#i do hope the dark urge's origin gets updated in the future to have more companion reactions and such. definitely could have more of those

[emmodii]

22/11/2023, 1.18am

[aries-writingblog]

Detonation

Summary: As an FBI agent, YN deals with bad guys all day long. So does Bucky as an Avenger. When their worlds collide, it’s never pretty. Especially not when they are the targets.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 4620

Warnings: language, violence, bombs and explosions, bomb threats, hostage situation

AN: This was another request from @cherry-season and if you can’t tell by reading this I’ve been watching criminal minds again so I hope you guys like this one. GIF is not my own credit to original creator.

YN leaned back in the desk chair, spinning it halfway back and forth. Boring a hole into the scattered papers of the police department. She was exhausted. Their team had been after this same guy for a week now. A real piece of work: planting bombs in DC banks. Leaving cryptic messages with them. Fortunately, their bomb squad made it in time to dismantle the charge before it blew. But they were no closer to catching the guy than before.

“Shitty coffee?” A deep, masculine voice approached her side. Placing a coffee cup in front of her. YN smiled, gratefully accepting the beverage. She glanced up to the provider, one of her teammates, Alex Knowles. “Look like you could use it.”

“That a way of telling me I look worse than the coffee?” YN teased, chugging the lukewarm drink down. So accustomed to cheap, watery coffee, she barely even gagged at the bitter taste as it went down. “No leads?”

Alex shook his head, pulling up a chair and plopping beside her. He sighed, gazing out over the bustling police station. Watching the beat cops go in and out of the doors, suspects and victims all being questioned or held in the same room. A Mecca of activity unfolding before their eyes. Progress. Just not the progress they needed.

“Kinda hoping Bryant would bring something back in- he went to question a couple witnesses that were around the bank at the time the guy dropped the bomb off.” He reported, sitting forward to shuffle through the papers on the desk. “What’s all this?”

“Those are previous reports…” YN explained, brushing stray hair back from her face. “I thought he could’ve had a previous record… he built these bombs with some kind of knowledge- whether it be academic or street smarts, I’m not sure yet. Besides, not doing anything else.”

Alex nodded, letting the paper slip through his fingers and back to the desktop. He watched his teammate reorganize the stacks- the glittering diamond on her finger catching his eye. A devilish grin cracked his lips, whistling appreciatively.

“Barnes finally asked that question, did he?” He asked, putting his cup down and gesturing for her hand. YN rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile as she complied. Alex studied the rock more closely, examining the quality. “Got good taste for somebody as old as he is.”

“Oh shut up.” YN laughed, yanking her hand back.

She and Bucky met on a case. Their FBI team had been invited into a local investigation of suspicious activity. Turns out, the Avengers were also looking into it. Well, a team of four Avengers anyways. Bucky Barnes being one of them. He was smooth, a sweet talker. Managed to wriggle his way into her phone, later he would swing a date. Two years later, Bucky was down on a knee in her bedroom. Asking one of those life altering questions.

That had been three weeks ago. They barely had time to see each other after that night. She was pulled back into work, he was pulled halfway across the globe on a mission. He did call every night, checking in. Asking about her day. Making outrageous, silly promises about the wedding and their new home, their future. Making her smile, distracting her from her day. At the same time, allowing himself to dissociate from the mission he was on as well.

“I’m happy for you.” Alex’s tone turned sober, serious. YN glanced over to him. He leaned his elbows on his knees, smiling broadly. “You both deserve someone like the other… you deserve each other. I mean it in the best, possible way.”

“Thank you, Alex.” YN replied, reflecting her sincere gratitude as best she could. Alex was always in her corner. No matter what- he trusted her. In their world, that meant everything and more.

“Hey, LN- Knowles!” Ricky Bryant came rushing into their area, flushed and out of breath. “Listen, I think we might’ve found the bomber’s identity: Casey Griffin. ”

“What?” YN leaned forward, staring up at him. Her eyebrows furrowed, a faint pin struck the back of her head. “Griffin… Casey Griffin- that sounds familiar. Why is that familiar?”

Ricky opened his mouth, ready to spill all the information he had gathered about the man. A woman interrupted their circle, a panicked look in her eyes.

“Agent LN- there’s a call on line six for you. He claims to be responsible for the bombings and he’s demanding to speak with you.” She interjected, nodding to the desk phone. YN glanced from Ricky to Alex.

“Get Robbie on the phone- tell her we need to trace this call immediately.” She instructed, rolling to the desk to pick up the phone. She waited a moment, allowing Ricky to call Robbie, the fourth member of their team. Their tech analyst. “Ready?”

“Yeah- go ahead.”

YN took a deep, calming breath. Her fingers tightened around the phone anxiously. Swallowing back her creeping nerves, she pulled the phone off the receiver.

“Agent LN, may I ask who’s calling?” She began slowly, giving Robbie a chance to snag the call’s location. There was heavy breathing on the other end, as if he had been running.

“You know who’s calling, YN. Don’t play coy- it isn’t a good look on you.”

Recognition struck her like lightning as she heard his voice. He had been one of the hostages in the first emergency scene. YN had taken down his statement herself. She ground her teeth together, anger flooding her system. She had been played.

“You’ve got me there, Casey.” She chuckled, her free hand wiping down the thigh of her tactical pants. “This is the first time you’ve called- why are you just now contacting us?”

The sound Griffin made was far from a laugh- the dark, slow noise was bone chilling. Nauseating. She could feel it deep into her clothes, settling like frost against her skin. She bit her cheek, staving off the urge to shiver through the discomfort.

“I’ve decided I want to give you front row tickets to the show, of course.” He crowed, voice leaping in octaves. “Corner of West and Fifth. You have half an hour, unless you want all these lovely people to end up blood splatters and burn marks on the floors.” YN winced, clenching her jaw. “Oh, and YN? Come in alone.”

The telltale click and beep ended the call, leaving YN to stare blankly at the desk before her. Clenching the phone in her grasp so tightly the plastic creaked. Knuckles lightening. She swallowed, something was clutching her throat. Restricting her lung capacity. Her shaking fingers pressed the phone into the receiver. Pushing her chair back, she stumbled to her feet.

“YN- “

“I just need a minute, okay?” She snapped, snagging her jacket from the chair across from the desk. YN shoved past the incoming traffic of people, fumbling her way outside.

The city was full of noise; Blaring car horns, shouting, a low murmur of pedestrian conversations. Sirens. The thrum of the city’s heartbeat under her feet. Taking a left into the alleyway, YN dug through her pockets, fingers brushing against the carton of cigarettes and lighter.

Hands trembling, she put a stick between her lips. Blowing smoke as soon as she lit it. Tilting her head back against the weathered brick of the station. A shaky exhale following the wavering grey smoke. She clenched her jaw, bowing her head.

She knew it was a trap- Casey was asking to meet alone. But he was holding hostages in a bank loaded down with explosives. And who knew what he wanted, why only her? Why alone? And why was that name familiar? None it made sense- facts blurring together. Shrouding him from her senses.

A sudden buzz against her abdomen sent her reeling back into consciousness. Her cigarette was gone- flicking the filter to the ground. Pushing it into the cement with her boot. Her fingers scuttled through her pocket, retrieving her phone.

Bucky’s contact photo- one of him fast asleep with fridge magnets on his arm. She smiled- somehow Bucky always knew right when she needed him. Like he had a sensor on her emotions, giving him timely reports. Updating him constantly.

“Hey, Buck.” She greeted, begging her voice to not crack. It sounded normal. Or at least enough that she hoped Bucky didn’t question it. Tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear, she lit another cigarette. Blowing the stress away from the speaker.

“Hey, sugar,” She could hear his smile through the phone. That excited one he always got when he first saw her. Wide, showing off his teeth. Stretching his face so much she wondered if it hurt. “I’m just callin’ to tell you I’m home. And I know you’re busy but, I wanted to hear your voice again.”

YN laughed, falling into the regular rhythm with him. Allowing herself to feel the stress melt from her bones. Bucky always had that affect on her. Something she couldn’t quite understand. Why the man was such an addictive drug.

“Well, you’re in luck- I’m on a break right now.” She wanted nothing more than to sit and talk with him, listen to his baritone drawl. Lulling her into a state of comfort and security. But she knew she couldn’t- she had limited time. She had to make a decision. And soon.

“Are you smoking again?” Bucky asked. YN smiled, biting down on her lip. She made a noncommittal noise, neither agreeing or disagreeing with his statement. He had been after her for their entire relationship to make her quit the habit. Trying to help her kick it. Nothing ever really helped. “YN…”

“I know… I’ve only had two. I just… I needed a break.” She admitted, bowing her head. She shifted her eyes to the alleyway opening, seeing Alex and Ricky approaching her. “I’ve got to get back. I’ll see you at home?”

“Yes, I’m making that soup you like for dinner. Don’t let it go cold.” He warned.

“I won’t. Love you.”

“Love you too.” She shoved her phone into her back pocket, meeting her partner’s halfway. Their faces drawn with concern and hesitancy.

“Gear me up.” She pushed between them, not looking back. She feared if she looked at them again, she would lose her nerve. Holding her shoulders back, chin tilted with her head held high. She had to keep the air of confidence around her. If she didn’t- they would never believe her. YN needed full backup for her plan. “I’m going in.”

~~~~~~

The building seemed to loom over her, taunting her as she stood before it. The large windows were gaping at her, a threat to her minuscule presence. YN swallowed back the terror she felt, pushing it down and locking it away. Out of reach.

“We’ll be talking with you through the comms unit the whole time.” Ricky explained, securing the equipment over her ear. He carefully tightened the straps on her vest, glancing to meet her eyes. His brows dipped. “You don’t have to do this you know? We can raid the building or get a sniper down here. This isn’t the only option.”

YN shook her head, clipping her holster over her belt, around her waist. She sighed, the exhale was shaky. Biting down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling, she clipped extra ammunition to the side.

“It’s the one where everyone makes it out. Those hostages are the main priority right now.”

“Hey.” Ricky stopped her nervous movement, hands on both of her shoulders. Forcing her to look up at his face. “Don’t do that. Don’t make it seem like some small bust… this is serious. We’re worried about you. About this. It’s dangerous. Give a little of that focus to yourself.”

“Okay.” YN agreed. She inhaled again, this time a little more steady. Giving a final affirmative nod, she squared her shoulders and backed away. She turned, facing the group of DC police officers and FBI squads. “Alright, these comms go both ways. I’m negotiating for hostages first. If anything goes wrong, clear the site. We don’t know how many explosives he has in there.”

YN watched the groups follow her orders, setting up to accept hostages. Loading guns for a raid if needed. Both ambulance and fire department had been called in. The companies were also preemptively preparing for the worst. She began walking toward the bank, eyes forward. What felt like thousands of eyes followed her to the door, fire burning against her back.

As she approached, she could see a woman standing at the glass door. She had been crying- her face stained with tears. YN stopped at the glass door, standing face to face with the woman. After several moments of staring, the order was finally given to open the door. The woman’s shaking fingers unlocked it, pushing it open.

“You’ve served your purpose.” A quiet voice spoke across the lobby, echoing on the tiled floors. “You may go.” The woman burst into tears, shoving past YN and onto the street. “Agent LN… how courteous of you to take her place.”

YN entered the lobby tentatively, keeping her head on a swivel. She turned the corner, coming face to face with the bomber. Casey Griffin stood behind the group of hostages, hands tucked behind his back. A twisted, sacrilegious grin on his lips. The group at his feet were huddled together, most were sobbing quietly. Holding people they most likely didn’t know. She knew from experience that tense situations erased all lines between humans. Everything begins to blur when terrified panic sets in.

“I’m here, Griffin. What do you want?” She demanded, her hand resting on her weapon. There was a buzz of static in her ear, the line opening.

“We don’t have a visual of you anymore, LN. Get back into sight.”

Griffin took a step forward, around his subjects. A small, black remote in his hand. Eyes steady on her face. Studying her. He exhaled sharply, coming to a stop right before her.

“I was hoping you’d be more… well, more.” He frowned, disappointed. YN’s eyebrow lifted, unable to follow his thoughts. “Such a shame… I’ve read all these great things about you. Every case you’ve solved, every step you’ve made to get here. You’re much more impressive on paper.”

“Get to the point.” YN sneered, her jaw clenched. Griffin smirked, eyes scanning down her face again. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

“All you feds- no taste for the theatrical. I much rather prefer the Avengers.” He grinned, eyes sparkling dangerously. YN felt her heartbeat pick up It’s pace. Heart threatening to burst out of her chest. “Oh, that’s right… congratulations, by the way. What’s it like- being engaged to a fossil? Are his brains still scrambled?”

“Shut up.” She hissed, fingers itching to reach out and wrap around his throat. He only tilted his head, pouting. He began pacing, orbiting around her slowly. Her shoulders tensed, defenses began raising even further. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you see, I’m very well acquainted with Sergeant Barnes.” Griffin slowed to a stop again, on her right. He leaned in, close enough she could feel his breath against her skin. “He murdered my husband.”

The pounding in her chest seemed to have leapt into her throat. Breathing was much harder now, her skin crawled as her brain went into overdrive. Something was wrong… what was going on?

“He doesn’t do that anymore.” YN admitted, her voice lower than she thought it would be. Threatening to crack.

“But he does.” He hissed, gripping her arm tightly. Yanking her to his chest. His free hand came up to her ear, ripping the unit out and flinging it into the wall. His fingers fluttered down to her chin, grasping it tightly and forcing her face to his. He stared down at her. Anger burning in his irises, the dark circles under his eyes. His nostrils flared. “What makes it even worse is that he chose to do it. With Hydra, he had no choice. But with the Avengers? He had every decision laid out before him and he chose.”

YN flinched, flecks of saliva landing on her cheek. Her jaw clenched down tighter, eyes closing momentarily. Griffin’s hand crept down from her face, into the pocket of her pants. His fingers grasped the device, pulling it out. He held the device to her face, unlocking it then shoving her away.

“So now,” Griffin gave her a maniacal grin. YN was beginning to get whiplash from his mood swings. He was unpredictable. Unstable. Devolving before her eyes. She glanced back to the group of hostages. “He gets to flex that autonomy again. Oh, how lovely- he was your last call.”

“Why do you have me here, Griffin?” YN demanded, attempting to take control of the situation. If he was distracted, she could maneuver and gain the upper hand. “If you wanted to go after Bucky you would’ve done it. Why do any of this? Why do you need them?”

Griffin spared a quick glance to the group of shivering civilians. He hummed quietly, pressing dial for Bucky’s number. YN felt a drop of sweat bead down her neck. Rolling to meet the bulletproof fabric over her torso. She was alone in here, responsible for the lives of those petrified people. Staring and waiting for her to do something. Help them.

Her eyes fell to the remote in his hand. She could snatch it. The bomb was his power move. His leverage. Then again, the hostages were bargaining chips. He had to give something up. She had to remove variables.

“Let them go.” YN urged, holding her hands out in surrender. “You’ve got me, you’ve got my attention. Let them go.” He sighed dramatically, eyes rolling as he pressed the button for speakerphone.

“It’s no fun without an audience.” He whined, shrugging as he turned to the hostage group. “And to think- we were just getting to the good part. Fine! Leave, all of you.”

The group all scrambled to their feet, taking their leave before he changed his mind. The stampede rushed the door, cramming themselves out into the street. YN’s heart slowed, the adrenaline fading in her veins slightly. Her priority was taken care of- they all made it out alive.

“Hello?” YN never thought she would be nervous to hear Bucky’s voice. Casey smiled at the phone, eyes boring into her skull. “YN? Hello?”

“She can’t make it to the phone right now.” Griffin responded, giving her a mocking pout. The other end fell silent. YN could almost feel the paranoia settle over his body. “I would ask you to leave a message but I’m afraid she won’t be around much longer to hear it.”

An idea began to form, tingling at the base of her skull. YN gulped nervously. She had to keep him distracted- keep him focused on Bucky. But that also meant she had to stay focused on Casey. She couldn’t say a word to Bucky. Not yet.

“Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” Bucky hissed. YN closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She could pull her weapon. But could she pull it fast enough? Griffin could blow the place to smithereens. She could try to get the remote- every solution seemed to fall back to the same outcome. She grit her teeth- he had the upper hand. She could do nothing but wait it out.

“Joshua Rivers.” Casey replied. While his voice was smooth and unrestrained, his eyes told a different story. Seething, red hot rage burned in his veins. “Does that name ring any bells to you, Sargeant? Let me give you a hint anyways- I know how fragile the mind can be in the older years. He was a lead operative for Hydra. Four months ago, you raided his warehouse and instead of arresting him, you put a bullet through his skull.”

“He deserved more.” Bucky hissed, his voice crackling through the speaker. Echoing in the empty building. Casey scowled, his nose scrunching in anger. “That warehouse housed human experimentation projects.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Casey screamed, veins in his neck popping out against his skin. Pumping adrenaline in time with his heart. “He was a person- he had people who loved him, cared for him. You took that away from me. I can’t help but wonder… how you’ll feel about the same circumstances.”

“Where is YN?” Bucky demanded, keeping his voice level. YN began to creep her fingers up, toward the gun in her holster. She had one chance. He was distracted- she could gain the upper hand.

“Well, that’s a tricky question. It’s only a matter of time before she’s… everywhere.” Griffin shrugged, swinging his gaze back to YN. Her fingers faltered, halting at her hip. She was close, her thumb brushed the cold metal of the gun. “So now… now I think I’ll return the favor. You took something from me. The only person that ever mattered. You destroyed my world.”

“If you touch her, I swear to-“

“You don’t believe in God, Sergeant.” Griffin’s slow drawl interrupted the threat. His tongue ran over his lips, taking a deep breath. “He’s not real. If he were, don’t you believe that none of this suffering would happen?” There was a ruckus of noise on the other end of the phone, Bucky panting heavily. A door slamming. “This is your repentance, James Barnes.”

YN’s fingers wrapped around the metal plating, her nerves settling. She could make this draw. It would be fast enough. It would be accurate. She could end it once and for all. She exhaled slowly, counting down.

Three…

Two…

One…

In a flash, YN pulled her gun from her side. Aiming it at Casey’s chest and pulling the trigger. The loud gunfire echoed- ringing in her ears. Her heart sank. Stomach plummeting to her feet.

She missed.

Casey’s expression settled into one of contempt. Disappointment. The hell fire turned to her, his focus shifting from Bucky to YN. Surging toward her, his hand swung out, shoving the muzzle to the ceiling as she fired again. Casey’s fist tightened around her phone, a strong punch to her kidney sending her to her knees, wheezing for air. YN grunted, her hand swinging at a wide angle, but it was only deflected as the heel of his hand connected with her nose. Releasing a sharp cry, YN cradled her nose carefully. Eyes watering and face stinging. Bucky’s frantic shouts barely audible as she knelt, gasping in pain. Her thoughts muddled and slow.

Casey sighed dramatically, ripping the weapon from Yn’s hand. She groaned, disoriented as a fresh wave of pain throbbed from her face. Blood seeped from between her fingers, dripping down into a puddle on the tile floor.

“Say goodbye to your fiancée, Sergeant.”

~~~~~~

Bucky all but tossed the motorcycle onto the curb as he skidded to a stop. A blazing inferno consumed the building, scorching the blackened trees that once surrounded it. The hand gripping his throat squeezed tighter as he stumbled toward the police line. Shoving his way through bystanders.

He felt sick- choking back the nausea bubbling from his stomach. Fire bellowed from the gaping, blown out glassless windows. Portions of the building were collapsed, the rest soon to follow. He barreled through shouting police officers, desperate to reach the building.

“Barnes!” He didn’t turn- even though the voice was familiar. He had to get to her- she was still alive, he knew she was. She had to be. “Barnes- man, you can’t go in there!”

Hands grasped his metallic shoulder, pulling him back roughly. Bucky grunted, swinging his arm around, taking hold of the man’s bulletproof vest. He clenched his jaw, staring down at Alex Knowles. One of her partners. Knowles’ eyes were puffy and rimmed with red. His skin was irritated, probably from wiping tears away.

“She’s still in there.” Bucky stated, without asking if she had been pulled out yet. He knew the process of these kinds of situations. The fire chief had to clear it and the area was nowhere near safe enough. But his girl was in there, in danger. Dying slowly, the longer he stood around. It had already been too long.

“Teams haven’t been sent in yet… I know you’re scared but you could make it worse if you go in there guns blazing. It could collapse the rest of the way.” Knowles warned, his eyes begging Bucky to stay put. Bucky shoved him away. Stripping off his jacket, Bucky scowled at the man.

“I will be the something worse if she’s not alive. Don’t test me, Knowles.” He growled, tying the jacket sleeves around his waist. Bucky turned on his heel, sprinting for the blown out doors of the bank. Ignoring the shouts of the firemen and police officers on the scene.

Inside, the flames locked the walls, staying maintained. It seemed the only thing the department had been doing since the explosion was clearing the fire. They had been prepared somewhat.

Bucky stumbled through the rubble, boots tripping over chunks of concrete and twisted metal. He had to find YN, she was somewhere. He had to keep himself from thinking the worst- she was alive. She would be okay. He just had to find her first.

He turned what would’ve been a corner of the bank, his heart rocketing through his chest. The beat thumping wildly.

Two bodies. Lying side by side.

“YN!” He picked his way through rubble, skidding to his knees beside her. Deep cuts laced her dirtied features, trapped under a chunk of concrete from the waist down. For now, he didn’t care of the implications that could lie beneath the rock. His trembling fingers found the pulse point in her neck, bowing his head and stifling a sharp sob as he felt a faint, slow thrum. He brushed the hair from her face gently, biting his lip to keep himself together. “Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ve got you.”

Bucky shuffled down to her waist, hooking his fingers into the rock. Just as he began lifting, a sharp gasp startled him, almost dropping the rubble. He glanced back at YN- wide awake and sobbing. Carefully, Bucky spared a glance under the concrete. A metal rod went directly through her thigh, blood seeping from the wound.

“Shit…” It had been contained until he lifted it- now she was going to bleed out. He had to move fast. “YN, doll, I’ve got you. This is gonna hurt but it’ll be okay.”

She didn’t respond, sobs ripping from her chest as he stilled. Bucky took a deep breath, collecting his nerves. He moved quickly, throwing the concrete across the room with a loud grunt. An ear piercing shriek fell from Yn’s lips, her fist pounding the ground at her side. Bucky untied his jacket, wrapping it tightly around her injured thigh.

“Okay, sweetheart. We’re gonna get out of here.” Bucky’s chest tightened as he gathered her in his arms. She was shivering, huddling close to his body as best she could. Her skin was filthy, covered in soot, dirt, and blood. “Try to talk with me, sweet girl. Stay awake.”

“Ja- James…” YN’s fingers twisted into his shirt, tears soaking into his fabric. His heart clenched. It was his fault- that idiot had gone after her because of him. He held her closer, tighter, as he picked his way back to the doors. “I… I think I’m done- done smoking.”

Bucky almost laughed, forgetting his location. The situation fading as he spared a glance down to her face. She was grimacing, lips pulled and forehead wrinkled. But here she was- trying to joke with him.

“Why’s that, doll?” He questioned, emerging from the collapsed bank. The sunlight was strong, glaring down into his eyes. He hunched slightly, trying to block the intense light from her sensitive eyes. YN groaned, tugging weakly at his shirt. “We’re almost there, doll. Keep talking. Why’re you quittin’?”

“I’ve had enough smoke for one lifetime.” She replied, eyes fluttering. Paramedics rushed toward them, a gurney wheeled to their side. Bucky carefully lay her back, grasping her hand tightly as they rushed toward the ambulance.

Bucky didn’t reply, lips pressed together. Concern running rampant as they moved. His eyes caught Knowles and Bryant’s, averting his as soon as they landed. Loading into the ambulance.

“Bucky?” He quickly stepped up, sitting down in the back. Squeezing her hand tightly. YN gave a half- hearted return. Her fingers tangling with his, eyes closed. “Stay… please…”

“I’m here, sweetheart.” Bucky smiled, hoping his face could mask the desperate panic he felt in the pit of his stomach. “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

[mihidecet]

Sbi&co: D&D AU: It begins

I’m back from hiatus yall!!! Ever so sorry for the wait, and thank you all so very much for your patience and kindness <3 Updates should go back to the regular schedule now! Hope you’ll enjoy!!

Also! This is an early birthday present for the lovely Lando @whatimevendoinhere​ ! Without them this AU wouldn’t exist, so make sure to check out their STUNNING art and go wish them a happy birthday tomorrow!!

There's a rhythmic tapping coming from Scott's right as he looks through his spellbook for one last time. 

His right hand man, the head of his guards - of the stationed ones, at least the only guards existing formally - huffs out fondly, rolling his eyes as Scott's hand gently shuts the tome closed. He sticks his tongue out at the shorter man, prompting a chuckle out of him; after all they both know he doesn't need to freshen up his memory regarding this spell, it is simply tradition. 

Almost a century has passed since the first event, he's not going to stop now.

The opening ceremony has always been a big deal: it sets up the mood for the first few weeks of the tournament, and it involves him having to talk in front of a whole stadium of people, which is as fun as it is anxiety inducing. 

It also involves introducing and showing off each participant, which is always entertaining; many crowd-favourites get chosen during these short moments, so it will be interesting to see what will come about. A handful of names jump to his mind, especially knowing what he’s discovered thanks to a cautious bit of espionage, but he’s still unsure of how much each contestant will try to focus on pleasing the people or on actually winning the games. 

Scott doesn't mind crowds that much, but he is still glad that Jordan will be next to him; the seasoned human has always been a friend, and he knows he can rely on him no matter what - it wouldn't be the first time somebody tried something during the opening ceremony, but it would certainly be for the best if nothing were to happen. 

According to his hidden right hand man, nothing out of the ordinary should be taking place, which is why Scott takes one last deep breath before exiting the soundless bubble they were standing in, stepping out on the balcony overlooking the main stadium and into the chaos of the roaring crowd beneath him.

Wilbur will never have enough of the cacophony of a crammed full stadium. 

There is nothing quite like it, and ever since he got a taste the day before, during the opening ceremony for the tournament, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to live without it. As they walk into the sunlight, moving away from the shadows of the tunnel that they had to traverse in order to get to the main combat area, the cheers rise, louder and louder, edged on by the unnaturally loud voices of the mages that will present the participants. 

A shadow shifts in his peripheral - Techno, advancing towards a good hiding spot behind one of the tall rocks that are scattered around the stadium - and he lets out a small chuckle, fixing his grip on his guitar as a bodiless voice calls out the fake names they had submitted in order to attract less attention. 

Wil reaches the center of the stage in a series of quick determined steps, then stops and turns around with a flourish, strumming the chords of his instruments to cast a quick spell:

“Good evening, everyone! -” he calls out, tail swishing behind him as his voice booms, resounding magically in the whole stadium “- Are you ready for a show?” 

The crowd erupts in cheers, adrenaline flowing through his blood like fire, and his lips stretch in an impossibly wide grin; a second later Tommy appears, shrouded in flames as he slides across the field towards him, looking almost as if he were flying.

“I didn’t quite hear you! I said… -” he repeats coily, his view of the world around him temporarily hidden as Tommy twirls around him, sending sparks in the air as the ground sizzles around them. The boy comes to an abrupt stop next to him, unleashing arcane flames higher and brighter for a split second that leave a burnt circle on the soil. 

“Are you ready for a fucking show?!” 

If he’d thought that the crowd had been at its loudest before, he would have definitely been proven wrong now, as the stadium seems to shake with the enthusiasm they’ve pumped into them - it is an arduous task, keeping the crowd energetic when they’re the last to perform for that day, after hours of fighting that must have left the people watching as exhausted as the people fighting, but somebody has to do it. When Wilbur turns towards Tommy the kid is glowing, and it’s not only due to the flames still surrounding his body. He pumps his fist up, towards the air, and lets out a gleeful whoop as the sound of Phil’s laughter reaches them.

The druid is twirling his own staff and, as the two of them start loudly cheering him on, he cackles and puts a bit more effort into it, letting it fly up in the air before smashing it down on the ground, where a spark of arcane energy bursts outwardly with bright green light. Iridescent glyphs appear on the staff, water bleeding out from the wood itself almost like sap and freezing instantly, while ice crackles and shifts as it forms a spiked clump around its top: Wilbur whoops even louder, letting go of his guitar to clap his hands together, resisting the urge to chant his friend’s name - they’re saving that for the future, no need to reveal their identities so soon. 

Wilbur is in the process of reaching for his instrument again, possibly to start playing something while they wait for the gates to be lifted and their mysterious opponent to show up, when a long, drawn out lament fills the air around them. The tiefling feels his spine straighten on instinct, the chilling sound causing a sudden shift in the overall mood they had created as a wave of fear swoops over the whole stadium - Wilbur would be angry about it if it wasn’t for the fact that his knees feel a bit weak, hands tightening around his guitar as if it could help stop them from shaking. 

Despite being frozen in place, in a mix of fear and surprise, he’s able to shake himself out of his stupor, looking up to the rest of his team with a tentative grin. But Phil isn’t looking at him anymore, he’s reaching out with a worried expression towards- 

A body collides with his own as Tommy, shaking like a leaf, eyes clouded and wide open, stumbles backwards, clutching at Wil’s shirt like a lifeline. It’s the unnatural murkiness of Tommy’s usually bright blue eyes that clues him in on the fact that this is a spell, not a natural reaction to a definitely frightening sound, so Wilbur steps between Tommy and whatever has taken hold of his mind, praying to Tymora that wherever Techno is he isn’t going through the same, and presses both of his hands over his friend’s shoulders. The kid clutches at his shirt, still muttering curses under his breath, and Wilbur struggles for a moment to catch his eyesight. 

“Tommy- Tommy, calm.” 

The human gasps in a breath, his eyes squeezing shut as he shakes his head and lets go of Wilbur to cling to himself.

“Fucking- go on, don’t- don’t mind me …” He hisses, muttering to himself about “definitely not acting like a little bitch”, and Wilbur turns, still shielding Tommy with his own body, and hopes that whatever his dear cousin is telling him, it’ll help shake him out of that enchantment. 

Despite the fact that Wilbur has been able to overcome his initial magic-induced fear, it’s still a bit of a shock, seeing the aberration floating menacingly towards them: it looks like a dark blue cloak, larger than a chariot, with a long boney tail, light pink, almost white eyes and a lipless mouth filled with an impressive amount of teeth - it resembles vaguely one of the sea creatures they’d encountered during their travels by the sea, but it definitely isn’t the beautifully elegant animal they’d seen doing somersaults near their ship. 

Phil steps up next to him with a dark look in his eyes, and Wilbur would chuckle at the protectiveness of the older elf if that wouldn’t make him feel terribly hypocritical. 

“Let’s bring that thing down, see if it acts all high and mighty then.” He mutters, raising a hand towards the beast and then pushing down. It appears that the creature is not used to that particular feeling, because it lets out a high pitched trill and starts gliding towards the ground, decisively less able to resist Phil’s spell than the elf had initially expected. Not that he’s complaining. 

But as the beast is descending, it lets out another whimpering groan, its form shifting and blurring, shadows solidifying into two other copies of the original; whether it was a momentary distraction or a voluntary effect, Phil curses under his breath as he’s unable to distinguish which one is the original. 

He is able to clearly see, instead, the gleam of a dark dagger as it sails through the air and embeds itself straight into the back of that beast's head, carving through its flesh like butter and embedding itself into the ground a handful of feet to its left. 

Then, it what would have otherwise been an extremely comical display, both the dagger and the beast disappear in a gust of smoke and darkness. 

A loud and indignated "Eeh?!" comes from what Phil assumes to be Techno's hiding place - a moment later the rogue himself pokes his head out from behind the stone column, waving that very same dagger towards the two remaining aberrations. 

"You're welcome, I guess?" He calls out, before disappearing into the shadows again, prompting Wilbur to burst out laughing. 

It's at that point that the tiefling realises, his shoulders relaxing instantly, that Tommy is also chuckling lightly behind his back - he figures he either snapped out of it or the beast's spell has a short duration - so he steps forward, moving a bit closer to the two huge figures now squirming on the ground with a renewed spring in his step.

“Not that scary now, eh, you big sheet?!”

The two aberrations on the floor flinch back, writhing from the effects of his words as if insulted - although the tiefling isn’t sure that it’s actually able to comprehend them - just a split second before two beams of fire sail past him. One strikes true, hitting one of the two beasts right into the center of its forehead; but the figure only shifts, blurring for a moment before it melts into nothingness. The second sphere burns a scorching mark on the ground right where the apparently true aberration was just a moment before, having moved due to the bard’s spell. 

“Ah, Wilby!” Protests Tommy; when he turns with a grin he can see - as expected - the young warlock staring angrily at him, hands still smouldering as he throws them into the air exasperatedly. 

That is also the last thing he sees before the beast behind him lets out a shrill whimper and lurches forward, its wings wrapping around his body and completely obscuring his vision. 

[phoenotopia]

2020 October Update

So... we've launched. And our launch was... actually kind of... bad...

This is a dev blog, so I'll speak on it. But before that, we do have the game's steam page up. If you're anticipating the PC release, please do visit the steam page and add it to your wish list. It would help us a lot.

VISIT STEAM LINK

...

So what didn't go so well?

1. We launched in Nintendo's Americas and Europe territory. If you've been following the release, you'd know that America got the game first. We didn't move to launch in Europe at all since I thought the EFIGS languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish) were pre-requisites for Europe. By the time I learned that this wasn't necessarily the case, and attempted to course correct, the damage was done. We had half the allotment of keys to do outreach, and maybe some European outlets that would've covered us, did not.

2. When the game launched, rather than a victory lap, what we experienced was more of a public lashing. We did get some reviews that praised the game highly, but just as many reviews lampooned the game for its high difficulty or other failings. I've since released two patches (or 3, depending on how you count it) to address the difficulty. A lot of overnighters. If you recall in the last blog post, I thought it'd be a good start if we got 20 or so reviews on Open Critic. But we've only 8 as of this writing, and the aggregate score isn't so hot. So that's a fail by my metric.

3. A publisher reached out to us because they were interested in physically printing the game! Yay! But... to advance our talks, they wanted to see the game's sales numbers to ensure that there's a good chance their investment could be recouped. And unfortunately, the game's sales numbers are pretty low. They backed out :(

Some hard lessons were learned. The biggest lesson for me concerns how well we playtested the game. Looking at the original playtester list, it's a short list. You may recall from a previous blog post that our ability to test was severely hampered by technical limitations. Add to that, a lot of people on this list are objectively really achieved players. We're talking power ranked in Smash Bros, regular tournament goers, and people who've played and bested every Souls game. And as the maker of the game, I am most blind to the game's challenges.

Now, I'm definitely more of the opinion that you prioritize PC development first. I still have some reservations about some stages of PC development. But if you do PC/Steam first, you have the great benefit of being able to do Early Access, which gives you access to a greater testing pool. I now view it as an invaluable part of the equation. If we had been able to do Early Access for 1 or 2 months before release, we probably could have ironed out most of the game's difficulty and balance problems. Hard lessons, indeed.

There were a lot of other notable events that occurred over the past 2 months - the travails of press outreach, realizing my own limits as a developer, feeling defeated and getting back up again, etc. There's too much stuff to chronicle or go into detail. But it wasn't all bad.

Some good things did happen...

We got a publisher to publish for Japan! It came as a huge relief, because clearly, we don't know what the heck we're doing.

The publisher has been an invaluable source of information and feedback. They've recommended some changes to the game to improve user experience. Some of these changes I was hesitant to do at first because they concerned systems I thought integral to the identity of the game. But after trying it, I have to admit, they're good changes.

So a Japanese version of the game was moving ahead. And it looked like that'd be it. I wasn't planning to move forward with any other language translations due to the game's low sales and our funds being depleted. 

But, I was approached by a translator who urged me to move ahead with translations. He told me he was willing to work for only a small price initially and then be paid the rest after from a percentage of the game's sales until the cost of the translation was paid in full.

I was surprised translators were willing to work under such a model since it's entirely likely the game's current low sales trajectory would continue and they wouldn't earn back the full cost of translation. But I was also flattered they were willing to take a risk with me. After that, I approached some others with the same hypothetical deal, and long story short, we're now moving forward with French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian translations. As for why these languages in particular, they were languages for whom I had contacts (because they reached out to me at some point in the past). And also because they were deemed more likely to be profitable based on their home country's gaming market/buying habits. I'd be personally happy to have my native language be represented, but it's not expected to be a profitable territory. But if the game does better in the future, it may justify the costs of translation. There could be a chance!

The plan right now is to get the game supporting these first round of languages and then to patch that into the Switch version as well as launch the PC version with these languages - all in December. A lot of things need to align for this to occur, so a delay isn't out of the question. It'll be busy... I'll update the blog again in latter half of December, probably near the game's PC launch date... OR to announce a delay. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Fan Support

While the past two months have been grueling, one good thing remains constant - fan art! Thank you everyone who submitted. It means a lot to me and the team!

Big thanks to Pimez who's taken on watching over the reddit community as moderator. He also combs the other communities and makes sure I see every new art piece. Despite juggling his own life and all these tasks, he still found some time to draw.

Pimez's piece reminds us that just because the new game's out doesn't mean we can't still celebrate the original flash game. The jail dog is a dog found only in jail and only in the flash game. I imagine Gail is just tossing a stick, and they're playing fetch.

A new artist to this scene æv draws both the Phoenix logo AND a super cute picture of Gail playing the flute. So precious, you want to pinch her cheek. Even the Sand Drake is enthralled!

Another new artist, beet4ppy arrives on the scene with two pictures! One features a no-nonsense battle-hardened Gail looking stoic and tough! Kinda reminds me of Vinland Saga actually. The other, a more cheerful group composition - I must say I'm a big fan of Fran's classic anime-style eye!

A returning artist, Cody G, returns with a picture depicting the tribulations of cooking. Gotta love Gail's frantic expression! I've heard the complaints, which is why we've added an option to slow the cooking mini-game down. An improved button font is also on the way.

Gamesing with two undertale x phoenotopia crossovers. Thomas being a robot builder makes sense taking a role similar to Alphys. But why is Alex dressed like a clown? Perhaps there is a hidden meaning here... 

A new artist, Warotar, draws both a pooki wearing Gail's clothes and Gail wearing pooki clothes. Awww. The pooki is a bit scary - it kinda reminds me of a tragic event in a certain anime. But the Gail is adorable!

POL#5655 submitted this one to KM's discord which made its way to me. Here, a stylized Gail appears unnerved by the dark red eyes stalking her in the background. Are they bats or something more sinister?

A new artist, MilesCPW, arrives on the scene with three rare well-vectorized arts! Love it! One scene depicts Gail balancing a bomb on her head - that's a speedrunning trick I only learned about recently after someone emailed me a video O_O

The other drawing gives us new insight into Katash - he could actually look cute if he wasn't trying to kill you.

And the bees... Okay, this one got a chuckle from me :D

A returning artist roccy_chair draws this heart-warming scene from the beginning of the new game. Aww. Mika doesn't get much screen time for story reasons, so it's nice to see her represented.

UnrealWorld_32 returns with another drawing of Gail in Panselo, this time capturing a more idyllic time. I like the tranquil nature of this piece. And Gail does in fact play the guitar, denoted by the guitar in her room.

Returning artist shafiyahh draws a nice portrait of Prince Leo - looking regal and princely. I like the storybook art style of this piece. It made me immediately think of "the Little Prince" - one of my favorite books actually!

Negativus Core returns with a beautiful group composition of Gail and the gang - flying from a Switch shaped window - totally sensible considering the game is only Switch right now. As usual, I'm impressed by Negativus Core's use of challenging angles to frame a more dynamic shot of the characters. Great job!

And it wasn't only artists bearing the banner. I'd like to give a big shoutout to everyone in all the game's little communities (from the reddit to the discords to this tumblr). I've seen this community help newcomers with gameplay and walkthrough advice, discussions, updating the wiki, and so on. It does bring a smile to my face. Thank you everyone!

[enneadau]

What’s this?

That’s right, it’s a second chapter in Feb.

From now on, or at least for the foreseeable future, there will 2 updates a month. One of the 1st and one on the 15th of the month.

This is my present to you guys for the 10th Birthday of the Ennead series.

As of the 23rd of Feb 2021, Ennead is 10 years old!!!

I’ve been writing this series ever since the year I graduated from university, back in 2011. I took a train to London, to see the UK’s first Book of the Dead exhibit, and decided to do some research on the way.

During the trip, I discovered that the name of the Nameless Pharaoh, Atem, was frequently used as a girl’s name and that led me to thinking, what would change if Atem had been female? The rule that Bakura was using to justify his attack was ‘the son inherits the sins of the father’. That would not be true in this case, because daughters do not inherit the sins of their father. So what would have happened? Why would Egypt still have fallen to Zorc?

And so the series was born.

And in Ennead, the Nameless Pharaoh was born a girl and everything changed from there.

Honestly, when I first started Ennead, I did not think there would be much interest in the series and was going to stop at the end of Season Zero. When you all were there, urging me to continue as I approached the end, I decided I would continue. I made plans that moved from Season Zero, right through to Truth, which, at the time, was the end of the DM series.

Once I started expanding the Ennead universe, I made plans for there to be nine books to match up with the Ennead pantheon, which consists of nine Gods and Goddesses. Some of these were unplanned, original works that I’ve since thrown out because they were awful.

Since then, there were more releases: the R manga for example, as well of one of my favourite movies “Yu-Gi-Oh!:Dark Side of Dimensions”. These were considered, weighed and added to the series, replacing said bad original works.

I’ve also expanded past that nine story plan, as I’ve had to split out the current arc, Kismet, into its own story in order for it to make sense in the timeline. This has increased the number of story arcs to ten. That doesn’t include any plans I have for side stories, which may add one, if not two stories to the series. If included, they will get added into their place in the timeline, but they won’t be written until I am entirely happy with the plans.

Looking to the future I’m beginning to plan the extended universe. Ennead GX for example, has things planned that change how things would happen and Ennead 5ds would be an interesting concept. Both of these I may play with in the future after I finish watching Subbed GX and have gotten a chance to watch both Subbed and Dubbed 5ds.

I don’t promise that you’ll see either of these any time soon. If I do write them, they may contain spoilers for Ennead so I’m a little hesitant to put them out before I finish the DM arc.

Here is a reminder of the Ennead DM series as it is planned at the current time:

1.      Season Zero

2.      For Those We Love (Duelist Kingdom)

3.      Kin (Dungeon Dice Monsters)

4.      Kismet (Destiny) <<< We are here

5.      Battle of the Gods (Battle City)

6.      False Light (Pyramid of Light)

7.      Breaking the Seal (Orichalcos/DOMA)

8.      Redemption (R )

9.      Truth (Millennium)

10.   Eternity (Dark Side of Dimensions)

There may be more stories, or possibly less, if I decide that a fic does not fit the series as it develops, but I do promise you that I will do my best to complete the series, even if it takes me a few more years.

I hope that you’ll stay with me and continue to enjoy, like and comment on the series until the very end.

[whole-dip]

My Trip to Omega Mart

Opened in 2021, Omega Mart is an immersive art experience that utilizes numerous artistic mediums to tell a layered and thematically rich story to guests. A story that actively involves the guest in various different ways, challenging their sense of physical space, as well as eliciting questions of consumerism, family, love, and even the nature human connection. This story is told within a massive space comprised of roughly four main physical spaces, each with their own smaller spaces wherein guests may engage with physical media to the level of their interest. Omega Mart was developed by an artist collective known as Meow Wolf, a group formed in 2008 that specializes in immersive art experiences that are often referred to as psychedelic, dreamlike environments. Previous works include The Due Return, an immersive art experience depicting an alien ship that travels through time, The House of Eternal Return, an immersive experience showcasing a house that seemingly exists in multiple dimensions, and various other immersive art experiences across the country. I visited Omega Mart, located in Las Vegas, recently and this piece will focus on my visit. Please keep in mind that Omega Mart is often updated in small ways and some of my account may not totally reflect your visit, be it in the past or future. Along with that, I will be going into great detail about my experience and if you plan to visit Omega Mart with no prior knowledge, you may not want to read this until after you visit.

 Omega Mart, is located within Area 15, an immersive art space located near the Las Vegas strip. As you enter, you’ll find yourself in massive blacklit warehouse that’s a sort of psychedelic mall. Individual kiosks show glow in the dark shirts and various other rave theme toys. To the left, lies the massive front entrance of Omega Mart. Flanking the entrance are walls with various advertisements for Dramcorp products that you’ll find inside. The entrance itself takes the form of an omega symbol, the central arch being a sort of portal inside. Once you enter, you find yourself inside, where else, Omega Mart. All around you are neatly organize aisles of typical products like cereal, household cleaners, salt and spices, like any other mall. The produce section lies to your left, meats to your right. A bluish glow from the fluorescent lights above gives the same sense of blah that you’d find in superstores like Wal Mart; inoffensive smooth jazz warbles out from speakers above you. It’s all drab and expected, until you pay closer attention. The products are all hilariously surreal, and there are truly hundreds of them on the fully stocked shelves. You’ll find cans of tattooed chicken, bottles of gender fluid, even zalg “America’s forgotten vegetable!” As you inspect the items their enticing labels show something more sinister going on. Most continue the absurd humor but a few seem to break brand style and urge you, beg you, to wake up from what you’re doing, to run away from where you are, to get back to reality, if it even exists any more. At times, the music will seemingly forget its place and skip incessantly as it repeats the same few seconds of music over and over to a maddening degree, only to go back to normal as though nothing happened. At other times, we hear Walter Dram, former CEO and founder of Omega Mart, and parent company Dramcorp, talk through the speakers. He’s exhausted, coughing and barely able to speak, halfheartedly assuring us that Omega Mart is the best supermarket in the universe, the he is Omega Mart, Omega Mart is him. He almost stumbles over his words, telling us about savings and being endlessly lost in the store. This story continues in the produce section, where on video, Walter advertises Omega Mart’s Valley of Plenty in-store brand. There, he, along with daughter Cecelia (heir apparent to Omega Mart and Dramcorp), showcase the incredible fruits and vegetables available for sale. He describes how he found the valley of plenty and admired the hard working local farmers as, taking the opportunity to share the fruits of their labor with the world. Just as the promo video ends, Walter drops his commercial persona and turns into his true exhausted self. He asks if he has to do it again. Cecelia reminds him that it’s his job, that soon she’ll take his place and that for now it is his duty to work. Walter sighs, resigned to his fate. Moments later, the commercial begins again, Walter repeats his spiel.

 As you explore, you’ll find various hideaways that take you to different locations. One such vestibule is the janitor’s closet, which houses nightmarish creatures made from brooms and mops. Their wood handle necks twist around and their fringed rag tails drip with glowing slime. Once you pass through, you enter the Dramcorp factory floor. Unlike the clean(ish) plastic of Omega Mart, the factory is a metallic horror of purplish browns, machines groan all around you as vile liquids ooze through pipes. On the floor above lies Dramcorp’s corporate offices with ominous glows seeping out from its closed doors. Here in the factory, you learn that Dramcorp has been utilizing something called, “Source” to develop and manufacture new products. Omega Mart itself is somehow fully infused with the dreamy, psychotropic qualities of source, but Dramcorp has refined it to make products addicting on a spiritual level. In one hidden corner we find a glowing orb that once was Walter Dram. He laments about his greed and how he went too far in his pursuit of profit. Now, his daughter Cecelia runs Dramcorp and he can only watch as she continues to be woman he raised her to be. Throughout the factory you’ll see that the refinement process is messy and various factory machinery are in disarray as employees try to clean up emotional messes and bliss outbreaks. Signs warn you of rooms with giant bugs or maddening corridors. In another corner, a particularly broken machine is spilling source runoff as a river out of the factory and into Seven Monolith Village.

 Seven Monolith Village is a small valley community in the Nevada desert where Dramcorp’s source runoff pools. Here, the psychedelic energy of the source has transformed the sleepy town into a living Alex Gray painting. The sun bleached rocks crack open with bright colored lines and massive desert wildlife like wolves and snakes now glow in fractal patterns. Giant humanoids made of pure energy slowly appear around you, only to disappear from our plane of existence moments later. Exploring the village leads us to find that the town has been ravaged by Dramcorp’s pollution and is near uninhabitable. One of the few people left Charlie Dram, owner of the local gas station and estranged brother of Walter. In his small gas station, we see that Charlie has begun a new business of collecting source runoff and selling it as a sort of psychedelic elixir. His phone regularly rings with calls from regular customers looking to make purchases from Charlie, many of them Dramcorp employees looking for an escape from their corporate lives.

 Next door to Charlie is a small shack that’s home to Marin Dram, grandniece of Charlie and daughter of Cecelia Dram. Looking through her room we learn her story. Years ago, Cecelia, along with her father Walter, discovered the original, raw source, a remnant of ancient visitors to our Earth from a parallel dimension. Drinking of that well, Cecelia and Walter discovered receive a divine vision for how to make Omega Mart the most profitable supermarket in the multiverse. From there, they tirelessly worked to study the source, finding that it is the wellspring from which all life emerged and all ideas come from. With this knowledge, they developed Omega Mart’s products as addicting and powerfully satisfying. Along with that however, came Marin, an immaculate conception born of both Cecelia and source, with strange abilities unseen by anyone before. Marin was raised by Charlie while her mother was busy running the company, but Cecelia began taking an interest in Marin and the potential for her to lead Dramcorp and Omega Mart into a new age of even greater prosperity. Pushed too far by her mother’s need to groom her into the next CEO, Marin opened a portal and fled our world for somewhere else, and everyone has been looking for her since. The only remains of Marin are lingering projections of her dreams, surreal music videos of being tormented by her mother, teen heartbreak, and visitations from ethereal beings. Now, all of Seven Monolith Village and Dramcorp alike are searching for Marin, to save her, or use her.

 Nearby in another home within 7MV you are drafted into the fight against Dramcorp by an anarchist group fighting against the capitalist propaganda and the abuse against human lives, as well as the earth itself. You must venture back into Omega Mart, as well as Dramcorp’s factory, and hack into their systems before you finally enter the corporate offices.

 Dramcorp’s offices are a nightmarish cavern of cubicles, computers, and offices. The executive portraits have haunting smiles and smoke billows from all around as lights flash in strange patterns. Behind each test facility door are horrific sounds and lights. Each office tells a small story of business drones that work tirelessly in hopes of one day ascending into management nirvana where they will exist fully with the company. All the while, employees drown themselves in the very same poisonous runoff elixirs that they sell in the store downstairs. After hacking into all three branches of Dramcorp’s reach, my involvement with Meow Wolf’s story was complete, though I suspect more is yet to come were I to visit again in the future.

 Omega Mart is rich with themes that comment on capitalism, spirituality, emotional relationships, and much more. The biggest difficulty that has always pervaded immersive art experiences, even those that can be found at theme parks like Walt Disney World, is the difficulty in having thematic density when the audience is not guaranteed to be interacting with the art as intended. While other mediums have the benefit of standardized ways to consume them such as film or literature, immersive art spaces have no set path in which the guest should traverse the space, nor even the guarantee that guests will be able to have the time to interact with the art in ways sufficient of fully understanding the plot. Because of this, many immersive experiences rely on using a heavier hand with its themes and utilizing narrative devices that directly speak to the audience. Commonly, this comes in the form of narration that speaks directly to the audience. Meow Wolf however, takes the risk of the audience not being able to experience the story in the event that they miss key elements. Meow Wolf mitigates this by making it clear through the use of electronic media and hiding certain show elements that guests should be in somewhat of a scavenger hunt mindset. While most of the guests I noticed on my visit had no prior knowledge of their Omega Mart experience involving a story, it was very clear upon entering to everyone that a major aspect of their visit would be interacting with the story should they choose. Meow Wolf themselves have stated that they look to make their stories accessible to all people on the level of the audience’s choosing. A visitor to Omega Mart would not feel ripped off by having not experienced the full story, but rather someone might feel as though their ticket gained value for having fully experienced the depth of Omega Mart’s characters and world.

 Even so, there is still a challenge when designing the story that comes with the nature of the medium of immersive art. Truly, there is no one specific art form that takes center stage here. Each room in Omega Mart could potentially involved artistic use of light, sound (musical and practical), wood work, print design, sculpture, painting, writing, and much more. The challenge in designing Omega Mart is to not only make individual pieces of art that resonate with the audience, but to bring them together within a space that is narratively cohesive rather than just a series of interesting things in a large room. Meow Wolf’s artists were able to pull that off. A common example of that level of connectivity is the referential nature of each space, details in one room would be seen in other rooms, often with new contexts and plot information that would provide greater thematic depth. Many of the humorous gag items available in the grocery store’s aisles could also be found in Dramcorp’s development offices where they could be viewed not as the silly puns you originally saw them as, but now as cynical totems designed on a molecular level to be addicting to consumers. Even more than that, the overall story itself would only be possible by intricately weaving a story throughout the space in a way that guests could understand how each room referenced the other together to create the whole. The end result being an experience in which guests can fully feel as though they visited specific places, met complex individuals, and had meaningful interactions, all of which I did during my trip.

 One of my biggest concerns before visiting was that Omega Mart’s story would be told in a way that said overarching ideas that were ultimately hollow. I dreaded that the only message Meow Wolf would leave me with is the trite “Corporation Bad” that so many hollow pieces of art tout. While a far more nuanced anticapitalism message is a major theme of Omega Mart, the story itself smartly anchors itself within the story Marin Dram. Marin’s story is one that I personally found to be profoundly relatable. The echoing dream in her bedroom mirror has stuck with me for days after my visit, along with the incredibly vaginal nightmare in a nook nearby. Marin’s story reflects each of the themes of Omega Mart’s message, that of feeling used by other, tied between two worlds, and the commodification of bodies for the sake of industry. There is a terrible sadness that I felt in my core as Marin cried at the school dance, only moments later to be covered in milk and cereal by her mother in some feeble attempt to become one with the family business. More than that, the Dramcorp, and the Dram family’s Cecelia and Walter themselves, tout plastic products as the quick fix solution to loneliness. We’re urged to question how we fill our own emptiness with products, or even how we use others as a means to an end. Walter and Cecelia use and consume their loved ones for their goals in much the same way Omega Mart’s customers are primed to use ridiculous products. There is a sadness to the way Cecelia can only connect to others through consumption. She can only connect to her daughter by offering products, she puts her father in the source well to be consumed by the store, ultimately she’ll be consumed herself by whomever is her successor as CEO. Everything in Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart experience is punctuated by the ways they can be balled up in put into your mouth for digestion.

 As an aside, I am somewhat disappointed in how prevalent the discussion of Omega Mart’s lore is both at the experience and online. Much of the discussion’s online is primarily about dissecting the origin of the source, the details of dark nula and light nula, and various other inconsequential details related to the world that props up the thematic meat of Omega Mart. Omega Mart, while not bashing the audience with its message, is not particularly subtle with what it wants to say. It is abundantly clear that Omega Mart’s messages of anticapitalism and reverence for emotional connection are the intended takeaways. One of the biggest drawbacks in how Omega Mart tells its story is the moments in which, typically on phones, the audience is given a neat summary on everything in the story so far. This is very much a personal gripe.

 Omega Mart’s most prominent medium is perhaps space itself. The uniting factor in every individual piece of art that makes up the whole is the unification of space itself, and the clear delineation of crossing the threshold from space that is wholly not Omega Mart, into a space that wholly is. Within that space, Omega Mart’s guests will find themselves walking, climbing, crawling, and even sliding at they traverse the location. We see this create transitionary vestibules like the janitor’s closet from earlier, but also a space bending soda freezer or even a staircase from the store to the offices that has the numbing drone of music fade into haunting groans with each step. As guests traverse the space they also find themselves crossing paths with staff and other guests, all of which flesh out Omega Mart just by the vary nature of being there together. Guests will find themselves falling back into the same patterns and habits they exhibit when visiting real grocery stores, struggling to pass each other in cramped aisles, knocking baskets accidentally and apologizing, all the motions of a grocery store, but none of the actual purposeful substance of visiting a normal grocery store. This contrasts with the purposeful halts guests will make when experiencing the dreams in Marin’s room, stopped and fully enraptured by a story beat. While Omega Mart as an experience is easily considered hard to describe, the actions guests take while there, reading, talking on the phone, navigating a blog, walking up stair, are all deceptively simple.

 However, this comes at a cost. Omega Mart, like much of Meow Wolf’s previous work, is not particularly accessible to many different types of people. The House of Eternal Return has been criticized in the past for not being wheelchair accessible. Omega Mart remedies this by always having multiple ways to access new areas including wide open pathways and an elevator, but the thrill of tunnels, rock climbing, and narrow passages are impossible to experience. Really, anyone who is not able bodied and below a certain size will have challenges when experiencing Omega Mart. Not only that, Omega Mart’s usage of the full emotional spectrum means that some experiences, specifically those that utilize sensory overload to intentionally elicit anxiety in guests, would be almost impossible for many neurodivergent guests, or just guests with sensory difficulties. None of the main experiences and plot requires guests to directly engage with intense rooms or inaccessible spaces, but there still might be a disappointment in some guests when finding that they are unable to fully experience every inch of Omega Mart.

 Meow Wolf has been around since 2008, but beginning with the opening of House of Eternal Return in 2016, Meow Wolf has exploded in popularity and is noted by the theme park industry as a group to watch. House of Eternal Return even received an award for outstanding achievement by the Themed Entertainment Association, one of the industry’s highest honors. While many people are oblivious to the small movements within the themed entertainment industry, the larger pushes done by groups like Disney and Universal do get noticed by the general vacationing public. Some have noted that what Meow Wolf is doing today, could in fact be what Disney is doing a few years from now. Meow Wolf’s principles could be most applicable in the upcoming Galactic Starcruiser experience that also promises to be similarly immersive and engaging to guests. More than that, Meow Wolf does consider their work to be made for the general public rather than niche crowds of art lovers and theme park fans. This is clearly evidenced by how many guests I saw at Omega Mart surprised to find out there was a story at play, some of which actively chose to not engage with in out of disinterest. One does wonder if a version of Meow Wolf’s immersive experiences, bigger than an escape room but not quite EPCOT, that tells a complex story with characters and themes, could be common relatively common place for most people to visit. Meow Wolf is wholly unique in their execution, but spaces of play, even for adults, aren’t. At the same time, while Dave and Buster’s and barcades may be popular, how likely is it that middle class office workers would clock out and head to something like Omega Mart? Even beyond that, Meow Wolf actively updates their experiences in various ways and their website encourage guests to visit at least once a year. I certainly would not be opposed to visiting again in a year, but the experience would be less akin to going on a rollercoaster a second time and more like rewatching a movie. I can’t see typical socialization, small talk and the like, occurring in a place like Omega Mart.

 Ultimately, Omega Mart sets out to, and very much does, create a thematically rich experience that is truly mind bending and challenges the ways we consider our traversal of space, and our connections with others. While everyone will likely come out with a different experience to varying levels of intensity, I personally found my trip to be one of the most spiritually intense experiences of my life, one that drastically made me rethink my relationship to others, as well as to myself. I don’t think visiting Omega Mart should require pre and post consultation with a therapist, but I do encourage guests to be prepared to have at least one of their ideas about the world to be radically challenged. Time will tell if Meow Wolf’s continued work in the world of immersive art experiences is sustainable with an audience, but for now Omega Mart is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before and afterwards you may find yourself to be unlike you were when you entered.

[particularemu]

Insanity | A Hwang Hyunjin Series | Part 5

Parts: [Prologue] [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13] [Part 14] [Part 15] [Epilogue]

Word Count: 4605

Type: ANGST, FLUFF

Warnings: insanity, self-harm, suicide, drugs, mentions of rape, nightmares, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, physical violence

Tag List: @alightiny​​ @cheonsali​, @jisungsjheekies​, @channiesmixtape​

Author’s Note: Okay, so this chapter was originally 13K words, but it felt ridiculous to post a chapter that long when all the others are around 4-7K. I decided to split that giant ass chapter up into 3 chapters, so you guys are going to get pretty regular updates over the next few days. 

WARNING: I know I have this up in the warnings, but I want to make it VERY CLEAR in case this is triggering for people. This series is very dark and very horror based and since we’re starting to dive deep into the plot, very triggering topics are going to start popping up in the future chapters. 

THIS CHAPTER MENTIONS RAPE. It is very brief, and it passes in conversation, but I feel like this needs to be said in case it’s triggering for some people. 

“I love you!” 

Hyunjin’s heart skipped a beat at your sudden confession. Surely you didn’t love love him right? There was no way…

Hyunjin pursed his lips as his mind swarmed with possibilities. There was a real chance that you didn’t actually love him. 

There’s this thing called The Suspension Bridge Effect — where trauma victims mistake the feeling of trust, security, and admiration for a feeling of love. All of your small confessions — your little phrases, “I trust you,” “I adore you,” and “I care about you,” could be a HUGE sign that you just felt safe with him. Odds are… you’ve fallen into this trap.

But if you really did love him…

God, if you really did love him, Hyunjin would have to admit to himself that he loves you. Then he could finally kiss you, hold you, and love you the way you should be loved but… it would also force the two of you to keep your relationship hidden from the institution — which would be really difficult judging by the nosey people who work in the building. You two would either have to keep your relationship a secret, or he would have to work hard and come up with an escape plan, so the two of you could finally be happy out in the real world. 

But what if this feeling wasn’t love? What if Hyunjin loved you as a friend? The boy never truly experienced love the way many other people do when they’re younger. His family didn’t take care of him — he took care of himself. He didn’t fall in love as a teenager — he studied to become a doctor. 

After thinking a bit longer Hyunjin decided that no — no he didn’t love you in that way. You were his friend — a patient, not a lover. Besides, you were probably just telling him you loved him as a friend. “I love you too sweetheart.” Hyunjin smiled softly. “I’m glad you trust me. I promise I won’t let anything else happen to you.” Hyunjin ran his thumb across your cheek. “You’re the best patient I’ve ever had.” 

Oh…

Did you just get friend-zoned? Well actually, the two of you had a professional relationship, so you technically got patient-zoned. 

You were still just a patient in his eyes. Every fiber of your being was fighting the urge to facepalm and yet… you were completely and utterly embarrassed about blurting out your love for the beautiful man. Hyunjin clearly didn’t understand what you were telling him. That boy was a genius but he’s got to be the world’s most dense guy.

Well, you couldn’t fault him for it. From what Hyunjin has told you, he’s been alone most of his life. He was either taking care of his mother or studying to be a doctor so he could dedicate his life to helping those who suffer from mental illnesses. Hyunjin was such an amazing guy. He was so relatable, yet — so untouchable. You wouldn't be surprised if Hyunjin confessed that he wasn’t interested in romantic relationships. 

You would still love him anyway. 

Sure… you could just confess once more — hold his cheeks in your hands, plant a kiss on his lips, tell the boy that you loved him more than life itself — tell him that he’s the reason you’re alive to see the moon rise and the stars sparkle. You could do all of that but… you wouldn’t dare ruin the soft moment. You enjoyed the feeling of his arms around your body, the feeling of his thumb rubbing soothing circles on your arm, listening to the soft thumping of his heart as you curled up in his chest. You didn’t want to ruin that. Besides, if he didn’t love you back, you just dodged a bullet. 

“Can we just talk?” You mumbled, suddenly feeling awkward at the silence. “Your voice sounds nice.” 

As if you could be more obvious…

“Sure. What do you want to talk about?” Hyunjin smiled and ran his fingers through your hair. The soft strands slipped effortlessly through his fingers, making his heart swell. 

You sighed, searching your brain for any answers. No particular topics came to mind — you really just wanted to hear his soft voice as he talked about everything and anything. “Anything.” You leaned closer in his embrace as you grabbed his other hand, tracing one of the veins with the tip of your finger. 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile as you fiddled with his hand. It felt oddly nice, being this close with someone. Throughout his life, Hyunjin never really felt physical affection. His father was out of the picture from a young age, having committed suicide when he was a young boy, and his mother lost her mind soon after. Most of his childhood was spent taking care of his mother, and/or making sure she doesn’t kill herself. When he wasn’t taking care of others, he had his nose in a book. Feeling soft touches, hugs, and small caresses were brand new to him — and he enjoyed it more than he was willing to admit. 

In fact — the boy was practically touch-starved. Every single time you had your arms around him, Hyunjin felt safe, cared for, and loved. When your arms weren’t on him, he felt lost. “I want to hear about you.” Hyunjin smiled softly. “What can you tell me about yourself?”

You paused for a second, fingers stilling on Hyunjin’s hands as you tried to remember something — anything that would give him an idea of who you were. Unfortunately, your mind was blank. There was nothing. You couldn’t remember a single thing about yourself. “I don’t remember much.” You sighed. “I guess there is one thing.”  Your fingers started to move against Hyunjin’s hand once more. Wait... was that weird? You quickly dropped his hand, mumbling a quick, “Sorry.” 

“Hm?” Hyunjin’s brow raised as he looked down at your hands. “No, keep going. It feels nice.” Hyunjin slid his hand back into yours as he asked, “What do you remember?”

You pressed your thumb into Hyunjin’s palm gently as you kept talking. “I keep seeing flashes of something.” You sighed. “I think it’s a kidnapping…” You trailed off, trying to find the right words. “It might be mine.” 

Hyunjin’s breath hitched as the words left your lips. 

So you were kidnapped… 

Of course, there was a chance that this was just a frequent recurring nightmare you were having, but… Hyunjin always had a feeling you didn’t belong in the institution. Someone at the asylum kidnapped you and brought you to the hospital… Who could that be?

“I always get a really bad headache and I get scared when I think about it.” You paused, taking a deep breath to control your emotions. “Hyunjin… I’m scared to find the truth.” 

You were terrified. What if you found out your entire life was a lie? Your mind was filled with memories of the institution — almost none were from your past. You could remember meeting Minho, Chan, and Changbin. You also remembered the day your eyes met Hyunjin’s — the chocolate orbs driving deep within your soul immediately. 

“That’s understandable sweetheart.” Hyunjin’s arms tightened around your frame. “Do you…” The boy paused, wondering if he should even ask. “Do you remember murdering someone?”

“No.” Your eyes welled up with tears. “No, I don’t.” Your breathing started to speed up as you wiped your eyes, hoping to hide any traces of tears. You were so sick of crying, sick of being afraid, of being alone… You just wanted to get out of Rosewood so you could live a normal life. That wouldn’t be possible if you were a murderer — and if you were a murderer… God, that means you’re a horrible person. “Hyunjin what if I did?” 

Hyunjin rested his chin on your head. “Shh, it’s okay sweetheart. You aren’t a horrible person.” Hyunjin rubbed soothing circles on your back with his thumb, hoping the small gesture would make you feel less afraid. “We don’t know anything right now. There’s no use in worrying about it until we figure out what happened. For all we know, Dr. Douglas could have been lying.” 

“Can we please talk about something else?” You mumbled into his chest. You needed to change the subject before you wound up having another attack. “Tell me something about you.” You paused, wondering what to ask him. “Something deep.” 

Wait… would he even want to talk to you about his life? Sure, you tell Hyunjin everything but, he was your doctor. Maybe it’s weird for a doctor to share their stories with a patient… Fuck, you never should have asked. “Only if you want to though.” 

“No, I don’t mind.” Hyunjin smiled. “It’s only fair. I’m always in your business.” Hyunjin chuckled, the deep laughter sending a wave of calm over your being. 

“Yeah, but you’re my doctor.” You giggled, “I’m just nosey.” 

Hyunjin smiled softly, eyes crinkling as he mentally snapped a picture of your bright smile. Ah, but you were right. He was your DOCTOR. Nothing more, nothing less. Hyunjin needed to start treating you more like a patient. 

But was it that wrong to be close with your patient? You were getting so much better thanks to the way he treated you. But was he treating you like this because he cared about your mental stability? Or was it something deeper? Perhaps it was just pure instinct. Hyunjin couldn’t tell. 

No… Hyunjin knew exactly what this was, he was just in denial about it. He loved you with all his heart. He trusted you with all this information. Something deep inside him WANTED to tell you everything. 

“You’re not nosey.” Hyunjin chuckled. “I guess I’ll tell you about me and my family.” Hyunjin took a deep breath, scanning his brain for memories worth sharing. “When I was young, my mother discovered that I was a bit different from all the other kids.” Hyunjin smiled. “I was reading at a much higher level, I could solve complex math problems in my head, and I knew the entire English dictionary back to front.” Hyunjin’s eyes crinkled as he grinned at you. “That was when we found out that I was classified as a genius.” 

“Wow.” You smiled. “That must have made school pretty easy.” 

You couldn’t remember anything about your school days. Perhaps you were a closet genius? Nah, that wasn’t possible. Judging by how complacent you are in the institution, you were probably one of those kids who went through the motions just so they could get out of school. 

“Yeah…” Hyunjin paused. “It comes with its own set of problems. My father worked in a dead-end job. From what I heard, he was always unhappy.” The boy sighed. “One day he just decided to end it all.” Hyunjin pursed his lips. “I was five-years-old when I found him dead on the bathroom floor surrounded by tons of pills.” Hyunjin’s hand ran across his jaw as if to wipe away any emotion from his face. “He always smiled when he was around me, so it felt like his death was out of the blue.” 

“God, Hyunjin.” You looked up at him, noticing the faraway look in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” You adjusted your position, straddling his hips so you could hug him. 

“Thank you.” Hyunjin wrapped his arms around your frame. “But don’t worry. This happened such a long time ago. It doesn’t really bother me now. Besides, I don’t really think he was my real father. I didn’t look like him at all.” Hyunjin chuckled darkly. 

“Jinnie, he was still your father.” You pulled away to look him in the eyes. “That shit doesn’t just go away. It always sticks with you.” 

Hyunjin’s cheeks flushed slightly as he pulled you closer. “Thank you. I still had my mother at the time.” 

“Had?” Your face fell. “Is your mother?”

“No.” Hyunjin interrupted you. “My mother is alive.” He smiled. “I miss her very much.” 

“How did she handle your father’s death?” You asked. 

Hyunjin’s eyes shifted away from your gaze. “Not well.” He sighed. “Her anxiety slowly started to eat her away. When I was young, I didn’t really have any friends because I was either studying or taking care of my mom. It was my job to make sure she didn’t kill herself.” 

Oh, God…

That shouldn’t have been Hyunjin’s job. Your heart broke for the boy. He never had a chance to be a kid — to go fall out of a tree and break his arm, to play tag with all the kids on the playground, to enjoy a bunch of toys during Christmas. The poor boy was trying to keep what was left of his family together. 

“Hyunjin, you’re such a good person.” You rested your hands on his cheeks. “Please remember that.” God, you wanted to kiss him right now. “Minho and I couldn’t imagine a life without you.”

Hyunjin froze. Sure, Minho had been a good friend to him so far, until… Until it really mattered. Until he was about to risk it all to break you out of the padded room — then Minho decided to bail. Suddenly his reputation at the institution mattered more than justice. 

Was Minho really trustworthy? At this point, Hyunjin didn’t know. Anxiety was slowly bubbling in his chest. If Minho really wanted to break out of the asylum, he wouldn’t care about his reputation. What if the older boy was planning to rat Hyunjin out?

Part of Hyunjin knew he was being unreasonable. Of course, it would look suspicious if all the doctors started to act out. They need someone on the inside to help them escape that godforsaken place. Still…

What were Minho’s intentions?

For the first time in his life, Hyunjin had a friend — someone he trusted with his life. He’d be devastated if Minho decided to rat them out. At Rosewood, who knew what would happen. With all the trouble Hyunjin has caused, he wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up dead in a ditch. 

“Hey, you okay?” You tilted your head, the cute movement shaking Hyunjin out of his negative thoughts. 

A sad smile took over Hyunjin’s features. “Minho and I just had a little spat.” 

“I’m sure you two will figure it out.” You hugged Hyunjin once more. “Anyone can tell that the two of you care about each other.” 

“I hope you’re right.” Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile as your body grew heavy on top of him. “Did you fall asleep on me?” Hyunjin chuckled when he heard no response. His eyes drifted shut as he held you close, exhaustion making him pass out underneath you. 

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

After having back-to-back shifts, Hyunjin was exhausted. He slowly trudged back to the dorms, ready to plop in bed and sleep for a whole damn day. Thank God Chan agreed to cover him for the night shift so he could get some much-needed sleep. 

Hyunjin opened the door to the dorms and headed down the hallway, eyes widening when he spotted Minho unlocking his door. The older boy looked worn out, stressed, and upset — like he’d break down and cry any minute. If Hyunjin wasn’t so tired, he’d consider hiding behind the corner until Minho disappeared in his room, but frankly… Hyunjin was ready to drop any second. The boy strolled down the hall, heart dropping when Minho’s eyes landed on him. “Hey.” Minho waved, a fake smile taking over his features as he turned towards Hyunjin. “Long day?”

“Long day and night.” Hyunjin chuckled as he entered the code to his room, mentally cursing at himself when his index finger pressed the wrong number. “I stayed for the day shift after breaking her out of solitary confinement.” 

“Wow.” Minho’s brows creased as he fiddled with his thumbs. “Do you mind if I come in for a bit.” Minho paused. “I know you’re tired… I won’t stay long.”  

“Sure.” Hyunjin entered the correct code to his room, sighing as he pushed the heavy door open.

Minho walked in and plopped on the bed, ruffling the neat blankets — something that would have seriously irked Hyunjin if he wasn’t so tired. The boy was known for keeping things nice and neat. Every single morning, he made the bed, put his clothes in the hamper, tidied up, and then every night Minho would pop in and disrupt the clean environment by bouncing on the bed and checking out every picture frame Hyunjin had in the room. Oh, but Hyunjin enjoyed the boy’s company. 

“Yeah, make yourself at home.” Hyunjin chuckled as he neatly hung his jacket in the closet. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping tonight anyways.” 

Minho smiled — a genuine smile that made Hyunjin feel a little bit better. “Don’t be salty.” Minho’s face dropped as his gaze shifted to his hands. “I wanted to make sure we’re good.” 

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin figured it’d be best to play dumb vs. telling the boy how frustrated he was. 

“Don’t be an idiot.” Minho scoffed. “You left the room all pissed off. I didn’t want to upset you but —” 

“I get it.” Hyunjin pulled his uniform shirt off, tossing the garment into the laundry hamper neatly tucked in the corner. 

“No, you —” Minho paused, eyes widening as he scanned Hyunjin’s body. “Hey, are you taking care of yourself?” 

Hyunjin frowned as he looked down at his body. Sure he’s thinned out a bit, but he’s had a lot going on. “Yeah.” 

“No, you’re not.” Minho rolled his eyes and stood up. “I’ll be right back.” Hyunjin sighed as Minho ran out the door, cocking it open with one of Hyunjin’s shoes so the boy wouldn’t have to let him in again. 

Hyunjin quickly pulled on one of his hoodies, yanking the hood off his head before he slipped out of his work trousers. After throwing on some sweats, Hyunjin plopped in bed, fighting to keep his eyes open while he waited for Minho to get back from doing… whatever he was doing. 

Hyunjin was fighting a losing battle. 

“Oi, wake up.” Minho smacked Hyunjin’s shoulder, startling the boy awake. 

“I wasn’t asleep, I was just resting my eyes.” Hyunjin chuckled as he sat up, yawning. 

“Eat this.” Minho handed Hyunjin a bowl of ramen, decorated with various seasonings, hard-boiled eggs, and tons of vegetables and meat. 

“Did you seriously cook this for me?” Hyunjin took a big bite of the noodles, closing his eyes at the delicious taste. “It’s really good, thank you.” 

“Well, I put it together, but don’t give me too much credit. I just fancied up the packaged stuff.” Minho waved off Hyunjin’s compliment. He sat beside Hyunjin as the younger boy devoured the food. “I know you want to take care of her, but you need to make sure you’re eating properly. You’ll drop dead on the ground if you don’t take care of yourself.” 

Hyunjin sighed. “I know. You’re right.” Hyunjin set the empty bowl on his night-table, instantly dropping his head on Minho’s shoulder. “I just feel like something bad will happen if I leave her side — even for one second.” 

“If you need a break, come get me.” Minho leaned his head on top of Hyunjin’s. “I’ll watch her for you. You can trust me.” 

“Can I?” Hyunjin’s heart shattered as he sat up. “Oh my God, I didn’t —” 

“No, I get it.” Minho chuckled at Hyunjin’s pure panic. “I get it. It looks bad.” Minho sighed. “This institution is more fucked up than you know.”

“What do you know?” Hyunjin’s eyes bore into Minho’s. 

“When I first started working there, Jisung was my best friend.” Minho sighed. 

“Wait… Like your new patient Jisung?” Hyunjin’s eyes widened. 

Minho nodded. “Actually, Jisung has been my main patient for years. I took over David’s care as well because his caretaker disappeared.” Minho pursed his lips. “Jisung and I found one of our coworkers, Dr. Greg, arguing with Dr. Henry in the hallway. Dr. Greg was trying to quit and Dr. Henry told him that wasn’t an option.” Minho sighed. “Security came in and took out his knees Hyunjin. They almost beat him to death.” 

“Oh my God.” Hyunjin rested his hand on Minho’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” 

“The next week, Dr. Greg was a patient in a wheelchair.” Minho chuckled darkly. “No one fucking questioned it. Jisung and I decided that the institution was fucked up and we needed to leave.” He sighed. “We knew quitting and walking out wasn’t an option, based off what happened to Dr. Greg, so we came up with a plan to escape and we set a date to leave.” 

“Jisung found another doctor who wanted to get out of there, so he met with us a week before we left and changed up our plan a little bit.” Minho sighed. “I didn’t really trust him, and he changed our plan…” Minho trailed off. “I was afraid that he was sharing our plan with security or something. I couldn’t stop seeing flashbacks of Dr. Greg getting beat near death.” Minho’s hands shook as he grabbed Hyunjin’s forearm. “I decided I wasn’t going to go with them.” 

“You were scared you’d get killed.” Hyunjin held the boy’s hand. “That’s understandable.” 

“Jisung didn’t think so.” Minho scoffed. “He got upset and he said that he’d leave without me. I told him that was fine.” Minho started to tear up a bit. “I tried to look out for him the best I could, but when he tried to climb the gate, the guards found him.” 

“Oh, God…” Hyunjin trailed off. He knew this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending.

“I watched my best friend get beaten and I couldn’t find the courage to go help him.” Tears ran down Minho’s face. 

“No.” Hyunjin grabbed the boy’s shoulders. “Don’t you do that to yourself. If you went down there, you could have gotten killed.” 

“Even that would have been better than me standing there and watching him take all those punches.” Minho wiped the tears off his cheeks. 

“No. Don’t say shit like that.” Hyunjin pulled the boy into his chest, comforting him the best he could. “I would have been murdered the first week if I didn’t have you.” 

Minho couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah probably.” 

“So don’t say stuff like that.” Hyunjin rubbed soothing circles on Minho’s back, making the boy’s eyes drift shut. 

“You’re a natural comforter aren’t you?” Minho chuckled, trying to change the subject. “You’re good at this.” 

“I’ve had to be.” Hyunjin smiled sadly. “I used to have to do this for my mother when I was a kid…” Hyunjin trailed off. “If I didn’t, she’d lose her mind.” Hyunjin paused. “She’d get violent and hurt me…” He couldn’t find the right words. “But it wasn’t her fault. She had PTSD from the time she was raped.”

“Oh my God, Hyunjin I’m sorry.” Minho sat up, looking the younger boy in the eyes. Hyunjin looked lost, sad, and afraid. 

Hyunjin’s eyes dropped down to his lap. “I think I’m a rape baby.” 

Minho’s eyes widened. “What? No that can’t be true.” 

“There were so many signs Minho.” Hyunjin pursed his lips. “I don’t look like my father, my dad wanted nothing to do with me, my mother was afraid of me.” He scoffed. “I had to put her in a home because she tried to kill me one day.” Hyunjin leaned back against the headboard. “I must look just like him.” 

“Is that why you took this job?” Minho’s brows creased.  

“Yep,” Hyunjin mumbled. “I could work anywhere, but I couldn’t afford rent since they were all entry-level jobs.” He sighed. “This one gave me room and board and enough money to survive.” 

“Fuck.” Minho sighed. “We’re both fucked up but you take the cake.” 

“What a fucked up competition to win.” Hyunjin chuckled darkly. 

“You know you’re nothing like your father, right?” Minho rested his hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “If your theory is true, you’re nothing like him.” 

Hyunjin smiled at Minho. “Thanks.” 

“Seriously. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met, you care so much about others, you’re the prettiest guy on earth, and you’re super smart.” Minho tried to comfort the boy the best he could. 

“So are we going to kiss now or what?” Hyunjin burst out into a fit of giggles when Minho pushed him off the bed. 

“I try to be nice and you gotta do me dirty.” Minho crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Thank you.” Hyunjin smiled and hopped back on the bed. “Can you stay the night?” He felt awkward asking the boy to stay over, but he really didn’t want to be alone. “I feel…” 

“You don’t need to give me a reason.” Minho chuckled. “Just give me clothes to wear and I’ll stay the night.” 

Hyunjin laughed. “Just go through that dresser over there and pick out whatever you want lazy bones.” 

Minho panned through the dresser before picking a pair of shorts and a hoodie. After changing Minho plopped next to Hyunjin. “I hope you know that you’re a ray of hope in that damn hospital.” 

“Hm?” Hyunjin cocked his brow. “How so? It feels like all I’ve done is fuck everything up.”

“I always figured I’d stay at the institution until I died, but you gave me hope. After you showed up I started to think that maybe, we have a chance. Maybe we can live normal lives outside this place.” Minho sighed. “I miss my family.” 

“I bet.” Hyunjin sighed. “I’m scared too.” 

“Who said I was afraid?” Minho scoffed. 

“Your eyes.” Hyunjin laughed. “Your eyes are the windows to your soul. I can always tell how you’re feeling through your eyes.” 

“Well damn.” Minho chuckled. “That was straight-up poetic.” 

“I try.” Hyunjin shrugged. “But when it comes to Y/N, I fumble like an idiot.” 

“Oh?” Minho leaned forward and wiggled his eyebrows. “Did something happen?”

“Well, she told me she loves me.” Hyunjin grinned, a light blush coating his cheeks. “I don’t think she meant it in that way though. I’m happy she trusts me.” 

Minho physically facepalmed. “You’re kidding me right?” 

“What?” Hyunjin chuckled. 

“You realize she like, love loves you right? Like, she wants to make out with you under the stars and marry your dumb-ass and live the rest of her life with you.” Minho rolled his eyes and leaned back into the headboard. “Oh my God, you seriously don’t know?”

“Don’t know what?” Hyunjin flushed darker. “She doesn’t love me like that.” 

Minho grabbed Hyunjin’s shoulders and shook him. “Yes, she does!” 

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” Hyunjin sighed. “I don’t love her in that way.” 

“Bullshit,” Minho smirked. “You grin like an idiot every time you talk about her. Plus, what you do for her isn’t normal.” 

“I would do those things for any patient.” Hyunjin chuckled. 

“Nope. I doubt you would.” Minho laughed. “Please just admit that you love her so Chan and I can stop trying to get you guys together.” 

“Oh my God, please tell me you haven’t —” Hyunjin groaned. 

“Yep.” Minho chuckled. “I’ve been telling her how awesome you are during my shifts.” He laughed. “I’ve hyped you up, so grow some balls and kiss her or something.” 

“It’s complicated.” Hyunjin giggled. “But thank you.” 

A comfortable silence passed, until Minho asked, “Do you want to meet Jisung?” 

Hyunjin smiled. “Of course. Can she come?”

Minho chuckled. “Yes, the love of your life can come too.” 

“Hey, she’s not the love of my life.” Hyunjin couldn’t stop the stupid grin that took over his face. 

“Mhmm. Keep telling yourself that.” Minho chuckled as he laid down, turning his back to Hyunjin. “Get some sleep so we can function tomorrow.” 

Hyunjin laid beside Minho, the feeling of the older boy’s back against his being oddly comforting. He couldn’t help but wonder if Minho was right. Did he love you? 

Yes — yes he did, but how on earth was he going to tell you? Before Hyunjin could come up with an answer, exhaustion took over, putting the boy to sleep instantly. 

[falling-feuilles]

Chapter 3

CW/TW: N/A

Early the next morning, Y/N woke; alone in the sitting room. The teaset sat undisturbed, save for the small, folded note addressed to her. Its familiar, slanting script informed her of the message’s author: Pierre. He was nowhere to be seen; all that remained of his presence was the empty teacup, placed neatly back on its saucer. 

She reached for the paper, noting the looseness of her bandages as she did so. The note was simple, and the ink wasn’t completely dried; it was written recently, and in somewhat of a hurry. On the paper, Pierre expressed his gratitude for her hospitality and companionship. She smiled, reading through the note a second time, noticing he had scratched out a word. Despite his best efforts to remove the letters, Y/N could still see their outline when held up to her window. They read “Your love friendship is, as always, a great comfort…” the note continued on after that, but her eyes kept going back to the word. Love. She loved Pierre deeply, he was her closest friend, so why did she keep focusing on that word? Why did Pierre cross it out? She shook her head, blinking back into reality. Those were thoughts for another, less busy, day.

Y/N, after carefully refolding the paper and, after slipping it into her pocket, examined her wrist. The fabric was fraying slightly, with a few ink stains on the piece between her thumb and forefinger. She gently unwound the binding, carefully maneuvering the remaining cotton between her fingers. The mark was dark indigo in the center, ringed with green. She rewrapped the sprain with a clean roll of cotton, not as neatly or as tightly as Alexandra would have, but enough for the bandage to function as it should.

Her carriage was to leave at eight in the morning, arriving at the Bolkonsky residence well before noon. The dull ticking of the grandfather clock to her left reminded her of this prior commitment. Its hands read as just before seven, giving her plenty of time to prepare for the day.

The morning passed in a blur, despite the dullness of the carriage ride. She spent the majority of it worrying for Pierre and the influence Prince Vassily might have on his future. This type of thinking, she decided, wasn’t of much use; and, although she tried to think about what these next few months had in store for her, Pierre was never far from her mind.

It had been a number of years since she’d last visited the Bolkonskys, the last time being for the purposes of seeing Marya, Andrei’s sister. Marya was one of the kindest, most gentle people she had met, and it pained Y/N to see her so meek and trodden on by her father. As the carriage pulled up to the steps, Y/N saw Tikhon, the butler, outside the house awaiting her arrival. He opened the carriage door, offering her a gloved hand.

“My lady,” he began as she placed a foot on the ground, “Your sister and the Princess are in the sitting room awaiting your arrival.”

“Tikhon, you’re looking well.”

“Thank you, my lady. You are as radiant as ever.” She smiled, moving inside the large manor. The familiar lilt of conversation aerated throughout the entrance hall, originating from the open doors to her left. As soon as she entered, she was greeted with a hug from her sister.

“N/N! Finally, you’re here!” Lise was clearly adjusting well to life with Marya and Mademoiselle Bourrienne.

“Yes, yes, I hope you haven’t missed me too terribly in our single day apart.” Y/N chuckled, kissing her sister’s forehead.

“Y/N…” Marya stood from the couch, moving to embrace Y/N.

“It’s been far too long, Marya. I hope you’ve been keeping well?”

“As well as I can,” she sounded sad, and Y/N couldn’t blame her. Marya quickly smiled, attempting to change the slightly somber mood back to the joyful one it had been mere moments before, “But, much better now that you and Lise are here.”

Y/N squeezed her shoulder gently before turning to sit next to her sister, who hadn’t seemed to notice Marya’s momentary distress. They talked for a while, catching up on all the recent developments in Lise and Marya’s lives. Y/N, however, found it hard to focus on anything the two said. Her hand, subconsciously, slipped into her pocket, occasionally running Pierre’s note through her fingers.

“Y/N, are you alright? You seem… distracted.” Marya noted, halting her conversation with Lise.

“Yes, I’m fine…” Marya and Lise clearly didn’t believe her, both knowing the woman too well.

“What is it?” Lise placed her hand on Y/N’s. The pain, while not nearly as intense as the day before, was still present and showed on her face. Lise looked confused for a moment, before noticing the unusual bulkiness of her sister’s wrist. The bandage peeked out from under her sleeve slightly, catching the eye of the two other women. Marya moved to sit on Y/N’s other side, carefully rolling up her friend’s sleeve. Y/N pulled away, but a sharp look from Lise stopped her.

“Are you hurt? What happened?” Lise was clearly concerned. Despite Lise’s usually gentle nature, she was easily upset when it came to anything hurting Y/N. She was equally as protective of Y/N as Y/N was of her.

“No, no, it’s nothing,” she dismissed the thought, biting her lip before continuing, “It’s… it’s Pierre…”

“What about Pierre?” Marya had met Pierre before; he had always treated her kindly.

“Did Pierre do this?” Lise gestured to the bandage, growing more furious by the second. As protective as Y/N was of Lise, Lise was equally as protective.

“What? No, no. His… father, the Count, passed away last night…”

“I’d heard he was getting worse, I just… never thought it would actually happen, poor Pierre,” Lise sighed, while she wasn’t nearly as close to Pierre as her sister or husband, she still considered him a friend.

Marya was very far removed from most of society and hadn’t heard that Pierre’s father was ill; still, she felt bad she didn’t know. She had lost her mother when she was young, so she could imagine how he was feeling.

“What about his will? I imagine the old Count left him something, he cared for Pierre greatly.”

“You could say that,” the confused looks on Lise and Marya’s faces urged her to continue, “The Count named Pierre as his successor.”

The two’s eyes went wide, mouths parting in shock. Lise struggled to speak for a moment, taking in the vastness of this information.

“You mean to tell me that... Pierre is Count Bezukhov?”

“Yes, but it’s not that that worries me. Prince Vassily tried to destroy the will, luckily Anna Drubetskaya and I put an end to that. But Pierre is spending the day with the Prince, and I shudder to think what he may convince Pierre to do.”

Lise, who’d had encounters with the Prince in the past, knew what she meant. Not only was he very manipulative, he also had a number of friends in high positions in the government.

“I understand your concern, N/N, but I think he’ll be fine. Pierre isn’t stupid, he’ll see through Vassily’s deceptions.” Y/N didn’t agree with her sister's assessment; yes, Pierre was smart, but he was too trusting, too naive to the way high society worked. He desperately wanted to believe that the world, and all the people in it, were good.

“I suppose you’re right…”

“Besides,” Lise continued, “What’s the worst he could do?”

~

The next few days were uneventful. However, she quickly remembered why her last visit had been so long ago. Prince Bolkonsky. He was so insurmountably irritating. Shortly after she arrived, he had called her into his office, much like a headmaster would call in a misbehaving student. He made a number of degrading remarks about Y/N and Marya, but nothing more than talk which, although infuriating, Y/N could easily dismiss.

While he would never take out his frustrations on her, she could tell that he would very much like to do so. During the first week of her stay, Y/N joined Marya and Bolkonsky for Marya’s geometry lessons. Y/N found that Marya did significantly better when positively encouraged, and told Bolkonsky her thoughts on the matter; he did not take it well. She wasn’t allowed to help with geometry anymore.

Luckily, Marya and Y/N’s bedrooms were directly across from each other, which allowed Y/N to teach Marya in secret during the evenings.

Lise remained healthy, much to the relief of the household. Despite her initial reservations about staying in the country, Y/N could tell it suited her better; for the time being at least.

Y/N also had her reservations, and, although they weren’t as far from her mind as Lise’s were, they had been somewhat soothed. Luckily, she had had the foresight to bring Emil along. The Bolkonsky estate was large, and had much room for riding. No one ever joined her, and she preferred it that way. Life was simple and happy. Until it wasn’t.

Pierre wrote her often, first telling her of his vague plans for the considerable fortune he’d acquired, then telling her of Prince Vassily’s plans for the money. She knew the Prince wouldn’t throw money away for no reason, so that served as some comfort. Then, he began telling her of his outings with Helene; ice skating, cards, anything and everything he could do with her, he would. Y/N didn’t tell him of her feelings about Helene, she knew he was blinded by her beauty and interest in him, or, as was most likely the case, his money. Helene wasn’t one for the “misunderstood intellectual” type of man. She spent many hours dwelling on thoughts like these. Although she knew that thoughts like these were a waste of time and energy, it was hard not to think of them. But, she kept them to herself, bottling them up like she did with so many other things.

~

Y/N wrote him often, keeping him updated on the health of her sister and the activities of the household. He had been very busy these past few weeks. Between the exploration of his new wealth and social status, he’d had very little time to do much else. However, he always made time to write to her.

Pierre sat in his office; an elaborate room filled with the many extravagances of Russian wealth. A large, mahogany desk sat in the center of the room, holding the haphazard papers and writings of the young man. Directly in front of Pierre, a thick, sealed letter sat, unopened, in his hands. He’d finally made it through the considerable stack of letters on his desk, most of them being invitations for gatherings of some such, the kind of gatherings a newly rich, eligible bachelor would attend. Although he enjoyed the opportunities his new status had given him, gatherings such as those took up much of his energy. Today, for example; It had been long, but enjoyable. He had spent the late afternoon and early evening playing écarté with Helene.

Helene. She was beautiful. Pale skin, dark hair, perfectly feminine features. But, best of all, she seemed to care for him. He became lost in these thoughts, until the soft, gold seal caught his eye. The stamp was shaped as a very ornate, calligraphic Z, denoting its sender as Y/N. He broke the seal, splitting the Z into two, uneven pieces.

Dearest Pierre,

I hope you are keeping well! Lise is in good health. She would never admit it, but the country air suits her. I’ve discovered that our dear Marya is quite the artist! I’ve included a few of her drawings, they are wonderful! The old Prince Bolkonsky still despises me. He says I am no longer allowed to assist in Marya’s lessons. He says it is because it distracts her, but it’s truly because I criticized his teaching style. Now, Marya and I  have secret geometry lessons in the evenings and the Prince is none the wiser. I’ve written to Andrei a small number of times, he hasn’t responded but that’s to be expected. I am certain, however, he is receiving the letters as none of them have been returned to my hands. Mary and I fear for his safety, as I’m sure you do as well, but we must appear unaffected for the sake of Lise’s sanity. Have you written Andrei at all? I feel as though he would be more inclined to write you than me, considering the last time we spoke I berated him. Alas, I can’t take back what I’ve said and, frankly, I don’t want to. I hope the lovely Helene is keeping you social while I’m away, I hear she’s made quite the companion for you. Keep well, Pierre.

Your Friend,

Y/N Zhudova

He smiled softly, running his fingers through the envelope to find the sketches. They were, as far as Pierre could tell, done with pencil and charcoal, and done very well. Two were of animals, Emil and an old, mangy barn cat. The other two were of people; one being of Lise and Y/N sitting on a sofa in the household, laughing and smiling. The brightness in the pair’s eyes was displayed perfectly, making the picture seem truly alive. The second image was less bright, but just as realistic. Y/N sat with her back to a tree, dress splaying out over the grass; hair loose, it cascaded over her shoulders like running water. She clearly had not been aware of the drawing as it was being made; there was no effort in her pose. It was too natural. Too her. The bandage on her arm had been abandoned, revealing the still-healing bruises on her wrist. Her hands, delicate, held the book in her hands loosely. Lips slightly parted, he could almost see them moving as she read the words on the pages below. She looked so at home, more peaceful than he had seen her in quite a while. Although Pierre had seen her in relaxed states before, it wasn't a common sight for him. He scanned over the image again, taking note of the intricate details captured in the image. The individual pages resting between her fingers, her mother's necklace she always wore, even the shading of her eyes. It was just so… her.

Pierre hadn't realized how much he missed her until he saw her face. Even though there was no color in the image, he could almost see it. E/C eyes studying the words below her, H/C hair tucked away save for the single stand over her right eye, it was all too real.

Pierre did have some form of company in Helene and the other members of the aristocracy, but there was no company like Y/N’s. His eyes lingered on the sketch a few moments longer before he placed the letter, and its contents, into a drawer, on top of a neat stack of other letters he had received from her. The door shut with a small click, drawing him out of his thoughts.

~

It was dark. Ornate halls lit solely by the moon, silvery beams glowing softly on the floors. Y/N moved through the hallway, bare feet gliding through puddles of moonlight. Soft light moved across her bare skin as she walked, robe cascading behind her. She slowly disrobed, leaving silken garments on the floor. Pierre followed behind her, unable to look away. His eyes caught hers, causing her to giggle and gently push open his bedroom door.

"Touch me…" she whispered, moving to the center of the room, where three beams of moonlight converged. Finally, the robe fell from her shoulders, exposing her bare flesh to his eyes. He moved forward, hand reaching out to touch her, shaking as he moved closer. The whispers became louder, reaching their climax as he ran a finger down her spine, feeling her shiver beneath the touch.

"Touch me…"

He woke, gasping for breath.

[queenbirbs]

the way home | Ch. 2 | Edward x MC

Pairing: Edward Mortemer x MC

Word count: 1,977

Summary: In which traveling to the past is only half the battle; or: Elena finds her way back.

Warnings: language, some violence 

Read from the beginning or continue on Read on AO3

Tag list: @writinghereandthere

------

Throngs of people breeze through the streets of the port town, unfazed by the stacks of boards and pallets of bricks that block sections of the main route. 

The hurricane’s damage is much more obvious this close: swatches of roofs torn away, replaced with makeshift sheets of tin, the steeple of a nearby church gone, with only splinters remaining. Elena recalls the story about how she saved her home from a hurricane and hopes that she hasn’t arrived too late. Having wasted time doubling back to her buried bag and stowing away the clothes she arrived in, she hurries through the packed streets as best she can. The new boots pinch at her feet with every step. It would be nice, she bemuses, if she could keep her clothes with her when she travels back in time. 

“Would’ve saved me a fortune,” she mutters, navigating around two men haggling on the price of a goat. 

Complaints aside, she loves the feel of the silk vest against her skin, of the fresh leather across her hip where her new sword gleams in its holster. She even bought a cavalier hat, excusing its purchase with the protection from the sun it offered. 

It’s nice to be back, to resume her role as Elena McTavish, infamous pirate. The years of holing up in her sister’s apartment or Robert’s hotel rooms, scouring documents and scrolling through endless message boards for time-traveling artifacts was no life to call her own. The occasional trip to Calgary or Edinburgh or New Orleans to hunt down a lead was the closest she ever came to a real adventure back home.  

Up ahead, she spots the tavern and winds her way through the crowd to reach it. The inside is as dimly lit as any other pub she’s been to, no matter the century. Ignoring the jeer of a drunken man near the door, she makes her way to the table Robert has commandeered near the back. His new attire fits him well, colored dark as to blend in with the shadows -- just as he likes. He slides a mug to her before launching into his update. 

“I found us a ship. Decent crew. They need four extra hands.”

Elena sips at the ale and raises her brow. “Did you tell them that the two of us are just as good as four men?” 

“Aye, that I did.” A smirk flashes behind his mug. “They agreed to take us aboard. I told ‘em that we’re interested in finding an associate who’s likely to be farther north. As it so happens, that’s where they’re headed for a trade route.”

“Did they know anything about--”

“You know as well as I do that Edward has made enemies -- none as big as the Admiral, but enemies nonetheless. I thought it wise to keep mum about who exactly we’re looking for, especially when they’re our ride out of here.”

Elena frowns, though she dips her head in acknowledgement to his point. “I asked the ladies in the shop, but they didn’t recognize his name. This port gets its fair share of traffic.”

“Aye, we’ll have better luck with the smaller islands.” After a subtle glance at the other patrons, Robert leans over the table and drops his voice to a mumble. “I managed to find a few of my old contacts. Both of them said the same thing: that he’s offering a bounty of sorts for information on you.”

She takes a slow sip of her drink and attempts to act nonplussed. “When did they hear about this bounty? Recently, or…?” 

“Within the last three months. So, that tells us that he’s in the area.”

“Yeah,” she sighs, unable to hide the daunting weight to her words, “the area of one million square miles.” 

“Oi.” He nudges her arm, bringing her sour gaze up from her mug and back to him. “The hardest part is over. We made it back -- and this time, hopefully, for good. Don’t beat yerself up. I told you that I’d stick with you until we find him, and I will.” 

Elena settles in her chair, holding back the relieved sigh that’s building in her chest. She doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much that means to her. 

On their first return, he’d all but left her in the dust when the wormhole they used spit them out in a church in Salvador, down on Brazil’s coast. When their time ran out and they were both sucked back to the future a few weeks later, the leopard had changed its spots, so to speak, and Robert admitted his own faults with trying to go at it alone. 

“How do you manage to slip back into the accent so well?” she asks, unsubtly changing the topic at hand. 

“Helps if you learned to do so in the first place. When you first showed up, you hardly attempted to assimilate. Didn’t help you any when you waved yer mobile about.”

“Says the man who stuffed gunpowder into little tubes and tried to pass it off as an original idea? And it’s not my fault that I ended up being put on trial! Edward was the one who broke the Code by letting me come aboard.”

Robert shrugs off her point, hiding his grin behind the glass. 

“We would’ve shot you first, if that’s any consolation.” 

“Honestly, as someone who swam half a mile in a dress, it is.” 

 ------

Adjusting the sails alongside Rhodes, the ship’s boatswain, Elena looks out across the deck of the Little Death and to the green spot on the horizon. 

The ragtag crew welcomed them with somewhat open arms, more desperate than anything else to have help running their sloop. It didn’t hurt, of course, that Elena and Robert knew their way around boarding and pillaging merchant ships. On their journey from Santo Domingo’s port, they manage to pin down two ships along Hispaniola's southern shore, and then another as they pass by Tortuga, long abandoned by the buccaneers that ran it during the mid-seventeenth century. After stopping briefly in the West Indies to gather more crew, they head north into Great Britain’s territory. The islands here are smaller, clustered together within twenty to sixty nautical miles of each other.  

“Sail ho!” someone cries from up in the crow’s nest. “Got a brig comin’ ‘round to starboard!” 

Along with everyone else, Elena eagerly searches the expanse of water. The Red Duster flag fades into view soon enough. She frowns at the British merchant vessel, turning the ugly flare of disappointment into fierce determination when she boards it twenty minutes later. 

The merchant crew is really no match, she finds, after tying several of the men together with their own twine. Captain Delaney, a chiseled man without a single ounce of humor in his entire body, gets right to business with giving his crew orders on what to plunder. 

“Montgomery and Lear, supplies!” he shouts. 

Snapping into action, Elena and Robert disappear down the ladder and into the ship’s hull. It had been his idea, of course, to use fake surnames. There was no need for their temporary crew to know their real names, especially with the rumor of a reward for--

“McTavish!” a voice blurts from the darkened corridor. 

Her step falters; she knocks her shoulder against the wall before righting herself.

“Keep moving,” Robert hisses in her ear, brushing past to hide her from immediate line of sight. 

“Shut up!” Rhodes demands over the sickening slap of skin on skin. 

“What if it’s--”

“It’s not,” Robert cuts her off, bending down and shoving a crate of supplies into her lax hold. “If it were, they’d call you by yer given name.” He moves about the room as he speaks, pitching his voice below whoever is outside calling for her. “Don’t look at them. Make them think they’re just confused.” 

Shifting the crate in her grip, Elena nods her head. “Got it.” 

“C’mon.” He dumps a smaller box on top of hers in an effort to hide her face. “If the captain wants more’n this, he can send down another--”

“Elena McTavish!” the voice cries again when they exit the room. “I know it’s you -- it’s me, Doyle! Officer Doyle! Please, you can’t let them kill me!” 

Behind her mountain of supplies, Elena rolls her eyes at his begging. Robert’s nudge at her back urges her to ignore the man. Their path is blocked by other members of the crew waiting their turn to return to the deck, leaving her at the mercy of Doyle’s pitiful wails. “I -- I have a family, now, a wife and a little boy. Please, you have to tell them to let me go!” 

“Oi!” Rhodes knocks him back against the wall with a kick to his ribs. “What did I say?” 

“I’m sorry, please, I’ll -- I just -- Elena, please, I helped you when--”

“For god’s sake, shut up!” she snarls. She turns on her heel to face him, but Robert blocks her with his own bulky crate. “We aren’t going to kill you, you idiot. And my name isn’t McTavish. I’ve never met you before in my life.”

“I don’t understand. Please, Elena, you’re my only hope! You can vouch for--”

“Rhodes?” she calls down the corridor. 

The sharp thunk of skull meeting wood echoes through the small space. Her lungs seize, unable to see the damage for herself as guilt races through her. 

“You’ve a soft heart, Rhodes,” another of their crew says with a smirk. “I woulda done more’n knock him out.” 

Elena clenches her jaw against the grating noise of laughter. Robert joins in, adding his own insult that gets them going once more. Adjusting his load, he reaches down and pats her arm, nodding at the question in her eyes. She welcomes the breath of relief that fills her lungs. 

After they leave the merchant ship behind, Rhodes approaches her out on the deck. He drapes his arm around her shoulder in a casual gesture. Elena decides to ignore the gaze he seemingly has trained on her breasts. 

“I thought your name was Elena Montgomery?”

“It is,” she scoffs. “Moron mistook me for some poor lass, I guess.”

“Hmm. Poor lass indeed,” he agrees. 

Glancing up, his face tightens around a grimace before his smirk springs back. His hand squeezes her shoulder for a beat before he moves off with a wink.

“God, could he be any more obvious?” she asks without bothering to look up from her task.

Robert grunts in agreement, chuckling under his breath.

“Aye, he’s probably considering what he could buy himself with that many pieces of eight.” 

“How many, exactly?” Elena questions, curious. 

“Six-hundred, according to my contacts.” 

Her jaw drops a fraction before she snaps her mouth closed. “The same payout as losing an arm, depending on a ship’s Code. Which is, I imagine, what Edward’ll do if Rhodes here threatens you to get that coin.”

“That’s…” she trails off, still trying to move past the sum. 

“Not his best play, I’ll give you that.” He tips his head to the side in consideration. “But it keeps mouths moving, keeps people looking.” 

Finishing off her last knot, Elena shifts to lean against the railing. She could corner Rhodes when night comes and threaten to slice his balls off if he tells anyone else -- but then that would be all the convincing he would need. Keeping her head down is probably the best way to go about it, but that runs the risk of him feeling brave enough to pull a stunt on her down the line. 

“Dead men tell no tales,” she recites in a sing-songy tone. 

Robert steps up to join her at the railing and crosses his arms, glaring out over the deck at the man in question. 

“Leave him to me.”

[ask-de-writer]

LOST TIME (part 2 of 3) A fantasy of Flocking Bay.

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Flocking Bay

LOST TIME

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

5556 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

written 2003 by Glen Ten-Eyck

All rights reserved.

Reproduction  in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the  express written consent of the author or proper copyright holder.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users  of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may  reblog the story. They may use the characters or original characters in  my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical  compositions. I will allow those who do commission art works to charge  for their images.

All sorts of Fan Activity, fiction, art, cosplay, music or anything else is ACTIVELY encouraged!

///////////////////////

Morton Hewitt did not last. He bought the house for back taxes in 1944. He lived there for a week. He painted the hardwood floors and then hanged himself in the garage the next day.

Byron Thomas bought the house from Hewitt’s estate. He was a grave digger for Trinity Graveyard. He updated the plumbing and lived there quietly for several years. Apparently he liked his work a little too well. He buried two people who were not yet dead. One of them lived. He was adjudged sane at his trial and hanged for his crime.

Mark Altman bought the house next. He was a reclusive sort and lived there for a quite a number of years before it was discovered that he’d had some visitors who had never left. He died in prison while awaiting trial. There was an interesting hand written note attached to the autopsy report which stated that the coroner had ruled out both suicide and homicide but refused to pronounce the death natural.

Dora Greene got the place next. She was Mark’s sister. Like Mark, she lived there quietly for years. One day she walked into town and set fire to the school, killing five and maiming six more. She spent her last years in a lunatic asylum, setting three more fires and killing two more people. She herself died in her last fire.

While she was in the asylum, one Tony Fisk, age twelve, urged on by several other urchins, had thrown some stones at the windows of the Vekin place. He had missed. Becoming angry, he took careful aim and they all watched the flight of the stone. In the young malefactor’s words, “It went away without falling.”

It would not have been worthy of a news story, except for the fact that each of the children who had watched the stone had gone severely and permanently cross-eyed. In a small town like Flocking Bay, that many kids going cross-eyed at once could not be hidden.

George Abbot bought the house and rented it at a very low price to a Michael Farley. The two had been feuding, down-state, and the house was supposed to have been a peace offering. Farley stayed only a few weeks. He went out and dynamited Abbot’s automobile. Farley was quite mad and lived out his life in an asylum for the criminally insane. The county coroner ruled Abbot’s death to be suicide. After all, he had known the history of the house and had knowingly rented that house to an enemy.

Cornelius Baker took the house next. He upgraded the kitchen and installed modern wiring. He lived there quietly and apparently got on well for about five years. He was a long-haul truck driver. Bodies followed him about the country. Finally, he was caught with one in his truck. He drove his truck into a bridge abutment at over ninety miles per hour rather than be taken alive.

Now, I had the place. I mentally withdrew my blessing. He had not been a good man at all.

Lois saw that I was finished with the file and making good inroads on my sandwich. She asked, “Did you sleep there, last night?”

“Yes, I did. Most restful sleep I have had in years.”

“What is your full name?”

“Vandervekken,” I replied, getting out my driver’s license. I was used to this. “No first name or middle initial. Just Vandervekken.”

“How old are you?”

“I don’t know, at least seventy.”

“You don’t know how old you are? Seventy? You look like you’re in your early twenties,” she said incredulously. “I told you that things connected with the Vekin place get interesting.”

“I got a head-wound during the war. Traumatic amnesia.”

“Viet Nam wasn’t that long ago. It would only make you in your fifties.”

“Not Viet Nam, Lois. WW II. Apparently, I was helping the French Underground.” I handed her the military fingerprint record. Her eyes widened as she realized that I was serious. “The amnesia’s been permanent, so far. I have language skills . . . too many. I’m a fluent, accentless polyglot. I even speak Basque. I know how to do an amazing number of things . . . no trace of name or personal past. No ID either.”

“Couldn’t they trace you by these fingerprints or something?”

“They tried. I was found among the bodies of a wiped-out unit of the French Underground during the German withdrawal from Paris in 1944. Someone from another unit was able to say that I was an American volunteer with a name that he could neither remember nor pronounce ... something sort of Dutch. That inspired my current name. I got back with a temporary ID and that military fingerprint record, which I still carry.”

“That’s sad, and eerie, too. What’s it feel like?”

“I’ve thought about that a lot. I think the best way to describe it is like a house that’s furnished but nobody is home. Empty. Alone.”

“So, how does that relate to your choice of name? You must know what having only one name does to our systems for indexing things and people.”

“True. I want to stand out, in case somebody recognizes who I am. As for Vandervekken, he was the Flying Dutchman, who swore that he would take his ship around the Cape of Good Hope, against a gale, if it took until Judgment Day. That was in the Seventeenth Century and he is still sailing. His ghost is seen as a Dutch East India Co. galleon with all sails set, sailing into the teeth of a gale. He can’t get home either.”

“I see,” Lois said, adding to her notes. “What brought you to Flocking Bay?”

“I was just passing through. I like small towns, so I avoid the main highways and big cities whenever I can. I liked the atmosphere of Flocking Bay enough to inquire about the possibility of settling here.”

“Look, we both know that small towns are dying. You could have had your pick from any of a dozen houses. Why the Vekin place?”

“I was shown fourteen places, actually. I know that it seems a bit forbidding at first, but it felt good. Like a warm glove on a cool morning. Have you ever actually been there?”

She shuddered, “No, and before you, I have never heard of anyone who said that the Vekin place felt good ... You say that you are a writer. What have you written?”

“Charles said it very well, ’Pseudonyms are great for privacy.’ My own writing aside, I do translations but you won’t find my name on most of them. Archaeologists like to take credit for their finds. I mentioned that I’m a polyglot? I sight read ancient languages as well as modern.”

I extended my hand to Lois and invited, “Would you like to come and see for yourself this house of dark history? I promise that you will find it worth your while. In all of those stories, not once was the interior of Vekin House described. Do come.”

“I have to return the file and get my camera,” she responded gamely.

“I shall await you in my auto, in front of the Voice,” I answered. As I walked her back across the street, I had the pleasure of seeing her stare at Lilitu.

“If that’s what I think its, I’ll ride with you anywhere!” she called over her shoulder as she entered the Voice’s office. True to her word, she emerged in a few minutes with a camera. Not one of those tiny little cameras that have become fashionable, but a business-like press camera. I opened the car door and gave her a hand up.

As I got into the driver’s seat, she asked, wonder in her voice, “Is this really a Packard V-12 Touring Car?”

We pulled away with the almost uncannily quiet, vibration-free ride that the car was famous for. I replied, “You bet she is. Lois, meet Lilitu. Lilitu, meet Lois. After the war, there were still quite a few of them to be had, and I liked both the ride and the durability, so I hunted one down and had it fixed up like new. I’ve kept her that way ever since. She’s only had two owners in over two-million miles. The first owner only put on about sixty-thousand of them.”

“You drive a lot,” she stated.

“I was looking for something ... I think that Flocking Bay has it. My turn for a few questions , if you don’t mind.”

“Fire away. If I don’t like the question, I won’t answer it.”

“What did you do before you took up the Voice?”

“The same thing that I still do. The stock and futures markets. I’m good at it. I got out of college with a degree in the sociology of medieval witchcraft. I got a job as a waitress on the strength of my looks. I put my first fifty dollars in tips into a risky stock that kited way up. On a hunch, I dumped it three days after I bought it. It nosedived shortly after I sold out. After commissions, I had three hundred and fifty dollars. I rolled it over the same way. The rest is history. So far, my hunches have always worked for me.”

“What brought you to Flocking Bay?”

“Like you, I was passing through. I was on my way to Lakeside Resort about three years ago. I got a hunch that I should stay, so I did. The Voice was failing. When a small town loses its paper, the end is in sight. I didn’t want the end to come, so I bought the paper. Here I am.”

“And here we are,” I said with a flourish as I pulled up in front of the house. We both stared. The yard was neatly trimmed, though the bushes and trees still retained a slightly forbidding aspect. Going up the path to the front door, I noticed that the flagstones had been leveled, the weeds removed and the joints and refilled with fresh sand. The iron fence and balustrades had been cleaned of rust.

“You’ve been busy,” was Lois’s comment.

“That’s just it,” I replied, puzzled. “I didn’t do it. I thought that stocking the fridge and setting out a snack last night was something that the real-estate agent arranged. Sort of a welcome wagon. This is beyond the call of duty.” Opening the front door, I felt that comfortable, welcoming feeling that had caused me to buy the house in the first place. Impulsively, I said, “Hello, house, you certainly look nice today.”

Lois looked at me quizzically and asked, “Do you talk to everything, or is this special?”

I thought for a moment before answering, “Actually I only talk to things that have personality enough to warrant a name, like Lilitu, my car, or Drachen, my typewriter.”

“Typewriter? You do like antiques, don't you? What are you going to call the house, then?”

“I’m not sure,” I answered. “Something good ... What does the place feel like to you?”

“The place actually looks and feels . . . well . . .” Lois groped for the right word, “I’d have to say . . . happy. Not what I expected, at all. It feels like what you see when a pup that loves its master is greeting him. No wonder you slept well, if it feels as good to you as it does to me . . .” She sort of trailed off. “I wouldn’t normally say this, but I’m getting a hunch about this place . . .” she trailed off again.

“I guess that the house was just waiting for the right kind of person,” I responded. “It was pretty rough on everyone else. I’m glad that you like it too.”

“Look at these floors,” she mused, “They were beautiful before Hewitt painted them over. You can still make out some traces of the parquetry patterns. If he hadn’t already hanged himself, I’d help you to do it.”

<==Previous    Next==>

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Flocking Bay

[minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong]

Ephemera Chapter Fourteen

Ephemera: In art, transitory written and printed matter (receipts, notes, tickets, clippings, etc.) not originally intended to be kept or preserved.

Alternatively, things that exist or are used for only a short time.

Description: Nobody knows who Vante really is. Everything about the popular artist is shrouded in secrecy: from his face to his name to everything in between. After years of working for his art gallery, Y/N feels she may just be the closest thing he has to a friend. Between her success at work and her relationship with campus hot-shot Jeon Jungkook, Y/N’s life has never been better. But is Jungkook truly who he says he is? And who will Y/N protect now that she knows Vante’s livelihood may be on the line?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Jungkook x (f) Reader x Taehyung

Word Count: 6.5k

Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Gang!Au, Art History Student!Reader, Film Student!Jungkook, Art Student!Taehyung

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol, although infrequently

A/N: Hello you guys! I still can’t believe I’m going to see BTS in a few months, whew. If you guys will be at the Rose Bowl concert on May 4th, please let me know! I’d love to meet you guys. I hope you like this chapter! We’re slowly moving towards some resolution, but we’ve still got quite a lot of story left so don’t worry! Anyway, please don’t be shy and send feedback, critique, questions, theories, and comments my way. I’ll be sure to respond to all asks I receive within a day of receiving them! Links will be added later, so for now check my masterlist to find previous chapters!

And again, if you want to follow my Twitter, my username is @/plzpunchmebts. I’m super active over there and hopefully in the future I’ll do some livestreams/chats with you all! And concert videos!!

- Mercury

Previous Chapter – Next Chapter

Masterlist

Weekly updates: Sunday, 1PM (PST)

Jin squared his eyes with mine, cocking a single brow as he scanned me. It was clear from the set of his jaw that he wasn’t convinced, and when he crossed his arms and leaned back a half-step I knew I’d have more convincing to do. Jungkook simply stared slack-jawed, looking not quite at me but through me at something else, and the only tell that he was even breathing was the arhythmic rise and fall of his chest.

I sighed, leaning over my lap to untie my ankles and rubbed those too. “Did you hear me?” I asked, meeting Seokjin’s eyes as I bent at the waist.

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Heard it,” he said, then cocked his head to the side. “Didn’t believe it though.”

With a nod, I pushed myself to my unsteady feet, using the back of the chair to keep me stable and upright. “I get it,” I said, eyeing him. “Since I’m friends with Taehyung.”

Seokjin shrugged. “Well, yeah,” he said.

I glanced at Yoongi, still focused on his laptop, and realized twice over that he really wasn’t concerned about Seokjin. Whether this was due to Jin’s obvious naivety or his usually gentle temperament, I wasn’t sure. But I knew that the immediate danger wasn’t in front of me.

And that meant that, after all, I could become the danger if I wanted.

I coughed a little, rubbing my sore cheek. “He screwed me over.”

“How?” asked Seokjin.

Jungkook, scanning me, stepped forward. “At the charity event,” he offered, eyeing me like he was uncertain about whether or not to proceed. I simply nodded. “He used her to get to me.”

“And you used her to get to him, so what’s the point?” Seokjin asked with a scowl. “Listen, sweetie, if you’re gonna go after every person who’s used you you’re gonna have a long list. Even just people in this building.”

I shook my head. “It’s different,” I said, letting just a fraction of my real hurt leak into my voice, threading through my words like veins. “Because he was the one who wasn’t supposed to betray me.” I lifted my eyes severely, meeting Jin’s and not so much as blinking as he thought.

I set my jaw, clenched my lips shut, and watched him, crossing my arms and trying to impart every ounce of sincerity I had into my gaze alone. Seokjin’s furrowed brows relaxed by fractions as the seconds ticked on in silence. Jungkook, standing beside him, wouldn’t look away from me. I wasn’t yet sure what I’d do about him. Recruiting him was likely out of the question for many reasons, but did I have to deceive him?

Could I not try to rely on him just a little?

I swallowed hard. Of course not. He’d lied to me from the beginning, and only when he’d been caught did he begin begging for a chance to explain himself. Seeing him now, despite knowing all this, my heart felt like something was squeezing it from the inside. And that alone was enough to convince me not to tell him the truth. Not for now, at least.

At least…that’s what I told myself.

Seokjin finally yielded with a sigh and let his head dangle a little, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright,” he said.

Jungkook’s back went stiff and he looked towards his roommate. “Wait, really?” he asked.

Seokjin nodded with a shrug and held out his hand to me. “If I find out you’re double-crossing me, I’ll kill you,” he said, without even a microscopic change in his expression.

A chill crept up my spine because I knew he meant it. It wasn’t worth it. Not really. Nara was smart and could easily get a better job on her own. Not to mention she was working on her major anyway. Only a few more years of shitty work until she could find herself some gainful employment. It was a massive risk to sabotage a gang leader’s master plan, and the reward was comparatively small. I loved Nara with my whole heart, but not to the point of foolishness.

Still, I reached out my hand and clenched Seokjin’s, shaking it twice.

Because I’d realized something as he’d evaluated me like a specimen under a microscope. Maybe I’d realized it a long time ago, when I’d first discovered his involvement at the boys’ apartment.

I wasn’t just doing this for Nara. Not really, anyway. Perhaps it had never really been about her at all.

Looking into his calculating, dark eyes, my head aching with each heartbeat from where it had struck the wall, I felt the inescapable urge to ruin him.

Jungkook spun me around by the crook of my elbow and I turned to face him. It had been about an hour since Seokjin had beckoned me toward the front of the warehouse and down some stairs into a quiet basement, lavishly furnished despite the ground floor’s relative squalor. We’d discussed the particulars of my involvement and — perhaps luckily for me — because of the nature of the business, no contracts were required on either end. Just a handshake and a threat.

But rage had been wakening in me for a while now, and I’d finally given the flames the air they needed to breathe and grow.

Jungkook and I now faced each other with equally wide eyes in the dark night, my body sore and my eyes dry from the lack of sleep. I was sure I looked a mess, and the vain part of me longed to adjust my appearance, splash some water on my dirty face, clean the crusted blood off my knees. But Jungkook and I were past that now, weren’t we? Past the formalities of ego and image.

He sighed and scanned me. “You going to the station like that?” he asked, like he’d read my mind.

I swallowed hard and shrugged. “I guess,” I said, glancing down at my phone, which Seokjin had so graciously returned to me during our tense meeting, and sighed at the time. “Might have to call a taxi instead.”

Jungkook sighed and, without a word, simply let his hand slip into mine and led the way down the unkempt street toward his car, parked by the curb. “Jungkook, I can get home myself-,”

“I know,” he said, eyeing me over his shoulder. “But I’m feeling crazy right now, so I’m not doing it for you.”

I felt flush, and not wanting to risk speaking again and revealing my lingering feelings, I simply sighed and shrugged as he opened the passenger door for me. I ducked inside the car and eased back against the car’s upholstery. So familiar. Even his car smelled like him. Sweet, slightly fruity. Shampoo?

He opened the door and started the engine right away, cranking the heat and turning all the vents toward me. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, eyes forward. I noticed he was a little sallow, eyes dull and shoulders slumped with fatigue. I opened my mouth to ask if he’d been sleeping, but shut it just as quickly and glanced out the window to my side, sighing into the glass and fogging the cityscape like a vignette.

“I could kill him,” said Jungkook, knuckles bone-white.

I eyed him, but he wouldn’t look my way. “Huh?” I asked.

“Seokjin.”

I set my lips thin and glanced down at my lap, lacing and unlacing my fingers. “Don’t do that,” I said.

He clenched his jaw, his bone straining against the skin. My heart kicked up. “He shouldn’t have touched you.”

“Would you be saying that if it was anyone else?” I asked, but cursed myself for sounding so interested, so probing. I sighed and rubbed my chilly thighs. May as well push while I’m at it. “If it was another innocent person.”

“We don’t deal with innocent people,” he said, shaking his head.

I hummed. “You sure?”

“Why are you doing this?” he asked, like the tension had finally become to much and he’d snapped. He slid his dark eyes toward me and a chill ran through me. Not the bad kind, but the kind I didn’t hate all the way. I swallowed and averted my eyes. “You don’t approve of any of this. I know you didn’t have a change of heart.”

I shrugged. “Like I said, Taehyung hurt me. In a different way than you did,” I said, then sighed. “Maybe it’s worse because it’s him.”

“Why…?” asked Jungkook, voice softer now as he turned on the radio to play gently in the dark cab of the car.

“Because he’s been watching me for two years,” I said, leaning my head back on the headrest. “Because he knows better than anyone that playing me is the worst thing he could’ve done.”

“You’re really mad?”

I nodded.

“Mad enough to ruin his relationship with one of his best friends?”

I set my lips thin and said nothing, just crossed my arms and glanced back out the fogged window.

He sighed. “Listen…you don’t have to tell me,” he said, and at this my body stiffened a little and I eyed him sidelong. He was still looking right ahead like he couldn’t bring himself to look my way. “I don’t have any right to press you to be honest with me.”

I watched my laps, legs shaking. Probably a delayed reaction to the adrenaline, or maybe the chill that even the heaters couldn’t fix. “You’re right,” I said.

He nodded. “I’m not telling you to tell me the truth just…tell me if you’re lying or not,” he said, glancing at me with knit brows and straight lips. “Because I can’t get my hopes up right now.”

Disarmed, I stared at him with wide eyes and parted lips. “I…”

He sighed and looked back toward the road. “I’m trying to be okay with never seeing you again. With you hating me forever,” he said, then shook his head and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “But with you here…is it wrong for me to hope that maybe you’re here for me? That you really left that Taehyung guy behind?”

I inhaled sharply, my heart racing and my skin hot. Such a direct question: it left me breathless. “I…I mean, I…”

“No, right?” he asked with a sigh. “I was stupid, huh? You’d never betray that guy.”

“Jungkook-,” I said, reaching out to grab his forearm but stopping a few centimeters away from his skin.

He noticed, glancing down at my outstretched fingers before meeting my eyes with a sad smile. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna tell Jin. Or anyone, for that matter.” He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “After what he did tonight, I can’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”

“Really?” I asked, timid.

He glanced at me and nodded. “He knows how much I care about you. And he knows you’ve done nothing wrong to get mixed up in all this. How can I trust someone like that?”

“Do you wanna get out?” I asked, turned toward him halfway, imploring him with my gaze.

It was stupid. So stupid it was almost painful. But I longed more than anything else to have him as my ally again, to have someone as my ally. Someone who I trusted enough to share delicate information with, someone I knew would watch out for me no matter what.

No…

Not just someone, I longed for him.

His skin tinged pink and he cleared his throat, avoiding my eyes and watching the road. “After tonight?” he said, rubbing his neck with his right hand. “Yeah.”

“You mean it?”

“Mhm.”

“Jungkook…,” I began, finally grabbing on to his forearm and holding it tightly, trying desperately to impart even a fraction of my need into my fingertips. He jumped like he’d been shocked by an electric jolt and stared at me with round eyes. “Can I trust you?”

“I…of course,” he said, slowly guiding the car off to the curb, idling on the side of the road as he parked and turned to me properly. There was a severity in his eyes that caught me off guard. “I know my word doesn’t mean much to you, but I mean it with my whole entire body. I won’t ever do anything to hurt you ever again.”

Again…

I scowled. What a stupid qualifier. “You already know I’m not here to trade secrets with Kim Seokjin.”

Jungkook nodded, scanning me. “Yeah. Of course.”

“So there’s no use lying,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “Namjoon offered Nara a job at his company in exchange for proof of who’s been attacking him. I don’t know what he’ll do once he gets it. Suing, retaliation…I really don’t know what he’s capable of, but…”

“For Nara’s sake…?” asked Jungkook with furrowed brows.

I nodded. “Y-Yeah,” I said, but cursed the uncertain waver in my voice.

He cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips. “I was gonna scold you about being too kind, but that reaction was weird.”

I stiffened and glanced away, toward the dashboard, and shrugged. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

He smirked and leaned toward me, eyeing me. “Y/N, are you looking to get revenge?” he asked.

I flushed and shoved him away, crossing my arms. “Forget I said anything. Just take me home and don’t bother me at the warehouse.”

He laughed and raised his brows. “Really? My Y/N, trying to get even with a shady dirty business leader?”

I pulled my knees to my chest, pouting, and looked away. “Seriously, just drop it.”

He chuckled once more and peered at me with a knowing smile. “Huh,” he said, nodding once. “Seems there are still things I don’t know about you.”

“Of course there are,” I said, sighing. “We were only dating for a few months and it was fake.”

He cleared his throat. “Well…uh…Jin and Yoongi did some background digging on you, so…I know quite a bit, actually. Like, interests and stuff.”

I turned to him, cheeks flaring, and smacked his knee. “What? You guys collected data on me?”

He laughed, nodding. “Yeah! What’d you expect?”

I flushed and crossed my arms again, sulking in my seat as Jungkook eased the car back into the light flow of traffic. “Whatever.”

“I’ll help.”

I sat up straight and stared at him in profile. “What?” I asked, searching his features for any indication of insincerity.

I found only a gentle smile and eyes focused on the road. “Yeah,” he said with a shrug. “Tonight kinda helped me realize that this business isn’t for me. You’d think after everything else, I’d have realized it but…seeing you get hurt…I dunno, it crossed a line for me.”

“It did?”

“Yeah.”

I swallowed hard and stared at him. Wasn't it okay to trust him a little bit? Even though I knew it might bite me, even though I figured it was probably a mistake…wasn’t it okay? He seemed so genuine, smiling and tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, humming along to the pop song on the quiet radio.

“How’d you know to go to the warehouse?” I asked, settling back into my seat with a sigh.

He hummed. “Common sense.”

“So you knew he was keeping me hostage?”

Jungkook shook his head. “He told me today and tried to justify it, but right away I knew it wasn’t okay. I wanted to go to you immediately, but he held me back and we fought a little,” he said, pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal a myriad of fresh bruises blooming on his skin from his neck down his chest. The closer I looked, the more I realized he was littered with bruises, even on his face. “After a while, he decided he needed to restrain me so he put me in the bathroom at the apartment.”

“He locked you up?!” I asked, shocked.

He laughed and nodded. “Yeah. I guess he was gonna try and use me as bait to extort you for information, and if I came blazing in he knew I’d ruin it.”

“So he locked you in the bathroom?” I shook my head and covered my lips with my fingers.

He smirked at me and shrugged. “After about an hour of trying to find another way out, I eventually just broke down the door,” he said, like it was nothing.

“Jungkook!” I shouted, gaping.

“What? I wasn’t just gonna leave you there!” he yelled back, but he was playful while I was horrified.

“Your landlord’s gonna kill you,” I mumbled, rubbing my jaw.

He smiled. “It was worth it.”

“Hm?”

He chuckled and I noticed that warm blush in his cheeks. “Because I’m here with you now.”

My heart leapt and my stomach dropped like I’d crested the top of a very big hill on a very fast rollercoaster. I swallowed hard and played with my hands, rubbing the palms together and twirling them over one another, trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks.

“It…it’s not wrong…,” I murmured, watching my hands as I smoothed the palms against my thighs, avoiding looking directly at Jungkook.

I saw him glance at me out of my peripheral. “Hm?” he asked.

“For you to hope a little,” I said, glancing up at him almost like a nervous kid. His eyes were wide, lips parted, irises flashing back and forth between my own. I chewed on my cheek and let my gaze drop once more to my lap. “It’s not wrong.”

A quiet enveloped us that I couldn’t quite describe. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more, having thoroughly embarrassed myself and wiped out my burgeoning street credit in one fell swoop.

But eventually, I heard him release a few breathy chuckles and watched as he lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, exhaling with a smile. His eyes darted around, not looking at one thing out the windshield too long, and his smile was unwavering, cute front teeth visible.

“Ah,” he said finally with a nod, not looking my way. “Alright then.”

“You’re going to what?!”

I shrugged and stirred my tea with the small spoon Mr. Kim had slid to me with the platter. “I’m gonna get evidence of Seokjin’s involvement and ruin his life.”

Nara sputtered a cough and widened her eyes at me. “Y-You-you can’t just, like, do that!” she said, emphatic as she waved her hands around.

I eyed her. Her complexion was brighter today, eyes clear and free of dark circles. “You’re sleeping better?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, a little bit. For some reason, the boss stopped scheduling me for late shifts,” she said, spitting it out quickly like she was only saying it out of obligation to me. “Anyway, that’s not the point!” she groaned and gripped the bridge of her nose. Mr. Kim continued working without so much as a second glance our way. “The point is you shouldn’t be getting any more involved than you already are.”

“Regardless,” I said with a shrug. “There’s a benefit besides just personal vendetta.”

She opened one eye and peeked at me through her long lashes. “Hm?”

“How would you like to work for Ori Technologies?” I asked, seeing if she’d take the bait.

She hesitated for a moment, clenching and unclenching her jaw, and ran her fingers through her silver hair, the roots growing in black at the top. “I mean…in a perfect world, that’d be awesome.”

“And what if me doing this got you a job there?” I asked, lowering my voice so no eavesdroppers could catch my words.

She inhaled sharply and looked me dead in the eye. She scanned me, perhaps searching for something in my expression, but after a few moments she simply sighed and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest with a scowl.

“I’d say thanks but no thanks,” she said, nodding her head. “I want it bad, but not at the expense of my best friend’s safety.”

I opened my mouth to rebut, but Mr. Kim leaned over the bar to stare at the two of us, severe eyes set squarely our way. “Gettin’ busy,” he remarked, eyeing the guests as they filed in.

Taking notice of my surroundings for the first time since I’d arrived at the coffee shop, I glanced around. Indeed, customers were filling up the quiet space rather quickly. Milling about in the courtyard admiring the perennial plants or taking up residence at one of the several mismatched tables, guests seemed to be everywhere.

“Any idea why?” I asked, peering over Nara’s head to get a good look at the rest of the shop, still just as packed as the front.

Mr. Kim nodded. “Seems someone endorsed us,” he said, taking a sly glance at me.

I stiffened, pointing to my chest. “Me?” I asked.

He shook his head. “That Taehyung kid,” he said. “Comes by a lot these days and just sits in the corner drawing on a tablet.”

My mouth felt dry. There was so much I was keeping from Taehyung, and yet he still came by this place? Why did I feel so guilty when he was the one who planted the initial seed of dishonesty between us? I crossed my arms and shrugged, watching the steam rise from my teacup.

“So they’re here to see Vante,” said Nara with a knowing nod. “Weird.”

“Well, I won’t turn away paying customers,” said Mr. Kim with a hearty laugh. “Just a bit understaffed.” He looked back at us like he was trying to send us a message with his eyes alone.

Message received.

I took a big sip of my tea and stood to my feet, wandering back around the bar to join Mr. Kim among the coffee machines. “Where are the aprons?” I asked, giving him a smile.

He returned it and jerked his head back towards the kitchen. “Grab one for Nara too,” he said, turning a frown towards his daughter who sat, puzzled, completely still.

Before I took my leave into the kitchen, Mr. Kim glanced back at me and smiled in that fatherly way that made me homesick. His eyes squinted a little, revealing deep crow’s feet, and there was a fondness there that never failed to catch me off guard.

“Looks like Y/N’s nunchi has improved,” he said with a chuckle before returning to the espresso he had brewing.

My back went rigid before a small smile overtook me and I rubbed the back of my neck, turning on my heel into the kitchen.

I guided a coffee cup onto the corner of one of the waiting tables, bowing my head as the patrons thanked me, before turning back toward the bar and gabbing yet another. Such was the rhythm of this sort of work. Back and forth like a tide or something. Every now and again when Mr. Kim would get swamped — usually during university exam season — Nara and I would help out around the shop. But it’d been quite a while since the two of us had worked this way, and with so many new customers needing attention we couldn’t so much as spare a moment to crack a joke or nudge each other with our elbows passing by.

I approached one of the outdoor tables and found an older couple sitting in the sunlight, chatting easily. My arm was aching from the weight of the tray, and I furrowed my brow when I paused to look at its contents. I hadn’t taken their order, likely Nara had while I was off doing something else, but as I looked down at my serving tray I noticed a vast array of food and drink. Puzzled, I walked closer and began unloading the tray one item at a time. A slice of persimmon cake, sautéed pine mushrooms, two chestnut cookies, a caramel latte, roasted sweet potatoes, two cups of green tea, and pumpkin porridge.

“Thank you,” said the woman with a motherly smile. Quickly, I bowed and turned to take my leave, but the woman called after me. “Wait!” she said, and I heard her metal chair scrape against the floor.

I turned around, anticipating a scolding. “Yes, Ma’am?”

“You’re that girl, aren’t you? Y/N?” she asked.

For the first time, I took a proper look at her and noticed to my shock that she was vaguely familiar. Alcohol had dulled my memory, but hearing her voice was enough to conjure an image. Her beside her husband, the two of them chuckling as they sat at a bar in an ornate ballroom.

I snapped my fingers, resting my tray on my hip, and nodded. “Ah! Mrs. Hayoon,” I said, grinning.

The man finally turned to face me and his eyes went wide. Again, the warm rush of familiarity gripped me and I gave him a bow. “Ah! That young girl from the gala!” he laughed, voice as booming as before, and rubbed his strong jaw. “My, isn’t this a surprise.”

I chuckled and rubbed my forearm. “Yes,” I said, a blush rising in my cheeks as I remembered that strange drunken encounter. “What brings you out here?”

“Our son gave this place high praise, so we figured we’d stop by,” said Hayoon with a soft smile.

I nodded. Perhaps he was a fan of Vante. “It’s a really nice shop,” I said with a grin and a thumbs-up.

Hayoon laughed and rested her chin in her hand. “It’s very good to see you again, Y/N,” she said.

It was strange. What would a rich couple like them think of me anyway? To be so happy to meet me again… I smiled. “Well, I’d better get back to serving…,” I began, hinting at an early exit from the conversation.

The man, Jaesun if I remembered correctly, waved his hand a few times with a huff, dismissing my concerns. “No, no. There’s lots for us to discuss anyway,” he said, then patted the extra seat between the couple twice. “Sit, sit!”

I stiffened and glanced over my shoulder at Nara running around like a woman possessed trying to tend to all of the guests. “Ah, we’re actually swamped. I don’t think I can-,”

“We’ll pay your hourly, so give us an hour,” said Jaesun with a laugh as Hayoon furrowed her brow at him, disapproving. The air of the courtyard was beginning to grow quiet, watching our exchange in the peaceful afternoon sun.

I chuckled. “Ah, no. I-I don’t work here or anything,” I said, waving my hand. “I’m just helping out.” I met eyes with a few onlooking patrons over my shoulder, trying to let them know through slight bows that everything was fine.

Jaesun hummed and rubbed his chin, pensive. Quickly, I returned my full attention to him and found him imploring me from below. “Well, when will you be finished?” he asked, eyeing me from his seat.

I glanced away. Those eyes were familiar in a way I couldn’t quite name. “I guess…whenever the rush is over?” I asked.

He laughed and nodded. “Well, how about we come back here tomorrow and we’ll treat you to some steak,” he said, adjusting the sleeves of his sweater as he took a sip of tea.

I shook my head. “Oh! No, Sir, that’s alright. I wouldn’t feel right letting you-,”

“Nonsense,” he said. “We wanted to get to know you anyway.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Hayoon silenced me, grinning as she sipped her own tea, lashes dusting the high apples of her cheeks. Still, people watched us from about the courtyard. “We’ve been trying to find you since the gala.”

I stiffened. Why on earth would they do something like that? I cleared my throat. “Ah, well I’m really flattered, but I don’t think I can accept. I don’t want to take advantage-,”

“If someone’s offering something to you, then they mean it,” said Jaesun with a curt cough, nodding his head once. Hayoon covered a chuckle with her teacup. “No need to turn people down when they wanna do something for you.”

I swallowed hard. How did these people not see this was strange? A foggy memory resurfaced of the two of them comparing me to someone. Hwayoung? Could that perhaps be a daughter of theirs? I scanned them, idling just beside their table, and tried to discern anything from their faces alone. Weathered and greying, the two looked like any other middle-aged couple in Korea. They didn’t seem the type to be overtly generous this way, but they also didn’t seem the type to seek a surrogate daughter while their’s was missing.

“Y/N! I need your help in here!” called Nara, practically begging, from inside the shop.

I clamped my mouth shut and looked back toward the couple. “Um…I guess I’ll meet you here tomorrow then,” I said, feeling not only Nara’s eyes but the eyes of numerous patrons boring into my back with every second I wasted in indecision.

I was curious anyway.

Hayoon smiled and gave my hand a pat from her seat. “Good, good,” she said, urging me back to work with the flick of her wrist. “We’ll wait right here.”

I nodded and bowed, turning on my heel and rushing back toward where Nara stood in the doorway.

“Wanna stay over with me tonight?” asked Nara as the two of us wandered toward the sidewalk outside Nunchi, sunset ushering us into the empty street. She eyed me from the side, crossing her arms. “Someone in my family ought to repay you for your help today anyway.”

I chuckled. “I’m fine, Nara. Don’t worry,” I said, then sighed. “I won’t do anything reckless on my own.”

“Hard to believe,” she said. She kicked the sidewalk with the tip of her Doc Martens boot and sighed. “You’re doing all sorts of things lately. Feels like you’re getting kinda far away.”

I stiffened, turning to her. “Huh?” I asked.

She sighed and shook her head, turning to me with a smile. “Forget it. I’m just worried about you.”

I felt my expression go sour, worry running through me. Was I being a negligent friend? Pushing Nara away? I wrung my hands and panicked, unplaced guilt running through me.

She laughed and gave my shoulder a light shove. “Forget it, alright? It’s nothing,” she said.

I lifted my eyes and grabbed her hand tightly in mine. “I’ll stay over with you,” I said with a severe nod.

She laughed, trying to free her hand from my grip, and leaned away from me. “God, don’t be so serious!” she shouted, wiggling her arm.

I shook my head. “Let’s go.” I led her by the unwilling hand toward the subway station.

Nara and I sat beside one another on the couch, Hyun perched between us with his head propped on one paw. I leaned into the cushions with a yawn, Train to Busan playing gently on the TV. Nara hadn’t said much, and I remembered that night I’d come over after the gala. How she’d simply let me sit in my silence.

This time, however, I felt stronger.

And for her sake, I was the one who broke the comfortable quiet. “You have more to say, don’t you?” I asked, snuggling into my blanket. “Our conversation got cut off back at Nunchi.”

She glanced at me before shoving her hand into the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. The living room was entirely dark save for the glow of the television, but even in the low light I could see the trouble in her eyes.

“I don’t like the idea of you putting yourself in danger for me,” she said, then sighed. “Even though I know it’s not just for me. It…just feels kinda bad knowing I’m part of the reason.”

I nodded. “I understand,” I said, then sighed and remembered the swelling hope in Jungkook’s eyes. Frustrated by the thought, I shook my head and ran my fingers through Hyun’s fur. “But…after everything that’s happened…I guess maybe I’m sick of watching people get away with bad things.”

Nara stilled beside me, popcorn half-chewed in her mouth. “That’s kind of out of character…”

“I know,” I said.

Nara was quiet for a beat too long and I looked at her, desperate for some sort of consolation. Instead, she gave me a glance before quickly looking away. “I’m just…not so used to this side of you.”

“Do you dislike it?” I asked quietly, almost timid.

She shook her head. “Just new.”

Was she right? Was I going too far for something that didn’t even matter that much? In the grand scheme of things, getting myself further involved with all of this was likely a mistake. I’d probably regret it. But…something in my gut told me I had to do it. Because, in the end, I might regret not doing it more.

If man makes himself a worm he must not complain when he is trodden on.

The old quote returned to me in a surge of memory and I inhaled sharply. Taehyung had said that. He’d said that, he’d given me the necklace, given me strength. He’d seen this something in me before I had.

But was this something worth compromising my oldest and deepest friendship?

I glanced at Nara, troubled, and a storm brewed in my chest. How long had I been living this way? Terrified of being left behind, being forgotten? So fearful to take a single step out of line that instead of moving at all I stayed still? How long had I allowed my fear of people abandoning me to make me abandon myself?

Nara was a dear friend. Dearer than any other.

But in the end, the one I had to face when I looked in the mirror was me. And the only person I knew I’d always have was myself.

So the only person I had to answer to was me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, twirling a tuft of Hyun’s white hair into a spiral between my fingertips.

She sighed. “Remember when we were kids and Hyuna convinced everyone to leave their classroom duties to you? How you just…did it?”

The memory struck a discordant note with me and, with a scowl, I buried my chin in the plush blankets. “Mhm.”

“You’re different now,” she said with a small nod. “I don’t think you’d do it now.”

I watched the TV without really watching, just listening to the rhythm of my own heartbeat as the two of us sat side-by-side. “You still don’t approve.”

She sighed. “No,” she said, then eyed me. “But I get the feeling that that won’t stop you.”

I met her eyes. A charge of energy passed between us, like we finally understood one another after a long time of silence. I nodded. “Probably not.”

Finally, she cracked a smile, easing back against the couch with a chuckle and a knowing nod. She returned her attention to the movie. “That’s what makes you different now.”

It was one in the morning when I got a frantic phone call. Drowsy after having fallen asleep leaning against Hyun’s pillowy side, I strained at the sound of my cell buzzing on the floor beside one of Nara’s mismatched socks. As far as I remembered, I’d fallen asleep first but with the TV still playing, I saw Nara was now passed out, snoring slightly as a little bit of drool dried on her cheek. She groaned a little as I moved away from her side, her head lolling back against the couch cushion, her laptop still open on the coffee table. When had she brought that thing out to the living room?

Groaning, I leaned down and grabbed the phone, pressing it to my ear without so much as opening my eyes properly for fear of the TV light burning my sensitive retinas. “Hello?” I mumbled.

“Y/N!”

My face scrunched up and I rolled back onto the couch, resting my head on Hyun’s back once more. “Jungkook?” I asked. There was no mistaking his voice, the honey-sweet but somehow mischievous tone. I hummed a little, still half-asleep, and pressed the phone closer to my ear. “It’s nice to hear your voice.”

“I…,” he began, then cleared his throat. “Y/N, are you playing around with me?”

I stiffened, my senses slowly returning, and sat upright. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and shook my head. “What? What do you mean by that?”

He sighed, clearly frustrated, and took a moment before speaking. “Are you saying that because you genuinely don’t know or because you’re playing dumb?”

“If I was playing dumb why would I tell you?” I asked, then shook my head. “Anyway, no. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He was quiet. “Really?” he asked, voice softer now, gentler.

“Really,” I repeated, feeling my cheeks flush at the tenderness that had taken over the empty space between us.

He exhaled slowly. “It must be a misunderstanding then,” he said. “Sorry about it. I didn’t mean to wake you up or anything.”

“What’s a misunderstanding?”

“Huh? Oh…well, just…there’s this article that came out, like, an hour ago and-,”

“Article?” I asked, shaking my head. I fell onto the floor and crossed my legs, tapping the space bar on Nara’s computer. “What article?”

“Uh…just talking about this ‘mystery girl’ and Vante,” he said, then scoffed. “The state of journalism in Korea really is shameful.”

I furrowed my brow as the computer slowly roused to life. “Mystery girl? Me again?”

He cleared his throat. “Um…yeah, looks like it,” he said, then sighed. “I didn’t wanna ask or anything, but that first article with you and that Taehyung guy…was it-,”

“Wasn’t true,” I said, then paused and shook my head. “I mean, yeah I did give him a hug, but it wasn’t like that.”

“You hugged him?” asked Jungkook quietly.

I snapped my mouth shut and keyed in Nara’s password: hyunnie101. “I…yeah. It was…really complicated,” I said. Like I was confessing something to a lover…

Wasn’t I though?

I shook my head, disgruntled, and opened up a web browser, surprised to see she’d left her last session open to view. “I mean, I’m not really the jealous type, but…I don’t really like it when the girl I like is hugging other guys, you know? Not that you can’t! You can do whatever you want. But I just-,”

“Jungkook, hold on,” I said, stunned as I looked at the open browser.

“Huh? Oh, yeah of course,” he said, supplementing the silence with a laugh.

There, in full color, was a photo of me standing beside Hayoon and Jaesun’s table at the coffee shop, my serving tray carefully obscured by my right thigh and my face blurred by a tasteful pixelated square. The two of them beamed up at me as I apparently spoke without looking their way. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how that couple could possibly be related to Taehyung. Confused, I scrolled up to the top of the browser. Why hadn’t Nara woken me up to tell me about this? Was she really mad at me?

“Shit…,” I mumbled as I saw the title.

Vante’s Mystery Girl Meets the Parents?! Seoul’s New Mysterious ‘It’ Couple Is Getting Serious!

[kumkaniudaku]

Our Thing

Happy Valentine’s Day, guys. Here’s one of the two things I plan on writing. I consider all of you my Valentine’s since I never have one, so here’s something before the clock strikes 12. 

Work Count: 2k

Warnings: Not yet proofread

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“What? Of course, it’s a good idea! I’m the king of good ideas!”

Voices bounced off of the walls of the Brooklyn apartment building as Chad and CoCo walked side by side to the apartment at the end of the hallway.

The snow lining the sidewalks outside were typical of mid-February, giving Tasha more of a reason to stay inside on the cold Friday. But her friend insisted she leave the dark cocoon she had created for herself in her apartment just across the water in New Jersey.

Valentine’s Day was the designated time of the year to celebrate love. Chadwick had a reason to celebrate, but CoCo could no longer say the same. After months of turmoil and emotional abuse, she was a single woman again and dreading the mere thought of loving someone else. So, she planned to avoid all mentions of love and relationships for the foreseeable future. Even if that meant neglecting tradition.

“Look, Chad, we can celebrate on the 15th! This feels so...weird.”

“We celebrate Valentine’s Day together every year. We can’t skip out this year.”

“I feel like having a girlfriend is the perfect reason to miss a year,” CoCo deadpanned as they reached their intended destination. She could practically feel the excitement buzzing from the other side of the door in the form of Toni Braxton’s greatest hits so far, and started to feel bad for the woman she’d come face to face with for the first time.

“Why miss a year when we can celebrate together? And you get to meet my lady for the first time. It’ll be fun.”

“Fun my ass,” Tasha mumbled into the thick scarf around her neck, earning a look from Chadwick.

“Wanna share that with the class, Miss Greene?”

“Knock on the damn door!”

A muffled feminine voice announced that she was gearing up to answer the door adding to the uneasiness in the pit of CoCo’s belly. She knew that if she was on the other side of this encounter, seeing a woman with her boyfriend on date night would insight a riot.

When the door opened to reveal the woman she only knew as Jay, she was more than shocked at what met her. Jay was beautiful. Her slim figure came with a few curves to compliment her height. She was graceful beyond compare and impeccably dressed, making Tasha feel incredibly bland in comparison.

“Hi, baby,” Jay sang as she wrapped her arms around Chadwick and went in for a kiss. If Tasha had rolled her eyes any harder, they would’ve fallen from her skull and rolled all the way back to New Jersey to beat her home. Catching wind of another presence, Jay offered a courteous smile.

“Oh, hi! Did he forget to give you a tip downstairs?”

“A tip,” CoCo asked, obviously offended and a bit confused.

“A tip for the cab ride. I know it was hell driving in this snow. Just let me grab my purse.”

Chadwick could see Tasha’s struggle to maintain her composure, her mouth opening and closing with words she couldn’t produce.

“You know what? I’m going home. Call me to let me know you got back to your place safely.”

“No, wait,” he exclaimed before grabbing Tasha’s elbow and pulling her back to her original spot despite her struggle to pull away. Noticing the commotion, Jay turned back to Chadwick and Tasha with her brows quirked in confusion.

“Am I missing something.”

“Nope. I’ll just take my tip and be on my w-”

“Jay, this is my best friend Tasha that I’ve been telling you about. Co, this is Jayme Dubois, my girlfriend.”

A brief and unpleasant stare off preceded a chipper energy shift as Jayme went in for a hug. “CoCo, how are you! I have heard so much about you.”

“Yeah well, don’t believe any of it,” CoCo forced out between fake laughter while she made faces at Chadwick over Jayme’s shoulder.

“I’ll keep that in mind. So, what brings you over? Do you have a date in this complex? I always knew white boy Rick liked Black women.”

“Actually, Muffin, I was thinking she could spend Valentine’s Day with us. It’s been tradition for us to spend the holiday together and we don’t wanna break it.”

“So you want Tasia -”

“It’s Tasha,” CoCo interrupted in the most obnoxious tone she could muster.

“Right...Tasha. You want Tasha to spend Valentine’s Day with us? Tonight? Even though this is a couple’s holiday? Couple as in two, mind you.”

“Yes, Jay. It would really mean a lot to me.”

Jayme looked between a visibly annoyed Tasha and the pleading eyes of her boyfriend before letting go of a long sigh and stepping aside to usher her companions for the night inside.

Tasha took in her surroundings and quietly marveled. Though small because what seemed to be standard in New York, Jayme’s dwelling was equal parts colorful and classic. Had she not started the interaction on such a bad note, Tasha would’ve complimented her on the statement couch that matched her ornate rug, but she kept it to herself out of spite.

“So since we have one more, what are our plans for the night, honey bear?”

Chadwick caught the slight scrunch in CoCo’s face and ignored it to refrain from explaining the embarrassing nickname. “Well, we can still go see Definitely, Maybe like you wanted, but instead of dinner in the park, Tasha got us a reservation at this really nice Italian spot in the city.”

“I called in a favor from work. It was no big deal.”

Jayme disregarded CoCo’s smile as she took a sip from her water bottle and sat on the arm of the chair Chadwick occupied. Her hands rubbed patronizing circles around his shoulders and back, forcing Tasha to look away to save the awkward moment.

“Well, it seems like you too already have this figured out, so I’ll just grab my coat. Do you have any more suggestions, CoCo?”

“Nooope.” Tasha sang the word through gritted teeth forced into a smile. Chadwick gave her a sympathetic look before helping Jayme into her coat and ushering each woman safely out of the building.

Tasha remained the front wheel of the tricycle, preferring to stay in front of the couple to refrain from looking like the unwanted third party. With every audible kiss and nauseatingly affectionate gesture, CoCo felt her heart tighten. It wasn’t seeing Chadwick with another woman that had her fighting back tears in the theatre. She needed the sight to push her feelings for him to the furthest corner of her mind. It was the pain of knowing that she had just detached from one of the worst situations in her life, yet wanted to be with him to cure the loneliness she felt.

If she had it her way, she’d cry it out until the work week resumed on Monday in the comfort of her own home, but continued to engage in the conversation when the moment presented itself to appease Chadwick.

In a restaurant full of couples, Jayme, Chadwick, and Tasha were the only threesome in the center of the establishment. Nervous energy characterized the silence left behind when Chadwick excused himself to the restroom, leaving the women in his life to avoid eye contact.

Relief came in the form of a stout waiter visiting the table to collect dinner orders. Without realizing that the order would be incomplete without the third member of the group, the women ordered traditional dishes and wine for the table.

“And the young man? What will he have?”

“Oh! Ummm, I’m not sure,” Jayme responded as she fumbled through the menu. “Maybe you could come back in a few minutes?”

“He’ll have the Parmigiana w/ Pasta, but please be light on the sauce. He gets heartburn from all the tomatoes.”

The waiter took heed of Tasha’s warning before walking away, leaving Jayme to burn a hole in the top of Tasha’s head while she sorted through emails on her cell phone.

“How long did you say you and Chadwick have been friends?”

“Since Fall 1996. So coming up on 13 years,” Tasha answered, looking up to find an indecipherable look on Jayme’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I just - you know him so well. His favorite candy, where he likes to sit in the theatre, what he eats at certain restaurants. I don’t know if I can keep up.”

The process of finding the right words to assure Jayme, Chadwick returned to the table and unknowingly ended the conversation before it could truly begin.

“Never in my life did I think I’d have to stand in line to use the men’s restroom. I applaud y’all for doing that,” he complained as he took his seat. “Has the waiter come back for orders yet?”

“He did actually. Tasha got you Parmigiana w/ Pasta.” Jayme secretly hoped that Chadwick would reject the choice and ask for a second go at the ordering process. She was met with the complete opposite.

“Hell yeah!” His fist met Tasha’s across the table in his childlike excitement. “I love that shit.”

“Language, honey bear.”

“Sorry, Muffin.”

“Wow,” Tasha whispered to herself, unaware that the others around the table could hear her.

“Did you want to say something, Tasha?”

“Noooope.”

The table fell silent to give way to the idle chatter in the area around them. Chadwick looked between his girlfriend and best friend trying to find a way to get them to interact with each other cordially.

“So, Co, Jayme has been trying to get into basketball lately.”

“Oh really.” Tasha was clearly uninterested as she continued to read emails on her phone from weeks ago. A subtle kick underneath her table made her look up and noticed Chadwick’s non-verbal urging for her to at least pretend to care. “Which team are you interested in, Jayme?”

“I really like the Nets! Trenton Hassell to be exact.”

“Do you? Because he averages less than two points a game. There’s not much to like.”

“Trenton is your friend’s boyfriend right, Jay?”

“Does it matter now? Tasha basically called him a bad player.”

“Not bad, per se. He’s terrible. That’s a better adjective.”

“Oh-kay,” Chadwick interjected to end the escalating conversation. “Jay, how’s work at the fashion house going?”

“Ugh, it is amazing! We got some new pieces last night and they are beautiful. Maybe you could come browse one day, Tasha. Style can always use an update.”

“I consider myself more Maxine than Regine. Thanks though. I’m sure the pieces are nice.”

Tasha successfully contained her laughter at Jayme’s expression, feeling her first surge of happiness for the day.

Chadwick felt helpless as the night continued and each attempt at joining two of his favorite women ended in a snarky comment or shady look. Dinner provided a welcome activity that didn’t require group conversation, giving him the opportunity to cater to each woman. The longer they sat and contemplated grabbing cheesecake inside the restaurant or settling for ice cream on the way home, the more he could feel Jayme disconnecting.

“Muffin, do you want the strawberry cheesecake for here or to go,” he asked as she slid her coat from the back of her chair and collected her purse.

“Actually, I don’t feel so well, honey bear. I’m gonna head home.”

“What? So soon? We didn’t even get to dessert.”

Tasha watched Jayme put on her best “sick” face and gagged internally at Chadwick falling for the charade. Jayme was far from physically sick. If she was feeling anything, it was annoyance at the fact that her boyfriend’s best friend had spent the most romantic night of the year taking the attention from her.

“Well, let me walk you outside and wait for the cab to come.”

“Thank you, honey bear.” Jayme accepted Chadwick’s help into her coat, purposely ignoring Tasha until the last second. “Good night, Tasha. Maybe we’ll see each other for another occasion. Hopefully in a less...crowded environment.”

Tasha released a short chuckle before plastering on a fake smile, “Right. I’ll pencil you into my calendar.”

Jayme offered another fake smile and nod before leading the way out of the restaurant into the Brooklyn streets.

“I’ll pencil you in and the erase that shit. Fuck her.”

Time started to drag as she sat at the table alone, looking more foolish with three plates crowding her space than playing seat warmer for the world’s cutest couple. A glance out of the window gave her access to the tail end of Jayme’s departure. Her inability to peel her eyes away from the private moment showed her two things: Chadwick was far more interested in Jayme than she was in him, and she was clearly upset despite the kiss and hug she provided before disappearing into the backseat of her taxi.

Moments later, Chadwick took the seat directly across from Tasha and sighed.

“Go ahead. Tell me that you told me so.”

“I’m not gonna say that friend,” Tasha smiled. “All I’ll say is you’re gonna need one of these cheesecakes to go because mama is PISSED.”

“You think so?”

“Oh, I know so. But, I’m here to help with gift ideas to make up for this dumbass idea. And I ordered us dessert.”

Chadwick’s ear perked at the sound of a sugar rush to end a night full of terrible decisions. “Did you get the cookie thing with the-”

“The vanilla bean ice cream on top? C’mon now! You know me!” Without hesitation, the pair completed their signature handshake before sitting back in their seats.  “Sorry for ruining your date, Aaron. I’ll pay the tab as a peace offering.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I’ll make it up to her. You know there’s a reason she calls me honey bear.”

“Gross. Please, don’t finish that sentence. And what the fuck is Muffin? Are you a white TV dad now?”

Chadwick’s deep belly laugh at CoCo’s expense continued until their shared dessert was placed between them. Instructing Tasha to pick up her spoon, Chadwick began a pseudo-toast.

“To another Valentine’s Day spend together and many more to come!”

Their spoons clinked together in solidarity before the argument of who would get which portion of the cookie began, ending the most romantic day of the year the only way they knew how: together.

                                  _______________

TAGS:

@k-michaelis

@wakandanmoonchild

@idilly

@texasbama

@afraiddreamingandloving

@inxan-ity

@daytimeheroicsonly

@onyour-right

@sisterwifeudaku

@killmongerdispussy

@90sinspiredgirl

@willowtree77785901

@maynardqueen101

@heyauntieeee

@halfrican-heat

@purple-apricots

@lalapalooza718

@blue-ishx

@profilia

@ljstraightnochaser

@girl-wtf-lmao

@dramaqueenamby

@royallyprincesslilly

@melaninmarvel

@thiccdaddy-mbaku

@lavitabella87

@purplehairgawdess

@unholyxcumbucket

@airis-paris14

@uhlxisback

@oshasimone

@maliadestiny

@drsunshine97

@zxddy-panther

@queentearra

@skysynclair19

@retro-melanin

@mermaidchansons

@misspooh

@melanisticroyalty

@babygirlofwakanda

@wakanda-4evr

@sarahboseman

@karensraisns

@wakandankings

@kaykay4454fan

@ororowrites

@awkwardlyabstract

@mixedmelanin

@brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers

@cosmicmelaninflower

@justanotherloveaffair

@jaeee-http

@iliketowrite1996

@blackpantherismyish

@soldierandawar

@msincognito67

@reignsxjackson

@yaachtynoboat711

@syreanne

@minim236

@yoyolovesbucky

[twracehorse]

Cringing at my own videos

Training Videos Edition!

I got bored, needed motivation to start editing, went back to take a look at my older videos, and now I judge and cringe at them because that’s a given at this stage

Under the cut to keep your dash shorter :3

Determined Horse Training, the title I came up with to be a little unique. I obviously couldn’t use something akin to Northena’s “Training Is Fun...Right?” and I wanted to give it a proper title knowing this would be a series of videos. I thought, and thought, and came up with the title after thinking of Undertale and how you are filled with determination in the game. “I am filled with determination to train these horses!” is what I thought and so the title of the series became that!

I use // as a way to separate different topics I’m talking about

Brave Rebel- First off...the thumbnail. He was originally themed sort of after Nathan Drake from Uncharted, since I was into that series at the time. So the map was, you know, for the treasure hunting. But I didn’t want to stretch the map to fit and somehow decided that a brown background was a good idea?? // AH THE CLOTHES! THE NECK!! AHHH GATORADE OCEAN BLEHH. // Oh yeah I have a spelling error in the video “Let’s go defeat this traning day!”. // Been training with Sage from the start of the series. I wonder how many fails of their’s I’ve caught XD // Ah the rocks, the rocks that I caught Sage stumbling out of in a later training video. // Let’s not forget the double mouse thing going on that makes its appearance in many videos before I figured out to click off of the web pages (which had a music playlist going while training). // Omg there’s someone with the club name The Babies standing nearby when I turn in the final race. // Low-key still love this horse. He was my first true Soul Steed before we were designated to our starter. I don’t take him out much, the difference in horse animations from new to old is getting bigger and for dynamic photos, it just doesn’t look good ( @~@)

Cool Hero- The horse based off of Markiplier back when he had red hair. I also uploaded the video on his birthday! // The song choice....I mean it fits the theme, otherwise I’d pick a better song. // The mini references I’m still low-key proud of. // There’s quite the amount of gliding pons in this video and some horror texture pons. // I obviously had to max Markimoo at the observatory! // I also mimicked Mark’s outros where an image is boomeranging. It took a couple tries with my friend in the background, but it was worth it!

Violet Mystery- I hope when I introduced her as “The winner of the Jorvik Wild horse competition” I mean, she was the first coat to be picked. Back when it was only one horse coat is being made. They added the top two coats afterwards. // Oh yeah the character’s whole head would move to the side to keep eye contact with the camera. // It’s so weird to think that I caught a bit of footage of Swifty just before meeting her. Then again I remember NOT editing this training video until months later and uploaded it in September. Mind you that I got Cool Hero and Violet Mystery at the same time and Cool Hero’s video was out in June...oops. // Ironic that I have the pandoric cracks around when the horse is based off them. // People running up from the riding arena, ah the fog glitch that would happen when you left your horse in the riding area, ran all the way to the dino valley elevator, took it, and there was no fog in the valley! 

Megalove- Ah the first Undertale horse! I mean technically still the only Undertale themed horse I have, but I do have others planned. Haven’t gotten them yet and some plans changed. // The thumbnail....why did I make the stickers super tiny?? // Finally changed Elsa’s hairstyle to the ponytail I still wear to this day. We need updated ponytails with side bangs! I know we have the awesome braided ponytail in Mistfall, but there’s too much forehead! // Also the first training footage with the meet up....was 4 hours long. This was back when I recorded all stages of training and went through the footage in real time....I’m glad I changed strategy. // Can’t remember if crashing into a jump and the jump of the music timed at the same point was on purpose or if it was editing magic. // Oof cringing that I put comic sans as Sans “talking” in the video nnngghhhhh! // Ah my old club name Royal Ambassadors. I gave that club over to my side account Chiara Monsterhope for obvious reasons. // Annoying Dog in the credits, I still love that

Lucky Hero- I’m still proud that I came up with his nickname Vien short of Vienna where the famous riding school is. He, along with Brave Rebel, are my top horses. Please get an update eventually boys! // Finally Mac users had clear water! I was so happy over this you do not understand XD // Warriors by Imagine Dragons fits this horse, but quite a pain when I got Dark Warrior and didn’t want repeating songs. // Oh yeah early on, the Lipizzaners had a weird reflective tail glitch going on. // Vien was the first horse of mine that I got the day of release, bright and early in the morning! // I love how in the face of danger, an approaching bull dozer, I just stare at it. It wasn’t even a “oh no I should get out of the way” and instead was “huh that’s a thing”. // ALLY CHUM! I forgot that was a nickname to good friend!

Grey Ghost- OH BOY HERE WE GO!! Honestly my favorite training video. It was so much fun to edit with the music and the Halloween stickers hidden around the screen! Despite waking up at 5am to train for that aesthetic™. // Okay but that mushroom with the dark green sign did legit give me a spook. My body froze for a second and then I remembered that Slenderman doesn’t exist in Star Stable XD. // Ngl two of the stickers are hard to see cause of their surroundings. // GALLOPER THOMPSON MY MAN! Honestly I waited till midnight for him to be in Goldenleaf forest, just to see what would happen if you were racing and he caught you. By the gods of editing magic, the song was at a good point that fits perfectly with that scene. // For the scarecrow race I did actually take two different takes. I failed the first one and when I was editing I noticed that the two runs looked similar. So I put the first part of run 1 and cut before I failed and then put the remaining of the race with run 2. Looks almost seamless! 

Silent Promise- My favorite mare in my stable! She ends up being my AoT cosplay photo horse...until I get the actual themed horse XP. // Shadows were a little glitchy at first. // Why am I using Rud instead of Rude. Like I know why cause that’s how we got around the filter, but I didn’t need to put it like that in the video. It’s like back in my WolfQuest days where I learned to use Cuz as a short version of Cause and it bled into my text vocab. // The witch bombs...I wanted to make it dramatic, but in hindsight it’s just tasteless really. Also to note that the sound which was fine before uploading, got more rough once it was on YouTube

Small Potential- Real cringe theme here, Hetalia. It was fun while watching and all that, but since then I’ve seen some well done anime! Growth! // I love the nickname Finny. Not too sure if I want to keep this pony or not, sadly. // The Christmas remix song is because I had no other ideas XD

Brave Eagle- Oh this is another slight cringe theme. Even more cringe is the fact that I had to re-upload this training video since it got blocked all over the world! due to the Hamilton musical songs. So I....had to layer over the songs with other songs....it’s a whole mess and was a whole pain since I had to re-edit the sound effects. // I’m proud of the thumbnail though....that’s it

Winter Dust- Why did I make the “there’s a new app with these foals you can train” with the dramatic music? // I think because I had less levels to train, I tried filling that space with “cool looking shots”. // Ah, yes, my How To Get Over A Jump wikipedia step by step

Hollow Phantom- Had to bring a creepy vibe even though it was February. So he’s like a Halloween not Halloween horse. // Can you believe that I found the main song from a Haikyuu!! crack video? XD. // That zoom on the pony surrounded by magic shires was weird. We’re saying “SO TINY” but the clip was so short it was done and over without much sense. // Mmm that slight irritation that the music and clip didn’t match with the drop. // Tried to blend the music together with itself....it’s obvious. // Of course had to max the Galloper horse where I first met the phantom himself

North Guardian- I wanna talk about the thumbnail....that background...is literally just the horse’s hindquarters. I wanted something mossy since the horse is sort of based off of Pelagia from Shadow of the Colossus. I couldn’t find good enough backgrounds, so I used the horse itself. // Again that urge to want to make the clip and music match but ahhh

Lucky Lucky- Still wish I could name this horse Gold Luck or something. // I think one of the camera turns during a race was just to show off the rainbow nearby. // Ahh! back when we could say “demon” in the chat. // Hmm instead of letting the clip run, I could’ve just cut to Reed calling the askew fence “a disgrace”. // Text was onscreen for just too long. // Trying to do the riding arena jumps with a good camera angle. But at that point, the camera kept moving and wouldn’t hold still. I’m glad it’s better now. Maybe I’ll try it again with a future horse. // Huh, forgot to add sound effects when I hit something on the last race

Silent Surprise- Cause I had to let the people know that I bought the horse after watching the Belmont. // AH STILL THE NECK! // 2 minutes in and we haven’t even gotten to the actual training yet. // Another day, another SSO glitch, this time it’s shadow rocks. // Oop missed a sound effect

Hot Spot- THE MUSTACHE! // I forgot I put a filter over the video to give it an old timey look. I should do more like that if it’s in theme. // Of course I had to have The Wanted be playing with this song since it’s old west sounding. // What was the purpose of editing the scarecrow race like that? XD. // Random running clip. // Walking the whole bobcat race would be nice if I didn’t keep moving the camera

Pumpkin Candy- As much as I love my Halloween horses, this training video isn’t up to the standards that the first Halloween training video set up. It’s still got Halloween themed music, it’s still got stickers hidden in the video, but it doesn’t feel the same. // Having text be their default instead of making them the same agh. // The spooky filter I overlayed the clips with changes at times. Would be nice if it stayed consistent

Dragon Dawn- Hmm now that I have more songs to choose from (getting into another artist as much as I did with The Wanted), I would have another song playing to fit the horse better. Maybe Euphoria or Mikrokosmos. Oh well those will be for future horses eventually! // Didn’t drop with the music...disappointed

Thunder Spirit- The horse that trains through three months. You can easily tell by the Valentine race, the rainbows of March, and April Fools. // Man I really need to work on making the text not be so BIG. // The first rainbow race had lots of sound effects. After that one I was just like “yeah not doing that again”

Sun Chaser- Eh the slowed down music is not the best idea. But I think it was also an intro to a remix of the song. So it was only so long and I had a bit to say for the intro of the horse. // The second clip of the mysterious Icelandic cryptid you can’t see them once it zooms in....annoying. // Too much of a slow build up with another cryptid spotting. // Also using the same sound but slower after just using it...smooth (not). // You know the very last clip of the horse as he’s turning around on the beach? Yeah that’s the exact moment I did the intro for the horse XD

Dragon Warrior- The contrast between me and Sage’s bantering vs the sadder song (I found the song because of a Zeno AMV) well it’s kinda weird having laughs and then sad melody. // YouTube again ruins the quality of the mic as it sounds fuzzier than it was pre-uploaded. // Low-key recording voices was fun aside from having to make sure the clips matched the voices and clicking of the mouse. // I’m still annoyed I couldn’t find the perfect snoring sound effect when Sage’s Connemara is sleeping and starts gliding away

Smoke Mirror- A little too much of a pause between text in the intro. // I love how I’m wearing a Halloween shirt because no other shirt matched with the blue of the hat except for the dress it came with THAT I GOT RID OF! 

Obsidian Mystery- I love the thumbnail for her training video. It’s so spooky and cool! Favorite thumbnail of the entire series right there. // Ironic that with the three Halloween horses I’ve had. The two with the upbeat music are the ones where Galloper was present that year. The one where Galloper was missing that October, the music was softer, generic Halloween music. Not intentional, but it works. Though the first Halloween training video still gets the trick-or-treats because it has nostalgic music. // Some text isn’t easily visible

Dark Warrior- The horse I wish I could name Secret Warrior cause that would make SO MUCH MORE SENSE than Dark Warrior, but here we are. // Since Warriors by Imagine Dragons was in a previous training video, I had to search for another song to fit the horse. I literally went through those anime character theme song videos to find one! That was a terrible jump cut of the song

Ember Flame- Coming Soon

[hirayaea]

ikesen fic - the inevitable correction of treading through time (prologue)

Summary: You and Sasuke decide to make the timeline as close to your reality the only way you know how: by making sure the the Tokugawa Shogunate happens, no matter how many tries it takes. 

— ieyasu/mc — you remember how this timeline began: with your eyes wide open

[AO3]

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2]

現時点

Your place in the war council had changed. In fact, you used to sit at the farthest corner of the room; a presence welcomed but not entirely needed, allowable only because Nobunaga's orders were absolute. You were his favourite, and until his deathbed, he called you his lucky charm.

Now you sit on the dais, a little to the right of the man you would sacrifice your life for. You should have known the years would change you (you knew what would happen, after all), but  never did you imagine how reality would come to play.

As if time traveling was absurd enough, you were now somehow the wife of the first leader of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Sasuke, bless his wandering soul, would be proud.

正しい時代

You remember how this timeline began: with your eyes wide open.

"Princess, can I come in?"

Sasuke's dulcet tones seemed to make the candle flicker. Your world re-orients, and suddenly, you understand. You had already attempted to sleep, but despite your fatigue the darkness wouldn't come. When you glanced upwards, the roof panel was slightly open.

"Sasuke?"

The ninja jumped down, landing with grace, taking a sitting position next to your futon.

You sit up and sigh.

"I'm..." You search for the words to say, hoping he would understand. "I just woke up."

At first, he is nonplussed. "I apologise for my intrusion, then."

You blink at him, and shake your head. Your sigh is of someone carrying a great weight. You place your hand on your heart, and try to block the memories of everything you've left behind. It's easier this time, somehow. Today, you have just awoken, and you need to determine who you—

The answer clicks.

"I'm finally here, Sasuke," you breathe in relief, but your best friend just stares at you blankly.

Until - "Oh," he says. He readjusts his glasses and you know the numbers are running through his head.

"Tadaima," you try again.

Sasuke nods, but his face is grim. "Welcome back."

思い出

When Nobunaga dies, even you are surprised. You had grown so used to him being immutable, you were sure he would outlast all of you. But not even he could outrun death, especially when it came so swiftly, and in the form of the powerful sea.

You still remember his face, how confident he seemed in his polished black armour, a large ship in the background. His haori billowed behind him, and he looked every bit the regal warlord you thought you would only see in history books.

But over time, your knowledge of him had become so personal, almost like family; that when he descends his horse to pat your head you even have to resist the urge to embrace him.

"Take care of Azuchi, my lucky charm," he tells you, as if you are one of his retainers with enough power to command his armies. No one questions him; if he willed that, everyone knew it could be so. His large hand ruffles your hair and then tilts your chin—you allow it with a small smile, but only because you knew someone else wouldn't.

"That's enough," Ieyasu steps in, with a frown meant to warn, but they all knew it would only make Nobunaga amused.

True enough, he laughs. "I will miss seeing new expressions from you, Ieyasu," he says, and in a rare show of affection, he also pats the blonde's hair and ruffles it. He walks away, then, and with his back turned, "I'll leave everything up to you."

Ieyasu nods. "I understand."

You watch him climb the plank to ascend the ship. When the sailors shout their final call, Nobunaga is on the deck, high above you, the rising sun reflecting on his dark hair with an orange sheen. His crimson eyes glint with the excitement of an explorer, and you think, this is how you'd like to remember him, the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven, for all he was feared, was also just a boy with a dream: to see new things, to travel far and wide, to go beyond the borders of his world and live.

Ieyasu glances at you. He slowly moves to take your hand.

"He'll come back," he says softly at first, then, with his usual sarcasm, "He'll be back in no time, and we'll be running ragged around the castle again."

You want to laugh, because you know these words comforted you the first time.

Instead, your grip is tighter as he entwines your fingers.

思い出

"That place Nobunaga went to," Ieyasu's whisper is raw during the nighttime; he is usually more honest after lovemaking, and you take every pillow talk as an opportunity to read him like an open book. He caresses your bare shoulder and continues, "Kankoku, was it. Did he..."

Your breath hitches. Ieyasu has made it a personal principle never to ask you about the future, but his repressed concern for Nobunaga could match Hideyoshi's on a bad day. In the fresh wake of Nobunaga's absence, you deem this is a bad day as any. He senses your stillness, however, and decides not to continue.

Once before, you let this moment pass. You distracted him by moving closer and drawing him in, your tongue languidly asking for an entrance you knew he would gladly give.

Weeks later, however, when the news came, you saw him look at you, his once bright eyes the color of a dark forest, asking—and though he would never admit it, blaming.

You cannot go through that again.

"This timeline is different," you say instead, hoping the truth in your answer would satisfy him enough. You choose your next words carefully. "In the future... the one that I originally came from, it was Hideyoshi who ventured outside the country."

Because Nobunaga was already dead, was the unspoken context. Because I wasn't there to save him.

Ieyasu traces circles on the area where your shoulder meet your neck, and you resist shuddering at the pleasure. "I suppose it doesn't matter," he murmurs as a reply, and when his lips replace his fingers, you know he will not ask anymore.

You wish you could say the same.

思い出

Hideyoshi mourns like no other when a sailor returns to say that their ship had capsized against a great wave.

Nobunaga's body was nowhere to be found.

Azuchi should be in chaos, but you steel yourself and follow Nobunaga's final will to the dot, even if you had to let Ieyasu translate half the complicated kanji the letter was written in.

Somehow, as if he had known what was going to happen, Nobunaga had sent a letter to his chateleine before boarding the ship, perhaps as a precaution, with orders to open it only if unpleasant news arrived.

His final letter to you included instructions on how to manage the castle permanently in his absence. Not just the castle; it also included new laws to be applied to the free market, an updated taxation scheme for the residents, and discrete orders to let Hideyoshi return to his fief until he calmed down.

No one else but you will be able to tell him it came from me, even Nobunaga's handwriting was lordly, and with a hint of nostalgia, you could imagine him penning this message with a smirk on his face. He will believe no one else. Ieyasu will take charge of my domain and my conquests for the rest of the year. Then, have Hideyoshi return and he will know what to do to succeed my will.

Ieyasu, for the most part, did everything Nobunaga asked with begrudging acceptance, but you knew that deep inside his heart swelled with pride to be chosen to lead. Ieyasu was a fine lord, through and through, and while you watched him hold a war council, finally taking Nobunaga's position on the dais, you felt a swell of affection so overwhelming it needed to be expressed.

That evening, you take Ieyasu's face into your hands and lean in for what was once your last kiss. You pull away a second earlier than you would have liked, and with the knowledge of one who has gone through time, push Ieyasu to the ground as a kunai whizzes past.

"Grab your sword," you tell him, dropping to a roll to get to the other side of the room. A bow and arrow sit on display and you swiftly grab the set, make the form of an archer, and shoot beyond the door. A dead body slumps beyond the shoji, and you hear quick footsteps rush around the house, making the torches flicker wildly. For a moment, it reminds you of your awakening.

"There are four of them, but only two are after you," you tell Ieyasu, bow locked and ready as the two of you step outside. The frown on his face is as much for you as it is for the situation, and you know you will have some explaining to do later.

The two of you huddle on the corridor, back to back, Ieyasu with his sword out and your body tense, arrow ready to fire. A figure clad in black rushes from the trees, hand raised with a knife, and you are not fast enough — but Ieyasu is.

His katana slices the man's arm cleanly and the blood gushes like a waterfall, and the assassin screams until Ieyasu pierces his stomach.

Pulling his sword out, Ieyasu huffs as the man crumples to the ground. He flicks the blood away with a single movement. "You said there were four."

Your eyes scan the surroundings, but your stance relaxes. If you remember correctly... "Masamune will take care of the other two."

True enough, as if he was called, the One Eyed Dragon of Oshu rushes to the scene, twin swords out and face wild with adrenaline.

He is panting when he gets to you, but you do not miss the worried way he gives Ieyasu a once-over before his eyes settle on the entire scene. He takes note of your bow and the first assassin with an arrow sticking out of his chest.

"Wow, nice aim, Princess," Masamune says with a whistle. Then, with a feral grin, "So, what did I miss?"

You almost laugh in relief, but you bite your lip because Ieyasu does not look happy at either of you. He scowls as he puts his sword inside its sheath.

"You're explaining this. Now," he says matter-of-factly, before practically stomping towards his quarters.

Your first urge is to comfort him, but you are like an unwound spring with how the tension leaves you all at once. You stare at the dark sky, remembering a different version of what happened tonight, trying to erase the vision of Ieyasu having a knife on his neck, bleeding on your bed.

The memory slowly fades, replaced by this one, and you realise you're doing something right.

Ieyasu turns around when he notices you aren't quick to follow. Masamune also has his eyes on you, and you wish you could answer all their questions at once.

Instead, you say, "We have to unite Japan."

The silence is overbearing after your statement; Ieyasu stares at you, his expression unreadable, but later you realise he might've been looking at you like you were mad.

Still, you continue; this time, with your eyes piercing his.

"Become Shogun, Ieyasu."

別の時代

The conundrum is understandable. You and he changed history enough for the world to change.

"There are two ways to go about this," Sasuke has been working on this issue for longer than you were even here. "We either forget all of this happened, go back to our time, and live life as usual."

Basically, return things as they were.

The ninja stared at you—if it were that easy for your human hearts, he would have already suggested this plan ages ago.

"However, with our," he coughs, "attachments, to this timeline, I surmise neither of us would like this to occur. Hence, we must find a way to restore history's course despite our wish to remain here. Else, the consequences to the future may be disastrous."

You decide to take a risk and ask. "How disastrous?"

"We could change Japan as we know it." He senses you want him to continue, so he does. "The Azuchi-Momoyama transitioning to the Edo period was a game changer in Japanese history. The Tokugawa Shogunate developed many laws and cultural traditions that served as the stepping stone in creating what we know as modern Japan, also affecting, in turn, Japan's influence on the world."

"So, do you mean, as long as the laws and traditions are the same, everything should work out fine?"

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The context of why those laws and traditions are in place are also important, as is the attitude of the Japanese people towards them. It would be useless to implement any law if people didn't see why they were needed at the time."

In simple words, Sasuke was telling you that suggesting those laws to Nobunaga and having him implement it wasn't the same as having it implemented in the context of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

You find yourself sighing. "This is because of the Battle of Sekigahara, isn't it," You strive to remember what made that battle important... then it hits you. "The outcome of that war. It conclusively shifted the power of the daimyos."

Sasuke seemed proud you remembered some of your high school history. "Yes, and it was the first ever Shogunate to unify Japan as one."

You nod. "And without the tax, market and law reforms of the Tokugawa era, Japan would never have gone into seclusion and built up its economy."

"Exactly. Foreign influence would spread much earlier than it originally did. This could change the Japanese mindset immensely... whether for better or for worse, we wouldn't know."

"But it would change." It was starting to dawn on you, how selfish it really was to want to stay. "All because we're here."

The thin purse of Sasuke's lips were enough to tell you that he didn't take this matter lightly. His—no, your—beloved history, everything that you loved about modern Japan in 2019, all of that could be gone because you decided to fall in love in the Sengoku era.

All I was concerned about was myself and how I wanted to stay, you chided yourself. A part of you believed everything would work out, but that was naive. Since you decided to remain permanently in this era, you would never know what Japan would be like 500 years from now, but that was just washing your hands of the guilt that the truth brought:

You changed history. Permanently. In effect, you may have changed the fate of the entirety of Japan and its contributions to the entire world, permanently.

Sasuke breaks your inner monologue. "I may have found a way to ensure we stick as close to the original timeline, however."

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Well, the conclusion I've arrived to is simple enough," Sasuke's eyes are shining now, and you know he only looks this bright when he talks about — "The Tokugawa Shogunate needs to happen." 

He looks at you meaningfully. 

"Ieyasu needs to be Shogun."

It sounded straightforward enough. With a new resolution, you nod to Sasuke's suggestion.

"I'll stay by his side until he becomes Shogun, then."

You have never regretted those words, but sometimes you wonder if there is a timeline where you had.

思い出

"Become Shogun, Ieyasu."

You think the silence will drag out, that this will only confuse them more instead of make sense, but Ieyasu only steps forward and sighs.

"Alright."

[/Prologue]

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2]

[becomethevoidstuff]

September-October 2018 Featured Creator

What is a Featured Creator?

Write Way Studio’s “Featured Creator” segment is my way of showing appreciation for the creators of the world.  Creative outlets are limitless, because there is no end to human imagination.  Every month shows the succeeding featured creator.  If you would like to be a part of this collaborative project, contact me at studiowriteway@gmail.com!

Time for a quick update to the segment: that my Featured Creators will be holding two months instead of one after our one year mark!

My twelfth guest creator is an artist known as SinG, marking the one year anniversary of my Featured Creator segment!

Introduction

She is Gabriella Sinopoli to normal people.  But with her art, she is known as SinG, a nickname is a mishmash of her surname and the first letter of her first name.  On July 26th this year, she turned thirty-three years old.  Her biggest job yet?  Being a mom!

She mentioned that her official job, though, is being a “Comic Colorist.”  While she is a freelancer, she mostly works for an “art studio [called] Arancia Studio.”  She has also has worked as a colorist and/or an assistant with Italian editors, such as Panini Comics!  For a comic recently released in the United States by Image Comic named Unnatural by “the wonderful and amazing artist Mirka Andolfo,” she revealed that she “was also one of the assistants [for the comic].”  Currently, she is an assistant colorist for a comic with a French editorial house called Glènat.

With concerns to her education, she participated in an art school affiliated with her high school.  But university stayed out of reach.  So she is mostly self-taught!  A few things she’s learned with her job, on the other hand, revealed what truly matters:  “what you can do, being serious . . . [and staying] punctual with the deadlines.”

What Sparked the Creator Passion?

A Little Dream with a Big Spark

When asked this question in particular, Gabriella recalled how “I drew ever since I can remember [with] a strong passion for cartoons and videos games.”  As she grew older, she realized that she wanted to work in comics.  Unfortunately, her high school teachers were unsupportive and attempted to discourage her from that path.  So instead of what she wanted, she diverted and “[focused on] graphic and web design.”

But she never gave up her dream for one second.  And when the opportunity arrived for her to make it a reality, she took it!  She has a lot of catching up to do, or as she put it “still running and working hard every single day so that one day I’ll realize my dream, which is to make y very own comic published.”

Comic Encouragement

When she was eight, she read a manga for the first time, Dragon Ball Volume 25.  After that pivotal read, she became more interested in the comics universe.  She has a particular passion for shonen (or young boy) manga, as she is “very addicted to Boku no Hero Academia, the masterpiece of the amazing Horikoshi Kohei.”  The series is known as My Hero Academia in English.  While she has mostly read manga most of her life, another influence of hers happens to be the U.S. comic companies like Marvel and D.C., both of which focus on super humans and heroics.

When it comes to artists, she noted how “I find inspiration in [arts that] appeal [to] me.”  As her dream is coming to fruition, nevertheless, she has been strongly influenced by Mirka Andolfo, the previously mentioned creator of the comic Unnatural.   She admires her, from her determination, dedication, and staying humble.  SinG thinks that this should be a standard that artists reach for, of people admiring and using the admiration to reach for what they want.  There is a huge list of artists she admires.

Her close friend and artist extraordinaire “RaRo, or Rosalia Radosti,” helped to fill the gaps in her artistic training and continues to do so.  She is also a pillar of support for her in the dark moments of doubt.  Then there is her husband and children, all very important in her life as she reaches her goals!

The following is her final statement that concluded the matter: “Having people that support you is really one of the best things one can hope for, but [it] also [gives you the] boost you need to go on and run, as fast as you can, to reach your dreams.”

Future Projects

Believe it or not, SinG wants to create her own comic!  She is currently hard at work to bridge the gap of necessary experience to make it a reality, especially with adequately adding to her work portfolio.  For now, she practices her art style.  She plans on also creating a few fan-made comics for things she loves.

Hopefully, she will be hired as a comic colorist in the near future for comic editorials or a comic company.

Where To Find You? Support You?

Luckily, Gabriella is available on multiple online platforms.  She is more active with Twitter and Tumblr compared to the others.  Keep that in mind as you search for her!

Social Media

o   Facebook

o   Tumblr @singartworks

o   Instagram @singartworks

o   Twitter @singartworks

o   DeviantArt

Remember, every little bit counts when supporting her work!

o   All About Commissions!

o   Donate a cup of Ko-fi!

Last Tidbits

In the words of Gabriella, she is an “incurable fangirl.”  When anything catches her eye, she cannot fight the urge to fan-art like crazy!  Amusingly, when it comes to romantic or sensual moments in her artwork, her face remains ablaze and shifts continuously from one weird face to another during the entire drawing process.  The job will get done either way.  But she wishes so much for no one to see her as she draws it!

Important Notice

Please understand that some information will not be shared by the creator’s request.  If you cannot understand that, there is not much more I can do to help you.  Safety is a top priority here, and I am here to help the creators, not instigate negative behavior.

Collaboration Disclaimer

The information provided in my Featured Creator articles is, in fact, from the real people, not some random Internet bot.  I do not use random stock photos to fill an imaginary photo quota.  Any photos in the Featured Creator segment are provided by the creators with permission to use them in this manner.  I want to support the original person behind the work, not a random online copycat creeping around.

To Gabriella,

I really appreciate you working with me on this segment.  I know it was crammed, much more than what is most likely recommended (or dared.)  Despite the problems, it was still a lot of fun to learn more about you as both a person and an artist.  You have a detailed style and distinctive coloring method that I cannot help but adore!  You also happen to be one of my inspirations to getting back into my art again and staying confident with myself in what I do.  It has been a long year for me, and I think encountering you and your work really helped to put me in perspective.  I thank you for that, even if you did that unknowingly.

I can only hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!  Maybe if I finally manage to visit Italy, we can have a proper obsession session about All Might.  I know that you will do so much for the art world, one fan art at a time.

Sincerely,

Jasmine Love

MLA Citation (8th edition)

SinG.  Personal E-mail Interview by Jasmine Love. September 2018 Featured Creator Collaboration, 14 August –22 August 2018.

[furederiko]

September 1st!!! And it's the first (of hopefully more) Random-News-Digest of the month...

Quick update before I start! Nope, my situation hasn't really improved since last time. Things are still going haywire and uncertain on my part. Which means I'm still not too sure if I will be able to post more frequently this month as well. But this is a NEW month, and I always want to start anything with a fresh and optimistic mind. So at the very least, I'm going to TRY to post more. Here's hoping... Also, expect this R-N-D to be more... 'Digest' than usual. After all, I actually decided to do this on a whimsy when I woke up this morning. You can expect things to be more shorter and compact this time around. So without further ado, let's start!!!

DC Films

The news in this category has been quite a shocker lately. Martin Scorsese wants to make a stand-alone "Joker" origin story without Jared Leto? And then there's that Leto and Margot Robbie's "Joker and Harley Quinn" movie, that is being fast-tracked to come following "Suicide Squad 2"? It's a new title that was first rumored to replace David Ayer's "Gotham City Sirens", though recent report suggests that all-female movie is STILL in development as well. To complicate matters, "Suicide Squad 2" already lost a potential director, and with Will Smith's busy schedule, it won't start production until late next year. Ouch!

Oh yeah, eventhough the movie won't arrive until April 5th, 2019, director David F. Sandberg teased that the most lighthearted DC Film movie "Shazam" will start production very soon. Yet we don't even know who's going to play Billy Batson, nor his grown-up version. While Matt Reeves is going back and forth his version of "The Batman", saying it's not part of the DCEU, and then it IS. Please make up your mind! Jon Spaihts was rumored to be re-writing "Justice League Dark", though said rumor has been cleared out by The Wrap. The irony in that, is because he was among the writer of "Doctor Strange" for Marvel Studios!!! First Joss Whedon took over Zack Snyder for "Justice League", and has officially been given a writer credit (his involvement is 33% of the movie!!!). And don't forget how Patty Jenkins used to be attached to the first Thor sequel. So Spaihts's name being thrown into the rumor zone didn't feel as 'strange'. What I'm trying to say is, I won't be surprised if more people related to Marvel Studios will end up doing DC movies for Warner Bros in the future.

Clearly, this proves that WB STILL doesn't have a plan nor idea of what they are going to do with their DC Films. A concerning truth, but is definitely far from being a surprise nowadays. I guess since the current DCEU doesn't really have a clear future (despite the success of "Wonder Woman"), WB is already thinking about creating another Universe to complement it. Perhaps, if this one works better, then they can simply erase the one that Snyder started. That's the point of "Flashpoint", right? We'll see. Yes, we'll see...

X-Men Universe

Can't believe it took this long for some people to realize that... as long as Simon Kinberg is still in charge (in ANY capacity), fans probably won't be getting the 'true' X-Men movie they have always wanted. People seems to forget that he was the writer of the disappointing "X-Men: The Last Stand", and supervised the dreaded "Fant4stic Four". Now his upcoming directorial debut, "X-Men: Dark Phoenix", which he also wrote... is already put into a giant question mark, thanks to Kinberg's recent comment.

I admit, I've grown to DESPISE the term 'grounded' in recent years, because it is (ab)used as an excuse to make shitty underwhelming products. But seriously, what good will a "Dark Phoenix" storyline get by making it... grounded? That arc is meant to be a galactic interstellar adventure, involving alien entities and otherworldly stuffs. "X3" was already its grounded version, and it did NOT work. So why bother going the same route? Is this movie 'doomed to fail' then? It's unclear. But I certainly won't be surprised if that turns out to be the case. Just remember how that grounded take on "X-Men: Apocalypse" performed...

Marvel Studios

Marvel is celebrating the late Jack Kirby's 100th birthday this week. Studio's president Kevin Feige revealed on Twitter that the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok" is produced as a love-letter to Kirby's work. Not unlike last year's "Doctor Strange", that served as a clear tribute to Steve Ditko. Actress Evangeline Lilly also celebrated the occassion, by sharing the first official image of her character Hope van Dyne, wearing the updated Wasp suit from "Ant-Man and the Wasp".

About that last one... I totally DIG her hair-style, because Lilly always looks much better with a long hairdo instead of the one she had in the first "Ant-Man". The suit on the other hand? I'm a bit mixed. I don't know why. Perhaps because I was expecting more... yellow/gold in the color scheme? Then again, Peyton Reed and Marvel Studios might be going with Wasp's red-black scheme once again, because it's the one designed by Kirby. Especially with Janet van Dyne being in the movie (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and the report that Michael Douglas' Hank Pym will be suiting up himself in the classic white-red costume.

The writers of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" are set to be back for the sequel! Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are also involved in "Ant-Man and the Wasp", so there's a possibility they might end up becoming the next Markus-McFeely of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Assuming all the stars are aligned, they will reunite with director Jon Watts (who was already in talks to return) to work on the first Marvel Studios after "Avengers 4" ends the current Phase 3. Here's hoping this team will keep deliver something better, without losing that irresistible youthful and innocent charm that the first movie exuded.

Marvel TV

When this post goes up, Marvel's "The Inhumans" should be arriving in IMAX theatres everywhere. Not sure if it will be available in my country, but it's surely a definite for the US region, because ABC will begin broadcasting the series on Friday, September 29th, 2017.

According to recent report, the response to its premiere was... much positive. In fact, it's a far cry to the supposed 'disaster' that occured at the Television Critics Association Panel. Is this surprising? Well... not quite. I mean, one man's trash can end up becoming another's treasure, right? So I predict that the overall review, when it officially hits, will be mixed at best. Remember, this is still Jeph Loeb's and Scott Buck's work. Each or both have ruined a show (or two, if we count that much-anticipated crossover that came out last month... or more if we put into account their past forays) before, so there's no assurance that they won't strike again. But I'm honestly glad to hear some people actually enjoying it. Hey, there's one for everyone, right?

As for me, as I said before, I personally won't be seeing this on the theatres. Based on the lackluster trailers and underwhelming clips released so far, I'll have to give it a hard pass. Beside, considering my current financial issue, wasting money for uncertain things can be considered 'suicide' anyway. I'll probably going to hold back on watching the series as well, until the reviews for all episodes are out. Thanks to my doozy experience with the recent Netflix 'crossover mini-series', I'm going to be extra cautious with Marvel TV now. Because really, spending 8 hours for a boring and/or disappointing show felt like a tremendous waste of time. Doing so isn't going to do me any good.

QUICK UPDATE: Embargo for the full reviews hasn't been lifted when I wrote and upped this essay into queue. Those reviews have been made available NOW on various sites, and well... turns out it's as BAD as many initially said. Since I'm too lazy to modify the entire category (although it's only 3 short paragraphs LOL), this note will do just fine as a follow up. My original writing sounded more 'positive' anyways. LOL.

Meanwhile, things are looking A LOT better for Marvel's "Runaways". It seems response for the first episodes was more than great. It is currently being praised as very faithful to the source material, despite its various 'tweaks' (for example, one character was a mutant in the comic, but the copyrights prevent that to exist in live action adaptation). Not that it should be a surprise anyway. When the writer of the comic is directly in charge as consultant, we know that at least things are going to be close to the comics. Might this be the Marvel show to wait for this year? Probably, but I digress. I'm still going to be approaching this one with extra caution. If recent Marvel TV shows are any indications, then we can't really expect it to be... evenly balanced. Some of them had okay to good run in the first half, only to falter into a massive dud in the later half. Yes, even "LEGION", and the 4th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". They started out strong, but ended rather... disappointingly. Considering the same people behind them are also supervising this, said similar treatment can also apply to "Runaways"...

Netflix

It's already September, and I haven't finished Marvel's "The Defenders" yet. How come? The mini-series surprisingly BORED the hell out of me! A full review for it was meant to go up as my first post of September (yes, this R-N-D is its last minute replacement). That's the initial plan anyway, because I still haven't seen the last two episodes. Seriously though, when you've already lost any single urge to do it, there's nothing else you can do right?

Thanks to that, the internet had already spoiled me about what's going to happen to Simone Missick's Misty Knight. I don't even need to READ the whole article to figure out what will become of her... right hand. Yes, the headline already gave it away, and my minor knowledge of the character in the comics was more than enough to lead me to said conclusion. And then the image spreading on social media solidified it. Mind you, I still don't know how or what caused her to lose that body part. My quick and easy guess? Likely by Bakuto, considering up to episode 6, Misty had only spoken with one particular supporting character from the other series: Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing. And it's also about her... KATANA, as if it's not obvious enough. Expect Misty to be armed with a prosthetic arm in the 3rd Season Marvel's "Luke Cage".

Yep, if you're like me, hoping for a "Heroes for Hire" show that includes the Daughters of Dragon... then we might as well swallow that wishful thinking. Why? It probably won't happen until the 2nd Season of Marvel's "Iron Fist" is out. Going by math alone, that means we have to wait another 26 episodes, and at least another two years. New season for "Luke Cage" will likely arrive in 2018, while the one for "Iron Fist" might probably land in 2019. Yeah, two years indeed. This is why you can't really expect much when it comes to Marvel TV... *sigh*

"Stranger Things" released a set of character posters for its 2nd Season. They cover the returning cast, as well as the new additions. What's interesting about these posters, is the strong nod to Steven Spielberg! And being a series set in the 80s, that folded-magazine style is also pretty neat. I hope this 2nd season will be as great as the 1st, and unlike most other Netflix shows.

One more thing! It's a rather old news, but worth bringing up. Netflix is currently collaborating with TOEI Animation, to remake the popular shounen-series "Saint Seiya". Titled "Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya", the new series will be created in full CG style. If you're curious on how that might look, think of it like several parts of TOEI's "Precure Dream Star!" movie that was done completely in CG, or their recent "Sekaisuru KADO" series. The latter in particular, already has a character design that's looking VERY Saint Seiya-ish (could it be intended as the warm-up to this one, then? probably). First season will be 12 episodes of 30 minutes, and will cover the "Galaxy War" to the "Silver Saint" Arcs. Yoshiharu Ashino is directing the new series, Eugene Son is the story editor and head writer, Terumi Nishii will be handling the character design, while Takashi Okazaki is doing the armors.

This news is intriguing, because it can end up heading towards into two different territory: actually good, or downright Bad. The latest "Sailor Moon" reboot that immediately divide old and new fans, is a great example of said situation. "Saint Seiya" is among the beloved titles to those growing up in the late 80s, so you can imagine their negative reactions if this remake doesn't suit their taste. The series doesn't have a fixed release date for now, but I believe we can expect it to arrive on Spring 2018. My only hope is that it retains Shingo Araki's anime style compared to Masami Kurumada's manga ones, because it has been pretty much the 'signature' of the series for the fans.

Disney XD Series

I saw the one-hour premiere of the "DuckTales" reboot not long after it aired, and great goodness... I'm LOVING it. I used to have a minor issue with the voices of the nephews before, but that concern quickly faded away when the story started rolling. It's just so engaging and fun to watch! My only complaint, is that it takes too long for the next episodes to start airing. But we're now in September, so September 23rd is just around 20 days away. Shall we start counting down for more Scrooge McDuck's adventure, then? I wonder if Disney XD will debut the first episode of "Big Hero 6 the Series" in advance too? Hmmm....

Pocket Monsters

"Pokemon GO" has been greeted by Legendary Birds Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and Lugia last month. Starting yesterday, August 31st, 2017, Niantic has continued the streak with the Legendary Dogs Entei, Raikou, and Suicine. Unlike the Birds, these ones are going to show up as region-based for a particular duration. Entei will be in the Europe and Africa region, Raikou in the America, and Suicine in Asia-Pacific. They will then switch places on September 30th, 2017.

This is great news, right? NOT exactly. While I DID feel overjoyed when the Legendaries were first announced, what came next was nothing more than disappointments. The fact that Niantic is focusing too much on Raid Battles to debut these special Pokemon, had caused inconveniences to some (if not MANY) of its players. Sad to say, yours truly is included in this cluster.

Here's the deal. In order to capture ONE Legendary, it first needs to be defeated in a Raid Battle. Unlike normal Raids, it's a group effort that requires around 15-20 players to be on the spot at the same time, working together to take one down. So what happens when you're a player... living in an area, that does NOT have the privilege of having at least the minimum number of players? You can only bite your nails while grunting and sighing with disappointments, because there's really NOTHING you can do. I've lost count how many 'futile attempts' I've done, singlehandedly (seriously, because there's NOBODY around) trying to defeat one. I've now arrived to the point where I simply couldn't care less about any of them anymore. Which is sad, because I was sort of hoping "Pokemon GO" would be there to help me go through my current situation. I mean, when that role has been surprisingly taken over by a repetitive, kid-oriented game called "Magikarp, Jump!"... That's saying much, right?

Of course, this shouldn't be an issue if "Pokemon GO" is still enjoyable as a single-player experience. Players who can't capture a Legendary, could still focus on doing anything else. Problem is, there's NOTHING much to do beside that. Niantic is too focused on the multiplayer 'Team Gameplay' aspect of this game, that it neglects those who play individually (whether by choice, or who are simply forced by circumstances... like yours truly). The new 'Gym System' was nice, but lately I've noticed a concerning trend: the turnaround has gradually becoming very slow. Many Gyms in my area, have Pokemon with ZERO motivations. Worse, they are stranded there for days (I can personally attest to this, because mine are among them!). That means many players no longer visit the Gyms. To put it simply, this game is just not... FUN anymore for everyone. Only for the 'privileged'.

Niantic can actually fix this, by start releasing Generation III as soon as possible. Adding a horde of new Pokemon, even if not all of them (honestly, releasing 10 new species per month would be a fun options), will give these 'unfortunate players' a renewed 'purpose' to go out and play the game. Otherwise, it's really a dry boring-ish land. IMHO, Niantic could and should've tried another method with the Legendary Dogs by... I don't know... letting them in the wild, like what happened in the core "Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal" games. Then again, it's probably too much to ask for. I mean, Niantic doesn't even allow something as simple as having these Legendaries added as silhouettes to the Pokedex after encountering them. And that's the only thing I've been hoping for... *sigh*. For now, unless Niantic shakes things up big time, my days with the App is numbered. And I'm going to be just another entry to the long list of players who have already walked out due to disappointments...

One more thing for "Pokemon". A quick detour to the TV side! Kanto Gym Leaders and Satoshi's former travel companions Kasumi and Takeshi (or Misty and Brock in the US version)... are coming to Alola this month!!! Many fans are obviously pleased to hear this! After they have been unceremoniously snubbed in the 20th Anniversary movie "Eiga Pocket Monster, Kimi ni Kimeta!", they are set to show up in the series instead. Takeshi in particular, is the character I've been waiting for. After all, his VA Yuuji Ueda is still a crucial part in the series as the voice of Sonansu/Wobbuffet, so he could actually show up a lot more! This pair will be making their Alolan guest appearances on the September 14th and 21st episodes. Which got me thinking: How awesome will it be if Satoshi's other travel friends show up at the same time too, right?

Street Fighter

"Street Fighter V" has welcomed its 5th DLC character for Season 2. As speculated and rumored before, it's indeed Menat, the Eyes of the Future. She is also confirmed to be the apprentice of Rose, by the way. This makes her the first completely NEW character to the franchise, because Kolin, Ed, and Abigail have all showed up before in other games. Judging from her quick and... arguably pointless appearance in Ed's Story Mode, Menat has a fantastic Egyptian-themed design. The mummy queen alternate costume however? Yeeesh. You can check out her reveal trailer online, or you can just get her right away because she's already available since early this week.

Menat's arrival after Abigail, pretty much confirms the identity of the 6th and final DLC character: Guy's teacher, Zeku. His name was already leaked before by Event Hubs' Flowtron, and his report has been proven to be on point until now. So I guess all we need to wait is CAPCOM's official announcement, right? Seeing the release pattern (Ed on May 30th, Abigail on July 25th, Menat on August 29th), we can probably expect this last Season 2 character to arrive later this month, if not late October. So tell me, are you excited about Zeku?