#the background's too plain for a scene

[nightfurynova1217]

@dnrarepairweek 2025 #1 - Shinigami

AU where Near contacts Linda to help on the shinigami-face-recognition-software (also referring to this as my adult-Linda design).

Time Taken: 2:55 hours

DeviantArt Instagram AO3 YouTube Discord: @nightfurynova4112

[s-soulwriter]

Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don��t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

[amyzworldds]

hello !! may i request a svt 14th member!reader x joshua where they're in a secret relationship because they got together recently and some cute scenes where they're trying to always be together without making it obvious they're dating >< and the ending being them being caught kissing when they were left alone while the other members went outside to either hang out or buy groceries hehe thank you !!

Title: Hiding in Plain Sight

Masterlist | Part 2

Seventeen’s chaotic camaraderie, Y/N, the group’s 14th member, navigates a hidden romance with Joshua amidst their hectic schedules. Balancing playful group dynamics, subtle affection, and the pressure of secrecy, their close bond faces challenges from teasing members and unspoken tensions. Pairing: Seventeen x 14th member Genre: Fluff, Angst, Humor

The dorm was buzzing with its usual chaos. It was a rare day off, and the members were scattered around the living room, some sprawled on the couch, others raiding the kitchen for snacks. Y/N sat cross-legged on the floor, scrolling through her phone, earbuds in, looking every bit the relaxed maknae-esque member she often played up. Joshua was on the couch nearby, casually strumming a guitar, his soft humming blending into the background noise of Mingyu and DK arguing over what to order for dinner.

To anyone watching, it was just another day. Joshua and Y/N’s closeness was no secret— predebut stories of them sharing snacks and late-night talks were practically group lore. But what the members didn’t know, and what Y/N worked hard to keep under wraps, was that those moments had grown into something deeper. For three years now, they’d been dating, stealing quiet moments away from the group’s watchful eyes.

Y/N was the cautious one. Early on, she’d insisted on keeping it private. “They’ll never let us hear the end of it,” she’d whispered to Joshua one night, tucked away in a practice room after hours. “Seungkwan’s teasing is bad enough when we’re just friends in their heads. And what if… what if they think we’re distracting each other?” Joshua had chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face, but he’d agreed. Her need for privacy trumped his occasional urge to let the world—or at least their members—know.

In the dorm now, Y/N felt Joshua’s gaze flicker toward her, subtle but warm. She didn’t look up, keeping her focus on her phone, but her lips twitched slightly. He was always like this—finding small ways to stay close. Like how he’d chosen the spot on the couch nearest to her, his knee just shy of brushing her shoulder. To the others, it was nothing. Joshua was just being Joshua, friendly and comfortable with everyone.

“Yo, Y/N, you voting for pizza or fried chicken?” Hoshi’s voice cut through her thoughts, his head popping up from the other side of the coffee table.

She pulled out an earbud, tilting her head. “Pizza. Always.” Her tone was playful, deflecting any chance of seeming distracted.

“Bet Joshua’s gonna say the same,” Vernon chimed in from the kitchen, smirking. “You two always pick the same stuff.”

Y/N’s heart skipped, but she rolled her eyes, keeping it cool. “Because we have taste, unlike you and your weird food combos.”

Laughter erupted, and the moment passed. Joshua’s fingers paused on the guitar strings for a half-second, but he didn’t look at her, just grinned at Vernon’s fake offense. Y/N exhaled quietly. Close calls like that were why she kept her guard up.

Later, when the group split off—some heading to the kitchen, others to the TV—Joshua leaned down as he passed her, murmuring, “Practice room later?”

It was soft, barely audible, disguised as a casual comment. Y/N gave the tiniest nod, her face neutral, before slipping her earbuds back in like nothing happened.

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

The practice room was their sanctuary. Late at night, when the dorm quieted and the members were too tired to notice, they’d sneak down to the company building. Officially, it was for “vocal practice” or “choreo tweaks.” In reality, it was where they could just be.

Joshua was already there when Y/N slipped inside, locking the door behind her. He was sitting on the floor, back against the mirror, scrolling through his phone. The second he saw her, his face lit up, softer than the teasing smirks he’d worn all day.

“Took you long enough,” he said, but there was no bite in it. He patted the spot next to him.

Y/N didn’t hesitate, dropping down and immediately curling into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Here, with no one watching, she let herself melt. “Had to wait for Woozi to stop interrogating me about my lyric ideas,” she mumbled. “He’s relentless.”

Joshua chuckled, wrapping an arm around her. “You’re too good at dodging. Even I almost believe you’re just ‘focused on work’ sometimes.”

She poked his side, grinning. “Gotta keep up the act. You’re the problem, you know. Sitting next to me all the time, looking at me like… that.”

“Like what?” His voice was teasing, but his eyes were warm, tracing her face like he was memorizing it.

“Like you’re whipped,” she shot back, but her cheeks flushed.

“Good. Because I am.” He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, and Y/N’s heart did its usual flip. These moments—quiet, unguarded—were worth every second of caution.

They stayed like that for a while, talking about nothing and everything: a new song idea, a dumb meme, plans for a future they hoped could include more than stolen moments. But when Y/N’s phone buzzed with a text from Seungcheol—Where you at?—reality snapped back.

She sighed, pulling away reluctantly. “I should go before they start a search party.”

Joshua’s hand lingered on hers, but he nodded. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” she promised, standing. Before she left, she glanced back, catching his smile—one that was just for her. She carried it with her, even as she stepped back into the role of “just Y/N,” the 14th member who definitely wasn’t sneaking around with Joshua.

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Back at the dorm, she slid into the living room, where a few members were still up, watching a movie. Joshua was already there, sprawled on the couch, looking perfectly innocent. When she sat on the opposite end, he didn’t react, but his foot nudged hers under the blanket—just enough to make her bite back a smile.

“Pizza’s here soon,” Mingyu announced, oblivious as ever.

“Cool,” Y/N said, leaning back, her voice steady. Across the couch, Joshua’s eyes flickered to her for a split second, and that was enough. They were good at this—hiding, balancing, keeping their secret safe. For now, it was enough.

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The Seventeen’s schedule was relentless as always—rehearsals, interviews, and a looming comeback. The practice room was a second home, mirrors fogged with sweat and music blasting through speakers. Y/N stood near the back, catching her breath between choreography runs, her eyes scanning the room out of habit. Joshua was across the space, laughing with Jeonghan about something, his hair slightly damp from exertion. To anyone else, he was just another member, blending into the group’s chaos. To Y/N, he was a quiet anchor in the storm.

Keeping their relationship under wraps was second nature now, three years into their secret. Y/N had perfected the art of distance in public—never too far from Joshua to raise suspicion, but never close enough to spark rumors among the members. She’d dodge lingering glances, keep her touches platonic, and redirect conversations that veered too close to teasing. Joshua, though, was bolder in his quiet way. He’d find excuses to be near her—a water bottle passed during a break, a fleeting comment about the choreo—small enough to go unnoticed but deliberate enough to make her heart race.

Today was no different. As the group ran through their title track for the tenth time, Joshua ended the formation just a step away from her. His arm brushed hers as they transitioned, so brief it could’ve been an accident. Y/N kept her face neutral, focusing on her reflection in the mirror, but her pulse ticked up. He knew exactly what he was doing.

“Alright, five-minute break!” Seungcheol called, clapping his hands. The members scattered, some collapsing on the floor, others grabbing their phones. Y/N headed for her bag, pulling out a towel to wipe her face, using the moment to steady herself.

Joshua, predictably, wandered over, casual as ever. “You good?” he asked, voice low, leaning against the wall nearby. To anyone watching, it was just a check-in between friends.

“Yeah, just surviving,” she replied, flashing a quick smile before looking away. She caught Hoshi’s eye from across the room—he was sprawled dramatically, whining about his legs—and she laughed, deflecting any chance of seeming too focused on Joshua.

“Good. Keep up,” Joshua teased, but there was a softness in his tone that made her glance at him. His eyes held hers for a half-second too long, and she turned away, busying herself with her water bottle. Too risky, she thought, even as warmth spread through her chest.

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Later that evening, the group piled into a van for a late-night radio interview. Y/N slid into a middle seat, wedged between Dino and Woozi, with Joshua up front next to the driver. The members were buzzing, tossing around dumb hypotheticals to pass the time.

“Y/N, who’d you pick to be stranded on an island with?” Seungkwan asked, leaning over the seat with a mischievous grin.

She didn’t miss a beat. “Mingyu. He’d probably try to cook the coconuts and burn the island down, but at least I’d be entertained.”

The van erupted in laughter, Mingyu protesting loudly. Joshua stayed quiet, but Y/N caught his reflection in the window—he was smiling, just a little, like he knew she’d picked a safe answer. She always did. Naming him, even as a joke, would’ve felt like tempting fate.

At the radio station, the interview was standard fare—comeback teasers, group banter, and the usual “who’s the closest?” questions. Y/N sat between Vernon and Jun, keeping her answers light and vague. When the host asked about her bond with Joshua, citing their predebut friendship, her stomach tightened.

“We’ve always been chill,” she said, shrugging. “He’s like the group’s unofficial therapist. Listens to everyone.”

Joshua nodded from his spot across the table, adding, “Y/N’s easy to talk to. She’s got good advice.” It was true enough to sound natural, vague enough to mean nothing. The members didn’t blink, used to their dynamic being framed as pure friendship.

But as the interview wrapped and they shuffled out, Joshua’s hand grazed her lower back for a split second, guiding her through the crowd of staff. It was gone before she could react, but her skin tingled where he’d touched. She shot him a look—careful—and he just smirked, pulling out his phone like nothing happened.

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Their next stolen moment came days later, after a grueling rehearsal. Most of the members had crashed in the dorm, too tired to notice Y/N slipping out with a vague excuse about “grabbing something from the studio.” Joshua was already waiting in the company’s rooftop garden—a tucked-away spot they’d found months ago, hidden from prying eyes.

The city lights stretched out below, and the cool night air felt like freedom. Y/N didn’t hesitate this time, stepping into Joshua’s open arms. He pulled her close, chin resting on her head, and for a moment, they just stood there, the weight of secrecy lifting.

“Missed you,” he murmured, voice muffled against her hair.

“We were together all day,” she pointed out, but her arms tightened around him, betraying her own longing.

“Not like this.” He pulled back just enough to look at her, his thumb brushing her cheek. “You’re too good at pretending I’m just another member.”

She sighed, half-smiling. “I have to be. You saw how Seungkwan was fishing in the van. One wrong answer, and he’s planning our fake wedding for laughs.”

Joshua chuckled, but his eyes softened. “You ever think about… not hiding?”

Her stomach twisted. She’d thought about it—dreamed of a day when they could sit next to each other without overthinking every glance. But the risks loomed larger. “I want to,” she admitted quietly. “But the group… the fans… I don’t know if they’d get it. And the guys would lose it. You know how they are.”

He nodded, not pushing. Joshua never did. Instead, he leaned down, kissing her softly, slow enough to make her forget the world for a second. “We’ll figure it out. When you’re ready.”

They stayed up there as long as they dared, talking about the comeback, their parts in the new song, anything to stretch the moment. But when Y/N’s phone buzzed—Wonwoo asking if she’d seen his hoodie—she knew it was time to go.

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Back in the dorm, she slipped in quietly, hoodie in hand as an alibi. The living room was dim, only a few members still awake. Joshua was on the couch, scrolling through his phone, looking every bit like he’d been there for hours. Y/N tossed Wonwoo’s hoodie to him, earning a grateful nod, and sank into a chair across from Joshua.

“Long day,” she said, loud enough for anyone listening, her tone casual.

“Tell me about it,” Joshua replied, not looking up. But under the coffee table, his foot nudged hers—just once, just enough to say I’m here.

She hid her smile, pulling out her phone to scroll through nothing. They were still a secret, still careful. But in the quiet of the dorm, with the members oblivious around them, that was enough.

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The dorm was quieter than usual that morning, the usual pre-promotion chaos muted by the early hour. Seventeen’s first comeback stage was today, a big deal after months of preparation, and the air buzzed with anticipation. Y/N stood in front of the bathroom mirror, splashing cold water on her face to shake off the feverish haze clouding her head. Her reflection looked pale, eyes heavy, but she gritted her teeth. No way I’m missing this.

The members had noticed she wasn’t herself. At breakfast, Minghao had squinted at her, asking, “You good, Y/N? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I’m fine,” she’d shot back, forcing a grin. “Just didn’t sleep enough. Ready to crush it today.”

Seungcheol had frowned, clearly unconvinced, but Y/N waved it off, piling food onto her plate to prove a point. Joshua, sitting across the table, hadn’t said anything, but his eyes lingered on her—sharp, assessing, the kind of look that saw through her stubborn front. She avoided his gaze, focusing on her coffee instead.

Now, as they piled into the van to head to the music show, Y/N’s head throbbed, her body aching with every step. She slid into the back row, pressing her temple against the cool window, hoping no one would press her again. Joshua, of course, had other plans. He climbed in last, scanning the seats before settling right beside her, his knee brushing hers as he sat. To the others, it was just Joshua being his usual, considerate self—nothing new.

“You okay?” he asked softly, voice low enough to stay between them. His hand rested on the seat, fingers grazing hers for a fleeting moment, warm and deliberate.

She nodded, eyes half-closed. “Just sleepy,” she mumbled, keeping her tone light. “Long night.”

He didn’t buy it—she could tell from the way his jaw tightened—but he didn’t push. Instead, he shifted closer, his shoulder angled toward her. “Here,” he said, patting it gently. “Rest a bit. You look like you need it.”

Y/N hesitated, but the pounding in her head won out. She let her head drop onto his shoulder, her cheek pressed against the soft fabric of his jacket. The contact was grounding, easing the ache just enough to keep her going. Joshua’s hand settled lightly on her arm, a subtle touch that felt protective but stayed just shy of obvious. To the members, it was classic Joshua—always offering a shoulder to anyone who needed it. Seungkwan, sprawled in the seat ahead, didn’t even glance back, too busy arguing with DK about setlist predictions.

“Don’t hog Joshua’s shoulder the whole ride,” Vernon teased from the middle row, grinning over his phone. “Some of us might need a nap too.”

“First come, first served,” Y/N shot back weakly, managing a smirk. Joshua’s thumb brushed her arm, so soft it could’ve been an accident, and she bit her lip to hide a smile.

The van hummed along, the members’ chatter fading into background noise. Joshua tilted his head slightly, resting his cheek against her hair for a moment—a tiny, intimate gesture hidden by the angle of their seats. “Tell me if you feel worse,” he whispered, barely audible. “I’m serious.”

“I’ll be fine, Shua,” she murmured back, but her voice softened at his concern. “Promise.”

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

At the music show, the backstage area was a blur of staff, cameras, and last-minute checks. Y/N pushed through her fever, plastering on a smile for rehearsals and fan greetings. The members kept an eye on her—Jun nudging her water bottle closer during a break, Jeonghan tossing her a jacket when she shivered—but she brushed them off with quick “I’m good” and forced energy. Joshua, though, was a constant shadow, his presence steady but subtle.

During a rehearsal pause, he found her leaning against a wall, eyes closed, catching her breath. He stepped up beside her, close enough that their arms brushed, his fingers grazing her wrist under the guise of handing her a mic pack. “You’re burning up,” he said quietly, brow furrowed. “Sure you don’t wanna sit this one out?”

“It’s our first stage,” she replied, voice firm despite the rasp. “I’m not bailing. Don’t worry so much.”

He sighed, but his hand lingered on her wrist, thumb tracing a small circle against her pulse. “Can’t help it,” he admitted, his tone softer now, almost a confession. “Just… lean on me if you need to, okay?”

She met his eyes, her stubbornness faltering under his warmth. “I always do,” she said, barely above a whisper, and for a second, the chaos around them faded. His fingers squeezed hers lightly before letting go, both of them stepping back into their roles as the stage manager called them over.

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

On air, Y/N poured everything into the performance, hitting every beat despite the fever dragging at her limbs. Joshua stayed close in the formation, his glances subtle but frequent, checking her without breaking character. During a talk segment, when the MC asked about their comeback prep, Y/N sat at the end of the lineup, gripping her mic tightly to steady herself. Joshua, two seats away, answered a question, his voice calm, but his foot nudged hers under the table—just a tap, grounding her. She exhaled, focusing on his voice to keep herself anchored.

At the next break, they were shuffled to a green room to wait for their second stage. Y/N sank onto a couch, head tipped back, trying to ignore the dizziness. Joshua appeared beside her with a water bottle, sitting just close enough for their thighs to touch. “Drink,” he said, pressing it into her hand, his fingers brushing hers deliberately, lingering a beat too long.

“You’re babysitting me now?” she teased, but her voice was weak, grateful.

“Someone’s gotta,” he shot back, smirking, but his hand rested lightly on her knee, hidden by the couch’s armrest. “Rest for five minutes. Please.”

She nodded, sipping the water, letting his touch steady her. Across the room, Hoshi and Dino were messing around, reenacting their stage choreo with exaggerated flair, oblivious to the quiet moment. To the members, Joshua’s concern was just him being him—always checking on everyone. They didn’t see how his thumb traced a soft line against her knee, or how Y/N’s fingers briefly laced with his before she pulled away, keeping up the act.

“Thanks, Shua,” she said, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear, her tone deliberately casual. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Anytime,” he replied, matching her tone, but his eyes said more, warm and unwavering. He shifted slightly, giving her space as Mingyu flopped onto the couch beside them, whining about hunger.

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By the end of the show, Y/N was running on fumes, but she’d made it through. Back in the van, she claimed the window seat again, and Joshua slid in beside her without a word. The members were too hyped, reliving the stage, to notice anything. When her head found his shoulder again, it felt like the most natural thing in the world—nothing new, nothing to question.

“You did good,” he murmured, his hand finding hers in the dark, hidden between their seats, fingers interlocking tightly. “Proud of you.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” she whispered back, squeezing his hand. His thumb stroked over her knuckles, a silent promise, and she closed her eyes, letting his warmth pull her through.

To the group, they were just Joshua and Y/N—close friends, same as always. But in the quiet of the van, with his hand in hers, they were everything else, too.

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The practice room was a haven of controlled chaos, Seventeen’s usual blend of focus and foolery. Y/N sat on the couch tucked against the mirrored wall, her legs curled under her, leaning casually into Joshua’s shoulder. One hand toyed with his bangs, twisting the soft strands absentmindedly, while the other scrolled through her phone. She snorted at a meme, shoving the screen toward him. “Shua, look at this—Carats are wild for this edit.”

Joshua grinned, tilting his head to see. “Why am I always the victim in these?” he teased, voice warm as he nudged her hand away from his hair. Her laughter was soft, bubbling up as she swiped to another video, their bubble undisturbed by the members stretching or joking nearby.

To the group, this was just Y/N and Joshua—same as always. She was sweet with everyone, sprawling across Mingyu’s lap during movie nights or stealing bites of Dino’s snacks. Joshua’s quiet affection was par for the course, too—his hand ruffling Vernon’s hair or resting on Seungcheol’s shoulder mid-conversation. So when Y/N’s fingers lingered in Joshua’s hair, no one blinked. Except Jeonghan.

He was sprawled on the floor, catching his breath after a choreography run, but his eyes flicked to the couch. Y/N’s casual ease with Joshua had a different edge—a softness in her smile, a deliberate way she leaned just a bit closer than necessary. Jeonghan’s lips twitched. Interesting.

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

That night, the group planned a rare outing to a karaoke bar, a break from their packed schedules. Y/N and Joshua, as usual, bowed out, citing exhaustion. “I’m dead from practice,” Y/N groaned, flopping dramatically onto the dorm couch. “You guys have fun screaming your lungs out.”

“Same,” Joshua added, already in sweats, scrolling through his phone. “I’ll pass out if I try to keep up with Hoshi tonight.”

The members didn’t question it—those two often skipped group outings, happy to chill at the dorm. But Jeonghan, halfway out the door, realized he’d left his phone on the kitchen counter. “Be right back,” he called, waving off Seungkwan’s impatient “Hurry up!”

He didn’t mean to be stealthy, slipping back into the dorm with light steps, but old habits died hard. He just didn’t want to wake them if they were already dozing. The living room was dim, lit only by a lamp, and as he neared, Y/N’s voice floated through the quiet, sweet and petulant.

“I’m telling you, Shua, that choreo’s gonna kill me,” she whined, her tone softer than her usual group banter. “My legs are screaming.”

“You killed it today,” Joshua murmured, his voice low, soothing. “Just take it easy tomorrow.”

Jeonghan froze, curiosity pulling him closer. He peeked around the corner, careful not to creak the floor. Y/N was curled into Joshua’s side on the couch, practically hugging him, her arms looped around his waist as she pouted up at him. Joshua’s hand moved through her hair, brushing it gently, his expression so soft it was almost unrecognizable from his usual calm smile.

Jeonghan’s heart kicked up, not from shock but from the thrill of catching something hidden. Well, well. He smirked, pieces clicking into place—Y/N’s careful distance in group settings, Joshua’s subtle orbit around her. They weren’t just close. They were together. And they’d been hiding it, right under everyone’s noses.

He could’ve grabbed his phone and left, but where was the fun in that? Instead, he backed away, easing the door open and shut with deliberate silence. As he rejoined the group outside, Seungkwan waved. “Got your phone?”

Jeonghan’s smirk widened, eyes glinting. “Nah, it’s dead. Left it behind.”

Hoshi tilted his head, squinting. “Why do you look like you just won something?”

“Just happy to be out,” Jeonghan said smoothly, but his mind was already spinning. He wouldn’t spill—not yet. It wasn’t his story to tell. But oh, he was going to have fun with this.

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The next day, Y/N and Jeonghan were holed up in the recording studio, the only two left to lay down their parts for the group’s album. The others were off on solo schedules, leaving the space quiet, just the hum of equipment and their voices. Y/N lounged on the couch, scrolling through her phone, giggling at a Carat-made compilation of SEVENTEEN’s chaotic moments.

“Jeonghan, you have to see this,” she said, leaning over to show him a clip of Seungkwan’s dramatic aegyo fail. “I’m sending this to him later.”

Jeonghan laughed, but his eyes flicked to her, catching the carefree way she sprawled next to him. His mind flashed to last night—the way she’d clung to Joshua, all soft edges and trust. His smirk returned, sharp and knowing.

He leaned back, stretching his arms casually. “You know, Y/N,” he started, voice light but pointed, “if you’re ever hiding something, you can tell me. I’m good at keeping secrets.”

Y/N froze, her thumb pausing mid-scroll. “What?” She laughed, but it was nervous, her eyes darting to his face. “Hiding what? You’re so random.”

Jeonghan’s smirk grew, his gaze locking onto hers. “Come on, I’m not that clueless. Unlike the others, I notice things.” He paused, letting the words sink in, then dropped the bomb. “Like last night. Forgot my phone, came back to the dorm. Didn’t mean to overhear… or see you and Joshua getting cozy.”

Y/N’s face drained of color, her phone slipping to her lap. “Jeonghan, wait, it’s not—” She stumbled, panic flashing in her eyes as she sat up straight. “I mean, we weren’t—okay, look, I can explain.”

Her words tumbled out, a rushed defense. “It’s not like we’re hiding anything bad, I swear. I just… I didn’t want the group to make it a thing, you know? They’d tease us forever, or what if they think it’s a problem? We’re just trying to keep it lowkey, and—”

Jeonghan cut her off with a laugh, leaning forward to ruffle her hair like she was a kid. “Relax, Y/N. I’m not mad. I’m fine with it.”

She blinked, caught off guard. “You… are?”

“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “You two are cute. Sneaky, but cute.”

Relief flooded her, but it was short-lived. Jeonghan leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, eyes glinting with mischief. “But don’t think I’m letting you off easy. I’m not telling the members—or Joshua, for that matter. This stays between us.”

Y/N’s eyes narrowed, sensing the trap. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He just smirked, leaning back with a shrug. “Oh, nothing. Just… let’s see how long you two can keep this up when I’m around.”

She groaned, slumping back. “You’re the worst.”

“And you love me for it,” he shot back, laughing as she shoved his shoulder.

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

The next evening, Seventeen crowded into a BBQ restaurant, fresh off a long day of schedules. The air was thick with the smell of grilling meat and soju, the table a mess of plates and bottles. Y/N, still rattled from Jeonghan’s bombshell, made a point to avoid Joshua’s orbit. Instead of her usual spot near him, she wedged herself between Seungcheol and Hoshi, forcing a laugh as Hoshi tried to “teach” her how to wrap a lettuce wrap properly.

“You’re hopeless, Y/N,” Hoshi said, shaking his head as she fumbled the wrap, rice spilling onto the table.

“Says the guy who dropped his entire skewer earlier,” she fired back, earning a chorus of laughs.

Jeonghan sat across from her, sipping his soju, his eyes flicking between her and Joshua with barely concealed glee. Joshua, at the end of the table, was quieter than usual, picking at his food. Y/N felt his gaze on her but didn’t dare meet it, hyper-aware of Jeonghan’s watchfulness.

Then, out of nowhere, Jeonghan struck. “Oh, Y/N, I forgot to mention,” he said, voice casual but loud enough to draw attention. “My friend was asking about you. You know, the one I told you about? He really wants to meet you.”

Y/N’s chopsticks froze mid-air, her eyes snapping to Jeonghan’s smirking face. Oh, you absolute menace. “Uh… what?” she managed, playing dumb.

Jeonghan leaned forward, undeterred. “Yeah, he’s a great guy. Funny, kind, totally your type. Since you’re single, I figured I’d set you up. What do you think?”

The table erupted. Seungkwan slammed his glass down, grinning. “Wait, Y/N’s getting a date? Spill the details!”

“Is he hot?” DK chimed in, leaning over Hoshi to poke her arm. “Come on, you gotta give us something!”

Y/N forced a laugh, glaring daggers at Jeonghan. Game on, then. She wasn’t about to let him win this. “Sounds… fun, actually,” she said, her smile tight but convincing. “What’s his name? Maybe I’ll give it a shot.”

Joshua’s hand stilled on his chopsticks, his jaw tightening. He didn’t look up, but the shift was obvious to anyone paying attention. Jeonghan, of course, was. “Oh, Joshua, what do you think?” he asked, voice dripping with fake innocence. “Good idea, right? Y/N deserves to have some fun.”

Joshua’s eyes flicked to Jeonghan, sharp and unamused. “If she wants to, sure,” he said, his tone flat, almost too controlled. “Her call.”

Y/N’s stomach twisted, but she kept up the act, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah, why not? Tell your friend I’m game, Jeonghan.”

The members piled on, oblivious to the undercurrent. Mingyu clapped her shoulder. “Go for it, Y/N! When’s the date? We need a full report.”

“What’s his job? Is he, like, a model or something?” Dino asked, eyes wide.

“Better not be cooler than us,” Seungcheol added, smirking as he poured more soju.

Jeonghan laughed louder than necessary, clearly delighted. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll set it all up. You’ll love him, Y/N.”

Y/N kicked him under the table, subtle but hard. He didn’t even flinch, just raised his glass to her with a wink. Joshua, meanwhile, pushed his plate away, leaning back with a look that could’ve burned a hole through the wall. The others kept rambling, planning her fake date, while Y/N played along, her competitive streak refusing to let Jeonghan see her crack.

But as the night wore on, she stole a glance at Joshua. His fingers were tight around his glass, his smile gone. She hated this—hated Jeonghan’s game, hated how it made Joshua look at her like he wasn’t sure where they stood. She’d fix it later, away from prying eyes. For now, she just smiled wider, leaning into Hoshi’s side as he slung an arm around her, keeping the charade alive.

Jeonghan caught her eye, his smirk saying it all: Your move.

[mydearestbeloved]

Chapter 25 [Draft]

Sung Jinwoo/Trial Player!Reader

Content Warnings: The last scene (Igris p.o.v.) contains some elements of gore—this is a work of fiction and I do not condone or glorify violence in real life.

[Masterlist🦋✨️]

"(Name)?"

Jinwoo’s voice pulled you back to reality, the ethereal images of your mindscape dissipating into the humid air of the jungle. The ghost of a father’s warmth vanished entirely, leaving behind an ache that felt too deep to name.

Under a canopy of branches and leaves shielding you from most of the rain, you sat perched on the uprooted trunk of a tree, the poor thing yet another victim of the battle that had raged mere moments ago. Its splintered roots protruding like skeletal fingers.

Your gaze trailed over the battlefield, past the litter of corpses sprawled across the muddy ground. The heavy downpour diluted the blood pooling in the soil, streaking crimson rivers through the uneven terrain. The dungeon’s boss laid lifeless in the background, and the shadow soldiers wordlessly harvested magic cores from the fallen. Even with the restrictions of a Red Gate, they worked tirelessly, ensuring nothing of value was wasted.

The quiet crunch of footsteps tore your eyes away, lifting your head just in time to see Jinwoo approaching.

"Ah, done already?" you asked, forcing out something that barely passed as casual. The scepter in your hand dissolved into the usual flurry of tiny luminous butterflies, the warm glow flickering briefly before vanishing entirely, tucked away in your pocket space of an inventory.

Jinwoo said nothing at first. He simply plopped down next to you on the fallen trunk, shoulders brushing against yours. The words were forming on your tongue before you even realized it.

“Jinwoo, I—”

Jinwoo’s eyes widened and he instantly caught you before you could completely double over, his hands steadying you by the shoulders.

“Hey…” He whispered worriedly when he saw your scrunched up expression, your lips glued tight.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” His voice was slow, careful, as though afraid that saying too much would only overwhelm you further. However, his expression darkened when he saw how your hand instinctively shot up, pressing lightly against your neck.

{The meeting with character < Sung Il-Hwan > cannot be shared.}

“It’s the system again, isn’t it?”

You nodded pitifully, eyes squeezing shut against the growing discomfort.

Jinwoo didn’t like this. Didn’t like seeing you in pain. Didn’t like seeing you hurt. The vulcan incident was a dead giveaway.

His grip on your shoulder unconsciously tightened, his fingers pressing down just a little too hard.

You flinched—just barely, just a small, involuntary reaction—but it was enough. Jinwoo’s body tensed, the barely-contained wrath inside him threatening to spill over.

He inhaled sharply.

Exhaled.

Pulled back just slightly, loosening his grip, his thumb instead beginning to trace light, soothing circles against your arm. Slowly, your breath steadied.

And yet—

When you lifted your gaze to meet his, the guilt was plain in your eyes.

That was when Jinwoo truly felt it. The unmistakable churn of fury rising in his chest.

Why?

Why were you looking at him like that?

“Sorry—"

“Stop.”

Without hesitation, his hands slid to your waist, pulling you into him. The movement was fluid, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if this was simply where you were meant to be.

Your heart lurched at the sudden proximity, but Jinwoo only exhaled, resting his head against your shoulder.

He sought warmth.

Not just any warmth—yours.

The warmth that had always been there, always within reach, grounding him in a way nothing else could.

And how funny, really.

Here he was, seeking comfort from the very person he was supposed to be comforting.

Because he knew—he knew that if he let his frustration take over, if he allowed his rage at the system’s interference to boil over, it would only hurt you more. And that was the last thing he wanted.

"Whatever it was that you were going to say, stop." he murmured into your shoulder, voice quieter now, "The fact that you still, always, try to tell me first—even when you can't in the end—is enough."

You fell silent at his words, thoughts hidden in depths of your mind.

Before you, the system’s interface flickered to life, displaying a tally of the experience points earned from your support during the raid. You ignored it, choosing instead to focus on the feeling of Jinwoo’s breath against your skin, his damp hair brushing against your neck.

Without thinking, you shifted slightly, tilting your head just enough to allow him more space. Your hand found its way to his back, resting there in a quiet gesture of reassurance.

The sound of rain filled the silence between you.

And then—

You hummed.

A quiet melody, soft and familiar, barely rising above the rhythmic patter of water against leaves.

“That tune,” he murmured slowly. “You’ve sung it to me before.”

You blinked.

“I did?”

The memory surfaced before you could even search for it.

A bleeding hunter in the abandoned corner of a dungeon.

His head resting on your lap as you healed his wounds.

“…Oh.” Realization dawned. “I guess I did.”

“Wait.” Your head turned to him, the motion almost robotic, though the position only allowed you to see his dark strands. “You were conscious?”

A slow, almost sheepish exhale.

"Barely."

There was a pause. Then, so quietly you almost missed it—

“You have a nice voice.”

Heat crawled up your spine before you could stop it.

Jinwoo shifted slightly, and the gesture was like he was nuzzling into you.

"What song is it?" Jinwoo asked, as if nothing had happened. "I can’t find it anywhere."

Your lips parted slightly.

"You searched for it?"

“Scoured.”Your heart tripped over itself when Jinwoo felt the need to emphasize. "I thought finding the song was the closest I could get to hearing you again."

“I—” Gosh. Did Jinwoo even realized how adorable he was being?

"It’s a song I also heard in passing… Can’t remember exactly where." A small, hesitant pause. “Maybe it just stuck with me.”

It was a song from your world.

“Mm.” Jinwoo scooted closer, if that was even possible. The front of his chest was already pressing flush against yours.

“Can you sing it again for me?”

Wow. Just… wow.

“Please?”

You yielded.

Your lips parted—

And you began to sing.

-----

Jinwoo’s gaze followed your hovering finger over the golden screen, observing as you clicked a dotted button. A new page overlaid the main menu.

“That’s new.”

“Nope.” You popped the letter ‘p’-sound. “It’s my second, and apparently the last, ascension quest.”

You scrolled through the <Final Ascension>’s list, skimming past the check-marked objectives: <Reach Level 200 – (200/200)> and <Ascend your summons to the final stage and maxed out their level – (8/3)>.

At the bottom of the page, an entry caught Jinwoo’s attention:

{ 3rd Requirement: ???

Progress: ---

Status: ---

Note: The last requirement will be revealed in due course as you continue your journey. }

“That’s vague.” Jinwoo huffed.

You just let out a sigh, flicking the interface away with a gesture. “Your <Key to Cartenon Temple> wasn’t exactly clear-cut either. At least the system isn’t playing favorites this time.”

His lips quirked into a brief smile, but it faded as you continued. “Besides, it’s not the first time the system’s pulled something like this. That first ascension quest was in the middle of our fight with Baran—”

You stopped mid-sentence as you felt Jinwoo stiffen beside you. The angle still prevented you from seeing his face fully, leaving only the top of his head and the curve of his ears in view. His sudden rigidity made your chest tighten.

“Jinwoo?” you asked gently, concern lacing your tone.

He didn’t respond, merely shifting closer, as close as possible, to ground himself in this quiet moment with you.

You lifted a hand to pat his cheek lightly, coaxing him to lift his head. When he did, you brought your other hand up, cradling his face gently. Leaning forward, your forehead pressed softly against his, your gazes locking for a moment before his shifted to where your hand rested against his skin.

“That time,” he murmured, voice low, “the black marks…”

You understood immediately.

“They were the result of contamination in the mana flow,” you explained, your tone calm and matter-of-fact. “Even after I managed to filter it out using the flowers, there were remnants left behind.”

It truly broke your heart when he tried not to flinch, eyes snapping to yours so briefly before looking at your hand again, while his voice held a note of incredulity, mixed with something deeper—hurt, perhaps. “You knew?”

“That absorbing it would cause my body to shut down? Not quite.” You admitted. “While I suspected something might happen, I didn’t anticipate the accumulation having such an effect. On our first trip there, the black marks on my hands didn’t do anything.”

Sensing the protest forming on his lips, you instantly added, “Precisely because they didn’t show any effect, I didn’t consider it urgent enough to mention.”

There were more important things to worry about—was what you thought, remembering his mother.

Jinwoo’s lips fell into a thin line, jaw tight.

"I made a promise to protect you."

“And you did,” you replied firmly, your thumbs brushing against his cheeks. “The best you could.”

You wasted the <Holy Water of Life> on me.

You didn’t remember it being mentioned that Jinwoo used all six of the elixir in the original story, only thrice. So, at the very least, you could rest easy knowing that you didn’t take the life of some character meant to be cured via that one bottle you had consumed.

“Not enough.” His eyes darkened, frustration seeping into his tone. “If I were stronger—”

“Would you say I’m a deadweight, then?” you interrupted, your voice sharper than intended.

His gaze shot up, horrified. "No! Why would you—"

“Because my powers are essentially halved—can even be less than half—in places like that.” Your gaze bore into his, unyielding. “I can’t change that. Neither could you.”

Your voice echoed faintly in the rain-drenched jungle, and his mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, he bit his lip. His expression remained a storm of emotions—guilt, frustration, and a lingering vulnerability he seldom let surface.

“Jinwoo,” you said softly, your tone more tender now, “you’re doing more than enough.”

His lips parted as though to argue again, but you stopped him. “I was the one who decided to trust the system and go through with it.” Your voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling within. “It was a risky, split-second decision, yes, but it was worth a try to hijack Baran’s mana reserve.”

You would’ve succeeded even without my help—you wouldn’t doubt yourself like this if I’m not here.

“The system wouldn’t have given me the quest if completing it meant I would die, remember?” You tilted your head slightly, meeting his conflicted gaze. “If it didn’t need me anymore, it would’ve left me alone instead.”

Strange... ̶̧͗ ̶̖̫̔̾ ̵̧͗̊h̷̺̆̅ȯ̴͓̥̆w̵̘̿̒ ̵̫̂͘ͅc̴͍̼̃́o̷͔͉͑̓ȗ̵̯l̸̯̊d̸̘̫̊͘ ̸̫͓̏I̴͖̻͗̓ ̴̮̱͊̉b̶̤̝͌̀e̶̯̦͆͝ ̸͚̓͂s̴̖͝o̷̮̍ ̷̢̆s̸̗͙̾ṷ̸̜̓r̵̞͌e̴̹̽͜ ̵̣̇ͅȏ̵̰͎͝ḟ̵̪̤ ̷̣̯̈t̵̥͑h̸̝͌͋a̴̝͋́͜t̴̨̯̓?̶̩͆

{ . . . }

Jinwoo’s hands clenched faintly in his lap.

“We don’t know exactly what would’ve happened.” And you pushed aside the intrusive thought. “We don’t know how much it would take.”

“Jinwoo.” You gazed upon those kind, caring, stormy greys. Offering a small smile, gentle and reassuring. "We're in this together."

Don’t blame yourself.

The silence between you thickened, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. His eyes searched for answers in yours, and whatever he saw seemed to soothe the storm within. You watched as the tension in Jinwoo’s face began to melt away. The faint crease in his brow smoothed out as he exhaled a long sigh. The tight line of his lips softened into the faintest of smiles. The frustration that had etched itself into his features ebbed away like the receding tide. The weight on his shoulders seemed to lift slightly as he brought his hands to rest atop yours, still cupping his cheeks.

His skin felt somewhat cool against yours, a contrast to the warmth radiating from your palms. His fingers curled lightly over your own, as if anchoring himself to you, unwilling to let go just yet. Then, he closed his eyes, his expression becoming more relaxed, almost serene.

It was a rare sight—Jinwoo letting his guard down entirely. The tension that so often coiled within him like a tightly wound spring had loosened. He looked utterly vulnerable yet so at peace. There was something heartbreakingly endearing about it, the way he melted into your touch with such quiet trust.

A soft giggle almost escaped you; the sight was just too adorable. His usual guarded demeanor giving way to something boyish and sweet. The great and mighty Sung Jinwoo, leaning into your hands like a content cat basking in the sun. The temptation to tease him was strong, your palms pressing lightly against his cheeks in jest, but before you could act, he opened his eyes.

What greeted you made your breath catch.

His half-lidded gaze was heavy, made his pupils seemed dilated, irises that ethereal shade of bright blue. The droopy edges made him look drowsy, lazy, yet his focus was unwavering, almost hypnotic. There was a strange, dazed quality to his expression, as though he’d been lulled into a rare state of peace, so utterly content that he hovered on the edge of slumber, yet fought to stay awake, unwilling to look away and miss even a second of the sight before him.

It was as if the only thing tethering him to the present, the only thing he wanted to see in that moment—was you.

And oh, how that look did something to you.

A rush of warmth spread through you, feeling as if your body might catch fire. You instinctively tried to pull away, head leaning back just enough to create some distance, desperate for an escape. But before you could retreat entirely, Jinwoo’s hands tightened gently over yours, keeping them firmly in place.

Your eyes darted away, hoping to regain your composure, desperate for a distraction. They landed on the littering corpses of magic beasts scattered across the muddy ground. Before you could utter a single word in your attempt to change the subject—

“You don’t need to ask for permission,” Jinwoo beat you to it, his tone soft but certain. “They’re your spoils as much as they are mine.”

Your head snapped back to him, and you instantly regretted it.

Why? No, not just because of the whiplash you were experiencing. But also, because he was still looking at you like you were his haven. Achingly tender, almost worshipful. His gaze hadn’t softened; if anything, it had grown heavier, more intoxicated on you.

You thought this would end when he closed his eyes, but then he proceeded to shift his head just slightly to the side, tugging on your hand with just enough force to bring it closer. His lips brushed lightly against the inside of your palm, unhurried, halting your thoughts.

Then, with deliberate care, he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to your wrist, right above the spot where your pulse thrummed. Jinwoo took his time as though savoring the contact, the faint rhythm beneath his lips. When he finally lifted his gaze, glowing eyes locked onto yours once again.

A shiver ran down your spine.

Dangerous.

“Mother.”

You jolted, your hands yanking back so quickly you feared you might have pulled Jinwoo along with them, or worse, accidentally scratched him in your haste. Relief washed over you when you realized you hadn’t, ignoring the brief glimpse of disappointment in his grey eyes. As you cradled your hands against your chest, your fingers instinctively brushed over the spot he had kissed.

The palpable pulse was louder now, faster under your fingertips.

“Sire.”

Your head turned to see Red standing nearby, her posture straightening from a curtsy after greeting Jinwoo as well.

Jinwoo nodded in acknowledgment, though you didn’t dare look at him again. Instead, you made the discreet gesture of fanning yourself with one hand, trying to cool the rising heat out of view. Your other hand remained pressed against your chest, feeling your drumming heartbeat as it slowly steadied.

That was too much.

Red’s perceptive gaze lingered on you, and you couldn’t help but feel grateful for her timely interruption. This composed child of yours had always been uncannily the most attuned to you among the others.

“Mother, may we begin <The Feast> ?” Red’s calm composure betrayed nothing, her tone remained measured, though the knowing glint in her eyes suggested she had seen enough.

My sweet, sweet child, you thought with fond exasperation. I’m going to spoil you to bits once we’re back home.

A private tea party with you would suffice, Mother, came the unspoken reply.

“Yes,” you answered, finally finding your voice. “Yes, you may.”

-----

Jinwoo was, understandably, a little unsettled.

It was just a flash of something sharp peeking past Red’s lips, glinting in the dim light, made all the more unsettling by the sudden, ignited hunger in her eyes at your simple permission.

He thought it might’ve been a trick of the light, some illusion caused by the jungle’s shifting shadows. But the smile that followed, fleeting as it was, left no room for doubt. If asked to describe it, Jinwoo would struggle between words like “alluring” and “unnerving”. It was a look that sent goosebumps rippling across one’s skin, like staring too long at a blade glinting in sunlight.

And as it turned out, that was only the beginning.

-----

Igris was, understandably, a little unsettled.

He was not a shadow who easily found himself at a loss for words. He had faced countless enemies, stood beside his Liege through most harrowing of battles, and witnessed displays of power that would render lesser beings trembling in fear.

Then again, this could very well be one of those newer experiences.

The shadows had just about completed their task of collecting magic cores for their Liege. Each of them was accompanied by your summons, the usual pairing: a soldier and a butterfly, the latter usually a personal dedicated support for that one shadow—a formation established early in their Liege's cooperation with you and maintained ever since.

As the last shadow soldier stepped away from a lifeless corpse, the number of red butterflies increased. This was not unusual. In most cases, the red ones were the most diligent in storing and distributing the energy gained from the living and the freshly defeated. Igris had learned this firsthand through observation during joint operations and later confirmed it through the many conversations his Liege had with you.

From a shadow’s perspective, these butterflies, when at work, siphoned an essence often resembled near-transparent wisps drifting from their targets’ bodies until none remained. Typically, the targets were already dead by this point, and since his Liege could still call upon their souls without issue, it became clear to Igris that souls were not exactly what the butterflies were feeding on.

Thus, it was an unspoken certainty: once there was no energy left to harvest, the red butterflies would leave their targets untouched.

So, imagine his surprise at the scene before him now.

The first clue that something was different came with the sound. It was subtle at first, nearly swallowed by the rain—a low hum, rhythmic yet discordant, like paper tearing. Then, the scent: the iron-rich tang of blood, thick and pungent, saturating the air more potently than it had during the height of battle. The atmosphere itself felt heavier, the damp earthiness of the rain-soaked ground mingling with something raw and visceral.

From Igris’s vantage point, the kaleidoscope of wings shimmered iridescent as they descended upon the battlefield, resembling curtains falling to signal the end of a play. At first glance, their movements seemed no different from their usual post-battle routine—fluttering, siphoning, the eerie white wisps floating around them as expected. But as the swarm enveloped the fallen beasts, it became apparent that this was no longer a mere routine.

It was a frenzy.

Limbs that appeared delicate, outwardly made to only be strong enough to support their own body weight, moved with unnatural strength. They dug into flesh and pulled, tearing through skin and muscle with the ease of a blade slicing through parchment. It was as though the beasts’ bodies were the fragile ones, not the little summons. With surgical precision, they ripped through tissues and chipped away at bones, the gleam of their tiny proboscises betraying no hesitation.

Igris didn’t know how such creatures, originally built for a liquid diet, could dismantle corpses with such efficiency. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Monster consuming their kind, eating humans even, was the norm. Even the shadows were no exception—especially beast-type soldiers like the ants and bears still indulged in the habits of their former lives, tearing into their enemies without a second thought. Even the orcs partook in such practices from time to time. Though they no longer required such sustenance, some instincts proved difficult to erase.

So no, it wasn’t the act itself that disturbed Igris.

It was the way they did it.

The simple and gentle flutter of their wings, the precise and calculated movements of their limbs, the effortless grace of each bite—it was all too deliberate, too synchronized. Pattern of movements, solo and with another, resembled silhouettes of performers. Each motion mirrored a meticulous choreography, rehearsed and perfected for centuries. And yet, the reality of this elegant display was a savage massacre. No beast was spared, no corpse favored. All were stripped away from their most earthly possessions—their bodies, their physical existence—with the same ruthless accuracy as the butterflies did not just eat, but also play with their food.

Igris had never considered himself a connoisseur of art. He barely remembered caring for such frivolities when he was alive, save for the artistry of battle. But if there was ever a performance deserving of the name danse macabre, this was it.

His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.

Who would have thought those delicate creatures were capable of such a thing? Capable of stripping sinew from bone with such efficiency?

It was all too easy to forget that the very same butterflies that provided healing and support had stolen that energy from the living in the first place. That fact too be damned; on most days, the wisps they harvested looked like nothing more than soft clouds they played hide and seek with, or a shimmering mist they weaved through.

Now, those same creatures just painted a more vivid picture. The grotesque scene be the fine wine spilling onto the ground, soaking into the canvas. The severed nerves and veins be the strands of an artist’s brush dipped in ink—dipped in blood. The rainwater, far from washing it away, acted as a solvent, softening the edges and blending the red into the damp earth. The colors bled together in a masterpiece of similar hues, framed by the black of their wings against the dull, muddied backdrop. The light reflected on each droplet, all over the scene, cascaded down ethereal wings and gruesome carcasses, gave off that finishing polished look, just like what varnish would do on paintings well-done.

What incongruity. And yet, somehow, how fitting.

Igris, who had borne witness to countless battles and their aftermaths, had walked through desolation, through carnage and destruction, had stood amongst the living, the dying, and now the fallen. And yet, it was his first time seeing anything quite like this—as surreal and 'lively', like moving pictures.

The jungle’s muddy terrain had become their stage, where the grotesque and the beautiful performed a duet to the orchestra of chimes and tearing flesh. The corpses strewn about were no longer remnants of battle. They were offerings.

No—bouquets.

Thrown at the feet of the dancers by the audience.

This was not a curtain-call anymore, this was an encore.

And the audience were the shadows.

So at least, Igris was not alone on this thought.

A quick glance at his fellow soldiers confirmed that much. They had finished collecting the magic cores, their task complete. But not a single one moved to leave. Not a single one spoke. The sight before them should have triggered some primal urge to flee—some lingering instinct, no matter how faint, to recoil at the sheer wrongness of it. But they did not move. They did not look away.

They were mesmerized.

Igris’s sharp eyes caught the subtle tremors in some of them. The telltale signs of unease. Fear? He recognized the ones most affected—those often paired with the red butterflies in battle.

Under normal circumstances, he would have deemed this a failure. A soldier trembling at the mere sight of their allies? A disgrace. One that would merit a harsher training regimen to ensure they never faltered again.

But this time?

This time, he supposed he could spare them.

Because for all his experience, for all his time spent serving under their liege, he had always believed that the dead had but one thing to fear: their king’s wrath.

And yet, this—this spectacle that blurred the line between beauty and horror, that none could look away from—this thing that played at the edges of death’s dominion—

Perhaps it was not quite fear. Perhaps it was something close.

Close enough that it left them frozen in place, wondering. Wondering when they become a part of it.

End Note:

Unedited Draft of [30/01/2025]

Okay, so, I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out. But right now, I'm out of words and ideas on how to fix it. Plus, I wanted to proceed to the next few chapters which I find more exciting to write. And, I'm also entering a new semester on the 17th, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to write and post again.

Also, I wanted to ask you all: since this my first time writing something close to gore, I wanted to ask if this much is already considered as gore, mild gore, or not at all?

While this chapter might not be my best work personally, I hope it will do well nonetheless.

Oh yeah, since I didn't put any lyrics in here, the song TP!Reader sung to Jinwoo is open to interpretation. Personally, I was listening to Rise Up by The Fat Rat while writing the past scene mentioned (referring to Chapter 4).

Feedbacks are very much appreciated. Thank you for reading. 🙏💕

[joocomics]

fright night

pairing: bf!hueningkai x fem!reader

genre: smut ( 18+ ) ── 1.3k words

✎… established relationship, sub!reader, unprotected sex, dirty talk, headlock, pet names, orgasm delay

( txt masterlist )

“I’d kill for you.”

Kai takes your face in his hand and guides your neck backwards to inspect your gaze better; to dive into it even deeper. It’s just as compelling as your voice is right now. Seductive like an invitation.

“What are you talking about?” He suppresses a soft chuckle, but you still manage to catch it despite his attempts that cause his cheeks to warm up.

You stay kneeling on the floor as his thumb glides against your jawline with affection.

“I would if I had to,” you reassure him while an urge to spread his thighs wider as he’s sat on the bed lingers inside you. “I’m ready to do all kinds of vile things for you, Kai.”

The two of you lock eyes then Kai’s lips separate for a discreet sigh as your tongue sneaks out from your mouth - just enough to invite his thumb inside.

“This freakin’ movie brainwashed you.” He smiles amused, but no matter if he tries or not, he cannot hide the reactions his body goes through right now. It’s always so nice and warm between the inner sides of your hollowed cheeks.

The horror movie that’s still playing on the TV is reaching its horrific climax, but you’re both too focused on one another to look at the screen.

Despite being together for six months now, Kai still finds himself losing composure from the smallest things you do. It seems like instead of getting used to your tactics he becomes more vulnerable to them; it’s only getting harder to resist you every time. Especially when your face becomes even prettier once contorted by desperation.

His head drops down as your teasing hands make their way up his thighs, but seconds later he looks back at you again, because you finally speak up to disagree.

“It did not brainwash me, it made me realise I would do anything for you.”

“I’d do anything for you too, baby.” He leans lower to press lips against yours - gently, but the tension building in the room, influenced both by your feelings and the eerie sounds in the background, quickly turns it into open mouthed kissing that takes your breath away. He takes his time to detach himself so he can murmur closely at your lips: “But I think you’ve had enough watching for the day.”

Your breathing almost slows down as you watch him lay on his back. You waste no time in straddling his lap with fingers clenching desperately at his plain black shirt as if they’re about to rip it off his chest.

“What’s going on inside your pretty little brain, huh?” Your boyfriend snickers softly and his sensual eyes sparkle alluringly with a mixture of lust and curiosity. “Is it what I think it is?”

You nod with lip tucked between your teeth.

A warm wave rises in your body as you grind against his growing bulge and the thrill has you humming in response; until his strong hands grip on your butt cheeks and the rough sinking of his fingertips makes you moan right after.

“Should we do something about it?” He asks and because his tone goes lower than usual for the first time in a few minutes you actually acknowledge the creepy sounds spreading around you.

You strip off your clothes meanwhile Kai tugs down his sweatpants just enough to pull out his erection.

The gore scenes cannot distract nor steal his attention anymore; not when your curves are appealingly illuminated by their colors and your boobs are hypnotising him with their bouncing movements; and your mewls… they elevate from the rush and shake every time his cock reaches that special spot inside you, successfully overpowering each scream that comes from the speakers as you jump up and down.

“Oh, yeah, baby—“ Kai’s moans keep dripping from his tongue. “Just like that, yeah…” His body stills restful, but there’s fire bubbling beneath his skin as your walls glide against his slick length.

With each landing onto his lap you’re squeezing harder and harder than before; your fists gripping on his shirt are also tightening at the same moment as your knees go weaker.

“Keep it going, baby, c’mon.” Kai sighs, watching you slow down sloppily. His hand smacks your hip once, then twice as a sign of encouragement.

You’re trying to maintain the quick rhythm, you are, but you’re out of breath, unsteady and with trembling muscles that keep twitching, anticipating that familiar sweet relief.

“I’m so close—“ you whine with hand sliding down to your clit, but Kai pulls it away before you could reach it.

Your dazed eyes meet only for a second before he swiftly switches positions, not giving you any chance to realise what's happening.

You're suddenly facing the TV as your powerless knees sink into the mattress. There's a spine-chilling scene unfolding in front of your gaze, but your attention shifts to the side as Kai's hands restrain yours behind your back.

“I’m close too, baby,” he coos at your ear meanwhine his cock wastes no time in slipping back inside you. “You feel so good, God—“

The shakiness in your voice resumes as Kai picks up the pace the second he straightens his back. To keep you more steady his fingers go up, wrapping around your arms instead. There's a slight pain coming from his tight grip, but seeing him lose himself completely in the pleasure like this is far too exciting for you to care about that.

Multiple yes-es fly out of your mouth that bring a temporary smirk on Kai's face before his features scrunch up from concentration again.

“My pretty girl,” he breathes out with tension in his tone; his eyes stay fixated upon the way his length disappears inside you. “So needy to cum...”

The drastic change in speed along with the new stronger way Kai's tip hits repeatedly at your g-spot doubles the amount of sweat across your skin. The lewd sounds emerging from the smacking of your bodies and from your open mouths blend with the background noise of the dimly lit room.

“Baby!” The sudden high pitch in your voice results into Kai pulling you to his chest; as if it was some sort of a command he needed to submit to. His heart is thumping against your back as one of his toned arms goes around your shoulders, pressing beneath your chin. But that pressure, too, makes you greedy for more. “Harder, baby, please—“

In this heady state Kai is only able to respond with a single rushed groan before fulfiling your wish by pushing you down.

You’re always amazed at how he can sound rough and tender all at the same time.

Because of your placement on the end of the bed, your head now hangs low in the air as your boyfriend's hips slam against your behind. You put all efforts you possibly can to keep your lower half slightly raised so he can maintain the good angle while his hands are back to gripping your arms for better control.

Your vision turns blurry from the magnifying pleasure and just a short moment later, full of Kai's vigorous thrusting, your mind goes blank as the pressure settled low in your core finally bursts.

Luckily, you're facing the ground and you won't see any of the horrors on the TV screen in case you open your eyes by any chance; which you don't, because as you come down from your high, Kai continues to fuck you though a bit sloppily since he's seconds away from pushing himself over the edge too.

On the other hand, he could care less if he's going to see anything or not in a stirring moment like this.

The only thing he can comprehend is the sensation of your squeezing as you drip onto the sheets; how perfectly your warmth envelopes him. He’s tempted to try his best to make this last for as long as possible.

And that’s what he does.

He pulls out with a loud shaky groan, and his entire body lurches forward from how sharp and intensely the thrill of breaking off his own climax shoots through him. Then he signals you to flip around by jiggling your ass cheek.

“Keep your eyes closed,” he warns you softly on time. “There you go, now you can look at me.”

! please do not repost, copy or translate my works

! please keep in mind that english is not my first language. i apologise for any mistakes i’ve might missed

[novlr]

Weird question here: do I need to describe my character's clothes? Obviously I need to if it's important to the story or setting (if they're wearing a beautiful ruby gown at a ball, or maybe dirty and torn to indicate a fight) but just on a normal day? Do readers need to know what characters are wearing?

As writers, we often get caught up in the details of our characters. We describe everything from their eye colour to their favourite breakfast cereal, and it can be so easy to go overboard with unnecessary description. Describing a character’s clothes is a danger zone for too much description. It’s incredibly easy to get lost in the minutiae and forget the most important element when writing for readers; will they find this interesting?

The short answer

No, you don’t need to describe every piece of clothing your characters wear throughout your story. Like all elements of writing, clothing descriptions should serve a purpose.

Just like clothing in real life, descriptions of a character’s clothes serve a function. This means that your chose in when to describe things should be intentional; usually for the purposes of character development, world-building, setting a mood, social commentary, plot advancement, or symbolic representation.

When should you describe clothing?

Every plot is different, but there are some key moments in a story when knowing what a character is wearing or how they are dressed could be important:

When it reveals a character’s personality or status (e.g. do they favour muted tones or bright, bold colours? Do their clothing choices signify wealth?).

During important story moments or turning points if it highlights that moment’s significance (e.g. wearing black at a funeral, or an academic gown at graduation).

If the clothing affects the plot or action (e.g. Cinderella losing her glass slipper).

When establishing the time period or setting (e.g. historically appropriate clothing descriptions to put readers into the right headspace to appreciate your setting).

If it shows a significant change in the character (e.g. a shy character who likes to blend in suddenly switching to bright colours to display their newfound confidence).

When it symbolises something deeper in the narrative (e.g. a meaningful piece of jewellery, or a bride wearing her mother’s dress for her wedding).

When should you skip clothing descriptions?

Readers don’t need to know what your character is wearing at every moment of every day. The best way to think about it is, if it’s not important to the story, don’t describe it in detail. Usually it’s enough to know that someone is wearing a jumper on an overcast day, and it won’t actually enhance the scene to know it’s a plain black one. Here are some moments when it’s probably not all that important to go into too much detail:

During routine daily activities.

When the outfit doesn’t add meaning to the scene.

If it interrupts the flow of important action.

When it feels like “outfit cataloging” rather than storytelling.

If you’re describing clothes just to fill space.

Tips for how to effectively describe a characters’ clothes

Make it matter: Make sure your descriptions reveal something about the character, whether that be a personality trade, social or economic status, or their cultural background.

Illustrate change: Highlight a change in your character, whether that be something external or a internal, emotional change.

Create uniqueness: In the case of a protagonist, especially, the way they dress can make them unique. It can contrast them with other characters.

Set something up: Describing a character’s clothes can be used for foreshadowing a future plot point.

Be selective: You don’t need to describe a whole outfit. Instead, you can focus on one or two distinct pieces, items that have significance, clothing that affects movement or action, or elements that reflect the character’s state of mind.

Don’t info-dump: You should try to seamlessly weave descriptions into the narrative. Describe actions and interactions, use sensory language, have other characters react, or let clothing be a part of a scene’s atmosphere.

Common pitfalls to avoid

There is a fine line to tow when describing a character’s clothes in a way that is effective. And essentially, the pitfalls happen on either side of that line. You will either over-describe or under-describe. So what does that mean?

Over-description

Listing every item of clothing, regardless or relevance or usefulness.

Describing outfits for every scene. We rarely need to know what all characters are wearing at all times.

Including brand names unless relevant. Sometimes, a character’s brand loyalty might be important to the plot, but if it’s not, it’s unnecessary, and potentially alienating to readers.

Getting too technical with fashion terminology. Most readers won’t be au fait with the specifics, so make sure you write in a way that most readers can follow.

Focusing on clothes at the expense of action. Nothing will bring an action scene to a screeching halt faster than a detail dump.

Under-description

Don’t ignore clothing when it would be significant. If a character has undergone a significant personal change, then it would make sense to describe how that might also affect how they look on the outside.

Don’t miss opportunities for characterisation. A lot of a character’s personality can shine through their clothes, so if you’re telling the kind of story where that could be relevant, make sure you don’t miss those opportunities.

Don’t forget period-appropriate details in historical fiction. Research and authenticity are essential in certain genres, and clothing can go a long way to setting the scene.

Don’t overlook clothing that affects movement or action. The clothing a character wears can hugely affect the believability of a scene. If a character has just stepped out of a coronation and is dripping with heavy jewellery, it wouldn’t make sense for them to go for a leisurely swim.

Don’t skip descriptions that could build atmosphere. If it’s cold and dark, make sure your characters fit into that setting. Or you can use it to contrast your character and invert expectations (like a character who only ever wears shorts, even in winter).

When in doubt, ask these questions:

Does this detail reveal character?

Will it matter later in the story?

Does it help readers understand the world?

Is it necessary for visualisation?

Could the scene work without it?

Like all descriptions, clothing is a tool that you can use. Describe clothing when it serves your story and skip it when it doesn’t. The key is to make every detail count, whether you’re describing a ball gown or a worn-out pair of sneakers.

The bottom line is that you must trust your instincts and your readers. They don’t need a detailed inventory of every character’s wardrobe, but they do appreciate thoughtful details that enhance their understanding of your characters and story. When in doubt, less is often more, but make the descriptions you do include count.

[fungusrice]

i need jackal scripts if there's any existing out there somewhere. like, seriously! scripts are like fucking gold mines!

I agree. Scripts can tell us more than what we'd expect sometimes. I'm personally a big sucker for the smallest details of those I'm diabolically obsessed with, so I do appreciate scripts, however I haven't find anything related Thir13en Ghosts.

But just to bring up a good example, do you all remember this scene from Scream (1996)? Bear with me, because I'll share the script, but first, let me yap a little, will ya?

Now, while many would say that this line from Stu's end was a lie, a plain excuse, those who know his background, those who did pay attention to his mental and emotional state, to his surrounding knows that he is telling the truth.

It's more than obvious that he was a ticking time bomb and all he needed is a push to kill, but there are multiple signs that indicated that Billy has been manipulating Stu, and using his vulnerabilities for his own purpose. He himself pointed at Stu with a knife when he said what "parental neglegance" does to people.

Remember when Stu just realised that he has been used by Billy for his revenge he didn't even tell him about. There was an obvious shift between the two's dynamic from that point. You could see Stu's expression when Billy revealed his real motive:

Stu lost his trust in Billy from that moment and became more distant. He even had doubts giving the knife back to Billy, saying "No" when he asked for it, and it took Billy a while to get Stu obey, while before this reveal, he delivered it without second guessing. Yes, Stu realised how he was a pawn in Billy's plans, not even worthy to know the motives, and he would have been easily tossed under the bus in any moment which has been reflected on in an another movie.

Billy was more than aware of Stu's troublesome background and he clearly used it for his advantage. He even knew how sensitive Stu truly is. So...

Back to THAT script

The reason why I believe that this might be true because Billy himself called Stu "far too sensitive" in a script, that has been taken out eventually, because it would have revealed that they are the killers before the finale.

The Script

Stu is moving along main street when Billy comes barreling up next to him. BILLY: How'd you do? STU: Piece of cake. She'll be there. BILLY: Thanks, butt wart. You did good. STU: So you gonna try and make up with Sid? BILLY: Duh… that's quick. STU: I was just asking. Why are you always at me? BILLY: Because I'm trying to build your self-esteem. You're far too sensitive. STU: Oh… Billy thumbs Stu's forehead. BILLY: You ready to party hard tonight? STU: You know it.

[biancasaidstfu]

Jumping off a comment I just saw. What if this is part of a strategic play by both teams to separate Luke and Nicola in the public eye because of the Emmy submissions? It’s far less believable about their acting chops if they come out as a real couple in love. Shondaland and Bridgerton empire also benefit with the Emmy nomination attention in the fall if the release of Season 4 is a few months later in 2026.

Obv the lime bike pap pics were dumb and plain. They are pushing the continued narrative that this is a legit couple.

We got a slew of Jake and Nicola confirmation articles following the BAFTA pre party. They had their two pap walks too to try to make it believable.

British Vogue was so staged and unreal. “Bton cast at the BV Netflix Party” was the X tagline yet, it was mostly the Luke and Antonia show without ANY Bton group pictures released..

BAFTA, not a single pic of Nic and Luke together when they were nominated for their scene. (Rivals troupe all walked carpet together and had a feeling of togetherness as a cast.) Super weird.

But.. we get little hints to draw people back to them. The MAFS favorite show references, same designers for Australia.. wearing the Ireland green dress, silly red bag in background. And Nic flashes ring right before her appearance with Jake and BAFTA week shit show. Nic flashes her ring before pap pics. Is she trying to say, remember this?

Idk. Still think Luke and Nic are together, but not holding out hope anyone in the public will know until they are ready to reveal it.

This idea has been floated for a while and I think maybe they were trying to do that for past few months but Emmy’s feels like a long shot atp.

Certainly any theory is valid. But ffs my ass is tired.

[miyamiwu]

Red and Green; Up and Down

Red and Green are very prominent colors in the Yingdu Chapter. They are the two main colors in the OP:

red and green album behind the camera; red and green basketball court

They’re even more obvious in the ED with the traffic lights:

Red phone booth, green light; red and green lights (+yellow if you count XF lol)

But Miya, they are primary/secondary colors. Of course, they’re everywhere!

Okay, but look again at this frame in the OP:

Red on the outside, and green on the inside.

Now, look at the same basketball court, but as shown before the OP in YE1:

The colors are reversed. It’s now green on the outside, and red on the inside.

There is probably more to this discrepancy if we analyze the relevant dialogue in this scene for the pre-OP and in the lyrics for the OP, but I don’t have time for that right now. Let’s just take this as a signal from the animators to focus on those two colors.

Okay, so Green and Red are relevant, but what do they have to do with Up and Down?

In YE1, there was this scene where CXS passes the ball to LG, but it then unusually focuses on the camera and not on the ball:

Our eyes can’t help but be drawn to the camera…which is pointing to the down arrows on LG’s tie. And what are those arrows pointing to?

The green lane Lu Guang is standing on. However, this lane is red in the OP. Is it really pointing at the green? Or is it pointing at the red? And why focus on the camera first instead of just focusing directly on the arrows to get the message across more clearly? Camera + Arrows. What could they mean? This is something to think about...

Then in Lu Guang’s nightmare in YE3, Vein is chasing him in a green hallway, and he escapes into a green exit with a green down arrow:

He then falls into a dark room full of red:

The Green arrow from above is pointing down to the Red room.

So, does that mean Green is Up and Red is Down? I can’t say...

In the Bloody Storm PV, we have people descending green stairs:

Only the steps are green, though. We can say that there’s green light shining from above to make it appear green. This green light can also be seen on the backs of the men.

It is also worth mentioning that @rainibao has pointed out that, in the flashes, the people are ascending the stairs:

Moreover, the green light is lost here, and we’re left with a gloomy frame full of neutral colors against a plain red background. This also happens in the part of the song where the tension builds up and Vein is about to go crazy. This is definitely relevant, seeing as in the YE3 nightmare, Lu Guang finds himself in a red room and Vein finally catches him.

Something something about Green and Order (men obediently going down the stairs; Vein forcing Lu Guang down a green hallway), and Red and Punishment (men going up the stairs as the tension builds up, Vein catching Lu Guang in a bloody room).

Anyways… Is Red up? And Green down? Or, going by the green being light from above, then is Green up and Red down? I still can’t say...

Why does it matter what direction they are?

Because in Mandarin Chinese, time is viewed in a vertical fashion. The past is above you, while the future is below you. Knowing whether red/green is up/down can help us ground ourselves in this time travel show.

There’s also this:

Red light on Lu Guang; Green light on Cheng Xiaoshi.

I’ve always found the color assignment here odd because in traffic light language, Green means go, while Red means stop. Shouldn’t CXS, who is already dead, be the one in Red since his time has stopped? They even made it a point to color him in cold neutral colors without the green light shining on him, as if to hammer in the point that he’s dead (in contrast to Lu Guang who is in warm colors when not under the red light). (It was too difficult to get a screenshot of this, but I remember seeing a draft of this animation sequence where CXS was clearly transitioning from grey to colored, while LG was more warm to colored. If anybody can find that again, please send me a link!)

Anyways, if Green Cheng Xiaoshi is Dead, then does that mean Green is Future/Down? Red Lu Guang would then be Past/Up, signifying him going back in time.

But this doesn’t align with the nightmare sequence, where Green is Up and Red is Down… But then again, it was a nightmare. Can we even trust it? Can we trust anything in this show???

Or maybe Red/Green is constantly cycling between Up/Down. Maybe one moment Red is Up and Green is down, while in the next it’s reverse. An indication of time being a closed loop in Link Click?

I don’t fucking know.

There are no conclusions here. I just thought I’d point this out so I can have more people be just as confused as me hehe.

Dumping this to you, specifically, @protect-namine

[jessicas-pi]

k so I tried to write this as a notfic for my AO3 The Space Family But.. series but I got stuck because I have no plot actually. so. I guess i'll just be rambling about it on here!

anyway.

Star Wars Rebels modern AU where they were all actors in a TV show set in the star wars universe. It was called Quest of Rebellion and was less of a connected story and more of a monster/villain/random-event-of-the-week type show. It was almost more like classic Star Trek, in a way. But in the Star Wars universe.

It starred, in order:

Caleb Dume as Kanan Jarrus, the charming--and slightly cocky, but with a heart of gold--captain of the ship. He completely embraced his character. The rest of the cast was always slipping up and calling him Kanan even off the set. He was by far the fan favorite.

Hera Syndulla as the bright, confident first mate and pilot Layda Dawn. Her character was sometimes a bit more damsel-y than she would have liked, but she was still the role model of a generation of little girls, and she's proud of it. Her finest moment was when she argued her way into having a scene where Layda carried a wounded Kanan out of danger while explosions and epic music were in the background.

Chopper... as... Chopper. He's legit just the same droid. Fully functional and an agent of chaos. Don't ask me how this works, I don't know. Chopper transcends logic. He's too powerful.

Garazeb Orellios as Commander Mel Loorun, the gruff chief of security. He was a stage actor, I'm thinking maybe Shakespeare, before he took on this role and is a little salty about how goofy his character can be. But he's dedicated to the art. He's always in costume, purple alien makeup and all. ALWAYS.  A L W A Y S.

Sabine Wren as Ria Talla, the perky young junior mechanic. Ria got a lot of hate, mostly because a certain writer had a habit of putting Ria in mortal danger due to her own incompetence, and it was in enough episodes that people kind of forgot that she was usually a clever, capable crewmember and an essential part of the team. (She has a personal vendetta against the episode on Zarvon 4, particularly. Everyone knows: you do not mention it to her.) This really got to Sabine, because she wanted to be a role model to a generation of little girls, like Hera was, and instead, she was just plain unpopular.

Ezra Bridger as Dev Morgan, a Jedi Padawan who joined the ship's crew. He embraced his character as much as Kanan did, with far less positive results. Again, this was due to some writers making terrible decisions with his character--half the time, he was the idiotic comic relief, and half the time, he was the smartest one, who saved everyone else. The only consistent thing was his sass. Audience reception to his character made Ria look like a fan favorite. But it doesn't bother him. No, really. He's fine.

The show ran for a few seasons, got a devoted following, and then got unexpectedly cancelled. In the years that followed, the actors kinda sorta moved on with their lives. Well, some of them did.

Ten years later, the cast's lives look like:

Caleb and Hera, whose characters had very unsubtle hints of a romance (which was unexpectedly reconned in Season 4, to the ire of the fandom), actually got married in real life and are now the proud parents of a ten-year-old boy named Jacen, who thinks Quest of Rebellion is stupid and his parents are lame.

Chopper... is still Chopper.

Zeb's gone back to Shakespeare acting---or, well, he's tried to, but after playing a purple furry alien on a sci-fi show, it's hard to get taken seriously.

Sabine lives in a condo her rich parents own. She's currently unemployed and going through some Mental Health Things.

And Ezra can't keep a job down, which he blames on Dev's issues with authority (he just gets so in character, and then management fires him! It's totally unfair!) He's currently looking for a job and is sleeping on the couch at Zeb's tiny apartment. He's been clinging to an upbeat, positive facade with every shred of strength he's got, but he recently set Sabine off on an angry tirade (she was having a bad day to start with and then he mentioned the Zarvon 4 episode) where she says a lot of things to him that are actually things she's been thinking about herself (pointless, worthless, failure, nothing but a joke, nobody wants you here). Well, that was the breaking point that finally brought it all crashing down, and he's hit rock bottom, feeling utterly useless and lost and purposeless.

Which is when the aliens abduct him.

See, unbeknownst to them all, in a galaxy far far away, a civilization of aliens has been picking up on our Earth channels for the past decade or so. Quest of Rebellion is a planetwide favorite. But the thing is, these aliens have no concept of fiction. They think Quest of Rebellion is a docuseries.

And when an evil Empire begins to rise in their galaxy, threatening their peaceful, unmilitarized, defenseless society, they turn to their heroes for salvation.

Help us, Padawan Morgan. You're our only hope.

(Well, Ezra can't say no to that, can he?)

[jaymentions]

Right Track, Wrong Turn. | CL16

📬 Archived Letter #01 — “Right Track, Wrong Turn”

╰┈➤ For what almost was — and what never fully ended.

pairings. ex!charles leclerc x opla nico robin actress!reader

w.c. 1.9k

author’s note: this is my first letter I ever posted so there’s definitely errors there but I hope that you’ll love it!

soundtrack. no one noticed by the marias || nights by frank ocean

The Monaco sun was golden that day — calm and distant, like a fading photograph. The 2024 F1 season had just wrapped, and with it, so had your relationship with Charles Leclerc.

It ended quietly. No drama. No mess.

Just two people who understood that love didn’t always mean staying. He needed to give everything to racing.

You were ready to step into something that had waited patiently in the background.

No one knew. Not the media, not the fans, not even the team.

Until it did.

Charles posted it one evening. A simple black story with plain white text:


“After a meaningful chapter together, Y/N and I have decided to part ways. We wish each other nothing but the best.”

No explanation. No photos. No rumors to chase. Just the truth.

The fans were the first to react. Not the usual chaos that followed celebrity breakups — just honest disbelief.

In the paddock, the reaction was similar. Quiet surprise. A few drivers saw the post and sat with it for a moment before moving on.

Even Charles’s family had been surprised. You had still been there at the last dinner, laughing with Pascale over something in French, sharing inside jokes with Arthur. There were no signs, no cold distance, no shift in tone. That was the kind of breakup it had been — no explosion. Just two people choosing different roads.

And then… you disappeared. Quietly.

Until 2026.

The One Piece live-action Season 2 cast was announced mid-season — and there you were. Nico Robin.

netflix and yourusername posted!

netflix You asked for her. We found her.

[Reader’s Name] will play Ms. All Sunday (Nico Robin) in One Piece Season 2. #OPLA #Netflix

liked by charlesleclerc, mackenyu, emilysteaparty, and others

inakigo WELCOME TO THE STRAW HAT CREW (kind of) 💜🫡 you’re SO robin i’m scared

mackenyu told y’all she was perfect. 🔥 welcome to the crew.

user1 SHE’S SO ROBIN-CODED I’M ACTUALLY SHAKING 😭💜

emilysteaparty you were born for this. literally. also pls don’t read my mind it’s full of spoilers.

user2 i just know Oda smiled when he saw her photo.

bookofjacob GIRL got the calm storm energy down that’s for sure 😮‍💨

user3 someone said “she left the paddock and joined the crew” and I haven’t known peace since

Fans lost it.

Old paddock photos resurfaced — Monza 2023, where you wore a deep violet silk blouse with sunglasses shaped almost exactly like Robin’s.

Singapore, where you wore a wide-brimmed hat and sleek boots that now looked suspiciously like cosplay. The Internet did what it always does: it made connections. People swore you’d been dropping “clues” all along. You hadn’t. It was just your taste — clean, iconic, and occasionally pirate-coded.

Then a video made the rounds again. Austin, 2024. A small boy had waited by the barrier with a gift — a drawing for Charles. Charles hadn’t seen him, too deep in post-qualifying thoughts.

You had.

You walked back, crouched to the kid’s level, smiled. Noticed the Chopper plush on his backpack.

“Is that Chopper?” you asked.

The boy nodded.

“Good choice,” you grinned.

“He’s got the biggest heart.” Then you asked him for his favorite Chopper scene.

That was it. No cameras. No PR.

Just a sweet moment that had been quietly captured by someone’s phone — and forgotten.

Until now.

And just like that, the One Piece fandom embraced you. And so did the F1 fans who’d missed you without realizing it.

Now, you were back in Austin. But not in the shadows this time. Not as Charles’s girlfriend. Not as the quiet paddock icon.

🏎️ ⋆｡ﾟ

October 2026 – Race Day, United States Grand Prix

The sun over Austin was brutal and brilliant — the kind that turned every surface gold and every shadow sharp.

The air buzzed with heat and engine noise, with cheers and tension, with the full weight of Sunday.

You stood just behind the pit wall, your Alabasta-inspired outfit traded in for something slightly more structured — still Robin-coded, but cleaner.

The purple corset, matching cowboy hat, and quiet silver details — Robin-coded in spirit, but all your own. A little bit Alabasta, a little bit Austin.

You were no longer just a guest.

You were the flag bearer for the final lap of the race.

Chosen by FIA and Netflix. Positioned at the most iconic spot. Camera-ready. History-ready.

You didn’t ask how the decision was made. You didn’t need to.

When the announcement came that morning — that you would be waving the checkered flag — you simply smiled, nodded, and tucked the moment somewhere quiet inside your chest.

The crowd behind you roared as the final laps ticked down.

You could feel the energy tighten around the pit crews. Team radios hummed. Mechanics leaned forward. The grid braced for the sprint.

Somewhere ahead, Charles was in P3.

His Ferrari glinted like red steel through the Texas heat, cornering with the precision only time and heartbreak teach a driver. You watched the car fly past Turn 12 and felt — not pain, not longing — but something like distant warmth.

That version of him belonged to a different time in your life.

A nearby conversation caught your ear. Two Ferrari engineers were talking just a few feet away, casual, unaware you were listening.

“Still crazy to think next season it’ll be Charles and a rookie,” one of them said.

“Yeah. Fresh blood. Hope he’s got thick skin,” the other replied.

You weren’t looking for updates on his world anymore. But every now and then, it still floated to the surface — the way old music plays in a café when you’re not expecting it.

You didn’t turn. You didn’t need to.

A rookie.

New beginnings.

You exhaled slowly. Everyone moves on in their own way.

The final lap came.

The cars closed in. McLaren in first. Mercedes second. Charles pushing hard in third.

And then it was time.

You stepped forward. Flag in hand. Cameras fixed. The moment approaching like a wave.

You raised the flag.

Held your breath.

And waved.

Smooth. Controlled. Still.

The checkered flag fluttered with grace — your own kind of farewell.

Charles crossed the line beneath it.

Full speed.

Full silence.

And just before the cooldown lap… he looked up.

Eyes met yours. For a second. No longer.

But something passed through the space. Not regret. Not love. Just… memory.

Then the moment was gone.

yourusername posted!

yourusername Ms. All Sunday in COTA 🏎️

liked by charlesleclerc, mackenyu, emilysteaparty and others

emilysteaparty not me texting wardrobe asking if I can borrow your whole fit… for reasons 😌👒💜

user1 Ferrari radio: “Charles, are you okay?” Charles: emotional damage noises

inakigo She waved the flag and I waved at the cars. Who did it better? 😆

user2 NETFLIX REALLY COOKED WITH THIS ONE. LIKE??? YOU PUT HER IN CORSET AND COWBOY HAT?? THEY KNEW.

taz_skylar Every Ferrari mechanic turned into putty when you walked by. I saw it. I was one of them.

user3 When Netflix said “All Sunday,” they meant all slay 💅

user4 he saw that and remembered EVERYTHING

user5 Charles lost clearly was not a drivers championship

Evening – Leaving the Paddock

You passed through the back exit of the Ferrari garage on your way out — not intentionally, just geography. You weren’t planning to run into anyone.

But Charles was there. Post-debrief. Suit down to his waist. Laughing lightly with someone from his team. Focused.

Until he looked up.

Saw you.

And stopped.

There was no tension. Just stillness.

For a moment, he didn’t move. Like he wasn’t sure if he should. Like he wasn’t sure if he could.

But then he did.

A slow, careful stride that felt like it belonged to an earlier version of him—the one who used to walk toward you like it was instinct.

“Didn’t think I’d see you here,” he said, voice softer than you expected. Not surprised, exactly.

Just unsure.

You smiled, just enough. “I could say the same.”

He nodded, eyes lingering for a second too long on the brim of your hat, the shade of purple you used to say reminded you of late evenings in Monaco.

“I heard about the role,” he added, thumb grazing the edge of the glove still in his hand. “Ms. All Sunday really suits you.”

“Thanks,” you said, quietly. “Austin suits you too.”

And even though it wasn’t meant to mean anything— maybe it did.

He laughed, gently. “Sometimes.”

Then paused again.

Two people who had known each other once. Still respectful. Still real. No bridges burned—just different roads now.

He hesitated. Just a flicker. Then his voice dropped lower, steadier.

“I’ve been meaning to reach out.”

You tilted your head slightly, not cold, just… cautious. “But you didn’t.”

He nodded. No defense, no excuse. Just honesty. “I wasn’t sure if I should.”

You looked at him then—really looked. The way his hair curled slightly with sweat, the way his eyes still searched yours for a softness that used to be so easily given.

You didn’t speak.

So he did.

“I saw the flag,” he said. “Didn’t expect it to be you, but… it made sense.”

A breath passed between you. The kind that carried memory.

“I wasn’t sure if I should come over now either,” he added, glancing down at his gloves. “But I didn’t want to leave without saying something.”

“What would you have said?”

He smiled, quietly. “I don’t know. Something better than this.”

You laughed, soft and surprised. And for a second, it felt easy again.

Familiar.

“I don’t expect anything,” he continued, eyes meeting yours again. “But maybe… if you’re ever free. Coffee? Just to catch up.”

You didn’t answer right away.

You didn’t have to.

There was no rush—not anymore.

“I’ll think about it,” you said.

And he nodded, like that was more than enough. Like hope didn’t need a promise, just a maybe.

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Charles.”

You turned and walked away. But for the first time in a long time, neither of you felt like you were closing a door.

Later That Night – Hotel Balcony, Austin

You kicked off your boots, pulled your hair loose, and stepped out onto the balcony, the Texas night warm and heavy on your skin.

Tired from all the things you did for the day. Ready to go home and rest all day without even getting up just sleeping through the fatigue.

You were starting to miss home.

Ting.

Your phone lit up with a new message.

Speaking of home.

[JK 🐰]

i literally can’t believe you left me to suffer alone like this ㅠㅠ

this is betrayal.

call me immediately so i can forgive you. maybe.”

🏎️ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡

— from the drawer of stories I never meant to share.

© June 2025

[waterlilyprincesss]

My Sasuhina Fanfic Recs Masterlist

I have been rediscovering my fixation on sasuhina these past few months so i figure i'll make a list on everything i found on ao3 and ffn since all the other recs i found on the internet are from years ago. Enjoy! I'll graduately update this.

They Know Me Here by chancewriter

Summary: Sasuke came back from a year long mission to find that Naruto and Hinata had divorced and nothing was ever the same again. As Sasuke tries to help Hinata come to terms with a devastating, life-changing event - denial, resistance, submission - they're unaware that these are also the steps they must take to find each other's hearts. 

Post-War.

This one has NaruHina background in it but that what makes it interesting. Very well written and it's so refreshing to read post-war fanfic where Sasuke is somewhat healed and willing to seek a new purpose in his life. One of the other thing that i especially love in post-war sasuhina fanfic is the journey on how he discover love and attraction and this author presented it very well and in a subtle way so the relationship between SH develop slowly (the best way for this pair). Actualy i found their interaction quite funny because in this story Sasuke trying his best to court hinata but he obviously has no idea how so you could imagine haha. Hinata in this story is very broken and a bit reluctant to enter a new relationship. We'll learn the reason along the way and i promise the author handled the heavy topic very well. As in many SH fanfics, i wouldn't called it exactly character bashing, but yeah Naruto and Sakura is behaving quite messy in this. But i think it makes sense and not over the top. They aren't a bad person, they're just behaving in regards of situations and choices that presented to them. Naruto and Hinata here actually has chemistry. Naruto isn't just a total jerk that just blatanly hurt her, no, their separation is very complicated and hurt both of them. The other side characters are also very well written like Hanabi here is very competent adult and yet she still behave like a pesty little sister to Hinata.

Another thing that i could note is how the author wrote the overall ambience of the story like where the scene take place, what they're wearing, etc. I can't describe it very well but it's just so.... serene like if you ship SH you would understand.

2. Forced Paths by MarsForce

Summary: In an alternative universe of ninja and swordsmen the clans are trying to perceive their existence and grow their strength. The Hyuga heiress and the Uchiha successor are placed in the centre of it.

Samurai AU.

Arranged marriage is a very common trope in SH stories but among tons of fics that i' ve read not many could delivered it very well. Sometimes it's just plain boring or too cliche. But this is one of the few that done it very well. The story is placed in edo (ish) samurai clans settings so clan politics is a major point in this story. World building and characterisation is done very well. There's so much thing to unpack so it's definetely gonna keep you interested.

Even though it doesn't necesarilly a battle-focused story, i feel like if you're looking for strong-Hinata story this one is probably one of the best that i could reccomended. Sasuke's attitude in the beginning is very distasteful omg he's so embarassing i swear but he'll redeemed himself i promise. This an AU so of course things are gonna be a little bit different but it still retain the dynamics of both hyuuga and uchiha clan. Like how Hinata is deemed inadequate as an heir, how Sasuke always felt inferior than Itachi, how hard he try to impress his father, etc. This story also deals with patriarchy, we could see how it affect many of the characters and how they deal with that especially Hinata. Her character developement is very satisfying. I like how the author build up the relationship between the two and how it's not just about the romance but how they develop as an individual.

3. Midnight by MarsForce

Summary: What good is power when it comes too late to save your loved-ones. What remains after?

Post-War.

Do you ever feel not quite content with the way how Hinata react towards Neji's death in canon? Well i do. Given her personality and how their relationship developed i feel like she would not take his death lightly. This story explore exactly that. It shows us how Hinata and Sasuke deals with grief. The pararel between them and how they together they try to overcome it. The author really hit the nail with how they desribe how Hinata feel about how she should continue living knowing she's alive because someone sacrifice his life for her. The immense guilt and hollowness that she felt. It's very sad, i remember crying on every chapter the fisrt time i read it hahaha.

4. After by Marsforce

Summary: The last Great Ninja war ended eight years ago, giving time to a world of peace. Sasuke returns back to Konoha, where Hinata Uzumaki is Hinata Hyuga again.

Post-War.

Hinata is not the usual shy and timid Hinata that you would find in other stories. Some people maybe find it OOC but i personaly think that characters behave according to the circumtances that happened in their life so as long as it written well enough it would still makes sense to me. The story start with sasuke coming back to the village pretty much not knowing what to do with his life and how he try to found out about how his bestfriend's marriage ended. Both Hinata and Sasuke is very stubborn. Hinata is very closed off and her divorce is like a mistery that clouded and kind of torn of the bonds between characters in the story. We're gonna see how sasuke unveil the mistery of the divorce little by little and how he's unknowingly involved in it. Don't read the comments if you don't want to get spoiled haha. Sasuke is also dealing with existensial crisis, he's not sure about what he's gonna do with his life and his clan. and oh this story also has Sasuke discover love and attraction. It's awkward and it's also kind of cute.

Like the other 2 stories from this author, this story contain many long paragraphs that explore how the characters feel. It slow burn and quite long but it's not boring at all.

5. How A Cat Became A Matchmaker by PianoCoat

Summary: Of all the people, the elders thought Uchiha Sasuke would be a good match for Hinata? Neji aggressively disagrees ... until Sasuke changes his mind. And now, under interesting circumstances, Neji has to figure out how to make these two click.

Post-War.

Again classic arrange marriage trope but with interesting twist to it. Neji is ALIVE! and he's being the over protective cousin that he is, spying on sasuke to make sure he's the match for Hinata. It's just so adorable, there's no grand plot but this author is just very good. I've read some of their stories and all of them is just so beautiful. It feels like i'm reading a shoujo story you know like the one that makes you giggling like a teenage girl.

6. Direct My Wrath by Emikka

[Uncomplete] Modern AU SasuHina, Itahina.

Miscommunication really fucked them up. This one is sooooo messy. The characters is not perfect and you're probably gonna hate Sasuke in this. But just keep going i promise there's a reason why he behave like that. It'swell written and it's interesting. The side characters are also well written and it's also quite funny in some parts. It's uncomplete and sasuke and hinata barely interacted so far, itahina on the othe side is also has very good chemistry.

7. UNDERBELLY by angel222you

Summary: After Hinata receives a top-secret mission to enter the belly of the beast—-the Uchiha Crime Syndicate—she learns that sometimes you have to go under it to get on top of it. Unfortunately, there might be more to life than simply following orders. This is a story about family, secrets, and the bonds that hold it all together.

Spy-Yakuza AU. Slight GaaHina.

The plot, world building, and characterisation is on point. Sasuke as a oyabun is just so hot even though he's a bit unhinged sometimes. Hinata is strong and smart even though she's still dealing with the same issues of being inadequate in front oh Hiashi's eyes. The dynamic between Hinata and Sasuke is full of tension and intrigue. We see how they try to figure out how they feel about each other while at the same time reaching their personal goals. This story has spy, yakuza, rich kids having fun, politics, romance, all the good stuff!

8. A Water Lily by theGeneralissimo

[Uncomplete] Post-War.

A very interesting take on how fragile the so called 'peace' after the war. I'm so sad that this is most probably abandoned. At this point (Chapter 11) there's really no romance developed between two yet but the plot itself is very interesting. It explore the civilian vs shinobi trope which is very unexplored in canon material. We see Hinata found herself in very difficult situations and how sasuke got tangled in it.

9. Recreant by wasuremonogatari

Summary: In the aftermath of Neji's death, Hinata's Byakugan evolved into an incredible force. Driven by struggle against power and her need to protect those around her, she joins the ANBU and distances herself from family and loved ones. Hinata embarks on a mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke where with a single glance, from Mangekyo Sharingan to Byakugan, a bond is created between the two.

[Uncomplete] Post-War.

In many stories that attempted to write Hinata as stronger shinobi, many failed and ended up making her character a one dimensional mary sue type of character. But this one able to execute it very well. It show us how shinobi is basically viewed as a weapon for their village. Their strength could easily viewed as a means to protect but also a threat at the same time. It also show us how that very power could destroy the life of its wielder.

The story definetly heading to some kind of fated bond between sasuke hinata but the recent chapters barely cover the first encounter between the two. I hope there's still hope for the author to continue this story.

10. She Holds The Cards by PianoCoat

Summary: Hinata was the messenger of the school, and messenger weren't really supposed to get their own letters. Apparently, Sasuke didn't get the memo.

High-School AU. Slight ShikaHina.

The prompt is very simple so i didn't expect the angst to hit that hard omg. The author just wrote it very well. Its so beautiful and poetic. I could feel all the emotions and feelings of the characters. It shows us the unrequited love between NaruHina. Hinata's feelings are so well described, her insecurity, shame, and pain. Sasuke is so... Sasuke. 

11. They Hold The World by PianoCoat

Summary: So it was out. She liked him, he liked her. No more need for secrets or subtleties. But if that were the case, then why did Hinata feel like things were getting harder? And Sasuke didn't help much with that, either. Sequel to 'She Holds the Cards'.

This is a continuation of “She Holds The Cards” and focused more on Sasuke’s background story. Again, a complex and touching story. There’s Itachi and Shisui here but maybe don’t expect some silly and wholesome siblings interaction :’) That’s all i got to say, just read it.

12. Endless Journey by Tingshui

Summary: "There is...nothing left that I can give you, Sasuke Kun." "Then, I want your misfortune."

This is a translated version from a Chinese fanfic. There’s some awkwardness here and there but for me personally it’s still enjoyable to read.

So we start with divorced NaruHina. Upon this separation Hinata retreats from his ex-husband, kids, friends and her clan. This then leads to some kind of relationship with Sasuke which is btw a very very reclusive person in this story despite being marriage and has a kid. Sasuhina doesn’t even have “official” relationships here, they barely touch, i don’t know how the author did it but the yearning especially on Sasuke’s side is so palpable. Just prepare to cry because i sure did cry a lot every time i reread this fic 😭

13. Love You Two by MrsMessy

Summary: Reeling from a discovery that shatters the façade of her fairy-tale romance, Hinata finds solace in the most unlikely person.

Hinata finding out the true nature of Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship is a very common prompt in s n s fanfic but i notice that in those fics usually Hinata is depicted as the bad person somehow??? even though she’s most of the time has no idea about their relationship in the first place and her love for Naruto is canonically so selfless.

I haven’t really dug deep into NaruHina fanfic so idk if there’s any NH fics that deals with this prompt but i found some in SH! I guess SH provides a unique angle where both Sasuke and Hinata could relate on how much they treasure Naruto. How they doubt themselves and the love that Naruto’s has for them. Which one is the true love? Could it be both?

Anyway in this fanfic, the moment when Hinata discovers her husband secret relationship and the event that happened afterward is so devastating 😭 looking at the tag i guess this story is heading into naruhinasasu so i’m really curious how NH would patch their relationship and how SH gonna develop.

[mylittleredgirl]

all right! who wants my chrysalis device theories?

i've been pondering the way alisa says this for a while now. i think it's not just that she has never used this word because she lives in space and hasn't been to school since age 12.

i think delenn may not know what it means either. what if "chrysalis" is a proper noun in minbari, the name of the device and nothing else?

it's an english loanword, but one that valen didn't otherwise translate. he's a mysterious guy, and he's not going to tell them too much because revealing his origin would defeat the purpose of transmogrifying in the first place. there's some kind of religious mythology around it or delenn wouldn't know what to do, but presumably nobody has seen the process happen or gone through it in the thousand intervening years.

the minbari don't really know what the device does. delenn knows that she'll either be changed in some way or die ("speak well of me when i'm gone"), but she looks surprised (and terrified) when the device starts spitting out cocoon threads as soon as she adds the triluminary to it. lennier doesn't know what's happening to her in there, and neither of them know what she is when she first emerges.

--

i also find it fascinating that while there's a lot of sacred mystery around the triluminaries, and minbari loooove secrets in general, there's no attempt to hide the rest of the device.

delenn starts playing with it long before she gets the triluminary in hand. she adds pieces to it in front of sinclair, and it's left out in her quarters in plain view of both aliens and other minbari.

i thought for a long time about whether valen left thousand-year-old ikea instructions about exactly how this thing fits together, but i don't think so. we see it arranged on different surfaces in a few configurations in the background of other scenes, so either there's some creativity to it, like a mandala or zen garden, or it's a 3D jigsaw puzzle that makes sense to minbari minds. either way, these can't be the same triangles that valen touched, or she would never handle them so casually.

my theory is that it's a meditative puzzle that isn't unique, and may even be a common decorative activity in religious caste homes. maybe even with a little ceremonial (but not real) triluminary-like triangle to put on top when you're done! if that practice was also a Gift From Valen, it's one way to ensure that both the materials and the knowledge remain available through the generations.

--

and a bonus thought: how did sinclair know how to put it together later on? zathras could have done it for him, but it seems kind of spiritually important to do it yourself. did he learn it on minbar as a meditation technique? did he learn it from her out of context??

[artist-issues]

I Saw Wish

And it was the worst animated Disney movie I’ve ever seen. I have to watch it again before I can get into the nitty gritty details. But I don’t need details to sum it up, because my dad actually said it perfectly as we left the theater:

“It was like someone who didn’t really understand Disney movies tried to make a Disney movie.”

Both the form (the technical arts of filmmaking) and the content (the morals, values, and themes of the movie) were totally horrible.

I don’t know who’s fault it was. Jeremy Spears was in the storyboard room and Mark Henn and Eric Goldberg did some 2D animation. But they must have gotten outvoted, or they must not care anymore.

Because holy cow. Here’s some stuff that’s just off the top of my head.

SPOILERS. Not that it matters, because nothing interesting happens in this movie.

The writing? Terrible. Ninety percent of it feels like the characters are filling time with quirky one-liners that are trying too hard to be appealing, then failing, then taking you out of the movie. The jokes aren’t funny. The characters just respond to each other in conversation to check a one-liner box. The other twenty percent is whole conversations repeating tell-don’t-show exposition that has already been covered, usually twice, in previous scenes. Like if in Tangled, every scene had included some variation of Rapunzel saying to friends and enemies alike, “I have to see the floating lights so I’m sneaking to the castle with this thief who wants a mysterious tiara I hid from him. Don’t tell my mother, she’s a bit overprotective!” Over. And over. And over.

The character motivations are way too broad. Asha? Her dream is just “that everybody around me gets to be happy.” That’s it, in a nutshell. No deeper exploration of that. Nobody asks, “why do you care so much?” Nobody tries to convince her she should look out for herself, and then she proves she was right all along. The King? We are told (not shown) that he doesn’t want anyone else’s dreams to be “destroyed.” But he in no believable way expresses that that motivation is still what’s driving him during the movie—what’s driving him is just a plain old lust for power, no nuance.

By the way, the whole premise of the movie? Undercooked. Half-baked concepts strung together with no definitive meaning. Therefore, it’s not believable. Example: The characters act like the wishes are beautiful—well, actually, no, this movie doesn’t know how to show, so there’s not a lot of meaningful acting—the characters just tell us that wishes are “the most beautiful part of someone,” and that’s why it’s worth going through this adventure to give their wishes back to them. But there’s no proof of that in the movie. In fact, it directly kicks it’s own legs out from under that idea, because it has every character who gives up their wish forget that part of themselves. Asha’s grandfather has forgotten his wish, but that doesn’t make him any less “beautiful.” She, and everyone, still treats him like he’s this wonderful old man who deserves the world, who everyone loves…but why is he so appealing? If he “gave up the most beautiful part of him?” The only character who is changed by their lack-of-wish is the Sleepy-analogue character…who is just sleepy, which is described as “boring.” But nobody else who’s given up their wish in the whole kingdom acts like that. It’s just him. Also, the King acts like it’s so important to protect the wishes from destruction. But what does destroying a wish look like? That actually happens to Asha’s mom. Her wish-bubble is broken, literally, and she just says she feels grief. But like. Why? She never remembered it in the first place; it had been missing from her life for years. Also, what the heck is a wish?! It seems to range from broad concepts like “inspire people” to “fly.” Just “fly,” like a bird. The desire to levitate off the ground is the most important, beautiful essence of one background character. Like, what?! But no character ever has the why behind their wish to make us care.

I could go on and on about that point. Like, think about Disney movies that wrote the book on how to make movies about characters with wishes. If Ariel were in Wish, her bubble would look like “dancing and learning and exploring on the Surface with someone who understands her.” But we believe that that is her real, genuine wish, and that it matters to her, because we are shown why being understood is so important to her. Because it’s missing from her life. There’s a scene where she explores a boat alone, and even her best friend doesn’t get excited about it with her. Her dad won’t listen to her point of view. Her siblings don’t ask her about her life even when they think she’s in love. She wants what she wants because of pieces of her life that we are shown.

We are never shown why Asha’s grandfather is obsessed with inspiring people, so we have no reason to believe it, or care whether he gets it or not. We can’t feel disappointed when his wish is said to “never come true,” like we did when Quasimodo was abused by the people he wished to join. We can’t feel elated when he finally “gets” his wish, like we did when Simba smiles on Pride Rock remembering the same way he used to as a cub and claims the crown with a roar. We don’t have anything to hang on to, nothing to relate to, nothing to grasp and feel with the characters. So we don’t feel, because they didn’t put the work in to help us feel. They just say, “the mom’s feeling grief. Feel grief.” And expect us to do the work ourselves. I have to stop harping on this point and move on.

But The main point of the movie is very broad because of that lazy premise, and it’s barely reinforced by any kind of appealing storytelling. If I had to guess, the point would be “Keep wishing for more even when it’s hard.” But the story they told to communicate that meaning was so unimpactful. Asha doesn’t have a dream of her own that’s such hard work to accomplish! (Neither does her grandfather; his wish is “to inspire people.” And at the end, we’re supposed to see him strumming a guitar and believe it’s inspiring? We were never shown how he worked hard to learn how to play the instrument. Or that he carved it with his own hands, or anything like that. So there’s no meaningful demonstration of working hard for it or achieving your wish even if it’s far out of reach.) And nobody except the king is trying to take wishes away from anyone, and he just does it literally, after they voluntarily give them to him, so there’s not even any impactful demonstration of “don’t let anyone tell you your wishes are dumb or unachievable, or stop you from reaching them.” Even when he takes them away, it’s just because they…could, someday, be used to threaten his kingdom in a vague, really unlikely way. There are so many things you could do with “keep wishing for more even when it’s hard.” For instance; you could say the main character has always been afraid to dream (wish for more), because maybe when she was a kid something wonderful almost happened but ended in tragedy, so she keeps her head down and doesn’t want much because if you don’t dream you’ll never be disappointed. She takes no risks, and has to learn that sometimes trying and failing is worth more than slogging through life all self-protective. I mean, the pieces were right there. She has this line about her dad, and how she wished he would get better but then he died. She has lines about how nobody should have to live with grief?? Then that’s never addressed again! It’s just a throwaway emotion-moment with no buildup or follow-through to tie it to and support that main theme.

The compositions of too many shots were so terrible. Characters got cut off in weird places. One shot has Asha dead center, with her grandfather on the left side of the table and her mother on the right, having a family dinner with a super exposition-heavy conversation that is meant to be emotionally charged. But despite everything else being perfectly centered, half of her mother’s body is chopped off. The movie’s shot like someone’s mom who doesn’t understand technology tried to take a video with her phone.

The charm of the art “style” wears off basically immediately. I know what they were going for. I see the sketch lines and watercolor textures. This is maybe the first time Disney ever failed to accomplish a visual “look” that turned out good. Everything looks dull. Muted. De-saturated. Slightly out of focus, but not in a cool Spider-Verse way. The sets or backgrounds are lazy; at no point does the scenery look complete; big, empty, boring spaces that do not create any kind of “stage” for impactful moments. The rendering looks unfinished. When Asha’s hair moves during her belting of the “I Make This Wish” song, it’s bad. It’s unnatural. It flops in a way that doesn’t make sense for the weight of her hair. The most impactful visual moments come from the villain, and they’re moments when he looks way too unhinged for the kind of line he’s saying.

There is no interesting character development. Asha goes from believing everyone is basically good and their wishes deserve the chance to come true , to….that, again. That would be fine, she could be a static character, if she proved contrast-characters wrong, in a believable way. But she never does. Because no other characters argue with her except the King. And it goes no deeper than “everyone’s wishes are basically good and they deserve the chance to make them true” vs. “nuh-uh, because I get to decide what makes them deserving.” The King doesn’t have any kind of interesting development, either. They don’t expand on his tragic backstory—it consists of one drawing of him near a broken boat, and a few images of the corner burned off of his family taoestry. They never say “King Magnifico wished for _____ and it was taken away!” They literally never tell you what his wish or dreams were, or what motivated him to create the whole kingdom that the movie’s premise sits on. So there’s no convincing sense of progression, how he got this way, why he’ll keep going “so far.”

The pacing is weird. It undercuts every moment that could have any kind of emotion behind it. One minute Valentino is suavely bouncing around, then he’s given a two-second beat to blubber with badly-animated tears that he’ll miss Star—then he instantly gets to have another funny one-liner so we forget he might’ve been sad a second ago. We’re clearly supposed to believe that the King and his wife are devoted to each other, and his turning evil was such a big betrayal, but there’s no time and no impactful evidence for us to believe either of those things. And even if we did, the moment he’s defeated and trapped in a mirror, and begs to be let free, the Queen kind of shrugs it off, makes a forgettable one-liner, and tells them to throw him in the dungeon. And he doesn’t look remorseful. And we don’t even get to assume he’s embarrassed or emotionally devastated that he’s come to this—because the last thing he says is “nooo, the dungeon is so smellyyy!” Like this is a half-baked LEGO short that can’t get emotionally deeper than what an actual 3 year-old’s parents might be okay with.

And that’s the worst offense: The movie is not genuine. It works hard for nothing, and it has no vulnerability. It just uses old Disney standbys to pretend to be vulnerable. Have the music swell and the characters gasp and the songs drip emotion when characters are meant to be saying or doing something emotional.

But truthfully, think of all the Disney movies you’ve ever seen with the hardest emotional moments. The sheer joy of Genie when he realizes he’s free. The anguish when Elsa thinks Anna’s been frozen forever, or when Anna thinks she’s dead. The trauma when Simba loses Mufasa. The longing and dreaming of Ariel when she reaches up out of her grotto. The sense of foreboding when Mother Gothel says “fine, now I’m the bad guy” or the heartbreak in Rapunzel’s eyes when she thinks Flynn has abandoned her, or the shame on Aladdin’s face when Jafar reveals he’s a street-rat, or the horror of cruelty when the stepsisters rip up Cinderella’s dress, or Kala’s tears when Tarzan leaves her in the treehouse, or Sarabi’s tears when Simba comes back, or Mulan’s father tossing aside the sword and token of the Emperor to embrace Mulan, or heck, even just Lilo pushing Stitch in the woods and telling him “get out of here.” This movie has no moments like that. It has moments you can tell that the filmmakers wanted to hit like that—but they don’t.

Because no work is put into building them up. You know how much Simba loves Mufasa, because you’ve been watching their chemistry more than any other character all the way up till he dies. You know how much Mulan wants to please her family because she spends all of Act I desperately attempting to do that. You know Quasimodo believes the world below is beautiful and wants them to accept him because he has interesting things like—talking to gargoyles, convincing us that he’s lonely; building a scale model of the townspeople, convincing us that he sees them in a beautiful way and wishes he were beautiful in more ways than one like them, too.

Right down to the facial expressions, none of them are as anguished, happy, sad, excited, silly, in any convincing way like all of Disney’s other movies. Asha’s “low moment” when she’s afraid her “wish” hurt everyone else (still vague on what that wish ever was) lasts two seconds, she’s not crying, she’s barely sitting with slumped shoulders, and her family barely spend two seconds comforting her. They basically just say, “aw, no, it’s not y fault, it’s the king’s.” And she’s like, “yeah okay” and that’s that. It’s like the animators we’re afraid to animate really intimate emotions on the characters’ faces. The voice actors, too.

And the whole movie is peppered with Easter eggs to past Disney movies. But all that does, if you really know Disney beyond the visuals, is make you think of how hollow this movie is in comparison. How much you wish you were watching Cinderella or The Little Mermaid or something with depth and vulnerability instead of Wish.

[rinqwpan]

Hi. Long time no post here 🤡 apologies for not posting here as often bc I’ve been busy with um. Life. But also I’ve been using insta more lately.

ANYWAYS THATS BESIDES THE POINT I CAME BACK TO POST THESE!!!!! Wow I didn’t think I’d have another rin au but here she is. JJK rin. The rinverse is growing 🛌🛌 (she’s a bit more plain compared to HxH rin and DR rin, bc I didn’t want to make her stand out too much) and I just HAD TO make fanart for the jjk fanfic “Your Life As A Tokyo Jujutsu High Background Student” by @sincerelyamee :DD! I’ve been loving the fic so far and I’ve been wanting to draw fanart for it for SOOOO long but unfortunately I’ve been sooo busy and suffered with art block for a while… but now I finally found the time and motivation to draw this and so here it is!!!

I drew a ref of Rin as Spices (basically I inserted my OC into the fic bc I personally prefer not to insert myself) and I drew a scene of Spices and Megumi (bc i love them so much and Megumi is so pookie 🤭🤭) from Chapter 34!! Everything was just how imagined Spices and the scene to be, so I apologize if it is inaccurate..! 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️ may draw more fanart when I find the time….

The other arts are just JJK doodles from when the leaks released, I was brainrotting so hard and just had to doodle the pookies ✨✨

Anyways u guys should totally check out the fic I mentioned earlier if u haven’t and rlly like jjk and wanna be healed from og jjk bc this fic is honestly amazing, the writing and details, characters just feel soooo in character—RAGHH just check it out I promise you will not be disappointed 🫵🫵

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

Masashi Kishimoto Naruto Art Book (part-6)

This is a piece where I was able to really show Naruto's personality in his pose and expression. I'm super pleased that I managed to draw something truly Narutoesque. The tension in the arrangement of Kakashi and Obito is also great. It isn't often that the entire composition works this well, so it's my favorite.

It was fun drawing all of them as kids. I really like the contrast of adult Obito and child Obito facing different directions, indicating that his path and focus changed.

I like this one a lot, because you can really feel Nine Tails' immense size and Naruto's mischievousness. I had fun drawing it because of the visual gimmick. I had forgotten that if you look closely, you can see Kakashi, Sakura and Sai.

Enough people told me this was good that I started thinking so myself... Yeah. (LOL) But it was nice to illustrate a scene of family life, particularly because I didn't have many opportunities to draw something like that.

I thought that Naruto was still too young to wear banana hammocks, so I ended up with this. When I actually tried to draw it, it creeped me out. Making Sakura wear a bikini was kind of embarrassing, so I opted for the shorts for her too.

I drew this picture of Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura lined up to show how much each of them have grown

This picture of Sasuke appeared as part of a composition for a Shonen Jump front cover alongside images of Naruto and Gaara. Due to space considerations, I ended up drawing Sasuke in a long, vertical pose. One problem here was whether or not the sword Sasuke's holding would fit in the scabbard--- I remember I had to carefully measure the length of both the sword and the scabbard. Also, the picture appeared somewhat plain alter coloring it, so I made Sasuke's sash red. Because of that detail, this may be a pretty rare picture of Sasuke.

Cherry blossoms in full bloom...it's springtime in Kanohagakure. My concept for this picture was the characters having a cherry blossom viewing party, so I gave them some objects to suggest that. Naruto has a drinking cup, Sasuke has a Japanese musical instrument, and Sakura has a bento box containing rice dumplings and other foods. Fun, lots of fun. Kakashi was...actually kind of a distraction in this one. But I felt bad for him and decided to leave him in (laugh). And I showed that there's a breeze by drawing the cherry blossom petals as if they are being blown. It feels good when I can make the wind blow in a picture.

I wanted to keep this picture looking like a pencil sketch. I lightly colored in the already fully shaded pencil drawing, I tested out a method of using two similar colors for each character's hair, skin and clothes, and another similar-toned pair of colors for the background. I tried to make the picture look three-dimensional by changing the level of contrast in these colors. I made one large mistake though I forgot to draw Ino's earrings (laugh).

Team Asuma was the main focus in this volume. It makes Naruto look like a side character...