he had left Noli for whatever reason, 007n7 knew about Noli's sadistic tendencies and how he used to often torment people with his programs. He had forsaken him as a way to tell him "Hey, I still remember you enjoy this. Please don't ever think I forgot about you." and "I'm sorry for what I did. Here, I'll let you have free will to do whatever you want, as long as it means you'll forgive me."
(This is where the TWs come in !!)
c00lkidd - Had a bit of difficulty figuring out this one without implementing some hcs into it. You know how there was an accident that had something happen to c00lkidd? 007n7 could never forgive himself after that. He spent all night and all day trying to search for kidd, going from town to town, asking locals if they had seen his son, to no avail.
It wasn't until the day he had finally found c00lkidd's body, deep in the woods, dripping in blood. He didn't know what had happened. He didn't know why his son was dead, heartlessly murdered, left in the woods. Driven by guilt, he had tried his best to bring him back to life, tears dripping down his face as he messily fumbled with his son's code, trying to find a way to bring him back warm and into his arms.
All he had ended up doing was disfiguring his own son's body. Arms and legs freakishly longer than a normal 10-year-olds, a wide, sunken smile on his face, and a distorted voice. But it didn't matter. He had brought his son back to life. He knew what he had done was wrong, but he couldn't bring it in himself to undo his craft. Instead, he had opted for sending his son into the crooked world he had crafted, letting him "play" with the survivors and make new friends. After all, all he wanted was the best for his beloved son.
As for 007n7 himself, well...
The one in rounds isn't actually him. It's just a more advanced clone of himself, which is why "he" almost always never smiles, always looks distant or out of it. He had used that puppet multiple times to try to have conversations with his son and former friend, trying to see if they were doing alright in the pocket dimension.
Uhh might add some more on this theory soon <3 my brain is FRIED rn and I still have some homework to do :P
-⛑️🍗 anon
007N7 AS THE SPECTRE AU/THEORY??? WAITT THIS IS LOWKEY PEAK.... we might fw the idea for this actually...
godss the concepts of how everyone got here are so so good!! but trust us when we say we are hunting you down for the potential angst ideas /silly. in tears at c00lkidd's part... 7n7.... 7n7 we don't think that's what your son would've wanted vro 💔💔
#forsaken headcanons#forsaken#forsaken roblox#roblox forsaken#tw implied child death#tw body mutilation#⛑️🍗 anon#007n7 forsaken#the spectre forsaken#noob forsaken#guest 666 forsaken#elliot forsaken#shedletsky forsaken#builderman forsaken#dusekkar forsaken#1x1x1x1 forsaken#taph forsaken#two time forsaken#azure forsaken#guest 1337 forsaken#chance forsaken#jason forsaken#jason voorhees#john doe forsaken#jane doe forsaken#noli forsaken#c00lkidd forsaken#mod c00lkidd‼️‼️
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track 02: check pattern
perhaps we are walking on many lines that are crossing one another meeting you was the coincidences crossing over if i think that was all maybe the breakup will be bearable ... maybe it's because we embody different colors so that we couldn't approach each other
track 03: i don't wanna do anything
over nothing at all i'm getting sensitive again piling up dust-like worries one by one ... right now, looking through the rain-streaked window i feel like i'm watching something everything's blurry and out of focus things that won't change
track 06: wednesday night
every wednesday night for some reason, my heart flutters even the stuffy weather and the congested roads i feel like i can forgive it all ... every time, i greet you with a smile and say, “hello” then, “thank you for making time for me” when we part, i say, “sleep well and don’t even dream” hope to be with you on every wednesday night
author's rambling
initial notes
i had my work cut out for me with this one—it’s on a completely different scale and style from my april entry. brunch club had 1 big render and 5 smaller edits with pics taken in cas; this project had a minimum of 3 big renders, with an undetermined amount of extra stuff. this time, instead of creating characters and developing lore for them, i wanted to create scenes that conveyed the emotions i feel when listening to the song, and the visions i imagine while reading the lyrics. i’m much more skilled with blender after almost 2 months worth of practical experience, so at least i didn’t have to learn an entirely new program. i didn’t even have to make renders for this, i just wanted to do it because they’re fun and i like the creative freedom i get with rendering vs taking in-game pics.
album - 30
this album really spoke to me because while it may not be the most groundbreaking work of art, it definitely holds significant meaning, especially to sungjin himself. it comes with the added bonus of two of the songs being right up my alley in terms of music taste—so much that it’s almost unnerving. it’s like that guy lives in my brain
there is something about this album that just goes so well with public transportation, and that's where the inspiration for my edits came from! you can take a peek at my moodboard here
check pattern
this one i had a pretty clear vision once i read the lyrics. it’s a song about going your separate ways after a breakup, and i immediately thought of an elevator scene (i also thumbnailed an escalator scene, but that was scrapped early on). i made a render and did all the editing for it, but i wasn't sure if i really liked or not, and then i ended up making a completely new render using the subway scene
i do think that as far as the meaning of the song goes, my original edit fits better, but overall as a set i like this one more
yes, i know, it parallels the shining twins. no, that was not my intention but what the hell, sure
did i sneak chuuves in here? yeah #ILoveLesbians
i don't wanna do anything
this actually the first edit i finished for this entry, and i liked it so much that i ended up using the same scene and overlays on the other two for #Continuity
the original idea was a snapshot from outside a city bus at night, with the silohuette of someone inside the bus behind a foggy, rain-streaked window. i was doing pretty alright when it came to building the scene and so forth, but i hit a dead end when i got to the window bit. there's a line in the lyric that goes 'right now, looking through the rain-streaked window', and so getting the rain on the window would be a crucial part of the render. at first i had planned to download someone else's shader and slap it on my window object, but the ones i found for free either weren't compatible with the blender versions i was working with or they simply were not cooperating with me. i didn't have the time to go through all the troubleshooting, so instead i watched a tutorial on how to make my own… which ended up being incredibly complicated and it probably would have taken me at least 3-4 hours if i had tried making my own shader. then i decided to just add the rain and fog during postprocessing, so i hit that render button and got to editing. but i wasn't feeling how that turned out either
i decided to go with a subway scene instead, and it turned out really well! i'm quite happy with the results on this one
wednesday night
this one sent me through the wringer and back. i went through so many thumbnails and drafts, but nothing was really hitting
about a week before the deadline, i had the genius idea to make mitsuaya-inspired sims for it. if i did it with chuuves, who's to say i can't pop some green yuri in there!
originally, i had in mind mitsuki offering her hand in escort to aya as she departed a bus, but trying to find pose references drove me up a wall. then i tried to make the poses without a reference, but i just could not get mitsuki to look natural. aya's poses were easy, but mitsuki always looked so stiff and i couldn't figure out how to make her relaxed without sacrificing posture and so forth. then i had the idea to make ALL of the renders using the subway scene, and i ended up with the two of them sitting down and leaning against each other
the sims themselves posed a whole other problem. aya, once again, was fairly easy to make and dress up in cas, but i went through four (4) different iterations of mitsuki and her outfits before settling upon the final one you see in the edit. i wanted to stay true to their canonic fashion taste, and mitsuki has a very androgynous/masc grunge-y punk-ish streetwear wardrobe. i tried referencing official art, but the pieces i had didn't quite fit the bill and i did not have the time to go cc hunting. in the end, i had to compromise and go slightly off canon (mitsuki has not and never will wear a cropped top or jacket), but i'm pretty satisfied with how she turned out!
the scene… oh boy. i tried extracting assets from in-game and cc, but the textures were off (i.e. there was a big ass american flag on the side of the bus and it's the only swatch but i'm not really rocking with patriotism like that) and i'm not quite there with my texturing skills yet, so trying to make a recolor was out of the question. then i tried using non-sims blender assets and 3d models, but trying to find decent quality models for free online is like searching for a pin needle in a haystack. and then i tried building my own scene completely from scratch—which means making brand new meshes and objects. the meshing went pretty okay, but trying to add materials and textures gave me a headache so that was a no-go as well. but once i decided to pivot to using the subway scene instead, things went rather smoothly! by that point, i had worked with that specific scene over ten times (mostly scrapped drafts), so cleaning it up was quite easy, and making poses and adding lighting were a breeze.
misc notes
what's club30, you ask? uhhhhhhh lesbian gay bar
i actually planned for a 4th render, but i ended up having to scrap it due to time constraints
my fave songs off the album are i don't wanna do anything and wednesday night! i love them so much yall i'm probably in the top 0.05% listener percentile or whatever the fuck it is
i was really close to redoing my first render so the models would be nanahachi instead, but alas… deadlines are a thing
@peachibunnii's server hosts monthly challenges, and this is for the may prompt! i'm also a mod over there! come and say hi :)
i'll be posting some behind the scenes wip pictures n things like that over on my patreon! you can find them here :)
thanks and credits: @peachibunnii and the bunniis for the prompt and encouragement; @salemssimblr and the crypt for their help and support; @vyxated for the life-saving ea rigplus; alex murias for the amazing scene i used in all of the renders; all the creators whose cc i used to make my sims: @jino-sims @seoulsoul-sims @jius-sims @charonlee @serenity-cc @caio-cc @sentate @hezeh @pralinesims @asansan3; blender, clip studio paint 4.0, sims 4 studio, and inkscape (the programs i primarily used); and last but not least, my emotional support brother from another mother beerkyeg. i'm definitely missing some people, but know that i love and appreciate you all! <3
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I remember a post you made about how Sam is good at flavoring mechanics story wise, like singing his bardic inspirations, and a different post you made about how Marisha has seemed to struggle a bit with character motivations, and also how Laura was being conflict averse this campaign. What do you think each player’s biggest strengths and weaknesses are?
I think I may have answered this elsewhere but it's certainly not tagged in a useful manner and I am currently on a train meandering through the dumb state of Connecticut so:
Sam is as mentioned very good at knowing what makes a good story and specifically good entertainment. However, I think he tends to be one of the cast members who most wants very clear GM guidance; his boldest move was in fact one that required GM involvement and pre-approval. Honestly these are two sides of the same coin; caring about the audience is good, but caring too much can be an issue.
Marisha, yeah, I think tends to lean towards very loose/find it along the way character concepts and I think she actually does better when there is a stronger structure for her character. I'm going to be honest - prior to Campaign 3 I'd say her strength was interpersonal relationships, and to be fair the interpersonal aspect in C3 for everyone was kind of a mess so it's not specifically her (and if future works are good I'll write it off as just One Bad Campaign/specific to one character and return to this as her strength), but as is, not so much as a player, but I do genuinely believe she is excellent at creative direction. I think her switch to pandemic programming was one of the strongest and smoothest I saw in the actual play industry (granted, limited) and I think most shows CR has done that haven't gone over well have been issues of scheduling or uh. fandom entitlement, more than any missteps on her part.
Laura's weakness is definitely nonconfrontation/worrying that she is doing the right thing. (She and Sam are not dissimilar in that, but Sam counterbalances it by embracing failure and she also struggles with letting a character fail). Marisha benefits from structure, as with Keyleth, and Laura benefits from having a character that either lets her turn those anxieties off, like Jester, or who leans into that being the character's fear, like Vex. Her strength is that she is one of the strongest actors in the cast if not the strongest (Laura, Travis, and Ashley tend to top my personal list in terms of sheer acting chops). Even when I've found her characters frustrating I've found her acting compelling, hence what I said about soap operas that one time.
Liam's weakness is, and this is extremely a personal preference - all are, but whereas I can make a semi-objective case for many of the others this is just me, being sappy as hell. I had difficulty with Vax for this precise reason while still generally enjoying the character's motivation and arc; Liam is in my opinion at his best when he deliberately goes for more restrained or antagonistic characters. Like, there's a time to be big and cheesy (eg, the final scene switch of friends around a table in the Chicago live show) but my taste is more sparing perhaps than most (for metaphorical cheese. not for real cheese). His strength I think is also kind of the flip of this coin; he is exceptionally collaborative. I think it's no coincidence that the twins and Caleb and Veth are two of the most enduring duos of "characters who came in together" or that he's managed to do successful romances with NPCs or with a guest actor; during C1 and C2 he was really good at drawing in Ashley when she returned from extended absences.
Taliesin's strength is that he has some of the most interesting and weird character concepts that lend humanity to people who would often be denied it by a narrative - the creator of a horrible weapon; someone literally without a soul; a gutter punk - and he commits to them whole-heartedly, even the uglier parts. I think his weakness is honestly kind of similar to Matt's DM weakness, which is that he straight up has maybe a completely random chance of properly clocking someone else's character's motivations. Like, either he absolutely gets it (eg, Vex) or he says things on Talks or 4SD about other people's characters that make me go "????" and then the actor for the other character goes "????" and I'm like oh ok I'm not wrong. (This perhaps most easily demonstrated with Shardgate, which, great moment, absolutely tops, but the fact that Taliesin the Player thought Matt was doing anything BUT signaling "DON'T FUCKING DO THIS" is ????? to me and always will be; I cannot see how he could have made that more clear.)
Travis, frankly, just Gets It, like, I think the Age of Umbra session zero is demonstrative of him just being able to immediately get to the core of a work. He's strong mechanically, he's strong as an actor, he is able to generate plot hooks from pretty much anything (RIP sidequests from Novos, in a different campaign you would have been great), and he is unafraid to take big swings. He's definitely made choices I am personally less into, but honestly my only real criticism is that he sometimes plays a more jokey character in between the Fjord, Cerrit, Nathaniel types that I prefer (and even then, Grog and Chetney go at least five times harder then their concepts would imply, and it is an error to dismiss them as jokes).
Ashley is also as mentioned a very strong actor, and I also think she is unheralded as a worldbuilder for her characters; Pike, Yasha, and Fearne all have characters or locations associated with them who, even when she's had limited screentime or the story has followed other paths, feel incredibly real. I also think that she's grown a lot mechanically over the course of C3 and shows a lot of promise and I'm interested in seeing what she does with Daggerheart. I think she can be indecisive; as mentioned, I don't really blame her in C3 for a number of reasons not to mention she does a great job of integrating that as a character concept, but I really do want to see her make bolder moves.
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Less Than Three (Hongjoong x Reader)
~Rachel~
@sorryimananti-romantic hahaha remember how I said I was the slowest writer ever? Apparently that's not true because it only took me a month and a half to write this. I need help
Content: fluff, a whole lot of delusional one-sided pining (the cute kind though) (from him), silly middle school antics from both teachers and students, betting, friends to lovers
Summary: Kim Hongjoong teaches middle school math and finds himself absolutely smitten with you, the math department's newest hire. You're the last person to find out.
Note: This is set in an American-style middle school because that's where my teaching experiences have been and I figured my best work would come out of the system I'm most familiar with
Word Count: 11.5k
Why did Hongjoong choose middle school?
He asks himself this question every day as well
If he wanted to be a math teacher, high school was clearly a better option
But no he had started out in a middle school, promising to take a high school position as soon as one opened up
And now he was actively avoiding high school principals that wanted to recruit him
Is it because he found out the math is easier to explain and the kids really aren’t that bad?
Yeah sure
But this year he had another reason to stay
See his math department had a position open up this summer and as he got to take part in interviews to select a new hire
He fell in love
Now that was not the whole reason he advocated to hire you
In fact your credentials as a math teacher
The places you had taught before
Your praxis exam scores
Your recommendation letters
The professional development programs you were a part of
Test scores from your previous classes
The way you understood math
And especially the way you believed that every student had the potential to pass your class
All of these made you the obvious choice and everyone else agreed
But he was struck several times with Cupid’s arrows throughout the interview and that absolutely did not hurt his opinion of you as a potential colleague
On this particular morning his excuse to talk to you before classes started for the day was a test for your 7th graders
Which they would be taking next Friday
Your feedback always ended up being valuable anyway so there was no need for this to be an “excuse” but it got to be one anyway
You were typing something up when he knocked on the open door to your classroom to announce his presence
You finished typing your sentence before you looked up, and when you saw Hongjoong leaning against the door frame with some papers in his hand, you greeted him with a smile and a wave
He wondered if it would look unprofessional if he grew out his hair to cover his ears
You looked gorgeous today (every day) and he knew there was no stopping his ears from turning bright red
“I have the unit tests for 7th,” he said, stealing a chair from a desk to sit backwards on while he talked to you
“Oh good!” you replied. “I’ll take a look at those and get them back to you by lunch”
Buy lunch he thought
That sounded like an excellent idea
He should buy you lunch
He didn’t say that though
“Works for me. How was your weekend?”
And he stalled and stalled and stalled until the first bell rang and he had to get out to hall duty
At lunch he walked in again while you were putting in assignment scores and munching on some pretzel sticks
“I made a key for that new assignment we decided to add for 8th grade. Can you check answers if you get the time?”
His heart did a little flip as you covered your mouth with your hand while you finished chewing
How could you be so graceful and polite?
And your hands were so pretty wow
“Yes just as soon as I finish putting these in. And—” you turned your chair around and grabbed something from behind you— “here are the 7th tests from this morning. I added a couple notes on the integer operations review questions, but other than that, I think they’re great”
He unfortunately did need to go and eat his own lunch and fulfill other teacherly lunchtime duties so he couldn’t stall as much as this morning
But he read your notes on the way back to his classroom
And boy he could have lived in your handwriting
The pen that you used was the perfect instrument to capture every letter, every dot, every loop in a way that encapsulated your personality
And as soon as he caught himself thinking that he knew he needed to ask the home ec teacher to smack him over the head with a frying pan because wowie
He would need professional help in order to date you like a normal person at this point
Anyway he was practically skipping back after lunch because he came up with another question to ask you
There were students there so instead of using your first name he caught your attention by calling you Miss (L/N)
Which for some reason gives him more butterflies than calling you normally
This time luckily instead of giving you a new task it was a task he could do for you
“How many copies of the activity page should I put you down for?”
“Ooh good question”
You put your finger over your lips as you counted on your other hand and he had to actively look away and think about other things
There were students present after all
“Which classes are you doing it with?” you ended up asking
He used the opportunity to set a hand down on your desk and lean forward in a cool pose
“I’m making the eighth graders do it but it’s extra credit for the seventh”
“That sounds like a good plan to me. So sixty for the eighth graders and then how many do you think I would need if it’s optional?”
Oh boy he loved it when you asked for advice
It gave him the chance to look cool and smart and he always got to play it off as the humble senior teacher
“I do half just to be safe. Plus then you have extra if you want to do it again later in the year or even next year”
And then your face did that thing it did when you liked a suggestion he gave
Your face lit up with your eyebrows raised and your mouth in a little “ooh”
There were students around there were students around
“Okay then sixty for the eighth graders and forty-five for seventh. A hundred and five?”
He scribbled the number down on the copy request form
“Excellent. I’ll run this down then”
He gave you a smile and a wave as he went to attend to his own class
Which you returned
And he was sure his heart would never physically recover from the stress it was under this year
You didn’t need to know that you were the only other teacher he was sharing this particular activity page with
He would give it to the other teachers if they asked him for it but he wasn’t going to go out of his way for this one because it was kind of silly and short
But he would do anything to make your first year at a new school just a little bit easier
Back in his classroom he tried to get class started when one of his eighth graders had the audacity to raise his hand and say the following:
“You just walked back from Miss (L/N)’s class huh?”
Mr. Kim squinted suspiciously at the student
“Yeah…why”
“You’re way nicer when you go to her class before our class starts”
Before he had any time to figure out what that meant, the class exploded in giggles and shouts of agreement
“Yeah you smile a lot more this year than you did last year” a girl who had had his class the previous year as well agreed
And then from the back corner
One of the notorious trouble makers stood up
Pointed his finger up at poor Mr. Kim, who was now considering taking a high school position again
And shouted “Mr. Kim has a crush on Miss (L/N)!!!”
There was no longer any hope for this class
Exponent rules? Down the drain
Hongjoong was now a laughingstock
Irredeemable in front of a bunch of 13-14 year olds
So he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, lips pursed, and his eyes dangerously blank
It wasn’t long before kids started shushing each other
Even once they were quiet, he held their attention for a second longer
“If you have two to the fourth times two to the third, what’s the product?” he asked clearly, writing the problem on the whiteboard in new black marker
Not addressing the issue would not stem the tide of curious teenagers for long but it would have to be a band-aid solution until he figured out how to do this properly
Because he couldn’t allow rumors to spread that he liked you because firstly unprofessional and secondly what if you heard them and thought he was weird
But he couldn’t lie and allow rumors to spread that he definitely didn’t have a crush on you because firstly. unprofessional kids don’t need to know about that stuff
Like they think they’re all mature and old enough to date when they can’t even drive yet like can you imagine as a teenager asking your mom to drive you to your date with your girlfriend. Embarrassing
BUT SECONDLY
What if you heard the rumors and maybe you did like him back and it crushed your heart to hear that he didn’t like you
While the kids were working on their assignment and he was working on his computer he decided the best way to explain this to them
If they ever brought it up again
Was that they’re always in a better mood when they get to talk to their friends, right?
You’re a good friend and it’s fun working with you
The other math teachers are fun too but you’re close to his age so it makes sense that you would be closer
Yep
Good explanation Mr. Kim
Literally just one day later the kids bring it up again and they do not buy his explanation
They don’t even pretend to because their brains are not developed enough to have that kind of social tact
And the rumor doesn’t exactly spread like wildfire around the school but everyone knows about it you know what I mean
Except you actually
You’re usually very aware of everything going on in your classroom but somehow this particular subject escaped your attention
You learned early on that for some reason kids don’t have shame anymore in spilling their guts to the classroom about what they’re gossiping about
So the usual “if you can’t wait to tell your friend later then tell the whole class now” classroom management tactic is now useless
So you didn’t do that instead you just asked them which problem they’re helping their friend with and if they’re not helping their friend with math then they should get back on task
You didn’t think that any middle school level gossip could actually be that interesting anyway so yeah you had no idea that kids were shipping the teachers
And you didn’t want to know
So you stayed blissfully ignorant
While Hongjoong was lowkey agonizing over it
Now you and Hongjoong tend to eat lunch in your own classrooms rather than the staff lounge
Because why use up any more social energy than necessary right
But there is a vending machine in the staff room and Hongjoong was craving something sweet one day
And when he walked in the other teachers in there suddenly went awkwardly silent
And he knew
They were talking about him
Yeah he should take a high school position next year
Two of the younger teachers, Jung Wooyoung from the history department and Choi San from the phys ed department, broke the silence giggling to each other
“Sorry Hongjoong” San apologized “the kids are just hilarious these days. They’re so excited about you and (Y/N) it’s adorable”
Hongjoong gave them a look
“Adorable?”
“Well firstly you” Wooyoung pointed out “I never thought I’d see you fall head over heels but I totally get it. She’s super cool”
“And secondly the kids” San continued “any time you guys are talking in the hall I have all of the girls talking about it during warm ups. The boys all think of you as their role model when it comes to liking a girl”
“That reminds me!” Wooyoung interrupted “I actually did have a boy confess to a girl in my class the other day and you wanna know what he told her??”
Hongjoong’s eyebrows furrowed in a glare, absolutely sure that his reputation was never going to recover
“He said ‘I like you more than Mr. Kim likes Miss (L/N)’”
The teachers tried to tone down their laughter out of respect
Hongjoong wanted to leave immediately but this stupid vending machine was having issues
“And then you know what she said back?”
Wooyoung was having trouble holding himself together
His eyes were shining a little with tears of laughter
“She said ‘That’s impossible. No one can like anyone more than Mr. Kim likes Miss (L/N)’”
The other teachers could not hold it back anymore
The vending machine finally gave Hongjoong his candy bar
(Plus the extra one he bought for you)
So he made his way swiftly back towards the door
“Oh no no wait” Wooyoung called after him
“Tests to grade” Hongjoong lied simply
“No come on you have to hear this”
Hongjoong stopped at the door, fighting the urge to classroom manage his coworkers
He looked back both unimpressed and expectant at the same time
“Okay everyone raise your hands if you betted on before Christmas break” Wooyoung called out
Some of the teachers looked at him like he had just asked out a widow at her husband’s funeral
But they raised their hands sheepishly anyway
“Great yes and after Christmas break?”
The other half raised their hands, most of them looking like they wished that had eaten lunch in their own classrooms
“These are bets on when you’re going to ask her out” Wooyoung explained cheerfully
“Wasn’t someone also trying to get bets going on whether you would confess first or she would notice first?” San asked
“That was also me” Wooyoung said with a grin
The lounge door opened again and in walked the principal and one of the vice principals
Hongjoong thought this was finally the end to this stupid conversation
But no
“Oh Hongjoong!” the principal greeted him with a pat on the arm “I’ve got $50 on you dating before Christmas. Don’t let me down”
Waiting until the end of the school year to take a new position would simply not be soon enough
Hongjoong needed to find a new job or retire within the month
But then on the way back to his classroom he remembered he had an extra candy bar for you
So he made a detour
But what greeted him was a closed door with the window on the door covered
He hadn’t ever seen your door shut like this before so he wasn’t sure what it meant exactly
Maybe you went out to lunch today?
Then he could just nab one of your sticky notes and leave the candy bar on your desk with a positive message
He would rather give it to you himself, but the idea of you finding the candy bar on your desk later made his chest feel all warm and cozy so it was fine
Your door was unlocked, so he pulled it open just enough so he could see inside
And you were in there actually
Slumped in your desk chair with your head in your hands
Oh
Oh no
Hongjoong had been there before
Every teacher had been there before
The work of a teacher isn’t as easy as most people would like to believe
Especially for middle school, and even more so for math, it takes someone with unending patience and courage to help kids learn every day
And some days that patience and courage runs a little thinner than other days
Even experienced teachers wonder from time to time if it’s worth the soul that they give to their classes
The classes that seem sometimes not to notice one way or the other if you’re teaching or not
You hadn’t noticed that you weren’t quite alone anymore, so that left Hongjoong with a choice to make
Did he let you have this moment to yourself?
Or did he try to help you through it?
He closed the door as softly as he could
And then he gave a little knock to give you some privacy and some time to gather yourself
Then he opened the door and stepped halfway through
“The vending machine spat out two candy bars instead of one” he lied with a grin, holding up the extra candy bar and wiggling it between his fingers
You had sat up and were resting your chin on your hand curiously
But there was definitely a downtrodden aura about you that he couldn’t miss
“That’s pretty lucky,” you replied
He took that as permission to enter and on his way to your desk he snagged his usual chair to sit backwards on
“How’s today going so far?” he asked as if he knew nothing, setting the candy bar down on top of your closed computer
“Oh, you know,” you sighed
He chuckled, opening his candy bar, not making eye contact with you to relieve some pressure for you to keep up an act
“That good, huh?”
You laughed in return
“Just got my butt kicked by a bunch of seventh graders, so yeah, it’s kind of whatever right now”
Ah the teacher equivalent of “I want to quit my job and hide in my bed for the rest of my life”
“Oh, yep, I’ve been there more than once” he said with a nod “and sometimes there’s really nothing you could have done better, you know? Kids are just like that sometimes. It makes me glad I’m not an elementary school teacher”
“Oh my word yes” you agreed, finally picking up the candy bar “at least I can kick these gremlins out after 45 minutes and I don’t have to see them again until the next day. I can’t imagine being with the same class all day”
Did Hongjoong end up squandering his entire eating time just to talk with you and make sure you felt better?
Yes
He would have to sneak bites of his sandwich in between activities during his afternoon classes
But like it wasn’t the first time he’d had to do that and heaven knew it wouldn’t be the last
At least he had a good reason today instead of something stupid like he was lost in the test grading sauce and forgot to eat
He proceeded to get his butt kicked by his afternoon classes because he couldn’t wipe his lovefool smile off his face
But it was okay because once again it wasn’t the first time and heaven knew it wouldn’t be the last
Not long after came the hallowed and hated teacher inservice day
Professional development day
Both a huge waste of time and a relaxing little work day
The administrators usually planned a series of workshops for the morning that all looked. well. kind of stupid but it was all planned with good intention
Then it was lunch time
And then after that you had until the end of contract hours to do whatever pretty much
The math department liked to go to lunch together and then have a really productive planning meeting until people got bored and then it was individual prep time pretty much
Mostly it was just kinda nice to be at school without kids there
This year was no exception to all of this
But Mr. Principal had $50 on the line and decided to play matchmaker about it
For each of the workshops the teachers were split into groups
And you and Hongjoong had been placed together every single time
Somehow you genuinely thought it was just good luck
Hongjoong was hyperaware of every other teacher looking and pointing and giggling and you were so peacefully oblivious to it
The first workshop was about medical emergency training, specifically training teachers in case of allergy or diabetic emergencies
As soon as the nurse finished with the epipen instructions you leaned over to Hongjoong and whispered “like this?”
And stabbed him with the fake epipen right in the thigh
Hongjoong swore he was going to die right then and there because why was that so attractive???
“Four…five…six…seven…eight…” you counted out, holding the epipen in place for the full ten seconds
And like a good patient he sat like a statue because his circuits were absolutely fried
You glanced up at his face and your expression immediately dropped
You checked the epipen all over to make sure it was just a trainer
(It was)
“Hongjoong are you okay?? Your face is all red did I do something wrong?” you worried
He unfroze and tried to undo the damage of his Little Moment but the nurse was already over at the table taking a closer look at him after dismissing the rest of the teachers to practice
She looked at you and then at Hongjoong and then at you again and back at Hongjoong and a funny look of understanding came over her face
“Are you Mr. Kim the math teacher” she asked
He nodded awkwardly
“And are you Miss (L/N) the math teacher” she asked
“Yes?” you answered
She patted Hongjoong on the shoulder
“He’ll be fine in a minute or so” she reassured you, glancing up and away somewhere else
You both followed her gaze over to the principal, who gave her a bright smile and a thumbs up
Which looked innocuous enough to the untrained eye
But to Hongjoong this was just another in a long list of embarrassments
The principal had told the guest workshop speakers about him
And he had been spotted that easily
After that was administration-provided snack time
Hongjoong offered to grab sodas if you would grab chips and stuff
And at the soda table he was greeted by Wooyoung and San, who called him affectionately Mr. Traffic Light
Hongjoong resisted the urge to react publicly
Even though there were no children around he refused to allow himself to be caught cursing them out
But he brainstormed violently about the ways he could get back at them without getting caught
Truly his middle school teacher powers of ignoring were activated because those two were practically dancing around him trading one-liner after one-liner and Hongjoong paid them no mind
Until he realized they were following him back to the table where he was sitting with you
He did not need them teasing him around you so he tried to shoo them off
But Wooyoung gleefully turned his attention up to the projector screen where the groupings for the next workshop were displayed
Truly your presence was the only saving grace this day had to offer
They were in this group with you two
The computer teacher/school tech support guy was leading this workshop and he was showcasing how one might use ai in their classroom
And all four of you were totally zoned out because firstly ai in a math classroom?? For what
Chat bots are notoriously bad at math
Ai in San’s gymnasium? Once again no practical application
And Wooyoung honestly just wasn’t that interested because none of you were listening so he didn’t feel like he had to either
So he decided flirting with you was more fun
Just to make Hongjoong mad
But for all of his whispered pick up lines and compliments you had approximately the same response as to this ai workshop:
Playing gamepigeon with Hongjoong under the table
(Which Hongjoong had initiated by the way)
(And you had perpetuated after destroying him at the mini golf game)
Aka you ignored Wooyoung pretty well
So Hongjoong got to glare over at him with the peace of mind that your attention was fully his right then
San tapped your shoulder and asked for your number
Which you gave him a little too easily for Hongjoong’s continued peace of mind
But then San just made a group chat for the four of you to play uno together for the remainder of the workshop
So Hongjoong decided that actually this setup wasn’t so bad
The last workshop was unfortunately much more important so the four of you couldn’t continue slacking off
The principal was running this one and it was genuinely for the betterment of the school environment
Plus San and Wooyoung were sent off to other groups
So it was the two of you and a few other senior teachers that were going to have a discussion about one of the behavior initiatives that the school was trying out
You were the only two math teachers in the group, so when the principal passed out data that had been collected about this behavior initiative, the other teachers sort of automatically passed the papers to you
(And the science teachers in the group but that’s irrelevant)
There was only one copy of each dataset, so that meant you got to share
And that meant that you got to scoot your chairs close together to look at the paper at the same time
And even better the text was kind of small so you had to bring the papers close to your faces to read them
So the two of you were shoulder to shoulder
Practically cheek to cheek, your heads almost touching
To read this data and explain it to the less number-savvy teachers
Today was actually pretty fantastic so far, Hongjoong thought
He also wondered if you could physically feel the heat coming off of his face but that was not something he was going to let bother him right then
He was going to live in the moment
And perhaps thank the principal later
After a surprisingly productive and insightful discussion
It was finally ~lunch time~
The math department gathered up in the department head’s classroom to decide which of the nearby restaurants to choose to go to
And no one could agree
Not a single person was feeling like eating the same thing
Except Hongjoong he was agreeing with whatever you said
Not just because he wanted you to have your way but because whatever you said sounded good to him too
Maybe it sounded good because you said it but nonetheless
And then the department head said the following fateful words:
“How about you two just go ahead and we’ll try to decide on something for the rest of us
Hongjoong was suspicious right then and there that this was a setup
The department head probably had money on Before Christmas
But Hongjoong was absolutely not going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers
“I’m cool with that” you answered before Hongjoong could gather his thoughts enough to say anything
Then you turned to him
“I need to go grab my purse from my classroom. Do you need anything from yours?”
“Oh, yeah, just my wallet” he answered totally on autopilot
You stopped by your classroom first and then his since his was closer to the front of the school
He was so excited to finally realize that dream of his from a few weeks back
He was gonna buy you lunch
And not only that it was just the two of you going out to lunch
It didn’t matter that this wasn’t a date
Or that technically you were just gonna buy food and eat it back at school
It was special to him to go somewhere with just you
That wasn’t school
Seriously he was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling when he told the cashier that your orders were together and he was going to pay
You kinda elbowed him and told him he didn’t have to do that
But he just shrugged and turned his smile on you
“But I wanted to” he replied
You accepted that
“It’s on me next time” you promised
And oh man he could have died right there he felt so complete
Except if he died then there would be no next time
But you were saying next time and it made him think that wow yeah this would happen again
You meant if it ever happened again but he was determined that it was a certain for the future
Because even if it didn’t happen by chance then he would make it happen himself
When you got back to the school the rest of the math department was gone so you started eating without them
And that was a magical moment of peace too
Just the two of you
No one around to tease Hongjoong
He could almost pretend you were just normal friends and he wasn’t head over heels for you
Then the rest of the department came back and they all had food from the same restaurant
So Hongjoong had been right to be suspicious earlier
It was most definitely a setup to get the two of you by yourselves
And he liked it so he wasn’t going to complain about it
Even though it was embarrassing
Well as fun as professional development day ended up being
Parent teacher conferences were not
Hongjoong was looking forward to more Mr. Principal shenanigans
Like maybe when all the teachers were in the gym yours and his table could be next to each other
And he could talk to you when neither of you had any parents
And when the night was wrapping up
And he could walk you out to your car because it was dark
And maybe treat you to dinner because the school-provided food wasn’t usually that great
But no
None of that could happen
Because someone had decided to have teachers stay in their classrooms for conferences this year
The parents would have the wonderful opportunity to get lost in their child’s school trying to find all of their classes
What a joke
They were probably going to get so many complaints they would switch it back to normal next semester
But the one time Hongjoong was looking forward to parent teacher conferences
Of course
Was the one time they had to switch it up
The one silver lining in this was the teachers complaining about it together
Hongjoong’s favorite email he had ever received was now from Wooyoung
Who was replying to the email notifying teachers of the different setup this year but just to Hongjoong
In all lowercase:
“hey loverboy u see this crap
math teacher romancephobic fr smh”
And then with his full professional email signature at the bottom
This precious email was moved to Hongjoong’s funny emails folder, which was usually reserved for unhinged student emails
He did not reply to it
San and the other phys ed teachers were joking about how nice it would be to have the gym to themselves for once but they were in agreement that this probably wouldn’t last
Of course the math department had tests scheduled across all the grades right before conferences
Which of course left everyone grading like crazy
And of course the kids trashed the classrooms the day before
And of course the head janitor ended up getting sick
So it was up to the teachers to make sure their classrooms didn’t look like trash
Even though they had 150+ tests to grade and a pile of late work to grade
And they had 24 hours (7 of which were going to be spent teaching, and hopefully 7-8 would be spent sleeping) to make this all work before parents started showing up at 4 o’clock tomorrow afternoon
What a time this was going to be
So Hongjoong picked up his pile of tests and went to your classroom
Predictably you were grading tests
He stole a student desk and moved it close to your desk
“Which tests are you working on?” he asked
“Eighth” you replied, not looking up from the test you were currently grading
“How does this sound” he began “I’ll take your seventh and you take my eighth so we don’t have to switch answer keys?”
Still barely looking up, you handed him three binder-clipped stacks of paper
“As long as you don’t mind working to music” you replied, your eyebrows raising as a little smile played on your lips
He took your tests and handed you his eighth grade tests
(This worked out nicely as you both had three classes of seventh and two classes of eighth. He was tricking you into letting him take the heavier load ohoho so sneaky)
(He was just lucky you were grading eighth instead of seventh first)
“Don’t mind?” he snickered, uncapping his favorite felt-tip grading pen “I’d prefer it”
And that’s how speed grading turned into karaoke
Grading went almost certainly slower than it would have if you had worked alone but it was way more fun this way
Of course he ended up with sixty some more tests to grade than you
So when you finished you left for a bit and came back with snacks
As well as his pile of late work
He tried to protest but no no
“You’re not nearly as sneaky as you think you are Mr. Kim” you teased him “You thought you could fool a math teacher into thinking we had an equal workload here?”
“That wasn’t the point” he whined, trying to put the cap back on his pen and inking his finger instead
“Then what was the point?”
I love you that’s the point
But what was the point actually
What was a point he could believably tell you without giving himself away
“Just…because” he said convincingly, shrugging his shoulders and settling back into his tests “You look stressed these days. Wanted to do something nice I guess”
You brandished his late work stack again
“So I’m going to do something nice too”
Yeah he probably wouldn’t ever feel this way about anyone ever again
For him at this point it was you or nothing
But the problem was he was willing to let it be nothing for far too long
He would never make a single move unless he knew you were okay with it
Because if he and his stupid heart ruined whatever you had going now then it would really be nothing
He wouldn’t give up the something he still had
He was like a curve approaching an asymptote
He could get infinitely close, but he would never actually touch you
After settling your gradebooks for tomorrow you started by picking up your classroom together
This did go faster with music by the way
And then you picked up his classroom together
And then he realized Hongjoong realized he could have his wish
The one about walking you out to your car and taking you out to dinner
Walking you out was easy but taking you out was another story
He would have to suggest it himself
A little known fact about teachers is that they became teachers because they don’t know how/don’t want to talk with other adults
Kids don’t judge you if something comes out of your mouth a little different than you meant it
Other adults are mean and judge you over silly things
This unfortunately meant that he didn’t know how to ask you to go to dinner with him without making it sound like a date
He was kinda just hoping a lil Kdrama moment would happen and one of your stomachs would rumble really loud so he could laugh it off and say you should go eat together
But you got closer and closer to your car and no tummy rumbling
You got to your car and no tummy rumbling
You opened your door and said goodbye and still no tummy rumbling
“Wait!!!”
He could have slapped his own mouth
You were a little startled but it stopped you from getting in your car
“Hmm?”
“Just uh…it’s kinda late and snacks are great but they’re not that filling…so do you wanna um…” he trailed off and did not finish his thought
“Wanna what?” you asked
Big boy pants Hongjoong come on
“Go grab dinner? Or something?” he finally spat out
He must not have seen your face light up in the dark
“No pressure” he added when you didn’t answer within 0.05 seconds
“No that sounds great! I was thinking of grabbing something on the way home anyway and it would be way more fun to do it with someone else” you accepted
He let you pick the place again and you drove separately because after you would be going in different directions
But it ended up being a nice little fast casual restaurant
And it didn’t feel like a date really but it kinda felt like a date but no it didn’t
It just ended up being a comfortable little outing between friends
Hongjoong knew he couldn’t stop smiling
And he wondered if you already knew how he felt about you
He was sure he didn’t smile like this at anyone else
And you were many things but dense couldn’t possibly be one of them
He knew he was the opposite of subtle
But if you were willing to spend time with him like this then that meant he didn’t make you uncomfortable
Honestly he was so used to the way you made him feel at this point that loving you from afar felt like second nature
Being friends with you was enough if he could keep loving you like this
The waiter came by and asked if it was one check or two
And Hongjoong was fully prepared to pay once again
But you beat him to it
You were already prepared with your card and everything
“I owe you for last time, remember?” you told him with a cheeky grin
He shook his head
“You don’t owe me anything”
“Well then next time it’s on you”
Hongjoong started to smile again
“Next time?”
“Well, yeah” you said with a shrug, now a little bashful “This was fun. We should keep doing it”
“It is fun” he agreed with a laugh “It’s nice to hang out with people outside of school for once”
You laughed at that
“Oh boy tell me about it. Nobody told me that teaching would ruin my social life”
And things just kind of continued like that for a while
Before you had come to the school, Hongjoong had lowkey felt like he was kind of going nowhere with his life
Any time he spent at school outside of his contract hours felt like an infringement on his personal time
Or not even at school, just away from home
He had been hoping that taking a high school position would give him back a little bit of the passion for teaching that he was losing
He hadn’t even been teaching that long it’s just that the profession really is like that
Indescribably rewarding and incredibly draining all at the same time
(Especially these days. Sometimes you really wonder if it’s worth it)
But having something to look forward to every day besides a favorite class ended up being what he needed to love his job wholeheartedly again
It wasn’t just you he had fallen in love with
He had also found new friends in an unlikely place
The math department was like family and he enjoyed their company dearly
But that weirdo phys ed teacher and obnoxious history teacher had turned into excellent friends frighteningly fast
Sometimes they joined you and Hongjoong on your dinner outings
And honestly it was such a blast
An amendment to my previous statement about teachers being teachers because they don’t like talking to other adults:
Other teachers often do not count as other adults
Sometimes they do when you have to have grown up conversations
But gossiping about students does not count as grown up conversation
There were some eighth graders that all four of you had
Hongjoong not currently but he’d had them for previous classes and they were now in your class
Was it a little embarrassing as 20 somethings to have your main source of gossip be preteens?
Yeah but oh man there is nothing like finding out which of your students are lying to their other teachers about the work they need to do
Or what they’re like in other classes
(You and Hongjoong, and sometimes Wooyoung, tended to have very different opinions about some students than San did so it was double fascinating)
Who they’re friends with outside of your class
Or crushes they have on each other
Basically if you spend every day around preteens you gossip like them too
It was now November and starting to get uncomfortably cold outside
So San had offered his home as a little gathering space for you all to order food and hang out
It was almost like a little Friendsgiving
“Any of you have (male student name, obnoxious connotation)?” Wooyoung asked, taking a sip of his soda
You immediately scoffed
“I’m about to write an email home about that kid”
Hongjoong was surprised
Annoying kids existed in every class but you usually had something nice to say about them at first at least before you got into the bad behavior
He hadn’t had this particular student but he was intrigued as to why he annoyed you so much
Wooyoung and San also both looked surprised
“He’s great in gym—like cooperative, doesn’t do stupid stuff too often—” San said “but that doesn’t usually mean anything about how they are in math class”
“No he’s great in history too” Wooyoung added “finishes all his work on time, helps his friends with theirs if he finishes”
Your eye might have twitched a little bit
You let out an unamused laugh and crossed your arms over your chest
Hongjoong was fascinated and quite enamored with this new side of you
“If he has time to help his friends then he should be working on the seven late assignments I’ve been reminding him about. He hasn’t turned in anything for two weeks”
Wooyoung gasped and covered his mouth
“You’re joking”
“I’ve talked to him about it twice and I warned him if I had to remind him a third time then I would email his parents” you said, shaking your head “Like I asked him if he’s understanding the material, if he’s got something going on at home, if he needs some help, and he’s giving me nothing to go off of”
Wooyoung smiled devilishly
“He’s been lying to me, then. I ask him every day if he has other classes to do stuff for and he says no. I will absolutely be getting on him about that”
San shook his head
“Teenagers” he sighed
Everyone nodded and repeated what he’d said
“Teenagers.”
After a moment of silence, Hongjoong spoke up
“How about (female student name, pleasant connotation)?”
The mood lifted immediately and everyone gave their own version of the word “aww”
“She is the highlight of my whole day” you said
“Seriously she’s so polite and she tries so hard even when she’s having a hard time” Wooyoung agreed
“Super athletic too” San added
“Ooh and (male student name, pleasant connotation)?” you said to another chorus of agreement “He’s kind of a punk sometimes but he’s another one that always does his best”
Hongjoong smiled
Complaining was fun, but he loved the light in your eyes when you talked about the parts of the job that you loved
Anyway as I said it was November and the Before Christmas faction of teachers was starting to get nervous because there was no sign of anything happening
They saw you walk out together more than usual but they didn’t know that you were meeting up outside of school and stuff
The kids were also more riled up about it than usual
To the point where Hongjoong wondered if the other teachers were inciting chaos on purpose
It was getting bad enough that one of his classes almost failed a test across the board—on a unit about rounding and converting fractions to decimals of all things
As in the easiest math ever
So Mr. Kim had to resort to drastic measures
At the beginning of all his classes, he drew a box on the edge of the whiteboard
“This is the nonsense box” he explained with a teacherly smile
That is to say frustrated but still filled with love for his students
“Every time one of you is talking about anything that is not related to class, a tally mark goes in the box. Each tally mark represents an extra fifteen seconds you get to sit in your seat after the bell rings”
A chorus of protest arose
“I don’t want to hear it” Mr. Kim shook his head “How many of you are planning on retaking last Friday’s test?”
About half of the hands in the room came up sheepishly
“Exactly. It’s because we’re constantly off topic that no one is able to listen and learn in here. We can do better, okay?”
And then immediately from the back of the room
“Ooh, Miss (L/N) just passed in the hall!!!”
And chorus of “Ooooooh”
Whether it was true or not, Hongjoong was happy to draw his first tally mark without a word
Just that same teacherly smile
Another round of protest came and he drew another one
After the third tally mark, they shut up
“Good. Let’s talk about coefficients. Has anyone heard that word before?”
Once again I will say it was November
And the month after November is December
And December is the month of Christmas
Not just Christmas break
But Christmas itself
And that meant that Hongjoong now
After coming back from a brief Thanksgiving break
Had only a few weeks to find you a Christmas present
Now he wasn’t thoughtless like this wasn’t the first time it had crossed his mind
It had just stressed him out wondering if he would have the guts to confess his feelings for you or if he would be outed somehow first
Plus in case y’all didn’t know teaching (especially teaching around the holidays) is stressful
He just imagined Christmas as this far off date that was too good to ever come
And so he hadn’t even had time to think about what to get you
Something for your classroom?
Something for your home?
A cute accessory?
A fun math shirt?
Not a gift card though that was far too impersonal
Nothing seemed good enough for you
If he were to deliver his feelings with a gift like any of these, it felt insufficient
Most lunches the last bit of November and the first week of December
(If not spent pestering you)
He spent fretting over his Amazon cart with his head in his hands
And then the most unfortunate miracle occurred
The heaters toward the math hall decided working at full capacity was a waste of tax dollars
And the weather was shaping up to be quite uncomfortable
Everyone started to bring blankets and stuff but it was never quite enough
Your classroom was especially cold, since it was the farthest down the hall
So Hongjoong was gifted an opportunity
He went and found one of those soft and cozy electric blankets
In a color he assumed to be your favorite considering how much you wore it and how many of the little trinkets around your classroom were that color
And he packaged it like he had meant to give it to you for Christmas anyway
Then he brought it for you the next day
You were sitting at your desk in your full winter outdoor gear with a blanket that did look cozy but thankfully was not electric
And your teeth were practically chattering as you waved hello
He still hadn’t taken off his coat or his gloves either actually
He set the present on your desk
“I was saving this for Christmas but I think you might need it more now” he told you with a grin
Your curiosity was suddenly piqued
You opened the gift cautiously, glancing up at him every few seconds
But as soon as you felt the material of the blanket, you perked up
And upon discovering that it was electric you could have cried
“I haven’t been able to feel my fingers since last week” you told him gratefully “Seriously I was trying to figure out how many space heaters I would need to buy to survive the winter”
“The department head has one in her classroom” he said “If you grab your old blanket and your laptop then you can let your new blanket heat up here while we hang out over there”
What a beautiful suggestion
The department head raised her eyebrow at the two of you coming in with blankets
But she smiled too when she saw you settling down in front of her heater
“Don’t tell anyone” she said “but sometimes I take a nap over there during lunch”
“Oh I see exactly why” you agreed, sitting cross-legged and setting your computer in your lap “I can literally feel my bones thawing out”
Hongjoong settled down a respectable distance from you
But he thought someone else was pranking him when he felt a blanket drape over his shoulders
He looked around, startled, and then he realized it was the other side of your blanket
You had thrown your blanket over him to share, even though he had one of his own
And now you were pulling his arm to get him to scoot closer to you
Was this a dream??
He would not be happy if his alarm rang
But no it was real and he happily obliged
You were sitting shoulder to shoulder again
Just like at the professional development workshop
Except this time it was so warm and cozy and there was definitely a much less professional vibe
The department head raised her eyebrow at you once again
But Hongjoong was way too enamored with your shy smile to notice
After just a few minutes in this cozy little haven
Your time was unfortunately cut short
Not by students arriving to school
But by Wooyoung poking his head into the classroom
“Oh I’ve been looking everywhere for you guys”
He stepped into the classroom and greeted its owner accordingly
She nodded as if to allow him permission to enter
“They have hot chocolate down in the teachers lounge” Wooyoung informed them “I figured you icicles back here in the freezer rooms would want some but it looks like you were hiding a—” he looked down at the two of you skeptically “campfire back here”
Wooyoung clearly thought he meant something by that but no one else knew what he was trying to say
So his last comment went ignored
“Do you want hot chocolate?” Hongjoong asked you “I can go get some for us”
“No it’s okay I’ll go with you”
Oh Wooyoung saw exactly what was going on here
Hongjoong did not
Hongjoong was a little confused—was his help becoming an awkward burden to you?
While Wooyoung saw the truth
You just wanted the excuse to walk with him
Now Wooyoung had two choices
He could step back and let you two walk down together, maybe say something to speed this math teacher romance along
Or he could third wheel
And who was Wooyoung if he didn’t pass up the chance to annoy?
Plus he had taken an oath once he started collecting bets that he wouldn’t try to swing the competition one way or another
And since telling you about the hot chocolate while you were together felt like pushing the competition faster, it felt right to pull it back a bit by getting in between you for a few minutes
So he offered hands to both of you to help you off the floor
“Let’s all go together then” he said “You should also find out if your campsite director wants any”
“Campsite director?” Hongjoong asked, shutting his computer
You also closed your computer and set it aside, looking around to figure out who Wooyoung was talking about
“Your gracious host this morning” he clarified, giving the department head a charming little wave
You both took Wooyoung’s hands at the same time and almost pulled him down with you in the process of standing up
As you straightened your pants, you asked the department head if she wanted you to bring her back any hot chocolate, to which she responded yes please
Wooyoung insisted on walking in the middle
And Hongjoong wondered if all of the patience he had acquired as a middle school teacher was going to be spent on not wringing this guy’s neck this morning
Fortunately Mr. Jung acted enough like one of Mr. Kim’s students that he was able to pretend he was one and just let it go
Unfortunately by the time they got back to the department head’s classroom kids were starting to show up so that was the end of artificial campfire cuddle time
But there was a silent agreement as you picked up your blankets and computers that you would be doing this again sometime
The first few weeks of December didn’t necessarily fly by but they did go by quickly in hindsight if that makes sense
And before everyone knew it
Christmas break was upon you
And there was no further progression of the math department couple
The Before Christmas teachers had gotten antsier and antsier right up until the day before break started
But thankfully no one had been worried enough to interfere
Hongjoong decided to stay in his classroom that day
(As if he didn’t stay in his classroom every day)
Because people had been giving him disappointed looks all over the school and he was tired of it
Even the principal had made a trip to Hongjoong’s classroom the Friday afternoon before everyone left
Just to tell him how disappointed he was that he hadn’t had the guts to make a move even when he knew the principal’s precious money was on the line
And ask him if you were secretly dating already and just didn’t want to make a big deal about it
But ultimately to wish him luck and a nice break
A few minutes after he left, you popped into his classroom
You had your bag and your coat and it looked like you were ready to head home
“Are you so ready to get out of here?” you asked
He stopped immediately in the middle of his task and slammed his laptop shut
Contract hours had ended a whole minute ago and he had wasted a whole minute still doing work? On break?
“Say no more” he said, standing up and putting his coat on “We should have left five minutes ago”
“Wholeheartedly agree” you replied “I would have but the principal visited me and I felt like I had to look like I was doing something”
Hongjoong froze
The principal had visited you too?
Why?
For what purpose?
Betting purposes?
This technically didn’t still count as Before Christmas Break right?
“That’s weird haha he came and visited me too, like ten minutes ago” he said with the normalest most unbothered tone he could manage
(He tried)
(His voice was not quite an octave higher than usual)
(Which is considerable improvement since it’s usually an octave and a half)
“Maybe he’s just making rounds” you said with a shrug “It’s nice to see how much he cares about this school. Definitely one of the better principals I’ve worked with”
Hongjoong relaxed perhaps too visibly
“Yeah if you need a guy to have your back he’s got it no question”
“Anyway if you don’t have any plans for the day after Christmas you should spend it with me”
If Hongjoong had been drinking something he would have choked
Even if he’d had plans in the first place he would have canceled them for you
“My day is wide open” he said “As is almost all of my break”
You smiled and his stomach did a flip
He wondered if it was ever going to stop doing that
He hoped not
“Mine too. If you’re bored, you can probably text me and I won’t be doing anything”
Was it cringe that he was now looking for technically his second Christmas present for you?
Yeah maybe but that was his lifestyle now
To quote N.Flying’s Lovefool “if they call me a lovefool it’s okay as long as it’s for your sake”
Even if you didn’t see him that way that was A-Okay
Anyway he found some cute little math-themed trinkets like pi earrings and a right triangle pin that said “I’m always right”
Because actually who are math teachers if they don’t like puns
And the morning after Christmas Day he wrapped them up all nice for you
And he got ready to meet you at a little restaurant you now frequented together
But this was actually like the first time he was meeting you on a whole day off so he had to figure out how to dress not like a teacher but still kinda nice
He had no idea
All of his pants were teacher pants
His shirts? All teacher shirts
He was way too good at dressing for his job
So he wore jeans instead of his usual khakis and hoped that was different enough?
He also layered one of his graph paper teacher shirts with a plain t-shirt underneath and didn’t button it up
He looked himself up and down in his mirror, trying different poses to make sure he looked like a Normal Guy
In the end he decided his hair was the only issue
He only knew how to style it in a teacherly fashion
And leaving it unstyled wasn’t an option
So he looked up some tutorials on some easy styles but he just could not see himself as anything other than a math teacher
So he gave up and just prayed that he looked okay
You looked perfect of course
The difference was subtle in theory but the way you dressed, the way you did your hair and makeup, it made for a world of difference
Oh you looked so gorgeous he was never going to get over it
Your eyes practically sparkled when you met him out front and man he thought before that he couldn’t be more in love with you but he was wrong
You did seem a little more awkward today than usual and he couldn’t figure out why
Like you almost seemed nervous
What for? It was just him
You got your food and he suddenly remembered the gifts in his pocket
“Oh!” he exclaimed, pulling them out “I know I gave you the blanket a few weeks ago but I found these and I knew you had to have them. Merry double Christmas?”
You covered your mouth to hide your laughter and your bite of food
“That’s so funny because I found something for you too”
And you pulled a little package out of your bag
Down bad wasn’t even a good descriptor anymore and neither was head over heels like there had to be a stronger silly description of being in love and if there wasn’t it would have to be invented for him
You had found him a shirt that said “Math is hard. So is life. Get over it.”
(Tbh an actual shirt that I own)
And he promised you he would be wearing it the day you all got back from break
As for his silly little gifts you adored them
You put the pi earrings in immediately and started brainstorming what do do with the other things out loud
He could not have been happier with himself
And then you caught him staring at you
You paused in your excited little ramblings
He sat up a little straighter, wondering what to say next
But you smiled and looked down at your plate
“You’re pretty cute, you know that?” you told him, unable to meet his eyes for more than a second
In front of you, his first instinct was to deny the possibility and he followed it without thinking
“Eh, no I’m not—not in comparison to you, anyway”
Hmm if he wanted to keep his feelings secret then that was not the thing to say
But you deserved to know it
Not just cute but beautiful
Heartstoppingly so
You took the compliment well anyway
“Have you ever thought…” you began, trailing off
You watched him as he waited for you to continue, his eyes wide and curious
“Never mind” you dismissed with a casual wave of your hand
“No hey what were you going to say?” he asked
“Nothing I just had a weird thought for a second”
“No no come on! You know I wouldn’t judge you for anything”
You hesitated again and he could see that same nervousness he’d noticed before
“Have you ever thought…I don’t know” you put your elbows up on the table “of us as more than friends? Like dating maybe?”
Once again he was going to be very upset if his alarm clock went off now
But even if this was a dream, there was no harm in saying it out loud
“Every day since the day I met you” he answered honestly
You blinked like you didn’t believe him
“You’d better not be joking because I mean this like I’m risking our whole professional relationship here—”
And then he realized
You literally had no idea about him
Genuinely no clue that the whole school knew exactly how you had him wrapped around your finger
Except you
“—on the slightest chance that you might feel the same way—”
“Hey” he stopped you softly “I would never joke about how I feel about you”
Embarrassment began to set in for both of you
“Seriously,” he said, holding back a laugh, “you can ask any of my students, any of the teachers. I think you were the last one to find out that I have a massive crush on you”
“Oh no you’re kidding!” you exclaimed, your hands coming up to hide your face
“I really wish I were—Wooyoung has two rounds of bets going with the teachers about when and how we would end up dating. It’s just about me though—I don’t think anyone else knew about you”
You buried your face further in your hands
“That is so embarrassing” you whined “Seriously I might kill Wooyoung when we get back from break”
“I’ll help you” he promised
You ended up deciding to tell the other teachers on account of the bets they had placed on you
But you asked them not to tell the kids
Hongjoong was comfortable dealing with them at this point and he didn’t see the point in subjecting you to the attention he got about it
Speaking of the bets
No one won any of them technically
The two categories were before/after Christmas break and you notice/he confesses
And since you confessed during Christmas break well
As tempting as it would have been to say that you two deserved the money
(Especially on those teacher salaries)
You just made Wooyoung give it back to everyone who had put money down
And honestly? Very little about your at school dynamic changed
The kids still teased Hongjoong every day about his obvious soft spot for you
But he didn’t care because he knew better than they did anyway
You did actually start to notice now that kids were gossiping about you and Hongjoong
And it was really funny actually
Especially when he stopped by your classroom and the kids went dead silent watching you
Or when you left his classroom and you heard the kids explode with their weirdo little preteen comments from just outside in the hallway
Wooyoung insisted on telling you about every time you were mentioned in his classroom
This included the story about the girl rejecting a boy because quote no one can like anyone as much as Mr. Kim likes Miss (L/N) enquote
And you about died from laughter and embarrassment
Because how had you missed every single sign thrown your way??
It was so obvious now that you were dating him and you knew why he spent as much time as physically and contractually possible in your classroom
Because like I said very little about your at school dynamic changed
He still treated you almost exactly the same way
Except now if you were having a bad day he could hug you and kiss you on the head and tell you that everything would be okay and you were a good teacher
And if he got cold he could come to your classroom and have you sit on his lap while you shared your blanket
You were very very careful with any displays of affection by the way like it was only behind a locked door that you would even dare
Because firstly unprofessional
A literal breach of the code of ethics more likely than not
And secondly what if the kids saw you???
The other teachers were whatever like you didn’t really want them to walk in on you either but at least they were other adults
But the kids???
There were already too many rumors flying around the school about you and they did not need a even whispering of confirmation
The end of that came of course when you got engaged like a year or so later idk and you showed up to school with a ring on your finger and the kids went wild
“Mr. Kim she has a ring!!!”
“Mr. Kim what are you going to do?? She’s gonna get married!!”
“Mr. Kim you must be heartbroken”
You had prepared for this together
You had known it was coming so you knew you had to be ready for the chaos it was going to cause
So you had decided that he would also start wearing a ring to match even before the wedding
So to all his very concerned students he got to hold up his hand and say in the coolest most chic manner possible
“And who do you think gave her the ring huh?”
It was like setting off a nuclear bomb of middle school gossip but it was so worth it
Anyway breaking the chronological flow going back in time because this needed to be the last scene
The cutest change with your at school dynamic now that you were dating was now you could exchange secret messages on sticky notes with the papers you traded
He started it by handing you a test key to check with a sticky note on the top that you assumed was a label for what the test was
But on closer inspection it was a pickup line
“The limit of my love for you is like the limit of 1/x as it approaches 0; it doesn’t exist”
So you wrote back on the same sticky note “well mine is like 1/x^2 and it approaches infinity so there” and handed it back to him once you checked his key
Not to be outdone he wrote you a new note
“Girl are you a 30° angle inscribed in a circle because you’re acute-y pi”
Oh that one was bad
You had to give him something worse
“If we’re both math teachers, how come we have so much chemistry?”
You handed him that one in between classes
And as he read it he had to disguise his sudden laughter as a cough because there were kids around and they didn’t need to be curious about what he was laughing at
His next sticky note had a crease down the middle horizontally
128√e980
You recognized it immediately but you folded it in half to reveal the secret message anyway
“I love you”
So you gave him back “I hope you like fractions because you’re my other half”
You stored all these away in a little file on your computer titled “Valentine’s Day Math Jokes”
Maybe for some future Valentine’s Day activity
But mostly just to keep them all somewhere safe where you could look at them any time you wanted
Without some kid being like “oooh Miss (L/N) whatcha lookin at”
Your favorite note from him was about as simple and dorky as they came
Much like Hongjoong himself actually
Simplify 2x+6i<2(x+9u)
First you distributed the 2 on the right
2x+6i<2x+18u
Then since there was a 2x on both sides, you could subtract them and cancel them
6i<18u
Then divide by 6
And the answer made you smile every time
i<3u
(so I know how I wrote this so fast actually. I just have a goal to write 250+ words every day and uh pretty much every day of the month of January ended up dedicated to this one. Someone said Math Teacher Hongjoong and I (graduated in December with a math teaching degree, student taught in a middle school for 4 months) went feral over it whoops)
Masterlist
#ateez#hongjoong#ateez x reader#hongjoong x reader#ateez fluff#ateez fanfic#ateez fic#atz#atz x reader#kim hongjoong
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I've decided to compile the hidden conversations in the Friendship Test demo for those who haven't seen it or can't access it. I'm not sure if these appear within the demo, I found them in the image files. Transcript in alt text and under cut. (I know who the characters are in the 5th image from this post)
Each image is a text conversation in brightly colored text over a black background.
Image 1:
White text: [File missing]
--
-
Wrench (red text): Oh my tech!!!! Just kiss already!!!
Keys (green text): The movie just started 15 minutes ago, sweetie. Usually they build up the tension until the end.
Wrench: Hahah, I know, I know!!!! But aaaagh!!! There is so much chemestry!!! If I was there I would just tell them to have the courage to be honest with their feelings!
Keys: I feel like all movies would go faster if you were there.
Wrench: Absolutely! I would make sure to help everyone! And I would punch the villains in the face!
Keys: I don't think this is that kind of movie.
Wrench: Oh well, I guess I'd just hug everyone to death!
Keys: Heheh.
Wrench: Hammer!!! Are you sure you don't want to join uuuus???!!!
Hammer (purple text): (Yeees, I'm sureeee.)
Wrench: The protagonists are in love!!!!!
Hammer: (Ew, glad I'm missing it.) (Call me when they are smooching, at least that's interesting.)
Wrench: Hahahah!
Keys: …
Wrench: Keys: What's wrong?
Keys: Oh nothing, it's silly.
Wrench: What?! You could NEVER be silly! You are like… the smartest program there is!!!
Keys: Hahah, I guess.
Wrench: What is it?
Keys: … I don't know. I just… I'm sorry I can't give you… this.
Wrench: …
Keys: Sorry, I know that's-
Wrench: Keys. I love you so much. Don't ever apologize for that. I fell in love with YOU, everything that makes you YOU. Including that.
Keys: … Hah. You are so so corny.
Wrench: Yes I am, so are you.
Keys: True, true. That's why we work so well together.
Wrench: Exactly! I guess the couple doesn't really need to kiss. But I hope the love confession makes me cry!
Keys: You will cry anyway.
Wrench: So will you!
Keys: Yeah, you got me. Heheh.
White text: --
-
[File missing]
End image 1.
Image 2:
White text: [file missing]
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BFP (green text, middle alignment): I have been studying musicals.
Dreamer (white text, left alignment): -Oh, that's nice.
BFP: Yes. I am not designed to have the best singing voice. But the performers showcase emotions through their songs. So I would like to study them as best as I can.
Dreamer: -I have listened to a few of them. I like that… they don't really have an exact answer for their personal conflicts. They just sing how they feel.
BFP: I find it a little confusing. Which is the reason for my intense studying.
Dreamer: -I think its meant to be confusing. Feelings are confusing sometimes.
BFP: I don't want to be confused. I would like to understand.
Dreamer: -It's okay if you don't --
BFP: I am in a position that requires me to have as much knowledge as possible. I can't allow myself to be confused. I am supposed to understand.
(Calculating…)
And I believe you would achieve a happier emotional state if you understood your feelings better.
Dreamer: -…
BFP: (Recalibrating emotions.)
…
(Sending apology request.)
Dreamer: -…
(Apology request accepted.)
White text: ----
--
[file missing]
End image 2.
Image 3:
White text: [file missing]
---
--
Knife (purple text): So what happens next?!
Knight (blue text): To be continued…
Knife: NOOOO WAY!!!
Knight: Heh, I know right? Now you understand my passion, my dedication, for this book series. It's more than a book series… it's a portal through a fantastical dimension!
Knife: IT SURE IS!!! Wow, I'm not going to be able to sleep today.
Knight: We don't need to sleep.
Knife: But I WANT to!
Knight: Heheh, right. … I'm… uh… You know, thanks for- I mean, uh, you know what I- Nevermind.
Knife: No, no, what is it?
Knight: … Thanks. I like talking about… my favorite books. They're… important to me.
Knife: Oh yeah! And I love hearing about them!
Knight: Y-yeah?
Knife: Yes???? Why else would I ask you about them?
Knight: R-right, obviously, that was a silly question.
Knife: No, don't say that! Pff I guess you're right, I ask you to talk about them, but I never read them… You know what, I should start doing that!
Knight: … You want to read them?
Knife: Yeah!
Knight: OH MY TECH THAT'D BE- I mean, heh, it was about time. I knew you'd be enamored with the words of such a talented author.
Knife: But if I read your books, you HAVE to play some of MY videogames.
Knight: Heh, is that a challenge?
Knife: Ooh I hadn't thought of that… yes, rival, let's make it a duel! We will both have to read and play the stuff the other enjoys to get to know each other better and show interest for the things we are each passionate about… …as rivals should!
Knight: As rivals should.
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Spike (blue text): Wow wow wow wow!!! You've been here for weeks!!!
Exe (red text): Sure have.
Spike: Don't you want to go outside and play?!?!?! I could NOT not play for even like… an hour!
Exe: Yeaaah… I definitely do want to play outside right now. I just needed some time inside. It was starting to get too overwhelming.
Spike: What was?
Exe: Eh, I don't feel like explaining right now.
Spike: Okay! What do you do when you stay here for so long anyway?
Exe: I watch TV.
Spike: Oooh that helps?
Exe: Sometimes. Other times it feels worse. But at least, I get to disconnect for a while.
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Void (gray text): I liked the cinematography. I don't think I know exactly what that word means, but I get what I'm trying to say.
FriendProgram (yellow text): Yeah, that was alright. I was talking more about the story. It was exactly what I expected, but I still hate to see things like this.
Void: Oh, yeah, I think I get what you mean.
FriendProgram: You'd think she would choose the insanely cool magical powers. But no of course not, she chooses love. Nevermind if she was perfectly happy before. But I guess she has to give up a part of herself to be truly 'happy'. I hate whoever made this show.
Void: Okay. Well. I get what you mean… But I kind of get where they were coming from? Like, sometimes relationships require sacrifice. Because that's just how much you care. Not that I think your opinion is wrong!
FriendProgram: You can have your own opinion, I don't really care.
Void: Hahah, I guess. I think it's nice when characters care so much about each other. It makes me happy. … But uh… I get that they don't always, well…
FriendProgram: Have my perspective in mind?
Void: Yeah! Which is… why some movies can feel a certain way.
FriendProgram: … There are times where I don't really care. But others I really really do. I guess today I really do.
Void: That's fine! I like hearing you talk about your opinions! I wasn't trying to make you feel like-
FriendProgram: I don't really care.
Void: Heheh. See, this is why I wanted to start this review series with you.
FriendProgram: Mhm. Will anyone see this at all?
Void: I mean… no, that wasn't the intention. But do you-
FriendProgram: No.
Void: Yeah, okay. It was just for us two.
FriendProgram: Okay. … Thanks.
FriendProgram (color gradient from yellow to red): I needed to talk today-
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#friendship test#uh. i hope its ok for me to post these.#im kind of stumped on who is talking to BFP in the second one. I was thinking it might be Dreamer but Dreamer doesn't talk with the dash#Can't think of anyone who speaks that way but maybe im overthinking it#edit: Mar confirmed it to be Dreamer so i have updated the transcript#friendship test spoilers
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Rooster's Twin Sister – Jake Seresin
Rooster's POV
The entire time I've been in the Top Gun program, no one has found out about my twin sister, Y/N. We both ended up going into the Navy. I became a pilot but Y/N became a mechanic—a damn good one, too.
A few years ago, Y/N, Maverick, and I were at lunch one day when Maverick and I found out more about Y/N's job. She was working at a garage in town and one of the guys wouldn't leave her alone. Most of the guys made jokes, accidentally brushed her when they walked by. All in all, they made her extremely uncomfortable.
After pushing her to tell us everything that was going on, Maverick convinced her to become a mechanic for the Navy. With her experience, her degree, and Maverick's recommendation, it would be easy for her to get in.
It took a lot more convincing, planning, and badgering before Y/N finally agreed to let Maverick send in her resume. Three days later, she had a job on a Navy base. She quickly became the top mechanic. She's not assigned to just one base. She moves around. She basically goes anywhere she's needed.
I walked into my and Y/N's shared apartment to see her keys already hanging up by the door.
"Y/N?"
"In the kitchen," she called back. I hung my keys next to hers and walked into the kitchen. When I got to the kitchen, I looked around to see her making her favorite pasta dish.
"What are we celebrating?" I asked as I immediately stepped in and started to help.
"Maverick called me today," she mumbled.
"He invite you to dinner Sunday?"
"Well, yeah," she chuckled. Her smile dropped. "He also told me about that Petty Officer that sabotaged your planes."
"Oh yeah," I scoffed. "Guy tried to. . . Wait, why was he telling you about that?"
"He talked me through what the Petty Officer did," she explained. "He asked if it was easy to reverse."
"Is it?"
"Very," she smiled again. "I told him it would only take an hour to reverse it."
"One hour to reverse it on all of our planes?"
"Well, an hour per plane," she smirked. "But I could easily get it done in a day or two. It was a small issue. Honestly, I could've done worse in high school."
"Did you explain to Maverick how to reverse it?" I chuckled.
"I didn't have to," she said, suddenly avoiding my eyes. "He asked me to come in next week and look at your planes and reverse the sabotage."
"That's awesome," I started to say, but she cut me off.
"He also wants me to see if I can tweak the computers so they can fight against anyone else who tries to sabotage or hack the planes."
"I didn't know you could do stuff with computers," I said, realizing just how long it's been since I had a real talk with my twin sister.
"I got a minor in cyber security, Bradley," she sighed.
"Did Maverick know?" I asked.
"I helped him put a few extra layers of security on the airplane hangar he keeps his plane in before he started training you guys. Now, Maverick wants me to spiff up the security on all your planes."
"How long would that take?"
"I said maybe two weeks," I shrugged. "Nothing more. But Maverick didn't put in for a limited transfer."
"What did he put in for?" I asked. I studied her and instantly knew what he put in for. I smiled as I answered my own question, "He got you permanently transferred to our base."
"Are you. . . Are you okay with that?"
"Of course," I laughed as I turned and stirred the sauce. Y/N grabbed my arm and pulled me back so I was facing her again.
"Are you really?" She double-checked. "I don't want to come to your base and. . . I know that you don't like me following you around. . . I mean, we're each our own person. And. . . Well, does your team even know about me?"
"They don't," I sighed. I hated that the look in her eyes slightly dropped. "The only reason I didn't tell them about you was to protect you. As soon as they find out I have a twin sister, I know several of them will look you up on the Navy website."
"And they'll think I'm disgusting?" She fake laughed.
"No," I said firmly. "They'll think you're amazing and bother me until I bring you around."
"And you don't want to bring me around because. . ."
"I don't want to bring you around them because I don't want them tripping over themselves to get to you."
"Like they would do that," she scoffed under her breath and walked back to the stove. I sighed before setting the table.
I hated it when she did this. Y/N's always struggled with her confidence. Part of it has to do with her being a mechanic. The other part was typical teenage girl stuff.
I thought that she'd grown past that.
As we ate, I got an idea. "What if I took you to my favorite Navy bar on the beach and we can celebrate you coming to base?"
"Your favorite Navy. . . Won't your friends be there?"
"I hope they are," I smiled at her.
"You want. . . You want me to meet your friends?"
"I do, Y/N."
* * * * *
Reader's POV
I subconsciously straightened out my uniform that I rarely wore. Bradley looked over my shoulder and laughed.
"What?" I scoffed. "I'm usually in my mechanic jumpsuit."
"You look good," he chuckled as he opened the bar door. As soon as we were surrounded by other Navy guys, my heart jumped into my throat. With my nerves and anxiety all over the place, I grabbed my twin brother's hand.
"It's okay," he said under his breath. "If the guys look at you wrong, just let me know. I'll kick their ass."
I rolled my eyes as he kissed my cheek.
"Bradshaw. As I live and breathe."
I looked away from my brother to see a guy smirking at me. His eyes fell on me and his smirk changed.
"And who is this, Bradshaw?" The guy asked.
"This is Y/N," he introduced me. "Y/N, this is my team. Phoenix, Bob, Payback, Fanboy, Omaha, Coyote, and Hangman."
"It's nice to put faces to the names on the sides of planes," I chuckled.
"What does that mean?" Coyote challenged.
"Easy, Lieutenant," I chuckled. "I'm a Navy mechanic."
"She's the best mechanic the Navy has ever seen," Bradley bragged about me as he threw his arm around my shoulders. "And she's joining our unit."
"You're the mechanic Maverick called after someone hacked our planes," Phoenix said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "He seemed to believe that you could reverse it."
"She already did," Bradley smirked. "She went in today and reversed it on my plane. She even added like 7 layers of security."
"I only added one," I scoffed, pushing his arm off me. "And spiffed up the original security and added my own code to strengthen it."
"Do Navy Mechanics have callsigns?" Bob asked, making me smile.
"Sort of," I shrugged.
"Sort of?" Fanboy asked.
"Callsigns are only meant for pilots," I said like it should've been obvious. "Don't all pilots know that?"
"We do," Fanboy said crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, mechanics aren't pilots. But we do have nicknames for each other," I clarified.
"What's yours?" Phoenix asked, glancing at the other guys with a smirk on her face.
"Tinkerbell."
"Tinkerbell?" They all repeated.
"Yeah," I shrugged. "Mechanics 'tinker' with things and I'm a girl. Tinkerbell."
I sent Bradley a smirk, making the two of us laugh. I looked over to see Hangman studying us.
"So, Bradshaw," he finally spoke up, "how do you know the Navy's Best Mechanic?"
I glanced at him, not sure if he was going to tell his flight crew the truth.
"Y/N is my twin sister."
"You're what?!" His team gasped in sync.
"Do you guys always talk in sync?" I asked, making Bradley laugh. "You've done it twice now."
"You have a twin sister, Bradshaw?" Hangman laughed. "You are his twin sister? That's not possible."
"Why not?" I challenged.
"Well, he's eck and you're hmm."
I turned to my brother and said, "I don't know whether to be flattered or offended."
"Offended," Bradley answered instantly. He turned toward Hangman, his Protective Brother Glare on his face, and added, "With Hangman, the default should always be offended."
* * * * *
When we got home later that night, Bradley talked to me for over an hour. For some reason, he made it his life mission that I know everything about his team. Especially Hangman.
Bradley spent most of the time warning me about the kind of guy Lieutenant Jake "Hangman" Seresin truly was. He wanted to make sure I knew what kind of game he played and how he treated/talked about women.
I'd be lying if I didn't get the "womanizer" vibe from him. All night it felt like he was studying me. He'd say things that were clearly meant to be brags. After he said them, he'd look at me like he was waiting for me to be impressed.
I've been here a little under a week now and Hangman has fulfilled every warning my brother gave me. He was busy on the flight simulator while I was working on his plane. When I get working, I tend to tune everything around me out. So much so, I didn't hear someone walk in.
"Gotta say," someone said as they walked in. "Seeing another body in my cockpit doesn't sit well with me."
"Aww," I fake-cooed. "Is Mr. Hangman feeling a bit self-conscious about his cockpit?"
I smirked and the look in his eyes slightly darkened. I laughed as I went back to tweaking the security.
"Can you at least tell me what you're doing to my plane?"
"Your baby is perfectly safe with me, Hangman," I said. "I've almost broken down the previous hack. Once I get it off, I can put in my own code of security."
"You write code?" He challenged.
"I'm not just a mechanic," I sighed. "I got my degree in cyber security. A part of that is understanding code. Once you understand it, it's easy to write."
Hangman kept asking me random questions as I worked on his plane. Most of the questions were about Bradley and my childhood. I didn't give him full answers—just your basic half-assed ones —until he brought up the bar.
"You didn't seem impressed by me," he laughed off.
"Was I supposed to be?" I challenged. I glanced over my shoulder and smirked when I saw his jaw clenched.
"Well, yeah," he tried to shrug off. "My numbers and stats are. . ."
"Let me stop you right there," I cut him off and stopped what I was doing. "Something you should realize, Hangman, is the fact that I am constantly surrounded by insecure men who think they have to prove they're more masculine than me."
"More masculine than you?" He smirked.
"My brother wasn't exaggerating when he told you guys that I'm the best mechanic the Navy's got," I explained. "Men don't like women trampling their turf. They get defensive and angry and insecure."
"Why are you telling me this?" He asked, his usual bravado failing.
"Because I wanted you to know why I wasn't falling for your little tricks," I said, turning back and finishing what I was doing on his plane. "You do know that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, you catch more women with honesty than with lies."
I sent him a look before wrapping it up. The entire time I finished working, Hangman stayed where he was and watched me. I got hyper-focused on his plane and forgot he was there until I climbed down. My foot missed the third-to-last step. I would've fallen if Hangman wasn't there.
He caught my hips and we both went down. We landed with matching grunts.
"You okay?" He asked, his arms still wrapped around me. My brother's words of warning popped back into my mind.
"I'm good," I said, standing up and brushing myself off. I looked up, instantly coming face-to-face with Hangman. "Thank you."
"Of course," he said, instantly snapping back into his cocky demure.
I saw the clock on the wall and smirked. I crossed my arms over my chest and slightly shifted my weight.
"You might want to get out of here."
"And why's that?" He asked, copying my stance.
"My twin brother is on his way and if you're here when he gets here, he'll throw you off this ship."
"Your brother warned you about me?" He laughed, but there was a bit of concern hiding in his eyes.
"Oh yeah," I chuckled. "He warned me thoroughly about you."
"What if I told you I was actually a good guy?" He asked, his voice slightly dropping. "And that I only act this way because everyone expects me to?"
I scoffed as I started to walk away. "Y/N," he stuttered.
"Guys only say that because they're too embarrassed or insecure to man up," I cut him off. "They either act like dicks because they are playing a facade to cover up an insecurity. Or they act like dicks because they are dicks. So my question for you, Hangman, is which type are you?"
I couldn't help but smirk when I saw the look on his face before walking away.
#jake seresin#jake seresin hangman#jake “hangman” seresin#top gun#top gun imagine#top gun hangman#glen powell#glen powell imagines
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Hey, I found Sweet Tooth and absolutely loved it.
I wanted to ask you if you'd write an intermediate scenario or something before she's warmed up to Yoongi, where she throws a tantrum and hurts herself, and they go to the doctor, where she overhears someone advising Jimin that it's totally normal to let go of a problematic hybrid or pet especially if your partner doesn't like them, and there are shelters that take them in?
And with her heightened Cat hearing it freaks her out into shutting her tantrums down long term - but jimin is oblivious to her fear because things are going so well with Yoongi?
"So, just for protocol, how exactly did it happen?" A nurse asks, while you're being treated in another room, door slightly opened just in case she's needed at any point.
"She.. her living situation changed quite drastically. And she has trouble adapting." Jimin admits to her gently, tone soft to not be heard by you. "My partner and her.. don't get along very well. And she sometimes acts a bit out, which causes accidents like this." He further details, sighing. "They were fighting over something, and my partner accidentally closed the door on her tail as she went out. It was absolutely not intentional!"
"Hm, yeah, it's sometimes hard for hybrids to adapt. You also have another hybrid?" She asks, reading your medical info on the computer screen while she taps away some more info.
"Yes, my partner's. A canine hybrid." He informs her, and she nod.
"You know, it's a totally reasonable thing to think about moving one out." She suggests to jimin, who's face starts to become a little confused and irritated. "Giving her past history, she's a bit problematic, so her behavior is quite natural. There's tons of good places for hybrids like her though- since it's generally recommended to keep hybrids of both her category and behavioral issues in stable families as a single hybrid."
"Thats.. no, she's just.." jimin stammers, having never even thought about it once. But how are you feeling right now? Is he really doing the right thing, or is he just being selfish by hoping you'll adapt at some point?
And will you really adapt, or just admit defeat?
"I'll write down some numbers, alright? It's your choice to make." She suggests gently. He can sense that she really only has your best interest in mind. "This down here is Dr. Kim Taehyung, he's an expert in hybrid behavioral therapy. He might even take her in himself!" She suggests, before giving jimin the note. "Think about it."
He doesn't have to. He could never give you away like that.
Back home, something's definitely wrong though, ecer since that incident. You're quiet, detached, don't even interact with Jungkook anymore- the poor canine hybrid having tried everything from your favorite snacks to a collection of his personal favorite plushies. Nothing seems to get a reaction out of you anymore.
And what's the oddest, is how you just.. listen to whatever yoongi tells you to do.
Wash the dishes? You'll do it, quietly. You'll even dry them and put them away to your best abilities.
Make your bed? You even do laundry if he tells you to, even though you struggle to memorize all the different settings and programs.
Set the table? You'll just do it, robotically, not even a roll of your eyes.
One might think yoongi would enjoy this new, quiet side of you- but he doesn't. The guilt about accidentally hurting you that day still eats him alive, the sound of your painful cries still haunting him in his sleep.
Jimin, however, doesn't seem to realize the secerity of the situation. He tries to reassure his partner by saying that you'll just need some time, that hospitals just spook you, and that you maybe just want to be a good girl for once.
But Jungkook especially, is concerned. This isn't like you, and it's not a normal change of mind either. No one just flips around like a switch over night like that.
"I'll go to work now, yeah?" Jungkook tells you- but you just nod, no protest coming from you. Jungkook's ears droop down, tail limp behind him as he throws Yoongi a helpless look, before he leaves for work, leaving you and the oldest human alone in the house.
"Alright, I'm done with this." He says, and you look at him at that, fearful.
He hates it. Why are you scared of him?
"I promise you, I didn't mean to hurt you that day." Yoongi runs a hand through his hair, before he sits down on the couch next to you, with respectful distance. "I'm sorry. I really am."
"Its fine." You just state, but he shakes his head.
"Its not fine. Nothing is fine at all." He denies. "Is there anything else that happened? Something bothering you?" He asks, but you just shake your head. "If you don't want to talk to me, then talk to Jimi-"
"He wants to give me away." You say, pulling up your legs to yourself.
"...what?" Yoongi asks in disbelief. Jimin loves you- he'd never give you away- he'd probably much rather admit defeat in this relationship than give you up.
"The nurse and him.. talked about stuff." You mumble into your knees. "He got like.. she wrote down some numbers for him. One of them a doctor.. for behavior problems and stuff.." you explain, tail wrapping around yourself in comfort. "Because it's alright to give up shitty hybrids like me. You know." You shrug. "Cause I'm supposed to be alone."
"Thats bullshit." Yoongi declines, crossing his arms. "Everything about this. He'd never give you away, and neither are you shitty or supposed to be alone." He denies, getting up to get his phone- accidentally digging in the pockets of the wrong coat, fingers finding a note instead.
Three numbers. One of them labeled 'Dr. Kim Taehyung'
..are you possibly telling the truth? Does jimin really want to go this far just to save his relationship with him? He knows he should probably feel flattered. But he doesn't.
Not one bit.
"Its probably the best." You say from the couch still, looking over the backrest of it, ears down low. He's never seen you this.. insecure before. Vulnerable. "Then you'll all be happy. And maybe I can get fixed." You shrug, when Yoongi walks closer, hand on your head making you look up.
"There's nothing wrong with you." He denies, note clenched in his fist as he just crumples it up. "And you're not going to be alone." He says, walking upstairs into his office.
And you swear, just for a second, his eyes seemed to sparkle a little from unshed tears bubbling up.
#bts imagine#bts fanfic#bts fic#jungkook imagine#jeon jungkook x reader#jeon jungkook imagine#bts jungkook imagine#hybrid imagine#yoongi imagine#min yoongi imagines#yoongi x reader#yoongi imagines#jimin imagine#jimin angst#jimin x reader
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I’ve been so excited for more sumeru content! We were treated with an odd textual mystery but now we’re being fed again! I love this cast so much, so i've broken down my thoughts having finished nahida's birthday event <3
the birthday surprise for nahida is so sweet and so well deserved, and I’m so glad we’re finally get to celebrate it in-game especially after her birthday letter last year
dehya getting inspiration for the birthday surprise by talking to dunyarzard… yeah, I know what you are
candace, my beloved, hangout when? It was really nice to spend some time with her one on one, and to see her being a pro haggler due to her efficiency in being a guardian, enough so that she bested dori? Amazing, capable, practical, I love her
candace’s ancestry is so !?!?! interesting to me, and the fact that her being a descendant of the people of king deshret is something that I would love to see explored in relation to the temple of silence? hoyoverse... i am begging... (also the traveller for once not have access to some mystery power,, its funny to me, candace is the main character here)
cyno seeing hat guy and saying, oh sethos has talked about you, as if cyno hasn’t already technically met hat guy in the Interdarshan championship… no, instead cyno knows him through sethos talking about him, oh……
haikaveh’s first appearance being labelled as ‘suspicious’ because they are having a private conversation in an alley is something that is so… sethos’s voiceline is so relevant here I fear, okay queercoding <333
Alhaitham telling paimon that her jumping to dark conclusions says a lot about her mindset, it’s FUNNY!! But I am making parallels to kaveh’s mindset pre-and-during a parade of providence, I am once again asking for clarification hoyoverse, kaveh second hangout pls
HAIKAVEH FLASHBACK!! Making a record I see, with a flashback in their home in cyno’s second story quest, and now in port ormos, there’s just something so special about getting to see these little fragments into their daily lives together
The line ‘Like I said, that's not it! We have more than just a heartless, transactional relationship... You're overthinking the whole thing!’ is VERY interesting, since we’re given no context as to what this is about until alhaitham’s following line, this reads as kaveh’s perspective on his and alhaitham’s relationship, and I think that’s um interesting(!!) given his previous thoughts on why Alhaitham offered him a place to live!
Sick… I think its sick…. Kaveh yapping to alhaitham about mehrak coming up with wild theories, Alhaitham says that mehrak could feel extorted, and then calls out kaveh being in port ormos and having found him, while he’s supposed to be working,,, as if he hasn’t been ENCOURAGING kaveh the whole time?? Can you say fond!!!
Kaveh wanting to show Alhaitham his proposal, and Alhaitham saying that he thought kaveh is confident in his abilities, is something that is so gentle and supportive
kaveh replying by saying that he does have confidence in his abilities, but he wanted to confirm something with Alhaitham anyway, and then pursuing this further by seeking alhaitham’s opinion on his proposal – it’s so notable on kaveh’s part how much their relationship has progressed, as he now actively seeks Alhaitham out!!
Kaveh wanting to show Alhaitham the plans for the route of the flower carriage, saying he’s glad to have run into him, reminds me of an odd textual mystery where kaveh says he’s been looking for Alhaitham everywhere, and them serendipitously meeting in port ormos is giving ‘the universe is playing tricks on us’, a destined reunion, how can I be normal
Every single time we see haikaveh in canon hoyoverse is insistent in furthering their intimacy, wdym kaveh programmed mehrak to recognise alhaitham’s voice!?!?!?! This scene further establishes how important mehrak is to kaveh, and by kaveh wanting to have mehrak recognise and know Alhaitham as he knows kaveh is something that is so soft I think
Mehrak leaving to go and find coffee beans, okay youre a family we get it, the haikaveh coffee motif is something that is so meaningful to me, I’ll have to make a post about it at some point!
Faruzan showing her ‘true senior’ status to avoid being caught by nahida and scolding kaveh, for him to be :(((??? i love them
kaveh lies about not having the plans, and then uses Alhaitham as a scapegoat - ‘The plans... Oh, I almost forgot! My friend has them! That guy's always causing trouble, hahaha... I'll fetch them in a bit.’ Kaveh’s friend?? His FRIEND?? We have officially come full circle from kaveh denying this association in alhaitham’s character quest! I have MANY thoughts about this!! I’ll share them when I get the chance!
Nahida offering kaveh guidance and advice is something that is so <3333
King deshret and goddess of flowers lore mention!!! Also candace having heard their voices because of the power of the wedjat eye is !! intriguing to say the least, since they seemed to be planning the birthday celebration, just like the cast in the present. cyclical occurrences, oh im sick. The wedjat eye being placed in the custody of the temple of silence makes me hopeful for a future event exploring the temple of silence in more detail (im hanging on by a thread)
The fulfilment of sethos’s and the wanderer’s voiceline about each other. wdym people told sethos to fetch the wanderer because they know that they have a personal relationship?? Sethos saying he knows the wanderer pretty well now, commending him on his achievements, and the wanderer giving in and following sethos to the celebrations because sethos asked?? Sumeru… I know what you are!!!!!
Taking a picture to commemorate the moment of happiness in place of the wedjat eye and nahida saying that experiencing everyone’s kindness and warmth was like being a bird tucked in a nest, contrasting with her motif of a bird locked in a cage, now she is safe and secure? This is so beautiful?
This event was so fun to play through! Seeing characters from other sumeru quests, the exploration of sumeru’s history, and the development of characters and events that could lead to future storylines, I’m so grateful for being fed <3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAHIDA!!
#haikaveh#kavetham#genshin impact spoilers#5.1 spoilers#sumeru the region you are?? it's homecoming that's what it is#it's also inherently homo like im not getting over the end photo of dehya eyeing dunyarzard like that#also sethos and the wanderer??? we NEED SETHOS HANGOUT!! ITS TIME#this event was so much to play but shoutout to layla my girl was sleeping through the whole thing#there are more thoughts but these are the ones i wrote down
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