#Might update this later

[nattheother]

over the counter and back ✧ jww

tags fluff, meet cute, izakaya!au / midnight diner!au, slight misunderstanding, few swear words, self indulgence (surprising), love me a sopping wet pathetic yn

wc 2.7k words

note that men’s nonno izakaya shoot with dk… yeah... *faints* the hirotaka allegations aint helping either [pic cr. jwwfile on twt]

note i was gonna put an alcohol on the tags but its an izakaya au, u know what ur getting into so :3

crossposted to AO3

—

It wasn’t the weekdays or the rush hour, it’s just the izakaya usually is not that packed. Only two couples on the tables and a woman tonight, who seemed to get off work quite late, sitting at the bar area, seemingly laid back on her phone over her unfinished beer. Old jazzy songs from your boss’ playlist softly filled the bar, warming up the mood.

Your head chef, well, your boss, Kouji, just bid you a farewell. The izakaya just opened about two hours ago this evening, but he had to clock early for his daughter in labour. She usually works part-time here alongside you until about a month ago, which is why you tried to fill her shift until she comes back. Not that you mind.

You wished him good luck before he tackled you into a light hug, resulting in a small “oof!” out of you.

Honestly, handling the diner on a slow day alone doesn’t really worry you. It’s always just the three or two of you. Kouji said the neighborhood was particularly safe, “also it’s a small bar afterall,” he adds.

As you came back from the kitchen after finishing the woman’s check, a new customer came in behind the bar island this time. Young man probably what describes him more. Looks about around his mid 20s, pretty thick rimmed glasses. You’re not sure if it’s his shoulder who’s wide or his button-ups were just oversized, but does he look lean. 

“Welcome! Anything for your order tonight?”

He sits on the barstool at the centre by himself. He adjusts his glasses as he glances around unsure, “yeah, um… just gyudon and draft beer, please,”

You walked around getting the tall glass to pour one from the beer machine. “Sorry, can I ask something?” he promptly starts.

”Yeah?”

”Where is Kouji-san?”

Looking up from the filled glass, you serve the beer on the counter, “Sensei? His daughter’s in labour tonight. I’m in charge for tonight,”

“Only you?” you smiled at his question and nodded, “‘Seems you know Sensei. You’re a regular?”

He took off his watch and chuckled, “Sort of? I do stop by pretty frequently but I’ve kinda never seen you,” he reasoned as he folded up his sleeves.

You laughed softly in the middle of wiping off the beer faucet, pointing to the back with your thumb, “I’m usually in the kitchen.” You put the rag into your apron, “So ring the bell or call up if you need anything.”

You felt the banter was enough as you turned your heels back to the kitchen because you had to make his gyudon, “Wait,” but his calling stopped you in your step. You turned around to him taking a sip of his beer.

“I haven’t gotten your name.”

“If it isn’t Wonwoo!”

Who?

Kouji’s whoop was muffled behind the kitchen curtain. You tried to calmly finish plating up the dish for a current customer so you can quickly move on to this acquaintance of Kouji. Putting his order is for later, so you swiftly deliver the tray full of bowls to the also full table at the back first.

You came back with another tray of empty dishes as you can finally see your next customer.

Oh, right… I forgot to ask his name.

He smiled at you as you confidently welcomed him, mirroring his smile.

In the middle of putting away the dirty dishes, Kouji came into the kitchen with a question, “Wonwoo said he knows you? You’ve never told me!”

You looked back at him in a slight surprise and a chuckle, “Not really, actually, we met around last week I think? You clocked off early.”

What you remembered from that day was after Wonwoo asked your name, customers piling up in a short time right after you served his food. That resulted in you spending most of your time in the kitchen and finished his check a little quickly because the other was also queuing behind him.

“Go take his order. A group just came in just now and I’m taking theirs,” Kouji ordered.

“What?? Why not you earlier, Sensei?” you whined.

After your half-playful complaint of not taking his order, you wipe off your hand dry and sighed on your way out.

“Another draft beer?”

You guessed as you walked up to him. He nodded, “And a mapo tofu, do you have that?” You took out your notes to write down his orders, “I’ll make sure and prepare that for you.

Anything else?”

Days after that, Wonwoo stopped by around eight to nine, assumingly whenever he had overtime. It’s always the same order. One (or more) glass of draft beer and any bowl dishes, that mapo tofu most of the time.

There was also the time where he came in at almost eleven. He usually never shows any signs of fatigue or weariness on his face but you can see the dim in his eyes. You tried to not approach him that much, spending more of your time checking up the kitchen before touching the baton to Kouji for the night.

You rang up his check right before you clock out. He looked a bit more refreshed after his meal, cheeks slightly flushed after a few refills of beer.

“Please walk safe home,” you gave back his card to the small tray alongside the bill.

Not expecting your non-customer service-way farewell, he stared at you for a few seconds before nodding his head, “you too.”

You swear in every language you can think of. Your heart squeezed. Wonwoo was starting to grow in your heart. It’s really nice to see him in the izakaya for a few days a week after that. You never sort of believed in any of those “at first sight” moments, if it works, good for them. While it did feel slightly heavy on your feet anytime you had to walk back to the kitchen instead of seeing him and talk to him, you had to put your mind in place. Focus. 

It could be because he’s one of your first regulars and, cough, is good looking, but you don’t know his background. Who are his friends and family and why does he always come in alone? You’re not even sure if it’s a crush or that you just found comfort with a customer. Either way, workplace is still a workplace and he is your client. This izakaya is your only rendezvous to him.

That is when Wonwoo ordered two glasses of beer. You tried your best not to halt when you stepped out of the kitchen and saw a young woman around his age beside him. You didn’t, and served him his usual bowl of rice. Gyudon this time, and mapo tofu for her.

You need to stop looking like a stalker, hiding behind the kitchen curtain. This is the second time he had brought her to this izakaya. You need to stop before someone accuses you as a total creep as you compare their interaction a few days ago with today. Almost the same. From outside it looked like they were having a quite serious and private discussion, noting down stuff on paper and their phone alternatively. As if someone’s life was actually on the line. You are also lucky Kouji will come later at night, because he might also accuse you as a total creepy stalker.

You try only focusing on attending customers. It’s almost the weekend and customers start piling up before you realize Wonwoo was already sitting alone. You try to not overthink why he didn’t take her home himself and let her go home by herself.

You walk up to the bar to check the beer dispenser. You can feel his eyes boring at you, slightly dim again like it was a couple weeks ago, and two empty glasses of beer.

“Need a refill?” you carefully ask, walking up to him.

“I’m good.” he slightly smiles before asking for his check.

You kept your sweet encouragement to yourself as you don’t want to force and assume anything towards him. He left the change and gave you a tip.

“Wonwoo?”

It was nearing autumn. Though the sun was already setting at five, the bar still opens at the same time. The rain pours hard, covering any sign of the sun setting with gloom. But nothing could’ve prepared you other than the six feet tall man crouching under the roof in front of the closed bar you’re working at, shading himself from the rain. You grip your umbrella tighter when he looks up to your call.

He calls your name in recognition as he stands up.

The rain poured harder above the roof of the izakaya when you hand Wonwoo the warm coffee on the bar. He’s in the middle of taking off his damp jacket when he looks up to you at the sight of the cup.

“On the house,”

“Thank you.”

You busy yourself behind the bar, checking and tidying stuff up under the bar as Wonwoo sips on his coffee. You peek glances over him. He doesn’t look as tired as the last time you saw him. But if your over-analysis and timeline matched, his reasoning behind crouching like a pathetic man in front of your workplace must have something to do with it.

“Is it okay if I ask you what’s wrong?”

Your sudden approach jolts him a little. He chuckles, “it’s fine,” you wait for his pause.

“I can say it’s family matters. Something came up and we had to figure it out somehow, a little stressful I might say,” you hum understanding.

“Did you not have work today? You usually come later. It’s not even six yet,”

He shakes his head, “No, I just finished super early. My seniors are having dinner, too, so,”

“Not going?”

“Not really my thing. Only works when I was new,”

He takes a sip of his coffee again. You space out for a moment not knowing what to respond. You were never the best at comforting someone. For as long as you’ve been friends with your best friends, you’ve always listened. Maybe give them some hugs and pats on the head, words of “I’m here” and “You’re not on your own” repeatedly said, affirming.

You felt sort of bad and truly embarrassed at how you acted behind him the past weeks, sort of suspecting his love life, getting (you admit) jealous at some random woman you don’t know and didn’t even try to know. Maybe what you thought a few weeks ago was right. Maybe you do have a huge cru–

“Yes, Wonwoo?” your ribbons of thoughts were snipped by Wonwoo calling your name.

“You’re usually bright, is something wrong?”

Confused by his question, you look around unsure. Guests usually come around an hour after opening, and you never wished someone to come in right now so bad through your whole career.

“M-maybe? I don’t know, sorry,”

Wonwoo was in the middle of wiping his glasses with the paw of his sleeves. He puts them back on.

“It’s usually me who’s quiet between us,” he adjusts them to the bridge of his nose, looking up at you from his seat, smiling.

Between us? He’s not making this any better. You scratch the back of your neck, not planning to come up with any reply or answer. You avert your gaze to the window, trying to avoid his eyes. Your wish of customers barging in is washed away by the rain—not slowing down any minute apparently.

“I just thought something came up and you had to like,” you chuckle at your assumption, “get off early or, run away or some sort,”

Wonwoo was still sipping his coffee. Not sensing his answer in any minute, you finish your prior thought with your remaining breath, “sort of heartbroken-looking.”

You organize the shot bottle on the under bar, again trying to distract yourself from the fact that he's now facing you, eyes boring. You didn’t budge and he stared at his coffee.

“I wanna get to know you, Wonwoo,” you finally look at him. Emphasizing on your tone, you don’t want him to feel like you’re just messing around.

“Can I?” you ponder at him, preparing yourself for the worst.

“I don’t know if it's possible. For all the time you came here, the past few weeks, I always get all... gung-ho when cooking, or preparing side dishes and bowls in the back. It’s like I want you to see me doing great like there’s nothing wrong in my mind. You know, "bright" like you said. It’s honestly stupid, fuck…” you breath out the last word.

“And then you came in super late that night, with that… heavy shoulders and countless refills of this damned beer, and then came in with that lady not once but twice, and this… serious tension between the two of you. You know, I just didn’t want to assume but it’s just… I don’t know, it was kinda confu–”

“With who now?”

You instantly pause, knowing full well he has probably catched on. So you sigh, “That… friend around your age. Pretty, slight tan, long hair,” you scratch your forehead in defeat. It’s like your pride just splurts out like a balloon being squished its air out.

You excuse yourself by collecting his empty cup on the top counter to refill it, but a hand halts your steps grabbing onto your arm.

“Don’t give me more, I don’t handle caffeine that well.”

“Just… let me put this back to the kitchen,”

“Later. Sit here.” he orders.

Your heart flinched at the slight octave drop of his already soft voice. Another sigh of loss, you put back the cup. Wonwoo slowly let go of your arm to let you walk around the bar counter.

It’s now a whole new view. Wonwoo is sitting right next to you and you can definitely smell his cologne. Even just one second of eye contact, you couldn’t handle it. How does one’s gaze be so soft and comforting? You dart your eyes and cover them with your hands with elbows on the table.

“Just… let's just finish this. I already feel ridiculous.”

All you can catch with your ears was his soft chuckle and fabric rustling, “you wanna get to know me right?”

You feel his fingers snake around your wrist, gently pulling your hands away from your face. Seeing his face up close does not help even one bit, you feel even more like shit of how messy and pathetic you must’ve looked.

“That… “friend”, is my future sister-in-law,” he starts,

Your eyeballs could probably see the back of your head as you whip your head away in another embarrassment, “Ugh, Wonwoo, enough of that,”

“Which is why we were so stressed we had to talk about it on our own. My brother’s marriage is on the line.”

You hear his tone indicating him smiling whilst explaining. To be frank, you kind of already gave up the moment his voice dropped an octave lower. All you can do now is just to sit next to Wonwoo with his thumb drawing circles on your palm. 

“It’s not stupid,” he softly assures, fingertips a little cold from sheltering the rain earlier. But it does feel so to you. Stupid crush at the ripe age of your 20s. Great. 

“So can I get to know you then?”

You look up at him, desperate for his answer and decision.

“Only if I get to know you, too. Here,”

He taps his finger to the table, hand still not letting go of yours. You make sure once more, “like right here?”

He nods, “until today’s first customer.”

You’re not sure if the smile on your lips is for him or just out of embarrassment, “Well technically you are one,” you chuckle, “at least let me put this back to the kitchen.”

Well, now that your stupid crush issue is all clear, you can finally find the courage to look at his face one more time, no meddling. All you can focus on was the soft and playful beam on his eyes behind that thick specs.

“Tell Kouji-san you got a date tonight.”

[18:06] sensei [18:06] i might have to clock off early

[18:12] Oh sure, something’s up?

[18:13] yeah umm [18:13] i just booked myself a date

[18:14] Oooh [18:14] Hahaha [18:14] About time that wonwoo

[18:14] ??? [18:14] sensei???

—

[m.list]

im bout to make a “try not writing scenario about another meet cute at 3 am” challenge (already failed)

[wasteland-wrecker]

Have you ever considered a

Porter Gage Romance? 🥺

Green Flags ✅✅✅

- 99% honest with you (1% if you truly piss him off)

- will laugh at your jokes (black humor lover, also will giggle at the most stupid ones)

- actually hates raiders

- can read and is secretly interested in reading more books n stuff

- smart (yet silly sometimes)

- touch starved (will rather die than admit it)

- mature man

- loyal partner

- would never eat stuff cooked by someone else (except you), too afraid to get poisoned

- falls in love very easily (if you’re his type, he’ll be at your feet in few seconds, but will always play it cool)

- is aware of his shitty life (<3)

- good fighter and strategist

- will try to help you in anything (once you’re his partner)

- always concerned about how you feel (will ask 10 times a day)

- hates chems and alchool (always sober)

- his voice and accent

- his smile (rare, cutest thing ever)

- knows stuff about fiki fiki but never practiced it at all (or at least not in a positive way, we don’t know much)

- is a bottom (yes, he is. With girls too. He’ll let you do the job)

- ugly (nobody will steal him from you) jk he beautiful sunshine

Red Flags 🚩🚩🚩

- can’t discern his private life to his “job life” (his relationship is based on how well you do your job, wtf)

- would kill people for fun

- if you stay with him you CAN’T have any other friend but him

- jealous af

- rotten teeth (has somebody ever seen his teeth? I didn’t, he hides them well)

- only cares about himself (uses people for his own advantage, you are the exception)

- sleeps with his weapon (and yeah, weapon stays under the pillow even during fiki fiki, you never know what could go wrong)

- won’t change his mind over things

- wears a construction site

- wears an “eyepatch” to look badass

- doesn’t trust people

- gets scared by his own shadow

- is convinced everyone wants to kill him (that’s actually true lol)

- stinky (hates baths, you have to threaten him everytime)

Ok, I don’t want this to be an official guide, this is just my depiction of Gage, my pov based on what I know about him. Some stuff is canon, other is not.

He might not be your type but… give this pathetic man a chance! 🥺

[bengal-tigers-on-petunias]

Pretty sure the zygarde might be the 'Lucius' 'Gibeon' was referring to maybe

Noticed 'Gibeon' was laying down in a chair, so I think he's got limited mobility or something along those lines, probably related to why he 'awakens' or can only interact for a short amount of time.

Some of the admins have shapes incorporated into their designs, and zygarde kinda has the hexagon shape as a leading role in its design.

[elfietheespeon]

Before Season 3 comes out...

I might as well write the predictions/theories I had back in season 1. I doubt most of them will come true, but if nothing else, this will be a good reference point to look back on; see where my headspace was at, that sort of thing

-Imelda and Atticus were working in cahoots from the beginning

-Hieronymous Loxlee was responsible for the moon explosion

-The acquisition of Midst was/is for the purpose of expanding the Trust into the fold

-There is something sinister going on with Loxlee lights. The Trust is experimenting with ways to expand their control into the fold for a purpose yet unknown. (More Tearror weaponry, like the fold grenade back in s1e17?!!)

-The Trust has access/knowledge of the prophecy abilities of the fold (Supported in s2e19; Lark's mom was/is working for the Trust, and had even stronger fortune-telling powers) and are using it for some larger plot. (Possibly connected with the death of Max Loxlee)

-Before the end of the series, Imogen Loxlee will be assassinated

-Moc Weepe is related to Kozma Laszlo

-Saskia will become the new mayor of Midst (probably won't happen, but it SHOULD)

-The conversion rates of Valor were deliberately tampered with behind the scenes to prevent Phineas from breaking even (the media was sent, meaning it was supposed to happen); all in an effort for Hieronymous to get control of Phineas.

-Phineas has been crushing on Jonas Spahr for a really long time. By the end of the series, he will confess his feelings for Jonas. (I'm willing to make a blood sacrifice if it means they have a hug by the end of the series. They need it.)

[rylara-after-dark]

‼️READ FIRST‼️

ALL KINKS ARE FANTASY/ROLEPLAY AND BETWEEN CONSENTING ADULTS OF SOUND MIND

DNI: MINORS/AGELESS, TERFS, RACISTS/TRANSPHOBES/HOMOPHOBES/MISOGYNISTS/MISANDRISTS, MAPs/PEDOs, ZIONISTS, ABUSE FETISHIZERS, “DISCOURSE SEEKERS”, PRO-ANA/THINSPO/ED/SH, APOLOGETICS/DEFENDERS OF ANYTHING PREVIOUSLY ON THIS LIST

I’m not receiving DMs at this time. Feel free to send asks! I reserve the right to ignore asks that make me uncomfortable or turn off asks, though I doubt it’ll come to that- if you want to be anonymous, feel free to pick an emoji to go by!

ASKBOX STATUS: OPEN

DM STATUS: CLOSED

About me!

Name: Rylara

Age: 19

Sexuality: Bisexual, Polyamorous

KINKS

Green: praise, overstim, free use, bondage, corruption/innocence, mommy/daddy kink, terato

Yellow (situationally into): hypnokink, edging, certain types of CNC, pet play, exhibition, certain types of degradation/humiliation, kidnapping

RED (LIMITS)

scat/piss/diaper/watersports, gun/knife kink, r@pe, raceplay, abuse kink, feet, ed/sh

Claimed emojis: 👁️

[salarymanwaka]

[gotchibam]

Shiny Mimikyu, Shiny Sylveon, and Shiny Whimsicott ko-fi doodle for wanderbanana! ✨

[airplanelanding]

r/relationship_advice

u/smashedcucumbers

My (26M) Roommate (28M) kissed me and I don't know what to do now.

So, for context, my roommate (28M) and I (26M) are both straight men. For privacy, I will call him RM, for roommate. Onto the background.

So, RM is an author — or, attempts to be one. He has a lot of potential but squanders it all on writing shitty porn for money. I have read, and still do read, his work. The skill is present, but he doesn't lean into it.

I am very rich. I don't understand what it's like to not have money or worry where my next meal will come from, and after a lot of introspection and discussion with him, I acknowledge this privilege. Monetarily, and familially, I am very lucky. This isn't to brag, or to say I have no struggles of my own (believe me, I do), but purely to add context.

I offered to pay his bills, etc., so he could write what he wanted but he refused most help because he didn't want to be "just some sugar baby" (???) — in the end, he only moved into my apartment and let me cover the rent.

We have been living together for 2.5 years now.

With the background out of the way, I'll get into why I actually made this post, now.

Last night, RM and I were having another argument over his writing. Since moving in, he has let me begun editing & beta reading his work. I have a formal degree in literature and editing, but don't do it for work. Needless to say, I know what I'm doing.

We argue a lot over his writing. Something about last night's fight was different, though. It was more tense than usual. Ever since the power went out last week — during which we had to share my bed for warmth — there has been a strange energy between us, and I guess it all bubbled over during this fight.

I don't even really remember the details. It was about a scene in which the tension between the protag of his novel and his latest love interest snapped and they fell into a passionate night. I expressed how unnatural it felt in context with the rest of the chapter, and how sudden, and that there needed to be more proper build-up. RM disagreed. I then pointed out the kissing itself and how unrealistic it was. We went back and forth like this a bit, egging each other on and arguing.

At one point, he said something along the lines of, "like you could do better," and I snapped back that maybe I could. He laughed and said he'd like to see my try and, without thinking — in the heat of the moment — said fine, go ahead. The silence was...deafening I tried to backpedal immediately when I realized what I said — again we are both straight men. I don't even know why my head went there, let alone why I said it.

After that, it gets fuzzy. All I remember is one second I was stumbling over my words trying to backpedal, the next we were on the couch and I was in his lap. I came back to my senses when he tried to take my shirt off and, as ashamed as I am to admit it, I've been hiding at my older brother's house since.

I don't want to go back home while my head is still such a mess, but I think my brother & his husband are starting to get sick of my intrusion.

Reddit, what do I do? He hasn't tried to contact me all day, or at all since I fled last night. I've never questioned my sexuality before, but now I don't know what to think. I'm straight, but...I didn't hate it?

I'm really at a loss.

⬆ 7.4k | ⇩ 💬 926 🏅 ➥ 5.8k

────────────────────────────

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🔰 AutoModerator MOD • 7 hrs • Welcome to r/relationshi...

u/streetcat 6hrs

Ever since the power went out last week — during which we had to share my bed for warmth — there has been a strange energy between us

bro...you cannot be serious.

••• ⤶ ⬆ 1.2k ⇩

u/helpful-idiot 6hrs 🎂

Plain and simple, you need to talk to him. This isn't something that will just go away if you hide long enough. This needs real communication.

••• ⤶ ⬆ 3.2k ⇩

u/endoftheline 6 hrs

we are both straight men

Are you sure about that? Genuinely. Has he ever told you he's straight? Brought home girls? Anything concrete?

he hasn't tried to contact me

It's likely he's just as panicked as you are, OP. You seem like close friends and, sexuality aside, this complicates that friendship.

what do I do?

1. Breathe.

2. Thank your brother and BIL for their hospitality.

3. Go home and talk to your friend.

Regardless of the outcome, you both deserve an honest conversation with all your cards on the table. Especially if he's having an identity crisis of his own. Have some faith in your friendship and work through this together.

edit: spelling

••• ⤶ ⬆ 6.7k ⇩

u/smashedcucumbers OP • 5hrs

Thank you.

••• ⤶ ⬆ 346 ⇩

u/smashedcucumbers OP • 4hrs

I'm going to talk to him. I might update properly later. Thank you all for the responses.

••• ⤶ ⬆ 3.9k ⇩

[amazingdeadfish]

The Killing Kind Animatic

After three months, it is finally done! I hope you all enjoy the final product and, forgive me while I go into a mini hibernation because of burnout XDDD.

Screenshots I used as reference and/or traced

[aprilblossomgirl]

P'Fai, what is love for you?

PERFECT 10 LINERS | EP.20

[teletunkie]

Lesbian habitat

[ed3lsgard]

ok no one asked for this BUT. i wanted to share some of my fav markhellyna and some hellyna fics bc ive read almost all of them. this will kinda be like an ultimate collection, so its a long list!

(all rated E for smut and etc)

(beware for dead dove content)

•

missing me?

Helena Eagan, leader in waiting to Lumon Industries is missing, presumed dead.

So why does Mark see her constantly?

•

say yes to heaven

Professor Mark Scout meets a 26 year old grad student Helena at a Ganz fundraiser.

•

the you inside of you

Helly speaks before she can think. “Fuck you.” But it isn’t enough. She can hear her heartbeat in her ears, the rage in her belly shifting into something more, unnameable almost.

“You really are such a fucking brat, aren’t you?”

--

Helena Eagan discovers that reintegration has some...side effects.

•

hit me harder (i’m getting re-wired)

To an innie that has only ever experienced the sterile fluorescent lights and the dull electrical hum of the Lumon office, every sensation is new and exciting. Even pain. Especially pain.

•

deja-vu

What’s one I need you text between sisters after five years of radio silence? The catalyst for an impromptu nightclub visit, apparently.

•

blessed are the broken

Helena Eagan has never known desire—that is, until she steps into Father Mark Scout’s chapel.

•

two minds

Helena Eagen has always been polished, poised, perfect. In control.

Helly R. changes things.

•

a helping hand

Helly's been in the bathroom for 30 minutes. Mark offers to help her out.

•

plaything

Helly R wants to quit. Why would Helena do that? She’s having too much fun with her.

•

axis & allies

The girl doesn’t move. Mark looks at her funny.

“I’m Helly,” she says.

“Uh, hi, Helly. Why are you sitting on my desk?”

Quiet laughter. Helly slips from the surface, extending a hand he has to cross the room to shake.

“Helly R—your TA?”

Six months after the death of his wife, Mark returns to Ganz.

•

drowning on dry land

A grieving Helly and the MDR team chart a path forward after the events of the ORTBO.

Meanwhile, Mark Scout reintegrates, setting himself on a collision course with Helly, a woman he’s never met but can’t stop dreaming about.

•

snare

After the restaurant, Mark takes Helena on a drive.

•

soft as sin

Recently promoted Mark Scout attends his first end of quarter celebration at the Eagan estate and meets a young woman that he’d like to know more about.

•

amomaxia

Mark and Helena nasty drunk hookup

Set after they meet at the Chinese restaurant, of course.

•

sleeping (with the enemy)

Helly had only been able to hate Helena when she was a faraway concept. When their lives were interwoven this way, she couldn’t ignore the way the feeling morphed.

For the first time, Helly was angered by the fact that she didn’t know Helena. In another world, any other set of circumstances, maybe they could have been friends.

If she fucked herself, was she fucking Helena, too?

•

sick as it sounds

Mark meets Helena months before his innie gets brained by Helly R. He's gonna need a lot more bandaids.

•

5 times helly asked mark to reintegrate (and the 1 time she didn’t)

When Lumon is shut down, reintegration is offered as standard to all of its previous employees. Mark Scout isn’t sure he wants to reintegrate, in fact, he’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to. Helly will just have to do her best to convince him otherwise.

•

a circle in salt

She goes up wanting him and comes down wanting him. It’s something she cannot fathom living without.

(moments in between)

•

hey there, you on the table

“You’re going to lie down on the table. In there. Then you’re going to take your clothes off and touch yourself while I watch.”

Struggling to find somewhere private and desperate to fuck each other, Mark and Helly end up back in the conference room where they first met.

•

brief hold, please

Helly comes into work with a hickey. Mark is distracted.

•

drink the honey

Mark and Helly make use of their Hall Passes to explore more of the severed floor, eventually stumbling upon a hidden lab. Mark gets afflicted by one of the strange chemicals in the lab, and the only cure available is Helly…

•

freaky friday

When Reghabi floods the chip in Mark’s brain, the severance barrier is disturbed. What happens when Mark Scout wakes up on the severance floor?

•

yours, mine, ours

Alone in his bed, Mark dreams of them. Helena and Helly, together. Wanting him. Wanting each other. In the quiet hush of his dream, he finally stops choosing.

-x-

Or. A deleted dream scene from missing me ch.13. Can be read as a stand alone piece.

•

pas de deux

Mark Scout accepts a teaching position at the Myrtle Eagan Ballet Academy; Helena Eagan's attendance might make things complicated.

•

outside with you

Something goes wrong with their chips, causing Mark and Helly to wake up outside of work.

•

wedge

This sudden, suffocating need to be near Helly. To touch her. To hold her in ways that were intimate. Wrong. The kind of closeness she could only fantasize about in secret.

—

The Eagan twins attend the Myrtle Eagan School For Girls

•

tame your tempers, soothe your soul

Woe. Malice. Dread. Frolic.

Four tempers, one for each combination of the splintered lovers, drawn together time after time.

Post season 2. Mark S, Helly R, Mark Scout and Helena Eagan reckon with the splintered, four-hearted thing they have become.

•

phantoms

A week after the events of the S2 finale, Mark Scout attempts to put together the pieces of his life. An added complication? He's still reintegrating, dreaming in Mark S.'s memories, and attempting to ignore the fact that his innie is trying to tell him something

•

(never) break the chain

Mark offers to meet with Helena to discuss his experience with the overtime contingency. Reintegration has other plans for him.

•

i wanna take you to euphoria

As a recreational drug, ether is inhaled for its intoxicating effects, causing euphoria, sedation, and hallucinations. The user may experience distorted thinking, euphoria, and visual and auditory hallucinations at higher doses.

•

doubles

“We know each other down there, don’t we?” He asks, but he doesn’t phrase it like a question. Doesn't see the point, not when they both already know the answer.

Helena’s face flickers. For a second, she almost looks rattled, and hides the rest of her reaction behind a sip of whiskey. The bottle clinks in the silence that stretches, her hand slowly falling away from the counter.

“We do.” She eventually says.

•

her favorite color

She was a bottomless pit of hunger — for freedom, vengeance. Destruction. She chewed through everything Helena gave her and spat it back out. It wasn’t enough to be given a body. A life. A clean slate. Free of the memories that would make her truly hollow. Nothing was enough.

Helly wanted to burn the whole house down, and Helena was locked in the basement.

or: helena wears a yellow dress to lift helly's spirits

•

bitter honey, sweet sickness (hellyna dead dove)

When she visibly reacts to the inappropriate touch, her mother glowers at her through the mirror. It’s like being scolded by herself, watching in third person the exact type of shame she should have felt to do what she did in the first place. Her hand inches higher, and Helly squeaks. Mother, she means to say, but that’s not what comes out.

•

office hours

“All administrators, faculty, and staff are prohibited from unethical or inappropriate fraternization with students, including, but not limited to, dating, pursuing a date, having or pursuing a romantic or sexual relationship with students.”

It’s literally in the handbook - written, signed, and stamped.

•

reading together

Mark and Helly find some interesting contraband in Milchick's office.

•

puzzle pieces

Professor Scout attends his first faculty mixer in 3 years, with his arm curled around the lower back of his hot, young, scandalously dressed new wife, Helly.

•

heat lightning

“Mark.” She murmurs, her voice echoing. The tap drips.

She’s so alive, he thinks. So, so alive.

---

Post s2e10 Cold Harbour

•

miss eagan

The executive floor was dark except for a thin slice of light spilling from Helena’s office, pooling in the otherwise dim hallway. A trap laid out, just for him.

She looked different at night. He noticed the faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. The soft smudge of mascara beneath one of them, barely noticeable unless you were looking closely. She didn’t look sloppy. Just real. And somehow more dangerous for it.

—

Helena Eagan gets a hot young intern

•

part of you knew

Mark’s had an inkling- the way Helly gravitates towards encouragement is something that he’s just filed off as endearing in his head. But it’s slotting into place now, the actual weight of it. Helly really, really likes being complimented.

•

and those wedding bells were ringing out our fate

“Maybe it’s each other. That’d be a hoot.”

And what if it was?

(Or, based on that exchange and the fact that they had considered making them spouses on the outside, Mark and Helena are married. How’s that going?)

•

they really are rutting

His back is against the shelf and his front is just an inch away from Helly. He’s hard, rock hard the exact words for it and-

His hips stutter forward, hitting Helly’s stomach, just above her waist. Mark moans at the contact, snapping himself back against the wall with wide eyes.

--

Set after Mark shreds Petey's map in The You You Are.

•

tie break

Mark runs his thumb up the line of her jaw, and takes a long look at her, in a way that she knows he’s about to say something stupid. “What?” She almost laughs, her voice breathy and quiet.

“Your boyfriend’s gonna kill me.” He jokes, and god he’s so fucking stupid, her face splits into a grin, then a barely restrained laugh. She leans back in, brushes her lips against his.

"Better make it count, then, Scout."

[sugajimin]

my home

[oneknightstand-if]

Greater Circle: Available Now

Lesser Circle: Available July 14*

Public Beta: August 4*

*Updates occur in Eastern time and may be delayed in case of emergency or sickness (or computer going up in flames) because I'm not going through that clusterfuck again when I updated with COVID.

The new update, Closed Beta Version 0.24 is now live for the Greater Circle tier. This includes the final update to Merlin's Guide, more text messages from non-dead people, and the Free Time Hub in all its horrifying glory.

Platonically or romantically attempt to hang out with everyone onboard the RV. Or just pester them with unending questions & demands. Or pick a fight. Or start shit-stirring. Or...

Work on your phobias or train your stats, with or without the help of the available ROs (Surgeon General's Warning: Some of these people are not too good at this)

Start your investigations on the internet. You totally want to see Merlin's OnlyFans account and stalk Adrian on social media, right? (Also, all those MC Benoni's who didn't have The Talk, he's coming for you)

Indulge in some stress relief with one of the five million potential things in your inventory that definitely has no foreshadowing or chances of blowing up in your face.

Put off doing one of many myriad chores. It totally won't bite you at some point.

Change your sleeping arrangements in the RV and set off a musical beds game that can end up pissing off several people. (Oh god, the coding in the Bed Hub)

Look at all the data from running RandomTest 60,000+ times!

Current Word Count: 1.4 Million(including code) | 1.1 Million(sans code)

Current Average Playthrough: 75,000+ words

Total Update: 250,000+ (with code) | 200,000+ (without code)

[metanarrates]

Hello. Sorry if this a stupid question u can ignore if u want.

How can someone get better at media analysis? Besides obviously reading a lot.

Im asking this bc im in a point where im aware of my own lack of tools to analyze stories, but i don't know where to get them or how to get better in general. How did you learn to analyze media? There's any specific book, essay, author, etc that you recommend? Somewhere to start?

I'm asking you because you are genuinely the person who has the best takes on this site. Thank you for you work!

it sounds like a cop-out answer but it's always felt like a skill I acquired mostly thru reading a ton, and by paying a lot of attention in high school literature classes. because of that I can't promise that I'm necessarily equipped to be a good teacher or that i know good resources. HOWEVER! let me run some potential advice to you based on the shit i get a lot of mileage out of

first off, a lot of literary analysis is about pattern recognition! not just pattern recognition in-text, but out-of-text as well. how does this work relate to its genre? real-world history? does it have parallels between real-life situations? that kind of thing.

which is a big concept to just describe off the bat, so let me break it down further!

in literature, there is the concept of something called literary devices - they are some of the basic building blocks in how a story is delivered mechanically and via subtext. have you ever heard of a motif? that is a literary device. it's a pattern established in the text in order to further the storytelling! and here is a list of a ton of common literary devices - I'd recommend reading the article. it breaks down a lot of commonly used ones in prose and poetry and explains their usage.

personally, I don't find all the literary devices I've learned about in school to be the most useful to my analytical hobbies online. motifs, themes, and metaphors are useful and dissecting them can bring a lot to the table, but a lot of other devices are mostly like fun bonus trivia for me to notice when reading. however, memorizing those terms and trying to notice them in the things you read does have a distinct benefit - it encourages you to start noticing patterns, and to start thinking of the mechanical way a story is built. sure, thinking about how the prose is constructed might not help you understand the story much more, but it does make you start thinking about how things like prose contribute to the greater feeling of a piece, or how the formatting of a piece contributes to its overall narrative. you'll start developing this habit of picking out little things about a text, which is useful.

other forms of in-text pattern recognition can be about things like characterization! how does a character react to a certain situation? is it consistent with how they usually behave? what might that tell you about how they think? do they have tells that show when they're not being trustworthy? does their viewpoint always match what is happening on screen? what ideas do they have about how the world works? how are they influenced by other people in their lives? by social contexts that might exist? by situations that have affected them? (on that note, how do situations affect other situations?)

another one is just straight-up noticing themes in a work. is there a certain idea that keeps getting brought up? what is the work trying to say about that idea? if it's being brought up often, it's probably worth paying attention to!

that goes for any pattern, actually. if you notice something, it's worth thinking about why it might be there. try considering things like potential subtext, or what a technique might be trying to convey to a reader. even if you can't explain why every element of a text is there, you'll often gain something by trying to think about why something exists in a story.

^ sometimes the answer to that question is not always "because it's intentional" or even "because it was a good choice for the storytelling." authors frequently make choices that suck shit (I am a known complainer about choices that suck shit.) that's also worth thinking about. english classes won't encourage this line of thinking, because they're trying to get you to approach texts with intentional thought instead of writing them off. I appreciate that goal, genuinely, but I do think it hampers people's enthusiasm for analysis if they're not also being encouraged to analyze why they think something doesn't work well in a story. sometimes something sucks and it makes new students mad if they're not allowed to talk about it sucking! I'll get into that later - knowing how and why something doesn't work is also a valuable skill. being an informed and analytical hater will get you far in life.

so that's in-work literary analysis. id also recommend annotating your pages/pdfs or keeping a notebook if you want to close-read a work. keeping track of your thoughts while reading even if they're not "clever" or whatever encourages you to pay attention to a text and to draw patterns. it's very useful!

now, for out-of-work literary analysis! it's worth synthesizing something within its context. what social settings did this work come from? was it commenting on something in real life? is it responding to some aspects of history or current events? how does it relate to its genre? does it deviate from genre trends, commentate on them, or overall conform to its genre? where did the literary techniques it's using come from - does it have any big stylistic influences? is it referencing any other texts?

and if you don't know the answer to a bunch of these questions and want to know, RESEARCH IS YOUR FRIEND! look up historical events and social movements if you're reading a work from a place or time you're not familiar with. if you don't know much about a genre, look into what are considered common genre elements! see if you can find anyone talking about artistic movements, or read the texts that a work might be referencing! all of these things will give you a far more holistic view of a work.

as for your own personal reaction to & understanding of a work... so I've given the advice before that it's good to think about your own personal reactions to a story, and what you enjoy or dislike about it. while this is true that a lot of this is a baseline jumping-off point on how I personally conduct analysis, it's incomplete advice. you should not just be thinking about what you enjoy or dislike - you should also be thinking about why it works or doesn't work for you. if you've gotten a better grasp on story mechanics by practicing the types of pattern recognition i recognized above, you can start digging into how those storytelling techniques have affected you. did you enjoy this part of a story? what made it work well? what techniques built tension, or delivered well on conflict? what about if you thought it sucked? what aspects of storytelling might have failed?

sometimes the answer to this is highly subjective and personal. I'm slightly romance-averse because I am aromantic, so a lot of romance plots will simply bore me or actively annoy me. I try not to let that personal taste factor too much into serious critiques, though of course I will talk about why I find something boring and lament it wasn't done better lol. we're only human. just be aware of those personal taste quirks and factor them into analysis because it will help you be a bit more objective lol

but if it's not fully influenced by personal taste, you should get in the habit of building little theses about why a story affected you in a certain way. for example, "I felt bored and tired at this point in a plot, which may be due to poor pacing & handling of conflict." or "I felt excited at this point in the plot, because established tensions continued to get more complex and captured my interest." or "I liked this plot point because it iterated on an established theme in a way that brought interesting angles to how the story handled the theme." again, it's just a good way to think about how and why storytelling functions.

uh let's see what else. analysis is a collaborative activity! you can learn a lot from seeing how other people analyze! if you enjoy something a lot, try looking into scholarly articles on it, or youtube videos, or essays online! develop opinions also about how THOSE articles and essays etc conduct analysis, and why you might think those analyses are correct or incorrect! sometimes analyses suck shit and developing a counterargument will help you think harder about the topic in question! think about audience reactions and how those are created by the text! talk to friends! send asks to meta blogs you really like maybe sometimes

find angles of analysis that interest and excite you! if you're interested in feminist lenses on a work, or racial lenses, or philosophical lenses, look into how people conduct those sort of analyses on other works. (eg. search feminist analysis of hamlet, or something similar so you can learn how that style of analysis generally functions) and then try applying those lenses to the story you're looking at. a lot of analysts have a toolkit of lenses they tend to cycle through when approaching a new text - it might not be a bad idea to acquire a few favored lenses of your own.

also, most of my advice is literary advice, since you can broadly apply many skills you learn in literary analysis to any other form of storytelling, but if you're looking at another medium, like a game or cartoon, maybe look up some stuff about things like ludonarrative storytelling or visual storytelling! familiarizing yourself with the specific techniques common to a certain medium will only help you get better at understanding what you're seeing.

above all else, approach everything with intellectual curiosity and sincerity. even if you're sincerely curious about why something sucks, letting yourself gain information and potentially learning something new or being humbled in the process will help you grow. it's okay to not have all the answers, or to just be flat-out wrong sometimes. continuing to practice is a valuable intellectual pursuit even if it can mean feeling a tad stupid sometimes. don't be scared to ask questions. get comfortable sometimes with the fact that the answer you'll arrive at after a lot of thought and effort will be "I don't fully know." sometimes you don't know and that can be valuable in its own right!

thank you for the ask, and I hope you find this helpful!

[thejolteonmastertj]

New chapter’s got more fuel for my ‘Wild is a cuddler but is awful at asking for it’ agenda! 🤭

See, aside from Wild giving a scant few of playful pats on the shoulder—or Twi’s face at one point—(usually either right after petting Wolfie, or not long after their hug in the Dawn arc)… it always seems to be Twilight to initiate contact.

This time is no exception.

Lookat that body language! Wild’s stiff & reserved at first, to the point that Twilight needs to reach out pretty far to put a hand on his shoulder.

Then Wild lights up & escalates it to full-on horseplay. Twilight even needs to push him away to get him back on track.

This isn’t the first time by far either (hence why Twilight knew his contact would be welcome in the first place).

They’re dorks & they’re brothers your honor. 😂 Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.