#in all seriousness this is the best audio I’ve listened to yet

[tardis-technician]

Donna Noble accidentally accepts an invitation to a gay bar in The Creeping Death. What more could could you want?

[thenerdykneazle]

Wild Ride

Summary: You and Seb aren't on the best of terms in sixth year. He's desperate to get you to let him back into your life - to the point of inviting himself along on a trip to Clagmar Coast to get ingredients for Garreth's newest potion. The simple errand turns out to be much more dangerous than either of you could have anticipated.

Sebastian Sallow x M!MC

Another collab with the talented @darch7995 who turned this story into audios. Listen to part 1. I gave Rina a task with this one with all the fighting, and she killed it. If you've never heard her audios, you're missing out.

Warnings: violence, swearing, angst with a happy ending, reckoning with the Scriptorium b/c I'm still mad it's glossed over in the game lol

Word count: 6203

You stalked along the edge of the raised platform, scoping out the perfect angle. “Accio!” you said, dragging the blue stone towards you. You held on longer than normal. You released the spell, and the stone kept rolling. It smacked into a red one at the end of the court, which jolted forward – right off the platform and into the grass. The blue sphere slowed to a stop just before the edge, earning you another 50 points.

“Ugh! That’s the third game in a row,” Leander groaned.

“You really should stop going first,” you said, unable to hold back a chuckle.

Leander glared at you. “I should just stop playing,” he said hopelessly.

“Also a valid option,” you replied drily before smirking at him.

You grabbed your bag and sauntered off to head into the library to get some studying done for once.

“Hey, MC! Do you have a moment?” Garreth said as he jogged up to you.

“Sure. What’s up?” you replied as Garreth joined in step.

“I’ve got a favour to ask,” he said. “I need you to help me track down an ingredient.”

You sighed. “Yeah, okay. What is it this time?”

Garreth beamed at you. “You’re the best! It’s just knarl quills,” he said.

“Knarl quills? Seriously?” you interrupted, indignant. “Can’t you just buy some in Hogsmeade?”

“Normally, I would, but Brood & Peck is wiped out after Sharp’s lesson on Laughing Potion. It’ll take weeks for them to get new stock. But it gave me a brilliant idea for a new drink. I’m calling it Gigglewater. Imagine pairing a nice buzz from firewhisky with the euphoria of Laughing Potion! So…think you could get some quills for me?”

He looked at you with a hopeful expression.

“All right. I know where to find a den,” you said, resigning yourself to being an errand boy yet again. “But if this brew of yours works out, I expect a steady supply.”

“Brilliant!” Garreth said, clapping both hands on your shoulders. “You’ll have as much as you can drink, mate. I promise.”

Garreth bolted off to go prepare the rest of his ingredients. You picked up your pace to head inside before your to-do list could grow any longer. Before you’d taken ten steps, you were stopped by another voice.

“Oi! MC!” they called from across the grounds.

You turned to see Sebastian headed toward you with his broom slung over his shoulder.

“I’m headed to the pitch to get in some practice before Quidditch try-outs start next week. You want to join? Ominis mentioned you’re planning to go for chaser,” he said. He added under his breath, “Not sure why he knew before I did, but…”

“Oh,” you said uncomfortably. “I was just headed inside to study, actually. Got to finish that essay on bowtruckles for Howin. But you have fun.”

“Oh,” Sebastian said, crestfallen. He had been excited to practise with you – you never turned down a chance to fly. He’d also hoped a little rough-and-tumble play on the pitch might relieve some of the tension he felt around you lately. “Yeah, no problem. I suppose school does come first.” He forced a laugh. “So, what, uh…what did Garreth want?”

You assumed he had been aiming for a ‘casual’ tone with his question. He ended up sounding rather nervous. “Just help with another potion,” you said shortly.

“Oh, are you going into the forest?” he asked, eyebrows raising slightly. He stood his broom up on the ground, leaning on the handle. “Need a hand?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” you said with a tight smile.

“It’s no trouble,” Sebastian insisted with an annoying level of earnestness. “Besides, I can’t have my charge wandering through the woods alone.”

You rolled your eyes. “Professor Weasley put you in charge of me for one trip to Hogsmeade – a year ago. I can handle myself, thanks,” you said before turning to head inside.

“Wait!” Sebastian called as he shouldered his broom again and jogged after you. “I know you don’t need my help. I just thought it might be nice to hang out. It’s…been a while.”

“Has it?” you said, feigning ignorance. “I hadn’t noticed, really.”

“Are you cross with me about something?” Sebastian asked, grabbing your arm to stop you.

You pulled it back out of his grasp. “Maybe I’m just not in the mood to hang out,” you replied coolly, avoiding the question.

“Well, I could come with you to study,” Sebastian said. “I miss my friend.”

You gave a bitter laugh. “Is that what we are?” you asked as you crossed your arms over your chest in what you hoped was an imposing stance.

His brows drew together. “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course, we’re friends!” he asserted.

You flattened your mouth into a thin line and gave a disbelieving grunt. “I figured I was more of a useful acquaintance,” you replied.

“Are you actually joking?” Sebastian asked, gaping at you.

You sighed. “I don’t have time for this,” you said. “If you want to help, then fine. Meet me in the Room of Requirement at half 9.”

“Yeah, okay,” Sebastian said, looking like he wanted to say a lot more. “I’ll see you then.”

“Grand,” you said sarcastically.

That night, Sebastian arrived in the Room of Requirement at 9:35. “Sorry I’m late!” he said as he burst in. “Weasley was asking me all sorts of questions when she found me wandering the corridors. I swear that woman has an extra sense about when students are planning to sneak out.”

“It’s fine,” you said tersely. “We’ve got a long journey ahead, though. We should get going.” You checked your supply of potions again. You made sure Sebastian had a full set, too. Garreth had set you up with a large store of all sorts of potions, including a particularly strong form of the edurus potion. You had to admit that your partnership with the ginger was quite mutually beneficial.

“Is this what you did all the time last year?” Sebastian asked. “Sneaking out and running around the Highlands?”

You shrugged. “Basically,” you confirmed.

“No wonder you were always so exhausted,” he said. “I swear you had permanent bags under your eyes.”

You shot a glare at him. “Cheers, mate,” you said sarcastically.

“Not that you looked bad,” he assured you, hands raised in defence.

“Mhmm,” you said sceptically as you grabbed a handful of floo powder. You threw it into the little flame. “Clagmar Coast.”

You disappeared in a haze of flames and soot.

Sebastian sighed. “Smooth, Sallow. Real smooth,” he said to himself, shaking his head. He quickly went through the floo, as well.

He landed in a small cabin. It was cold, as the shabby building let the wind rolling off the sea slip through its many cracks. He pulled his cloak more tightly around himself as the two of you stepped out of the little hut and onto the beach. “Merlin, it’s freezing out here!” Sebastian groused.

“Yeah, that tends to happen when the sun goes down,” you snapped as you started down the beach.

“What is your problem lately?” Sebastian asked as he followed you.

Before you could answer, you heard a distant voice.

“I swear, every time we draw straws for patrol, I get the short one,” a man said.

“Hide!” you hissed in a low voice. You practically body-slammed Sebastian against the cabin, tucking yourselves just behind the chimney. As you did, Sebastian steadied himself with a hand on the wall and the other on the chimney, while you slapped your hand over his mouth so that he didn’t make noise. All he got out was a little “oof” as his back hit the stone wall.

You cast a nonverbal disillusionment charm over the both of you. Sebastian’s heart was racing. He genuinely wasn’t sure if it was due to the sudden presence of unfriendlies or your practically invisible body pressed against his in the near-perfect reverse of the position he so frequently desired to put you in lately.

You both heard the crunch of their footsteps on the sand as the two dark wizards approached.

“I don’t see why you’re complaining. Going on patrol’s more interesting than standing around at the camp,” a feminine voice replied as the footsteps continued to draw nearer.

“At least there aren’t dugbogs at the camp,” the man huffed. “That last one nearly took my eye out with that slimy tongue!”

Just then, Sebastian’s hand slipped as the brick he’d been holding came loose. He squeezed his eyes shut, wincing as it clattered against the rocky ground.

“What was that?” the woman asked.

“It came from over there!” the man replied.

“Bombarda!” the woman yelled.

Sebastian launched you both away from the cabin just before the spell hit the chimney you’d been hiding behind. It burst apart, sending dust and brick in every direction. Your disillusionment released as you tumbled across the damp sand before clambering to your feet.

“Stupefy!” you yelled, aiming for the man in front.

“Confringo!” Sebastian said just a split second slower.

The man, who was dressed in a soldier’s uniform, dodged your spell but was hit with Sebastian’s. He yelled in pain as the fiery curse burned his side. “You’ll pay for that!” he said.

The woman, an assassin, sent a slew of curses your way. You dodged and deflected, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Meanwhile, the soldier was locked in a duel with Sebastian.

“Time for some assistance,” the assassin said, aiming her wand at the ground.

Several inferi burst out of the sandy shoreline. They lunged for you. “Incendio!” you shouted. The ring of flames that erupted around you knocked them back. You levitated one before dispatching of another. A third clawed deep gashes into your back. As you whipped around, sending a blasting curse its way, the assassin hit you with a disarming charm.

The inferius crumpled in a burst of flames as your wand went flying. With your wand gone, the inferius you had levitated crashed back to the ground.

Sebastian finished off the soldier with a severing charm before summoning the remaining inferius away from you just as it lunged to attack. You dove into the sand, and just as you grasped your wand, the assassin attacked. “Petrificus totalus!”

The spell hit you as you were half-way to your feet. You could do nothing as you heard the assassin cry out, “Expulso!”

You were blasted back into the rocky cliffs that rose up from the sand behind the ruins of the cottage. You collided with a crunch before falling to the ground. Your lungs burned as you tried to replace the air that had been knocked out of them by the impact.

“Reducto!” Sebastian roared. A blue jet of light erupted from his wand. It arced through the air before striking the assassin in the chest. She shattered into ash – the sea breeze scattered her remains across the wet sand before the tide rinsed them away.

Sebastian turned to you, looking panic-stricken as he saw your crumpled form. Behind him, the soldier who lay bleeding on the beach raised his wand. You summoned your remaining strength, reaching deep inside to your connection to the ancient magic, and sent a nearby boulder soaring through the air before crashing it down on the man’s body. It collided with a sickening crunch as his bones splintered apart. His arm fell back to the earth. He didn’t move again.

Sebastian had watched the final blow with wide eyes. His attention quickly snapped back to you as you struggled to get back to your feet. He rushed over and grabbed your arm. “I’ve got you,” he said.

“I’m fine!” you bit out, ripping your arm from his grasp in a painful, jerking motion.

“I was just trying to help!” Sebastian said irritably.

“Yeah, well, you helped enough giving our position away by knocking that stone loose,” you said. You uncapped a wiggenweld and gulped it down. The ache in your side faded, and you were able to breathe easily again.

“You’re seriously blaming me for a loose rock?” he asked.

“It’s an old shack. You should’ve been more careful,” you argued. “Clearly it didn’t take much to bring down that chimney.” You gestured to the wreckage.

“Yes, well, we’ll certainly be needing a different way back to the castle,” Sebastian said bashfully.

“What an astute observation,” you said sarcastically. You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “We should get going before anyone notices that two Ashwinders are missing. The knarl den is in a cave just west of here.”

You made haste up the rest of the coast, breathing a sigh of relief when you reached the mouth of the cave without incident. “Well, that’s inviting,” Sebastian said, noting all the warning signs and paintings of skulls and crossbones. “‘Turn back or perish.’ What more invitation do we need?”

“Oh, it’s not so bad inside,” you said. “Especially since all the poachers should be gone.”

“Any other surprises that might be awaiting us in there?” he asked.

“I mean, it’s a cave, so spiders are likely,” you said.

“Naturally,” Sebastian replied unenthusiastically. “I’ve been living arachnid-free for too long, anyway.”

You gave him a cheeky smile. “Look at you learning the difference between insects and arachnids,” you said with mock pride. “You studied over the summer didn’t you, you little bookworm?”

Sebastian gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “I’m so glad that Ashwinder didn’t knock that charming sense of humour out of you,” he said sarcastically.

“Come on, you grump,” you said. “I don’t want to be out all night.” You ducked into the cave, and he followed after you with a begrudging “fine.”

The first half of the trek into the cave was uneventful other than some cobwebs and egg sacks, both of which were easily burned away. Fortunately, there was no sign that any poachers currently occupied the cave. It was just damp corridors, jumping over crevices, and climbing ladders.

Sebastian groaned as you started up yet another ladder. It was even taller than the earlier ones. “You were just gallivanting through caves like this all the time on top of all the things we got up to together?” he asked.

You paused in your ascent. “Pretty much,” you confirmed. “That and helping Poppy to fight poachers and Natty to take down Harlow.”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten that. Or all the errands you were running for other students – which, clearly, is one hobby you haven’t given up,” he said. He followed you up the ladder. He had to admit, all this climbing did come with the perk of some very nice views of your arse as the fabric of your trousers was pulled taught against it. You were waiting casually as Sebastian hauled himself up the last bit of the ladder. He doubled over, hands on his knees, as he caught his breath. “No wonder you’re so fit.”

You raised an eyebrow at him.

“I-I mean, not fit fit, but actually fit,” he added quickly. “Not that you’re ugly, though! It’s just that you’re very, erm…athletic…is my point.”

You nodded slowly, resisting the urge to laugh at him. A small smirk had found its way to your lips, though. “Right…Maybe you should worry about your own stamina, Sebastian,” you said. “You do have quidditch try-outs coming up.”

“Yeah, that’s probably good advice,” he said sheepishly. He was thankful for the flush he had already had from all the climbing, or his embarrassment would be obvious in the blush on his face.

You just shook your head at him before marching on. The awkward conversation was quickly forgotten as he had to focus on crossing rickety boards and passages with steep drop-offs. You progressed rather quickly through the maze of tunnels as you were able to recall the proper path forward.

“You know, it’s quite nice going through a cave without you stopping every five feet to rummage through an old chest,” Sebastian teased.

“Well, if we’re sharing, it’s nice having you actually follow my lead to hide and assess a situation before rushing in wand blazing,” you said, glancing back at him before ducking into a tunnel.

“That was one time!” he argued as he followed in behind you.

“Only if you don’t count the second trip into the catacombs. Or the scriptorium. Where you cursed me. Which, I never got the chance to say, but fuck you for being able to, by the way,” you said.

Sebastian was taken aback. This was not how he anticipated the night going.

“What had I done to you at that point, anyway?” you continued.

You were out of the low tunnel now and were moving at a quick pace. Sebastian grabbed your hand so you would stop and look at him. “Just wait a second, will you?” he said.

He sighed, releasing your hand and then shifting nervously on his feet as he tried to find the right words. You watched him impatiently with an arched brow.

“You hadn’t done anything,” Sebastian said honestly. “I just wanted to get us out of there.”

“Well, you must’ve had some reason to hate me enough to want to cause me that much pain,” you replied bitterly.

“I didn’t,” he vowed. “I imagined that the day I brought you to Feldcroft to meet Anne – when you talked to Uncle Solomon after our fight – you sided with him. And I imagined that you would try to stop me from finding a cure for Anne. Obviously, I know that’s not true. But it was the only way I could think to want to hurt you. Even then, I…when you started screaming…” He squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain. “I don’t think I could do it again. I still have nightmares about it.”

You nodded in understanding. “So do I,” you admitted.

Sebastian knew he had caused you immense pain that night. He loathed himself for it. He had lost his nerve the second you started screaming, though the curse had still crackled between you and the door for what seemed like an eternity afterward. He had never considered, though, that it haunted you like it did him. “Merlin, I’m so sorry. I…I didn’t know,” he said. His eyes had welled with tears.

“I think it’ll help – knowing what you were thinking, I mean,” you said. “In the dream, you just don’t stop. Not when the door melts away. Not when Ominis begs you to. The pain goes on and on until I wake up.”

“I swear I’ll never, ever hurt you again,” Sebastian vowed. He couldn’t bear the thought of all the pain he had put you through. The curse alone was bad enough. But having to relive the torture in your sleep? More than ever, Sebastian regretted not insisting you learn the curse to cast it on him, instead.

“You’d better not,” you said light-heartedly. “Now let’s keep moving. We’re almost to the den.”

You reached the nest of the knarls with only a few spider hatchlings to dispose of during the rest of the trek.

The den was in the middle of a grassy patch. Moonlight filtered in through gaps in the cave ceiling. Several knarls scurried about, fleeing into their nests when they saw you and Sebastian approaching. You two filled a satchel with shed quills. It was tedious work picking up the tiny spines, and you were admittedly thankful you didn’t have to do it alone.

“That should do it!” you said. “Now, we’ve just got to get back out of here.”

Sebastian quickly spotted an exit from the cave right by the nest. “Why didn’t we come in this way?” Sebastian asked as you walked along the gravel path.

“I didn’t remember it was here,” you admitted. He gave you an irritated look. “I’ve been in a lot of caves, you know. I can’t remember every detail.”

Sebastian just chuckled at you. Though, his smile disappeared when you shrieked. In the darkness, you hadn’t noticed the path took a steep downturn. Sebastian yelled your name as you slipped out of sight. He jumped down after you without hesitation. You tumbled out onto a path carved between the rocky hills of the seaside. Sebastian soon slid next to you. He stood up first and extended a hand to help you. “Are you hurt?” he asked as he pulled you to your feet.

“Just a few scrapes,” you assured him.

All of a sudden, jets of light streamed all around you. You and Sebastian dove for cover as the spells blasted dirt up from the ground and ricocheted off the rocks. You two managed to scramble behind a large rock formation along the path. “I guess the Ashwinders noticed their scouts went missing,” Sebastian said.

“Or else heard me yelling when I went arse over tit,” you replied.

More spells flew overhead. They were coming from the ruins atop a nearby hill.

“Cover me,” you ordered.

You popped up, and Sebastian sent a deluge of spells up at the hill.

“Accio! Bombarda!” you said, summoning one of the Ashwinders into range before blasting them back into the cliffs. Sebastian levitated another foe before slamming them back to the ground. You and Sebastian each sent a flurry of curses at respective enemies, while dodging curses sent from a third. When the other two Ashwinders were down, you both focused on the sole remaining combatant. You each sent a blasting curse at her, and the infernos seemed to magnify each other. She was taken out instantly.

“Well, that was surprisingly easy,” Sebastian remarked brightly.

The wooshes of apparating forms sounded all around you as enemy after enemy appeared in a haze of black smoke.

You sighed. “You had to say it, didn’t you?”

Before you knew it, there were a dozen Ashwinders around you. You and Sebastian quickly downed edurus potions and started firing off spells. You injured several of them, but it was difficult to focus on any particular foe with so many running around. That made it difficult to thin their numbers. You took a thunderbrew, as well. You also threw out some tentaculas. You were pulling out all the stops to try to get the upper hand. You quickly took out three of the Ashwinders, using your ancient magic to call down additional lightning upon them each in turn. You both took another edurus potion to keep your protection. A few exploding charms, blasting curses, and a severing charm later, and you were down to the last four enemies. You disarmed one, and the fire they had been summoning rained down on them instead of you.

As Sebastian dispatched another one of the Ashwinders, another wave started apparating in. There were close to twenty surrounding you now. “Well, this is just perfect,” Sebastian said sarcastically as he sent several basic casts at an animagus, forcing them back into human form. “Where are they all coming from?”

“Clagmar Castle is just over that hill. They’ve got a stronghold there,” you replied while dodging incoming spells.

You downed potion after potion – edurus, thunderbrew, and maxima. You even threw out more tentaculas and a few Chinese chomping cabbages for good measure. You threw spells, boulders, and even dark wizards you’d transfigured into barrels of explosives until you and Sebastian were the only two left standing.

You both gasped for breath. “Are you okay?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah. You?” you replied.

“I’m fine. This better be some bloody magnificent potion Garreth’s working on, though,” Sebastian groused.

You rolled your eyes. “Let’s just get out of here before–”

More Ashwinders began apparating in around you before you could finish your sentence. Around the bend, a troll collared in goblin metal emerged on the path.

“Bollocks,” you said as you realised you were out of edurus and thunderbrew potions. You downed a maxima potion.

The troll charged you both, and you dove in opposite directions to avoid its attacks. It caught Sebastian’s side with a swipe of his club, and he flew high into the air before landing hard on the ground.

You focused on the troll first, while dodging attacks from the dark wizards. You dodged another swing of its club before flipping it back into its own face with a knockback jinx. While it was dazed, you sent spell after spell at it. In your rush to attack the creature while it was vulnerable, you didn’t see the duellist behind you. They blasted you with a reductor curse as you dealt a final blow to the troll. It knocked you forward as a burning pain spread through your back. You yelled in pain. You landed on your stomach, but you quickly rolled over despite the agony it caused. You cast a protection charm just in time to block their next spell.

Sebastian disengaged from the executioner he had been duelling to focus on your attacker. “Confringo!” he yelled, blasting them off their feet. “Accio! Incendio!”

Sebastian cast a severing charm that separated the witch’s head from her already lifeless body and both thudded to the ground. His eyes were filled with pure rage.

Just then, a bolt of green light coursed through the air, hitting Sebastian in the leg. For a brief, terrifying moment as he crumpled to the ground, you thought he’d been hit with a killing curse. But as he cried out, you knew he was alive. For now, at least.

“Reducto!” you yelled, blasting the executioner back, but, somehow, he was still standing.

You scrambled to your feet as the three remaining Ashwinders began to close in. Sebastian was still writhing in pain. “Now this has become personal, you little brat,” the executioner growled.

“Like lambs to the slaughter,” another wizard said.

“I'll put some flowers on your grave,” the third said, chuckling darkly.

They froze when a loud roar came from behind you. The ground shook as a large beast leapt into view from the cliffs and sprinted forward. The wizards shrieked, but their cries were short-lived as the massive graphorn trampled them. Sebastian yelled in fear as the graphorn rounded on him.

“No!” you yelled.

The graphorn turned and headed straight for you.

“Hey, you stupid monster!” Sebastian said, raising his wand as he struggled to his feet.

“Sebastian, don’t!” you yelled, lunging to get between the wizard and the beast.

The graphorn growled behind you.

“Get out of the way, MC!” Sebastian yelled.

“Stand down,” you ordered before turning to the large beast. “Easy boy. He’s on our side.”

The beast instantly relaxed. You reached out a hand to pet his muzzle. He nuzzled into your shoulder, closing his eyes as you stroked his neck.

“You know this overgrown lizard?” Sebastian said, flabbergasted.

The graphorn huffed.

“He didn’t mean it,” you said soothingly. “This is the Lord of the Shore. He was part of my final trial with the Keepers. Lord of the Shore, this is Sebastian. He’s my friend.”

“So, we’re back to being friends now, are we?” Sebastian asked.

“I’d say we’ve been through enough tonight to merit it,” you replied. “Speaking of, do you have a spare wiggenweld? That reductor curse bloody hurts.”

“Yeah, here,” he said, limping over to you. He handed you a phial before downing his own.

You grimaced as you downed the brew. You hoped you never had to take another potion in your life, as you felt near bursting with how many you’d had to drink that night.

“We should get moving before the next wave finds us,” you said as you mounted the graphorn.

“You want me to ride that?” Sebastian asked in disbelief.

The Lord of the Shore growled.

“No offence,” Sebastian added quickly.

“The nearest usable floo is in Bainburgh. Unless you brought a broom, then your only other option is to walk and face whoever you find along the way,” you said, holding out a hand to him.

“I’ll take my chances,” he said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Sebastian, just get on!” you urged.

“Ugh, fine!” he relented.

He grabbed your hand and mounted the beast behind you.

“You can pet him if you like,” you offered.

“I think I’ll pass,” Sebastian replied, looking horrified by the idea.

You rolled your eyes. “Suit yourself. Now hold on,” you said.

For a moment, Sebastian didn’t know where to place his hands. He eventually decided on holding onto your hips. His face flushed as he settled in behind you. It was a rather intimate position to be in.

“All right, boy, Sebastian’s not used to this, so unless we see any dark wizards, let’s start nice and–” The Lord of the Shore started out in a sprint, making both of you yelp. “SLOW!”

You held onto the graphorn’s neck, while Sebastian clung to you with his whole body as he yelled ineffectually.

“No need to race now, my friend,” you said nervously.

The beast continued on at full speed.

“Slow down now,” you said, willing him to listen. He did not.

“Is he always like this?” Sebastian asked as the graphorn crashed through barricades blocking the path.

“No, he’s normally much calmer,” you replied, yelling over the rushing wind. “I think you offended him.”

“Offended him?” Sebastian roared.

He shrieked again as the Lord of the Shore leapt into the air over another set of barricades. The beast landed on the ground with a hard thud that nearly bounced you both off. A few remaining Ashwinders attempted to slow the massive animal, but he mowed them down.

He crossed the bridge toward Bainburgh, then deviated down to the beach.

“Where are you going? We need to get to the floo!” you said, but the graphorn trekked on. “Stop! Not through the–”

The Lord of the Shore splashed through the creek, soaking you and Sebastian.

“…water,” you said dismally as the beast continued splashing his way down the stream. You gave an exasperated sigh. “Thanks for that.”

Sebastian, who had gotten a mouthful of water due to his screaming, coughed and spluttered. “Okay! I’m sorry I called you an overgrown lizard!” Sebastian said. “Just let us down!”

The Lord of the Shore slowed to a walk, and you breathed out a sigh of relief. “There’s a lad,” you said, patting his neck. “Are you done with your tantrum now?”

The animal growled at you.

“Guess not,” you quipped.

“Sorry,” Sebastian muttered when he realised he was still wrapped around you. He quickly went back to holding your hips.

“Oh, erm, don’t…don’t worry about it,” you said, a blush rising to your cheeks.

The Lord of the Shore kept a leisurely trot toward Bainburgh. It was rather bumpy riding bareback on a graphorn, even when he was just walking. Every step the beast took was making your arse bounce along Sebastian’s front. He had his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth digging into his bottom lip as he tried not to be hyperaware of the sensation.

He tried to push himself backward to put space between you two and end the maddening friction.

“Ow! Sebastian!” you said as his hands dug into your hips. “Enough with the death grip! I promise you’re not going to fall off.”

His cheeks flushed as you glared at him over your shoulder. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. He looked like a scorned child as he stared down, avoiding eye contact with you. Eventually, Sebastian was still able to shift his hips back enough to stop his suffering.

“Merlin, I can’t believe the sun’s starting to come up!” you said as you noticed the light peeking over the horizon. “I guess it’s been a longer night than I realised.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Sebastian joked. “Or, you know, fighting for your life.”

You laughed. “I’m gonna squeeze in a bath and a nap before defence against the dark arts when we get back,” you said.

“Maybe Professor Hecat will give us a free period if we tell her we fought two dozen dark wizards and a troll,” he joked.

You laughed. “Wouldn’t that be nice?” you said. “Thank you for your help tonight, by the way. I don’t know what would’ve happened if those Ashwinders had found me alone.”

He smiled, but there was a sadness behind it. “Anytime,” he said.

He was relieved when you reached Bainburgh and he could finally dismount. “Thank you for rescuing us,” you said, patting the graphorn. “I’ll come visit you soon.”

The beast chuffed happily. He even gave Sebastian a lick before setting off.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting,” he groused once he was certain the Lord of the Shore wouldn’t hear him.

You just chucked. “At least he likes you now,” you replied. You threw floo powder into the green flame. “Room of Requirement, Hogwarts.”

You whirled through the floo, appearing almost instantly in the familiar room. You stepped aside and Sebastian whooshed into the room a moment later.

“You know, I was hoping that he’s not the only one who’s forgiven me,” Sebastian replied. “I really am sorry.”

“What for?” you asked.

“All of fifth year, basically. But especially cursing you,” he replied. You had almost forgotten about your earlier fight. “I should’ve insisted you or Ominis cast the curse on me. It was my fault we were trapped down there.”

“I don’t think either of us would’ve preferred that,” you said honestly. “It’s not a night I’d wish to repeat, but…we did what we had to. All three of us would be dead otherwise.”

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair anxiously. “What if Ominis was right? What if we could’ve found another way?” he argued as he began pacing. “I mean, I didn’t even try. Not bombarda or confringo or finite incantatem. I didn’t do anything to try to protect you.”

You shrugged. “You were focused on helping Anne,” you said simply.

He turned back toward you. “And I’ve used that as an excuse to hurt too many people,” he said. He looked at you imploringly. “I just…I want you to know that I really am trying to change.”

You pulled him into a tight hug. “I know, Sebastian. And I’m glad you are.”

Sebastian melted into your embrace. Of all people, he needed you to accept him. If you could see all the parts of him you had and not run away, then perhaps there was hope for him yet. If you still saw good in him, then he would continue to believe it was there.

Sebastian pulled back to look at you. “I was really scared that Ashwinder was going to finish you off,” he said gravely.

You nodded in understanding. “I thought that executioner hit you with a killing curse,” you admitted. “I was terrified that I’d…I’d lost you.” You cleared the emotion out of your throat. “I mean, you’re a git, but…I don’t know what I’d do if you were gone.”

He gave you a crooked smile. “You’ll always be stuck with me, I��m afraid,” he said.

“That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing,” you replied.

Sebastian bit his lip. He looked uncertain about his next words. “MC, I realised something…when I thought you were going to be taken from me,” he said. “I…I don’t want to never have told you…”

“Told me what?” you asked, prodding him to continue.

He took a steadying breath. “Well, you see, I…I like you…as more than a friend, I mean.”

You stared at him in disbelief.

Sebastian shifted uncomfortably as the silence stretched. “Could you…say something?” he asked. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I know I haven’t treated you the best. But I swear I don’t just see you as a means to help with Anne or defeating goblins. I really do care quite–Mmph!”

You had crashed your lips into his. The kiss was brief but passionate. “The feeling’s mutual,” you said, beaming at him.

Sebastian, though he had been caught off guard, recovered quickly. He reconnected your lips, kissing you fiercely as he pushed you back against the wall. He gripped your robes in both hands as he pinned his body against yours. You gripped his strong arms as you returned his fervour, sliding your tongue across his bottom lip teasingly before delving into his mouth. He had the coppery taste of a hard-fought battle, and it spurred you on as you thought again of how close you’d been to losing him.

You were the one to break the kiss as your lungs burned, begging for oxygen. “We should get what sleep we can,” you said, and Sebastian reluctantly let you go.

“Right,” he said as he recollected himself. “Well, maybe we could…go to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

You smiled. “Only if you promise there won’t be any trolls,” you joked.

“I’ve always thought you handled them quite well,” he said playfully. “But I’ll scope it out beforehand to make sure it’s troll-free.”

“Then it’s a date,” you said, unable to stop grinning. “We could go visit the Lord of the Shore after, too! He’ll probably even let you ride him alone.”

“Erm, yeah. Course. Brilliant,” Sebastian replied uneasily.

“Only joking!” you assured him.

He breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank Merlin!”

A/N: Not me headcannoning that Garreth invented gigglewater. Also, the cave is modelled after the phoenix cave, just in a different part of the map now. That whole entrance/exit thing is true in the game, and I felt the need to include it in this story.

[onlycosmere]

REGARDING AUDIBLE

Brandon Sanderson: Hey, all. Brandon here, with what I consider to be some pretty exciting news. Many of you may remember when I wrote last year about my worries regarding audiobook royalties (particularly for independent authors). You can read it HERE, but some of the main bullet points are as follows:

I seriously worried about the opacity of reporting to authors about audio sales. We didn’t know what a sale meant, how much of an Audible credit was given to authors when a book sold via one, and how royalties were being accounted.

I felt that the industry was taking advantage of authors because of their lack of powerful corporate interests to advocate for them. While video game creators and musicians get 70–80% (88%, in fact, on two major platforms) of a sale of their products in a digital platform, Audible was paying as low as 25%–with the high end being instead 40%.

I felt I could have gotten a better deal for myself, but the entire state of this industry was seriously concerning to me. So, I made the difficult decision NOT to release the four Secret Projects on Audible, costing me a large number of sales, to instead try to bolster healthy competition in the space, highlighting some of the smaller Audible competitors.

I hoped this wake-up call would prompt change. I didn’t refuse to put my books on Audible out of retribution or to declare war; I did it because I wanted to shine as powerful a light as I knew how on a system that highly favored the audio distributors over the authors. I was convinced that the people at Audible really did love books and writers, and that with the right stand taken, I could encourage them toward positive change.

I’m happy to say that this stand has borne some fruit. I’ve spent this last year in contact with Audible and other audio distributors, and have pushed carefully–but forcefully–for them to step up. A few weeks ago, three key officers high in Audible’s structure flew to Dragonsteel offices and presented for us a new royalty structure they intend to offer to independent writers and smaller publishers.

This new structure doesn’t give everything I’ve wanted, and there is still work to do, but it is encouraging. They showed me new minimum royalty rates for authors–and they are, as per my suggestions, improved over the previous ones. Moreover, this structure will move to a system like I have requested: a system that pays more predictably on each credit spent, and that is more transparent for authors. Audible will be paying royalties monthly, instead of quarterly, and will provide a spreadsheet that better shows how they split up the money received with their authors.

This part looked really good to me, as I understand their decisions. I tried poking holes in the system, looking for ways it could be exploited, and found each issue I raised had already been considered. This doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect, and people smarter than me might still find problems that I didn’t. However, I think everyone is going to agree the new system IS better. We will better be able to track, for example, how Audible is dividing money between books purchased with a credit and books listened to as part of their Audible Plus program.

It’s all very technical, but I have to say I’m impressed with the effort they have made. The people there listened to my complaints, and have tried to improve. I’m not at liberty to explain in its entirety their new structure right now, as they’re still tweaking it, but they did say I could announce its existence–and that I could promise new, improved royalties are on the horizon.

Now, before we go too far, I do anticipate a few continuing issues with the final product. I want to manage expectations by talking about those below.

What I’ve seen doesn’t yet bring us to the 70% royalty I think is fair, and which other, similar industries get.

Audible continues to reserve the best royalties for those authors who are exclusive to their platform, which I consider bad for consumers, as it stifles competition. In the new structure, both exclusive and non-exclusive authors will see an increase, but the gap is staying about the same.

Authors continue to have very little (basically no) control over pricing. Whatever the “cover price” of books is largely doesn’t matter–books actually sell for the price of a credit in an Audible subscription. Authors can never raise prices alongside inflation. An Audible credit costs the same as it did almost two decades ago–with no incentive for Audible to raise it, lest it lose customers to other services willing to loss-lead to draw customers over.

These are things I’d love to see change. However, this deal IS a step forward, and IS an attempt to meet me partway. Indeed, even incremental changes can mean a lot. When I was new in this business, my agent spent months arguing for a two-percent change in one of my print royalties–because every little bit helps. These improvements are going to be larger than two-percent increases.

Because of this, I will be bringing the Secret Projects to Audible very soon. I consider Audible to again be a positive force for the industry, and I have decided to shake hands with them. Audible has promised to release their new royalty system for all authors sometime in 2024, though I should be testing it in the next month or so.

And…if you’ll allow me a moment, I’d like to say that this feels good. It isn’t what I wanted, but I’d begun to think that nothing would ever change–that even my voice, loud though it can be, wouldn’t be enough. Yet change IS possible.

I know that there are plenty of people out there who are tired of hearing about me and my works (I’m sorry–I do have quite the group of evangelists, and we can be an enthusiastic lot). However, for better or for worse, I am one of the bestselling authors in the world. Historically, one of the best ways to change things in my industry is for authors like myself to force it to happen.

Feeling this responsibility, when I was first talking to Audible about these issues in 2022, I made it very clear that I wasn’t just seeking some quiet deal that gave me an individual advantage. I wanted to see positive change for all authors. And while I don’t think I can take sole credit, I do feel like my efforts this year have had a significantly positive effect. Soon every independent author who publishes on Audible (and maybe, eventually, traditionally published authors with the huge publishers–depending on what New York decides) will be getting a larger cut of the profit, with more transparency about how that cut is allocated.

So, for those who have been waiting until Audible had the Secret Projects, you’ll get your chance soon. I hope you’ll support them, and support Audible for their decisions. And thank you to all of you who shared the news about my problems with the audio industry last year; I believe that pressure really did help. This is a victory for all of us, because happier authors able to make a better living (particularly those authors who are struggling in the midlist trenches) make for a more vibrant world for everyone.

[oswlld]

oswlld's monthly wrap up: march

note: i am trying something a bit different this year, so bear with me as i figure out how i want to format this. i wanted to spend more time sharing what i consume, beyond what i rb, and put my thoughts in one place. these posts are okay to rb

--

When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamín Labatut [started 02/24, finished 03/14] What an outstanding example of blurring the lines between fiction and reality. I am content in never knowing what’s real and imaginary in the lives of these people. May we never forget that for every new idea challenged, there is a real person with real emotions and motivations behind it. 4.25⭐️ in storygraph. — No Stopping Us Now: A History of Older Women in America, Gail Collins [started 03/03, finished 03/30] This book makes some strong points, but comes off weak in its execution. By having it be told decade by decade, it becomes hard to follow along when so many names and events are being tossed around. Without a firm thread tying all the themes together, the achievements ended up feeling lackluster when it should leave you feeling a sense of pride and hopefulness. 3.25⭐️ in storygraph (I rounded up, but it feels more like a 3.15)

23.5 Degrees, GMMTV [started: 03/08, ongoing] What a breath of fresh air!! With my busy schedule, I managed to catch the first two eps and I’ve loved every minute of it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, while still keeping a tight grip on its sense of identity. The series soaks up every aspect of its space theme like a sponge. Content specifically made for me, tysm! As much as I have tried refraining from consuming more high school settings, I couldn’t help but be enamored by what I have seen so far. I have paused this series for now, but hopefully I’ll be caught up before the end of April. I should be able to watch it live on Fridays in May. Until then, I will miss them dearly! — Always a Witch, Netflix [started 03/28, in progress] At this time, I have only seen episodes 1-5. So far, it’s a very straight-forward series. I am restraining myself from calling it predictable, because there are one or two things that really turns some tropes/themes on its head. But all-in-all, I am still waiting for this show to grab me. For a show that checks all the boxes that really makes a core jessi show, a series with time travel, magical realism, and found family, it has yet to completely sweep me away. Time really got away from me this month, but I will finish this series sometime in the next two weeks. We shall see if the latter half gets better.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) [watched 03/15 thru 03/18] I have seen this live and did see the original film in theaters last year, so this experience was more of a rewatch. This time around, my parents wanted to watch some of it with me so we made a whole evening of it on 3/15 so that was really neat. I will be traveling a lot in April and will be taking an audio copy of this to keep me entertained. — Oscar Nomination Season [started 02/17, ended 03/24] All of my initial reactions of what I managed to cover this Oscar season is in this post. Some of the strongest categories I have had the pleasure of covering this year were the Best Documentary (feature), Best Production Design, Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary (short), and Best Animated Film. I have several more films to tackle later this year, but my overall impression this Oscar season was just alright. One or two films have hit an extremely high note for me, but no worst of the worst.

BEYONCÉ, Beyoncé [relistening] During the pandemic, I really got into waching YT reaction channels reacting to full albums. One of my favorites is HTHaze and he is only beginning his listening journey through Beyoncé’s discography (yes, for the first time!) His reaction to Beyoncé’s self-titled made me want to relisten to it in full for the first time in years. I tend to only revisit a few songs through the years, but I do love going back to albums after time has past to recontextualize everything all over again. I’ve had my longtime faves from my 20’s but in my mid-30’s, the songs that hit harder now are: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, and Jealous. — Bewitched, Laufey [first time listening] The same YT channel got me to listen to this album. I am guilty in having my first listen be through his video first before diving into her album properly. With that said, the brain rot went FULL ROT. I love LOVE her compositions. Having learned from her Tiny Desk that getting a grand piano influenced the way she wrote her songs makes the whole conception so much grander. Her voice is soooo, it’s SOOOOO !!!!!!! I read a comment somewhere that her dream is to rejuvenate jazz the same way Taylor Swift did with country for a younger generation and that really spoke to me. I truly believe she is heading in the right direction in achieving that. My favorite run of songs goes from: Haunted, Must Be Love, While You Were Sleeping, Lovesick, California and Me, Nocturne (Interlude), and Promise. Those seven songs in that succession is so GOOD, ahH! — Once the Musical [relistening] Every spring, I fall into a Once spiral and it just gets deeper and deeper. This time though, I only tackled the core faves on YT rather than committing to the full audio (w/ Arthur Darvill and Joanna Christie). Although Arthur Darvill’s Leave will forever solidify his Guy as my Guy, Declan Bennett is The Guy of Guys for me. My mandatory relistening experience always goes: Arthur’s Leave, Arthur’s Say It To Me Now, Declan’s Say It To Me Now, Declan’s When Your Mind’s Made Up, Zrinka's If You Want Me, Once’s Spotify Jam Session. And it would all be on a loop lol. — Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé [first time listening] This is still fresh in my mind, having only listened to it in its entirety once through. My first impression is that it’s one of her most cohesive albums to date. Having had the first taste of what she would eventually achieve all the way back with Lemonade and The Gift, Cowboy Carter feels like a natural progression in her discography. I don’t have a top songs list to provide at this time, as I would need more time with the album. Fav songs come with time. Although, I did listen to 16 CARRIAGES when it was released several weeks ago and I knew then it would be a spectacular album. What a phenomenal single to lead a phenomenal homecoming.

Where’d You Go Bernadette, written by Maria Semple and narrated by Kathleen Wilhoite [started 03/22, finished 03/29] I… I didn’t like this. And that’s alright. Even if I didn’t like the premise or the characters, I did enjoy the format of the narrative and the narrator (especially her singing!!). But in the end, this was just not meant for me.

—

As it is still March when I am writing this, I wanted to endcap Women’s Month with a special shoutout to two women in my life that have been working with me to improve my overall well-being: Wendy (personal trainer) and Sofia (life coach). I am in a better headspace because of the work and trust they have in me to build a life I want. I cannot wait to see what I am capable of this time next year.

[shaolinsissy]

Life Update

In my opinion, it can be a bit sad to look at dead blogs of people you used to know, and have no idea how they’re doing, so here’s a life update for anyone who is doing that: As of 2023 I am not dead, addicted to meth-amphetamines, or responsible for any acts of terrorism. I also haven’t awakened latent super powers yet and at 30* my optimism about that is starting to fade. In all seriousness, things have gone well! I started a chess school several years ago, and while we’re still small we’re actively growing (we’re in 16 schools)! I’m trying my best to be a not evil business owner who pays good wages and doesn’t eat orphans. I’ve kept true to the latter part of that most of the time.

If you knew me in real life the company’s name is [major local city] chess association! Our website is solid and I’m very proud of it! It has SEO’s!

On a more personal level I finally moved out of my parents’, and in with my girlfriend (not to brag, but she is the bee’s knees and also the cat’s pajamas). Our apartment is small, but cozy. I have a small, but cozy circle of friends. I quit martial arts, stopped lifting, gained 50 lbs (COVID didn’t help), then joined a new martial arts style, started a diet, and lost the 50 lbs again. I also got kicked in the face and have a scar! It’s very small, but having it means I’m cool now. Them’s the rules.

I’ve fallen out of the habit of reading, but listen to audio books a lot. I still play video games, but not League anymore. I still dream of being a writer sometimes, but mostly use those skills on emails these days. And absurd background stories for events that we host for our students. 

I’ve told myself I’ll write again, and get something published, once the business is doing well enough for me to shift my focus. I also know how perilously close “tomorrow” is to “never.” So, I guess we’ll see!

I still break cellphones on a near-annual basis. *Technically, I won’t be 30 for 10 more days. But “29″ really didn’t have the same ring to it, so humor me here. Besides if someone even reads this I’ll bet at LEAST 10 days will have passed.

[ashtrayfloors]

Life has been kinda rough, lately. Things were hard last week, got better for a few days, then Sunday everything went to shit, again. Long story short: I injured myself, was in intense physical pain for several days, got so stressed out about feeling like shit/not being able to get as much done as I wanted to that the stress caused further physical issues, which in turn made me more stressed…ugh.

I haven’t been sleeping well. I lay awake listening to the freight trains—which are so loud that sometimes they sound like they’re running right through our backyard—and wishing I were on one of them. When I do sleep, I have fucked-up dreams. Elephants with half their skulls missing, piles of maggots, talking cats. Old friends getting deathly ill and not telling me.

Despite all that, I managed to finish my chapbook manuscript and get it in to the publisher, and to finish the editing/proofreading and graphic design jobs I was doing for $$. I worked from bed as much as possible, but I worked. I’m really excited about the chapbook, like I think it is really really good, and that’s kinda huge cuz normally when I finish a project I’ve been working on for a while my first instinct is to burn it and throw the ashes into a dumpster. And I got paid for the big editing/proofreading job this morning, and it is such a relief to actually be able to put a little bit of money in my fucking savings account again.

I’m working on a radio show (podcast) to go along with the chapbook, sort of an audio annotation or ‘liner notes’ if you will. It has made me realize how fucking much I missed being a DJ, whether live on air or in a pre-recorded podcast format, and now I’m thinking I might actually start up a regular podcast again. Maybe start out every other month, so I don’t get burnt out or have it become yet another thing I’m stressed about.

I did have one weird-but-good dream the night before last: I dreamt I met Tommy Stinson and we started a ska band together. Yeah, IDK either. Probably just because I’ve had the ‘Mats on the brain, and I’ve been listening to a lot of ska lately, too. But at least it was a fun dream, and not a creepy or scary one, for once.

I have a crush. I think it’s mutual. Nothing overt has been said by either one of us, but I can generally tell. Fortunately, they live far away and I doubt we’ll ever meet IRL, so I can keep this crush safely in the realm of fantasy.

Sometimes I think about old friends and lovers, people I’m not in frequent (or any) contact with, and think: “They could be ill, or otherwise in trouble, or even dead, and I’d never know.” Both things have happened to me before—old friends being seriously ill or otherwise in trouble and not telling me until months or years later, and finding out that people I hadn’t spoken to in months or years had, in fact, died. Since that dream about one of my best/longest-known friends being sick and not telling me, I felt the need to let certain friends know that they’re on my mind, and I’ve been reaching out.

There are small good things, as always: iced coffee, music, finally working on finishing up RC 26 now that the chapbook and dayjob stuff has calmed down. And on Tuesday, P. and I are taking the kiddos on a day trip. We’re gonna drive to a town about an hour and a half away to have lunch at a burger joint we’ve heard great things about, then hit a state park on the way home.

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

Am I the only person that doesn’t want YNSH back together?

I stumbled across this series recently and while I was binge reading and I just can’t seem to let go of the feeling that Seonghwa only decided to end the relationship because of the blackmail that Juliet had on him.

Ever since debut Y/N has been hated on for the most ridiculous reasons and has had false rumors/scandals centered around her. A part of me thinks that if Juliet never revealed that she also had dirt on Seonghwa he would have not broken up with her because scandals are nothing new to her. He probably would’ve thought that since it wasn’t anything new it she would be able to handle it.

While Seonghwa on the other hand is an idol that was welled loved ever since he debuted and if not one but two audio recordings of him basically slut shaming his own girlfriend were to ever get released it would be not only his but Ateez’s first official scandal and would impact the whole group. It would tarnish the groups reputation and they would also lose a lot of fans because if a regular person were to listen to those audio clips it would come off as misogynistic. Especially if he planned to ask her out properly the same day one of those audio recordings took place. Nah I want this ship to sink

He still hasn’t been transparent about these things with her and don’t even get home started on the whole “you can have her” 😒 Genuinely disgusts me. Women don’t exist to be viewed as objects for men.

Seonghwa already broke her trust once and I think that’s more than enough reason to cut him out of her life. And I know she hasn’t been the best at dealing with the whole break up situation either but that doesn’t excuse the things he said about her before they dated. Yes people can change but they don’t just change in a matter of months.

Maybe I’m just projecting cause I have major trust issues after having been too nice my whole life and had to learn the hard way to set boundaries 😅 and also had to the hard way two not give people second chances because all the times I’ve had just showed me that I shouldn’t have.

I know this story is fiction but I got invested so quickly can’t wait to see how you plan the rest out.

Sorry I’m advance for the long ask and the typos I have I just got carried away😅

Long response so it's going under the cut!

Ooooo this is an interesting take and one I definitely understand. Firstly, I'm glad you're invested enough to binge the whole series! She's a real long one so I'm glad that it stayed really interesting all the way! And ahhhh I'm happy that you left such a great ask too! I love seeing the different sides when it comes to these two.

But, onto the meat of it yes. You mentioned something that I haven't seen a lot of people talk about to me in my asks. (Y/N), as she's written, is a frequent scandal target simply because it's easy to pin a scandal on her, just as it's easy to prove them false. A silly scandal with a previous lover is almost nothing to her, especially given her rather "free" personality.

That's Seonghwa's flaw, and maybe one person did point it out before, but he's selfish. Or, at least, prior to now. Not once has Seonghwa been seen in a serious scandal aside from when his relationship with (Y/N) was outed to the public, and even then he was still being coddled by the fans while (Y/N) was being berated. I'm not sure how well I wrote it then, but I tried to imply that (Y/N) almost ended the relationship because of it, but it was Seonghwa who convinced her to stay. Regardless, his reasoning for breaking up with her had selfish roots, and even in the current chapter, he's yet to actually tell her about that selfish reason and he still clings onto the "I wanted to protect you" idea, when it isn't the whole truth. (God dammit, Hwa, communicate!)

Also, side note, I'm so glad I got a majority of readers to second guess him with that one line, it really allowed Yangyang to evolve into his Bestie Final form lol, but seriously, fuck misogynists. Seonghwa, at least, acknowledged that it was fucked of him to say that. But also I will confirm that the audios are prior to him actually asking her out, which doesn't change much, they're still incriminating with or without the edits. Especially with ATEEZ being, well, ATEEZ. It wouldn't just break their image, it'll absolutely shatter whatever was left of what he and (Y/N) had in (Y/N)'s eyes because how could you say that about me? You didn't even know me.

But, I understand you, and so does (Y/N). She very nearly cut him out too if not for her group members meddling, but a flaw they share together is that they're both too stubborn. God forbid those audios come out, that might destroy them for good. You're right though, change takes time, and that's part of the reason why they both agreed to wait it out until they had that time to properly work things together, and if they work out, then they do, and if it falls apart at the seams, at least they tried.

And, trust, you should read a few of my other fics, especially Covalence, wow, I really projected onto that (Y/N) when it comes to trust issues. My ex used to go through my texts when he thought I wasn't looking at that just changed me fundamentally, trust became a huge thing for me, which is part of the reason why I decided to use it to really add drama to Prominence, I'm glad it's working out well!

I have to say though, me adding YNSH back to Prominence has me scratching my head sometimes because I've always had this at the back of my mind, then I remember that it's fanfiction lol so I know you're all not expecting a New York Times best seller quality of writing. Sometimes I wonder if I started setting them back together again too soon or if I shouldn't have given them the chance at all.

Luckily, this reckoning will come through a certain character, and depending on how evil I am or how everyone reacts, I will say he's got people rather split on whether they should like him or hate him, which is exactly as I planned muahahaha

But again, thank you so much for sending in an ask! I really enjoyed reading and responding to it <3

[thesolferino]

⤷ note: apologies for losing your request, anon, but thank you for requesting! this is my first time writing a full fic in second person, so bear with me, and i hope this is what you were looking for <3

The Great American Bake Off

pairing: corpse husband x gn!reader

word count: 3.6k

genre: fluff

summary: you’ve been jealous of rae and her closeness with your boyfriend since the dawn of time, but things change and friendships are made once she comes over for one hell of a cooking video.

Corpse, among many other things, was a man many wished to have.

It’s the truth; even if he didn’t have a YouTube channel through which millions kept up with everything from horror stories to Among Us gameplays, people would still turn heads and whisper whenever he spoke - that attention more than multiplied when he started blowing up and his social media presence grew.

With growth come numbers, and there are always people behind said numbers. Through them, Corpse makes wonderful friends - through them, you had met him, too. All the way back, during his horror narration days, you had grown to like him - really, who wouldn’t?

A DM you once sent after a few drinks, when you claimed to your friends you’d get the “deep-voiced man of your dreams” you often talked about and they, in turn, challenged you to message him, was nothing short of a joke and the idea of him responding was merely a pipe dream. What you hadn’t expected, however, was a response, which wrecked your brain at noon the next day, where your head throbbed with embarrassment, guilt, pride, happiness, a melt of hatred and gratefulness for your friends, panic and the remains of alcohol that tugged at every part of your skull.

It had turned out to be more than a great idea, though, because for the next few weeks you were constantly talking. You learned so much more than he let on in videos, and during late night calls you found out everything from his favorite clothing brand to his favorite color to his thoughts about his own mortality and then back to his favorite cereal. Audio calls and short voice messages turned into hours long FaceTimes that led you from friends to something more. And after a year or so of dating, you packed your bags and made it to sunny San Diego, ready to lay in his arms and sweat bullets.

Safe to say Corpse’s social media presence had its good sides. However, with all good things come bad things too, and you weren’t sure if the bad things were bad at all or you were simply too jealous.

Corpse made wonderful friends thanks to his YouTube channel. He met people he could confide in, meet, people he could talk to about his worst problems, people who would listen - he met people he could have fun with, with who he could forget all about the real world and his own issues, and simply laugh his heart away, play games until the late hours of the night.

If he had to name his closest ones, they would have to be Dave, Loey, maybe Mykie, possibly Jack, and Rae. And that is exactly where the root of the problem stood.

Rae is beautiful, and everyone who denies it must be either dumb or blind. She’s drop dead gorgeous, and funny, and kind, and smart, in a way that made you want to rip your hair out. You wanted to hate her so bad, because the jealousy ate away at you like a damn disease, but you couldn’t, because she was perfect Rae, and as much as you hated the fact she seemed to be perfect inside out, you just couldn’t hate her as her. It was impossible, you concluded.

You convinced yourself you weren’t jealous every time you heard him yelling or laughing at her from his office room - or at least you attempted to do so. Your lunch would turn sour and end up forgotten because you’d be way too focused on listening in on what he was doing and trying to make out what she was saying to even eat at the same pace you previously were. Jealousy ate away at you, no matter if you admitted it to yourself or not.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Corpse, of course. On one late night when you couldn’t sleep and neither could he, as per usual, you turned on a random comedy that you half-heartedly paid attention to, his fingers combing through the knots in your hair peacefully and the slow pace of the movie lulling you to sleep slowly. That is, before his phone rang and lit the mostly dark room. You managed to sneak a glance at the notification before he had, and the familiar bitterness seeped between your ribs as always upon seeing the name displayed at the top of the message, more than awake now.

You visibly stiffened when he laughed at the message and typed something back, shifting your head in his lap as some subconscious attempt at getting him to pay attention to you instead. He put his phone down and you huffed, eyes locked on the TV screen as you pretended to be extremely absorbed in the movie even though you weren’t quite sure of the difference between the protagonist and antagonist anymore. His hands didn’t return to your hair, and that somehow made you even more annoyed.

“What’s up?” Corpse quietly spoke up, barely over the volume over the already quiet movie.

“Nothing.” You said, quicker than you wanted to, and you bit your tongue in cringe when you realised it was an awful lie. Corpse seemed to think the same.

“That’s bullshit. Seriously, what’s wrong?” He asked, and was met with pure silence. In reality, you were hoping he’d simply never realise you were somewhat jealous, because you knew you were being stupid and unreasonable, but you couldn’t help wanting him all to yourself. Admitting it out loud made it so much more real, and so much more embarrassing that you would rather bury yourself alive than admit to being jealous of Rae, of all people.

After a few seconds of silence, save the laughter of characters on screen, he spoke again.

“Are you jealous?” The hint of a teasing tone in his voice made you want to rip your hair out of your skull. Was it really that damn hard to believe that yes, you were jealous of an extremely close friend of his? Was it a crime?

The clenching of your jaw seemed to give Corpse enough of a response, and his hands returned to running themselves through your hair as he giggled to himself. 

“What’s so damn funny?” You borderline spat, causing his movements to halt for a second before continuing with even louder laughter.

“I don’t know, just the idea of you being jealous of Rae is so funny. I’ve noticed the way you roll your eyes whenever I text her in front of you. You’re not exactly sneaky, you know?” His words made blood rush straight to your face, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. How long has he known this for?

“Sorry. I don’t…” you exhaled and attempted to smile. “I don’t know what’s up with me. I’m so jealous nowadays. I don’t even know why.”

“There’s enough of me to share with everyone, no worries baby.” he replied, teasing tone still yet to dissipate as you slap his knee in mock offense and he starts wheezing.

“Absolutely not! Fucking excuse you, I’m not sharing with anyone!” you gaped at him as he kept laughing.

That was the end of it - or at least Corpse thought so. Needless to say, he was wrong.

Your mood would instantly turn sour whenever he’d laugh at one of her messages, and you attempted to push down every eye roll whenever he’d sit on his phone, between your legs, back turned to you so you could see everything, and open Rae’s DMs again. Sometimes you managed, sometimes you couldn’t help it, but you did your best to do it whenever he wasn’t looking. Because you truly knew you were being unreasonable, especially whenever you have to relay situations like how he had to postpone a date one time because Rae asked him to play Rust for a bit longer and you almost ripped all your hair out of your skull in frustration back to your best friend who just turned Rae and Corpse into the villains in the situation because that’s what best friends are supposed to do.

Not like he was going out of his way to talk to her a concerning amount, they mostly talked in groupchats and on streams and that was only a few times weekly, but it did absolutely nothing to calm the green monster growing stronger in you every day, fed by every laugh she got out of him.

The green monster fucking loved it when Corpse excitedly announced to you that he’s finally meeting his friends for the first time, and by friends meaning Rae, Sykkuno and Karl. You, however… were far from impressed.

He paced around the room in excitement, a mix of obvious anxiety and joy evident on his face, and he fiddled with the strings of his hoodie with shaky hands as he very proudly announced that he would be the second tallest person in the room through a blinding, pearly grin, and seeing him so electrified couldn’t help but make you shut your jealous thoughts up, even if just for a little bit, and mirror his grin back to him.

What did, however, make you as anxious as him was when he announced they’d a) be coming to your shared apartment and b) making a cooking video - it sent you into a panicked mom mode as you dusted every corner of every room and vacuumed everything from the kitchen to the balcony and Corpse did nothing but record you as you anxiously rambled and laugh at you from his place on your bed.

When the dreaded Saturday finally came, and the first person to arrive, Sykkuno, rang your doorbell, you squeezed Corpse’s hand to stop him from nervously toying with his rings and opened the door, and you greeted the man like he was your own brother and not a person you’d seen probably a total of three times through the computer screen and someone who’s seen you maybe two times, from the pictures Corpse sent him, in your best attempt to make both of them more comfortable. It actually kind of worked - turns out Sykkuno is a pretty affectionate guy, too, and a conversation started as soon as he stepped in. Corpse gave you a look when you pulled away from Sykkuno’s half-hug, and you almost laughed out loud at the irony when his phone lit up with a notification from Rae announcing she was almost there at that exact moment.

She had kept true to her word; ten minutes or so later, another ring was heard and you gestured to Corpse to open it this time as you gave Sykkuno his cup of water and resisted any and every urge to roll your eyes or do something otherwise bitchy and stupid. Corpse did as told, and you watched them hug and listened to Rae squeal in excitement through the open door of the living room and decided to plaster a smile on your face for as long as you could muster before you remove yourself from the situation when they start filming.

Unfortunately for you, the first person she locked eyes with was exactly you, and they lit up an even prettier brown (if that was even possible) as she beelined to you and you barely got a greeting out before she engulfed you in a large hug, arms wrapping around your neck as she swayed both of you side to side.

“Oh my God, you must be Y/N! I’ve heard so much about you, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Rae cheered into your ear before she finally pulled back, before shooting an infectious grin at you that you couldn’t help but return back.

“All good things, I hope.” you chuckled as she moved to greeting Sykkuno, and nodded her head with an enthusiastic giggle of her own. You eyed Corpse for a second who simply leaned against the door frame, watching the whole thing unfold with somewhat of a proud smile on his face, before Rae turned back to you and your attention was on her again.

“Of course! Corpse is very much a simp for you, you know that?” She said and both you and Corpse laughed, especially him, who nodded his head in agreement as she sat back down, still beaming at you.

“Well, I’m happy to hear that.” you respond before turning back to Corpse. “Where’s Karl at?”

“He’ll be here in half an hour or so, he only landed recently.” he said. You nodded and moved to sit on a nearby chair to leave space for the guests on the couch.

Karl ended up arriving in twenty minutes and apprised everyone of the information that “his taxi driver is a psycho that, apparently, doesn’t fear stop signs or the police” before setting up the camera in your kitchen and tried his best to attach lapel mics on everybody (admittedly, it took way longer than it should’ve, but he eventually managed and that counted as a win in his book). You reluctantly agreed to be the judge of the finished product when they’re done cooking, and Karl was there for the purposes of being a cameraman and making jokes off screen so he agreed too, albeit way more enthusiastically than you.

The two of you sat behind the camera as the three of them lined up, Corpse wearing a mask and his signature eyepatch (that he didn’t really need, but those two did their job in preserving his privacy) and introduced what they were doing. Corpse was obviously very anxious, hands fidgeting constantly and shivering like a dog after a bath despite the hoodie he was wearing in 100 degree weather because of the shower of sweat that was now drying on his body, and that was partly why you were there, supportive smiles, encouraging cheers and all.

They were making Mexican ground beef tacos, and despite knowing Corpse can barely make a sandwich without setting at least two dishes on fire, you still cheered him on proudly and repeated he was part Mexican himself roughly 5 times a minute, claiming he was going to kill it.

“Kill it? More like kill one of us- CORPSE watch what you’re doing with that fucking knife! You’re proving my point!” Rae yelled at him as he giggled in delight, watching the woman gape at him in pure horror and Sykkuno watch his movements completely entranced as he played with the knife in his hands.

“You’re just mad that he’s going to make tacos fifty times better than you.” you said to Rae, chewing down on some M&Ms that Karl and you shared (both of you decided on a genius plan - you’re going to eat the whole bag before they’re done with cooking so you can claim you’re full and therefore can’t eat the atrocity that will most likely be the tacos).

“Don’t gas me up like that, Y/N, you are well aware I’m shit at cooking. Expect absolutely nothing from me.” he replied over the sizzling of the meat on the pan, throwing a whole spoonful of chili powder into it, earning loud yelling and scolding from your side and loud laughter from Rae.

“HALF A TEASPOON! Half a teaspoon, how have you not remembered this already?! We’ve made tacos a million times now, oh my God, you’re actually stupid.” you yelled at him, arms flailing in the direction of the seasoning to emphasise your ‘half a teaspoon’ point as Rae doubled over in laughter and Sykkuno looked into the pan with a concerned and somewhat afraid look. Just as he peeked in, the overwhelming smell of chili powder started biting away at his eyes, and he jumped away with a yelp.

“Jesus, Corpse!” he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes with his forearm as the whole room burst into laughter and Corpse suspiciously inspected his beef.

“What were you saying about your ‘Mexican king’, Y/N?” Rae asked, pulling out a few tortillas and putting them on the table. You huffed, grabbing another handful of M&Ms.

“Giving him up to God. He’s the only one who can help, at this point.” you said. She giggled in response and Corpse let out some sort of protesting sound and waved his knife around in complaint. “I don’t know who this man is. He broke into my kitchen and now I’m here.”

“Hey, I pay half of your rent!” he said, and you were about to reply but Rae dropped her meat into a pan full of overheated oil, and a loud hiss and some sort of a scream overtook the room as a cloud of steam shot into the air and she frantically looked around for the wooden spoon so the meat wouldn’t stick to the pan. You simply sat and laughed, eating the candy like it was popcorn and you were watching a shitty cooking show - it wasn’t that far from reality, really.

“Um, I just realised I don’t make many tacos, actually.” she said as she helplessly stirred the meat, turning to you with pleading eyes. “What seasoning even goes into this? Y/N, will you help me? Let’s team up against Corpse!”

You tilted your head in thought, but before you could even speak, Corpse spoke up.

“That’s not fucking fair, that’s-that’s against the rules.” he turned to you. “You won’t betray me, right?”

You laughed at him, adjusting in your seat. “I gave up on you ever since you added, like, 3 kilos of seasoning into the meat for no reason.” then you turned to Rae. “Sure, let’s do it, babe.”

Their loud yelling immediately started mixing, Rae’s cheers contrasting Corpse’s protesting. She stuck her tongue out at him meanwhile Corpse shot her the middle finger, and she turned back to you with a grin.

“Alright, what do I put in?”

Roughly twenty unnecessary and extremely long minutes later, the tacos were done, two each for each of them. Rae’s looked the best - probably because you guided her through the whole thing - next to Sykkuno’s, whose you were genuinely intrigued to try. While Corpse was arguing with Rae, he burned roughly half of his already ruined beef, and Karl made the very nice observation that it looked like a bird shat in a tortilla, which you proclaimed as the highlight of the video.

Since you and Karl claimed you were full, the three of them simply swapped tacos between each other as to be unbiased, and the two of you watched in amused suspense. You were actually quite interested to see what the end results were - you were first anxious and quite annoyed you even had to participate in the first place, because it meant losing your mind from jealousy, watching Corpse and Rae giggle and act all domestic while cooking, but jealousy simply dissipated somewhere half through the video as you watched the three argue if cheddar cheese belonged on tacos or not and Rae laugh at every stupid joke you cracked. Now, you sat, fully immersed as you stared at Sykkuno’s face; the poor guy ended up with the misfortune of having to try Corpse’s taco first.

“Zoom in, zoom in!” you whispered into Karl’s ear who complied and zoomed into Sykkuno’s face. He bit into the taco, chewing for a second before his face twisted in disgust and you began wheezing when he grabbed a tissue and spit it out, immediately grabbing his glass of water. Rae laughed at him as well, mouth full of his one, which she claimed she actually liked but it wasn’t as good as the “Y/NRae-co” as she proudly called it. Corpse silently ate Rae’s taco and refused to give a review on it because he was upset he got defeated, but the fact that he scarfed down the whole thing in a minute or so was enough of a review.

“Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad.” Corpse exclaimed when he saw Sykkuno’s bite in the tissue, grabbing the second taco he made and biting down on it. The whole room burst into laughter when he roughly swallowed, tears obvious in the one eye that showed, because of the overly spicy beef.

“What are you motherfuckers laughing at? It’s not that bad, I stand by tacorpse.”

“Tacorpse is actually genius. The one good thing you came up with during the entirety of this video.” Rae said and Corpse mumbled a fuck you in response.

“Well, I think we can all agree that me and Y/N’s taco was clearly the best.” she said, clasping her hands together.

“I actually think mine was better.” Sykkuno said, to which she pushed his plate out of the frame.

“Nobody asked you anything.”

“Don’t bully Sykkuno, I’ll fucking kick you out.”

“Oh yeah? I’m pretty sure Y/N would kick you out before they’d let you kick me!” Rae said, accusingly pointing her taco in Corpse’s direction.

“Alright, let’s wrap up the video.” Karl laughed behind the camera, and the three of them all turned to properly face it and end the video.

“Thank you all so much for watching, this has been an… interesting video, to say the least. Uh, thank you to Karl for filming this whole disaster, thank you to Corpse,” Rae gestured in his direction, “for lending us his kitchen, thank you to Sykkuno for probably getting us more views on this video, and also a big thank you to Y/N, Corpse’s better half for making this video way more interesting and helping me make probably, like, the best taco I’ve ever made.” she grinned and you shoved a peace sign in front of the camera.

“If you liked this video, check out Sykkuno and Corpse’s channels, they will be linked down below, and please click like and subscribe to support the channel! Again, thank you all for watching, see you later, bye!” she finished, and with that, Karl turned the camera off.

Silence engulfed the room. You sighed.

“Alright, who’s gonna clean this shit up?”

[hongjoongtrasher]

ATEEZ FINAL PART : when they said something to hurt you.

I'm glad you've liked the previous part (part 1 and 2 here if you haven't read it yet), so here is a final to all this angsty reactions (if it is a reaction). Sorry if there are a lot of grammar errors, English not being my mother tongue -

Gosh this is going to be LONG please, bear with me ugh.

Hongjoong:

After this stormy episode of him totally lashing his stress out on you, he spent some time alone to think and reflect upon his trashy behaviour. He was genuinely aware of the massive efforts you were doing for his ass. Literally be patient and taking everything on you so he didn't have to feel more stressed. But today was different. He obviously went too far, saying those words horribly. Furthermore, he knew how hurt you've been because of him and now he didn't really know how to be forgiven. He always have been busy, always considering his work first and thought you were in an equal part of this, but seems he considered you taken for granted. The leader sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes not seeing any solutions at the moment. It's at this moment that Seonghwa entered the place. "Erm...Joong ?" he didn't answer, only Seonghwa could see how much his leader was in distress. "I heard from Y/N, mh I mean she told San who told me but anyway-" began the oldest before Hongjoong asked simply: "Have you come to scold me ?" A silence then. "No, I came to check on you." Seonghwa was always worried about his leader, since he knew the best how hardworking and diligent Hongjoong was, but today he felt like he was wrong. "You've acted like a real idiot this time" Hongjoong let a sarcastic laugh be heard as he slowly turned to face his friend. "Yeah, I know. Do you think she will forgive me ?" "Probably not easily." he answered honestly before continuing. "She told San she was tired of this, always being a shadow to you, erm...and nowadays she's been really stressed at work" A shadow ? Is this how you were seeing yourself as ? And on top of that, he was completely unaware of your work, how life has been going for you. This made the leader felt more guilty as he bite his lips. "So...What should I do ? Kneeling and beg her for forgiveness ?" Seonghwa sighed and put a comforting hand on the leader shoulder. "Sometimes actions are better than words".

And he left the studio, putting Hongjoong in a more difficult situation than he was already. What did he mean ? He thought about it again and again, watching without really watching his screen before it tilted inside his head. "THE SONG !!" he yelled at himself, feeling now very dumb. He had almost forgotten this track, a very secret one he composed for a long time. This song was special for him, it was a song which were written for you, and was conveying all of his feelings. He had to make you listen to this. A glance at his phone indicated it was already 3am in the morning, but sleep could wait. He spent the rest of the night finishing this track, or actually checking it before he saved a copy and directly sent it to you, praying you'd see it in the morning.

You'd spent the most horrible night of your life. Crying and turning under your blanket as you felt useless, no one. San proposed to come with Yunho, but you insisted to be alone, so they let you be, though they were worried. You only found sleep around two in the morning, tired for having crying most of the night. You woke up at six, your eyes hurting, puffy and red as fuck. Anyone could tell you've cried your eyeballs out. First you went to the bathroom to clean your face with cold water, your stuffy nose not helping in the process. After a while you returned to your bedroom and took your phone, not expecting to see a message from your boyfriend, or was he still yours ? At first you hesitated to open it, but finally did. No text, just an audio file. What was this ? Taking your headphone, you put them into your ear before clicking on the file, closing your eyes. At first, you were confused. You've never heard any melody like this one, so...calm, bubbly and soft. Soon Hongjoong's voice appeared with lyrics he surely had written and...you broke in tears again. This time not from sadness, but ...it was like a dream. You could heard his feelings, how much he loved you. You were ready to forgive him, but...it wasn't easy. Reconciliations were always difficult for both of you. Brushing this instantly aside, you rushed out from your apartment for going directly to Hongjoong's studio, in home wear, messy hair and "after crying faced" only to find him asleep on the couch. Panting, you rushed to jump on your boyfriend, sobbing again . This caused Hongjoong to wake up in surprise, confused. "Y-Y/N ?" why ? Why were you crying again ? After a while of you crying heavily on his shirt, he realised you probably came after hearing his song. His arms softly hooked around your tiny waist as one hand rubbed your back. "Shh...don't cry" he said, heartbroken to see you like this. "You dummy !" you yelled between two sobs. "I know." "I - I love you" "Me too, I'm sorry for being a huge dummy" he said with a gentle smile, holding your face to wipe your tears.

Seonghwa:

How rude he's been with you. It's only after hearing your answer that he realised you didn't deserve this. He wanted to chase after you, saying he was sorry, but too late, you slammed the door. Hongjoong came to their shared room before leaning at the door's frame, arching a brow at the oldest. "Can you explain to me what did just happen ?" he asked calmly before Seonghwa bite his lower tier. "I've been a jerk with her" he mumbled, not proud of himself this time. "Yeah, we saw this. You know, she only wanted to cheer you up. We all know you're having bad times because of vocal things, but you didn't have to lash out on her." His leader wasn't wrong, only himself was. "Hwa, go after her. It's not too late" said Hongjoong. "Now ?" Hongjoong sighed. "Yes now, not tomorrow or later" Seonghwa blinked, overthinking before his own body stood up and carried him outside the dorm, chasing after you desperately. He shouldn't have had been this way, he should have been thankful to have you by his side, always being cheerful and bright although sometimes you were hiding your own demons. But being a couple meant for the good and the worst right ? After running for a while, he stopped, panting his lungs on fire. He started to think. Where could you be now ? He remembered when you were sad or stressed, you used to go to Starbucks and get a drink full of sugar and whipped cream, that's how he thought you'd at the nearest one. Not minding people watching him when he opened the door, he eyed the room quickly before seeing you at the table across the entrance. He stepped inside and directly went to your seat as you were still sniffing with tears, your drink between your hands. Not expecting to see your boyfriend, you gasped when you finally realised he was standing here without saying anything. "Y/N.." You tried to gain composure, not wanting to appear fragile in front of him. "What are you doing here ? I thought you didn't want to see me" you croaked, looking away coldly. You heard him sitting before you and took your cold hands. "Y/N I'm sorry. I've been a jerk, you didn't deserve this- I know my work isn't an excuse for acting this way, I understand if you don't want to talk to me or-" "Shut up..." you mumbled, suddenly feeling embarrassed as more people were staring at you two. "I will do everything for you to forgive me, really." he said seriously, not quitting your face from his gaze. Some people were whispering and gossiping, and the more they did, the more you felt ridiculous. You stood up quickly and went straight to the exit with your double cold latte with whipped cream, your boyfriend following you closely. "Are you crazy Park Seonghwa ??? Did you forget you're an idole ? Huh ?? What are you going to do if they recognise you ?" You began to yell but Seonghwa stopped you by taking your free hand and said clearly. "Then I will just say you're my girlfriend and that I don't care, cause you deserve way more than this. Beside being an idole I'm a man, and I love you, there's nothing wrong with this, and if they don't like it, screw them !" you were shocked by his fearless answer, and you felt your heart melt again. You were definitely madly in love with him.

Yeosang:

He was aware of his jerk attitude, and as much as he felt guilty, he didn't know how to ask for your forgiveness. The members already scolded him for what he had said earlier but he knew better than anyone that you weren't ready to talk with. You were the type to be angry for a while, not letting space for any peaceful conversation until you'd calm down. He overthought for a while, thinking you'd probably dump him now and he wouldn't see you ever again, or you'd be so mad at him you'd just beat his ass. Tormented, Yunho looked at his friend before saying, not really sure to mingle in his friend's love problems: "Yeosang, I'm not sure about her being mad, I think she's ...sad ?" he said cautiously, nervous about Yeosang's answer. Sad ? He was really dumb. Of course you'd not be mad, or at least not as much as sad. After all he saw you crying when you left, and his motto was all ruined at this moment. "You're right...I should go see her." he said flatly, feeling really bad. "Huh, yeah I don't even understand why you're still here to be honest" said Yunho with a smile. Thanks to him, Yeosang found the courage to go to your apartment, with your favorite pastry from the bakery you both liked to go, and...flowers. Yeosang wasn't the type to make such lovey dovey stuffs, but this time it was important. Inhaling deeply in front of your door, he knocked once, shyly, not sure if you'd hear it. Then he knocked more frankly before hearing footsteps from behind the door and before he knew it, you were standing in front of him as much surprised as he was. "...What are you doing here ?" you asked, rather coldly. He cleared his throat before handling you shyly the flowers. "I...I came to apologise. I've been a real jerk to you earlier...I even promised myself I'd never make you cry, but I failed miserably" he said in a go, probably too embarrassed to say it confidently. There is a silence, as you fix your eyes on your shy boyfriend. Suddenly you wanted to laugh. How laughable it was to see Yeosang acts like he never did before. You can't bear it anymore and just burst out of laugh, laughing so much that you have to hold your hurting belly. Visibly confused, Yeosang frowned a bit. Why were you laughing ? "Oh my god...You're really something else" you said, calming down slowly before taking the flowers. He suddenly lifted his head in hope. "Does it mean you're forgiving me ?" You faked you're still thinking about it, humming in an exaggerate way. "Well, only if you let me eat this" you nudged your chin to the box he was carrying and which you spotted immediately before he gave you the flower. He smiled and shook his head. "Alright, it's all for you then"

San:

He had definitely crossed a line he shouldn't had. After you slammed the door at his nose, he tried to make you open it for a while, but you never opened it again. So he left, defeated. It was supposed to be a romantic moment for both of you since a while, and yet he ruined everything with his mouth. Sometimes he wished he just could rewind and change every thing. Even if he didn't like the dress, he could have accepted it since you were happy, but his selfishness and jealousy got over it and now he was alone, in his car without you. He took his phone, sending you texts. "Babe, I'm sorry, please, you know I didn't really mean it right ?" or "Please answer me, I'm really sorry." etc, but you didn't even open them since they were still on sent. Instead of going back to his dorm, he tried to call you this time. On the fifth time, he let a voice mail, taking a long breath before the beep. "Y/N, I'm really sorry, I didn't want to ruin our date like this, or just ruin it at all. The truth is...you were so pretty in this dress, so sexy that I don't want other men to see you in this, I wanted to be the only one to see you with. You're not a whore, you're not any of this. I'm selfish I know, but please, it's been so long since we went on a date...If you still want to see me...I'll be waiting in front of your building." And he locked his phone, leaning his head on the top of the steering wheel. He didn't know how long he waiting again but he suddenly heard the door of the passenger side opening, making him look at the person who opened it. It was you. With the same dress. He felt his heart stopped as you sat next to him, putting your seatbelt without a word. "Y/N ?" You looked straightforward you, and said simply. "Let's go, I guess the restaurant is still open" you muffled. He couldn't help but smiled happily as he turned the engine on, taking your hand in his before driving and said. "Thank you Y/N, thank you" and kissed the back of your delicate hand.

Yunho:

Since the incident at the practice room, Yunho didn't hear from you for a while. Hongjoong particularly scolded him about how rude he's been on you while you just wanted to wish them good luck for their performance. He knew it right, but at the moment he couldn't have helped but get angry at you. He knew as well it wasn't so like him to get carried away for nothing, so that's why he didn't really know what to do to make amend for you. He made his mind he would apologise right after their stage for Kingdom even if they boys thought it would be better to do it before. He knew you'd definitely watch them, root for them so he put all of his mind and body in this performance, hoping it would bring him luck. And it did since they snitched 1st place although they started low in the classement. When the MC asked Yunho how he felt about their win, the giant boy just shyly smiled before saying with a trembling voice. "I...It meant a lot for us, and to be able to be first is huge honour. We always want to show our best to our fans, Atiny. But today I...wanted to surpass myself for a certain person." Others groups were chatting among themselves, surprised by Yunho's declaration. Changmin, though he was as surprised as the others still asked professionally. "Oh, who would it be ?" Yunho smiled brightly and said confidently. "Y/N, my girlfriend." Some screams and gasps from shock could be heard in the giant room after Yunho pursued: "She's always been by my side and supports me with the best way she can, but lately...I've not been a good boyfriend to her, that's why I wanted to win, for her, and saying that I love her."

Right after the diffusion of this week episode which you've been watching with your friends, you sobbed like a little girl. How proud you were for your boyfriend, and the only thing you wanted now was to take him in your arms, feeling his arms around you. With shaking hands you took your phone to try to call Yunho, but he wasn't answering your call. That's at this very moment you heard the bell of your door and went for it, not expecting to see your boyfriend at your door. "H-hi" he said shyly. You dropped your phone and jumped directly in his arms, crying again. "You're an idiot Jung Yunho...But I love you". He nuzzled the top of your head as he hugged you back tightly. "I love you too, little one."

Wooyoung:

wede Wooyoung always said honestly what he was thinking, and everyone's used to it, so he thought his remarks about your skill about cooking would pass easily, but he was wrong. At first he didn't understand your reaction, why you left like this as he was only joking, or he thought so. Seonghwa nagged at him after you left, saying how rude he's been and at least he could shut his mouth. He felt really guilty. He was the one who made you loose confidence about you, when he knew you're always trying your best. And this time, he really screwed things up. Worst than this, when he ate the cake you'd made, he realised it was really good, and his unfounded claims were really mean. Gathering his courage, he showed up at your workplace, waiting for you at the exit. At first, you didn't want to see him, you haven't digested yet what he'd said to you. But with an expressionless face, you finally appeared in front of him. "Y/N- listen, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have said those horrible jokes. No, I mean, I didn't mean what I said, the cake was really good." he tried to say quickly, afraid you'd just brush him away. After listening to his words, you just sighed and said "You're really a jerk sometimes you know that ? Maybe I'm not good at some things, but it doesn't give you the right to bash me out like this in front of everyone. Do you understand Wooyoung ?" he looked down at his feet and nodded, muttering "I'm sorry". "Fine, if you're really sorry, you better cook something too" you smirked, a sign from you that you're half forgiving him. "What ? Wait-" he looked at you astonished. "I don't know what to cook" "Huh, well not my problem" you sticked your tongue out to him and caught his arm in yours.

Mingi:

Mingi's been aware that his words probably upset you. But he needed to find himself again, to get right on tracks by himself even if he was thankful towards you, taking care of him for so long and everything. But he felt like it was his duty to make his comeback to the team his, from A to Z. He hoped you would understand, but after you left him alone, he felt guilty to suddenly reject you. The first day of his comeback into the team, Mingi felt really nervous. He wished he could call you and talk to you as he used to, but since that day he didn't dare to contact you. Instead he sent you a long message, saying how much he missed you and felt really nervous. That he was sorry for what he's said and how much you counted for him. He knew deep inside his mind that you had understood his reasons to act this way, and he was right. After reading his text, you couldn't help but fall in love all over again for Mingi. He was so sweet and pure that you couldn't hold grudges against him. You texted back saying "Everything's gonna be alright. Fighting ! I love you" which reassured the rapper.

Jongho:

Although Jongho was the youngest from the team, he was really mature and hated childish behaviour when it comes for his relationship. The fact you got jealous and as a result, acted this way got him angry. For him, the fact he was dating you was a proof of his choice, and love. Things weren't bad with his ex, so he didn't see why he would cut the rope from her, and he expected you to understand his point of view. After calming down on his own, he also realised his reaction must not have been mature as well. He took more time to think about how he was going to reconcile with you, but things shouldn't stay this way. He expected you to be at your place, and directly knocked at the door, feeling nervous. "Y/N ?" he called out for you. It took a moment before you opened the door, clearly still furious about what happened earlier. "What ? Aren't you with Mina yet ?" you spatted out, maybe too agressive than you wished. Jongho took on himself not to react to this again, instead sighing softly. "Baby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted this way." he began, trying to be the most sincere he was. "You're the only one for me, you know it right ? But you see, Mina is indeed my ex, but it doesn't mean I'm on bad terms with her, and it also means that nothing will happen with her anymore. Because I love you so much and no one else"

[chicoriii]

Season 4, Episode 17 - Larme Ultime (Rocketear)

So this is a DjiWifi episode from which comes a screenshot I've seen over a month ago (I think). It's good they got it, before season 4 started I really wanted it to happen and to see a kiss between Nino and Alya in it (but that didn't happen and I don't get why, only the main pairing is allowed to kiss in this show or what?), but now I could not be excited about it anymore, because I'm sick of Alya and I'm not able to hide it. Yes, I'm biased, but I'm just a normal viewer and I have right to dislike her favouritism.

My the biggest thought after watching this is that it looks like since Optigami, Alya is not only a deuteragonist, like I said in my post about Sentibubbler, she's actually more like a co-protagonist now. That was an extremely Alya-centric episode (even more than Lie was was about Adrien, as it was mostly Ladybug who saved the world like almost always, also because Chat sacrificed himself again), while in Optigami and this one she has screentime comparable to Marinette. I'm still trying to avoid spoilers (so please, don't tell what's going to happen in the next episodes, I don't want to know), but I'm sure that either 15 or 16 is also highly about her, because we've seen the new Rena's suit in this episode and it looked like it wasn't the first episode with it. But really, I won't be surprised if Alya has lots of screentime in both episodes and all others to the end of the show as well. I don't think Adrien is ever going to get as much special treatment like Alya. :/ The creators have never been as nice to him.

Didn't the writes have enough ideas for another story arcs? And thanks to it they were able to save money, because then creators could just reuse old models of villains more than before. Have anyone noticed that S4 has even fewer number of completely new characters than previous seasons? The scientist seen at the start of the episode has detailed model, so she had to be akumatised in any of the previous unreleased episodes (or one of the next ones). And why she looks a lot like Alya, is she her relative? If yes, you know what that means? Another excuse to make an episode full of the fox wielder, because, you know, it’s not like she already got enough occasions to shine in S4. 

Speaking of Rena Rouge's new suit. What a waste, it would be great for a potential chameleon Miraculous, so it seems it won't be ever created for canon. So bad, I think it's one of the coolest animal, so a Miraculous based on it would be awesome. It could one from an African Miracle Box which should appear, since they are planning making an African special. The suit is good and all, but I still feel disappointed that it's not the superpower of a chameleon Miraculous. :(

Why is Nino acting over the top out of nowhere? I like film noir atmosphere, fedoras and especially jazz music full of saxophones (my favourite music genre and instrument), but it looks totally ridiculous when he's like that. I thought it's Marinette's speciality, and he beat her in that category. I'm not trying to say it's a a bad thing, it just feels weird seeing Nino like that. And since I love jazz, I would like to listen to that film noir-esque music more once I got 5.1 audio, since it was hardly heard in the episode. It didn't sound much interesting, but it's too early to judge it seriously.

Too bad they had written the main conflict in the episode using one of the biggest romantic cliche - misunderstanding in which one character see and\or hear something, but not the whole thing, so said character interprets it wrong. Motifs like that are rather annoying, so it's good something similar haven't happened in the Love Square's arc (yet at least). Though I have a big issue with how they write it this season and I'm going to make a post about it (is anyone interested?).

The akuma is one the ugliest and has one of the most laziest power ever. Really? He shoots using tear bullets and does nothing more? I know many people hate Bubbler's design, but no matter how silly it looks, it was much more creative than this.

And of course the whole thing with Alya remembering the whole conversation with Chat Noir was extremely far-fetched. The could think about something more believable, but I'm not surprised it happened, since I think this season is generally more lazy written than previous ones.

On the other hand, I'm surprised that Marinette is actually aware that Shadow Moth should not know that Alya is still Rena Rouge. It seems that the whole episode 15 (or 16) is about they trying to figure out what to do with that problem.  I won't be surprised if Alya would do it all by herself like it happened with protecting charms in Mr Pigeon 72, because it's completely normal that a random person who has never met Fu is better at decrypting the grimoire than someone who has been trained to be a guardian to some extend :/ Still I think they should not be sure that camouflage mode would solve the problem completely. From what I understand the new suit doesn’t make her completely invisible to others. Rena could be seen by anyone who takes a photo of her and then post in on the internet (it won't be believable that she's the only one crazy about superheroes in Paris). But at least they tried to do something and Marinette sees the danger to some extend. It’s something new.

It's not like Alya is careful, she's completely reckless (and they think she's a good reporter material? Don't make me laugh) and she still thinks more about her own fun in being the superheroine than safety of herself or the world. But of course, it's not gonna happen, because plot armor is very strong in this show. I really had a feeling that she acted like a little child in the first minutes of the episode. She's unable to see that her situation is not a joke. She should be all happy that Marinette still lets her to keep the fox Miraculous. She really lacks humility and I see it clearly since Optigami at least. Besides, Marinette ignores another red flags, that Alya is taking pictures of herself in the new suit no one is supposed to see and thinking about posting them on Ladyblog (was Bunnix right that Alya is able to reveal Miraculous secrets on her blog because of her overenthusiasm and lack of ability of seeing consequences of her actions?).

By the way, now I think, if Alya can't keep in secret that she's still Rena Rouge from Nino (which happens because it's needed for the plot), so how could she be all fine with keeping in secret other facts like that Ladybug gave her the fox permanently and she knows her identity (which isn't happening because the plot doesn't require it)? She still has to lie on Nino because of these secrets.

They are making Marinette a big hypocrite this season. Since she revealed herself to Alya, it's been shown that secret identities rule was bullshit from the start, but Marinette is still saying that heroes can't reveal their identities to anyone. What? What has she done before like not revealing herself to someone, so how she dares keep saying about how crucial is keeping secrets from everyone? Sorry writers, I can't take that rule seriously anymore since Alya knows and no one should. Because Marinette told Alya, she could tell it to other persons she trust as well. What's the difference between her best friend and the rest of the people in the world? Is Alya the only person she trusts? In fact, revealing herself to Sabine, for example, would be much better choice. She's actually wise and mature unlike Alya and her secrets would be much more safe with her mother.

I've seen Chat Blanc again on TV recently and I remembered one thing Ladybug told to Bunnix there: "The best-kept secrets are the ones you never share." (Google Translate says that the line is exactly the same in the French original). Some episodes later, she isn't thinking twice if she should tell all the guardian secrets to Alya. Okay, she revealed her identity because of being too emotional in that exact moment, but then when she calmed down, she should be able to think if telling all the Miraculous secrets is a good idea. The other hypocritical thing is telling Chloé "you can't be Queen Bee anymore, because Hawk Moth knows your identity" but still calling the other heroes whose identities have been exposed.

So I can't even blame Alya for telling Nino the truth if the guardian herself is not following her own rules. Not to mention, Marinette doesn't address wrong things Alya is doing at all, so no wonder she feels she could do anything, she won't get punished, no matter what. After all, it's not the first moment in which she does something her best friend forbid her.

And we can say the show has been confirmed that Nino is even worse at keeping secrets, especially in crisis situations, so why people wanted to see Adrien revealing himself to Nino? It's obvious that he would tell Adrien's secret to Alya and maybe some other people as well.

I thought that since S3 finale Adrien is supposed to know identities of every backup hero from seasons 2 and 3 and I was ready to be salty about that as well. But yes, actually after purification of Miracle Queen's akuma, brainwashed heroes didn't detransform. They were forgotten completely and we don't even know what happened with them exactly. I suppose Ladybug took their Miraculous when Chat Noir wasn't there anymore.

Adrien has every right to be angry at Ladybug, she treats him so badly, since Alya knows her own secrets and she doesn't even have the guts to admit that. But I'm going to say about my the biggest issue in the Chat Noir and Ladybug's situation in another post, I hope I would write before the next episode airs.

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE BLOOD Vol.5: Mukami Yuma [Track 3+4]

Original title: 野蛮で乱暴 & 砂糖より甘い血

Source: Diabolik Lovers More, Blood Vol. 5: Mukami Yuma [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here (08:29 ~ 19:00)

Seiyuu: Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Translator’s note: Yuma’s perverted nature is definitely more emphasized in this. I did chuckle a little when he calls the MC out for having kiddo panties though. There’s also a fair amount of blood-sucking in this CD which is not great news for me since I don’t particularly enjoy listening to all of the slurping but I’ll manage. It’s not as bad as Laito’s MB CD where he’s also moaning into my ear every two seconds. 

Track 1+2 ll Track 3+4 ll Track 5+6 ll Track 7+8 ll Track 9+10

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

TRACK 3: Wild and Ferocious

“Anyway, let’s get started. I’m darn hungry ‘cause of that delicious scent of yers waftin’ through the air...”

You swiftly escape his grip and run towards the door.

“...Hey! Don’t try and run!”

You try and open the door, but to no avail.

*THUD THUD THUD*

Yuma approaches you.

*THUD THUD THUD*

“...Shut up! Argh...What a drag. Don’t cause me extra trouble, ugh!”

He drags you back.

*THUD*

[00:38] “Geez...Do ya even have a brain inside of yer head? Should be pretty obvious you’re no match for me just by lookin’, no? If I wanted to...I could easily snap yer neck with my bare hands.”

*Rustle rustle*

“Ugh.”

*Thud*

“Pinnin’ ya down ‘gainst the ground like this is child’s play...”

*Rustle rustle*

[01:10] “Geez...Ya want to be treated hard-handedly, don’t ya? That’s why you’re workin’ me up, aren’t ya? ...Oh well, whatever. No matter how much ya try and stall, ya can’t avoid the inevitable.”

*Rustle rustle*

“You’re just a prey layin’ on top of the plate, waitin’ to devoured...I’ll make sure to...”

*Sluuuurp*

“...savor ya thoroughly. Ya should be happy. Anyway...”

*Sniff*

“Ya seriously smell amazin’...Where is this scent comin’ from...?”

*Rustle*

[01:58] “From here? ...Hah! What kind of underwear is that? Ya really lack any shred of sex appeal. Can’t ya wear somethin’ with a lil’ more ‘bang’? Geez. What a turn off. Next time go for somethin’ worth showin’ off. (1) ...Well, guess that rules out this place.”

You get mad.

[02:21] “...Aah? Yeah. I flipped over yer skirt knowin’ damn well the smell wasn’t comin’ from there, so what? I won’t get turned on from yer kiddy panties so don’t worry.”

You continue protesting.

“Aah...So noisy...Shut up already!! I’m lookin’ for the source of this delicious smell...Is it comin’ from inside after all...? I can’t tell...Well, in that case, I gotta do some lookin’ ‘round, huh? Hehe...Yuma-sama will do you the honor of tastin’ this body of yers which Ruki is oh-so interested in.”

*Rustle*

[03:05] “It’s taste-testin’, ya see. When it comes to cookin’, the person preparin’ the dish has the right to have the first bite, no? In other words, since I caught ya, I deserve to take a lil’ nibble out of ya as well.”

*Rustle rustle*

“Ahー ...I can’t get enough of this scent...Honestly...is it even legal for a human to smell this good?”

*Rustle rustle*

*Sniff*

[03:45] “Aah...You’re so skinny all over...You’re severely lackin’ in curves but...Haah...Your scent is sublime...Oi. Imma turn ya into my toy right now, so ya better watch closely. ...I’ll pierce your skin with my fangs...thrusting all the way through your flesh down to the nerves in one go.”

TRACK 4: Blood Sweeter Than Sugar

*Rustle rustle*

Yuma bites you.

“Haahn...”

*Sluuuuuurp*

“Nn...Hah...”

*Sluuuuuurp*

[00:22] “Haah...Wow...What’s this...? Oi...I’ve never...”

*Sluuuuuurp*

“...had blood even tastier than sugar...”

*Sluuuuuurp*

“Haah...”

*Rustle rustle*

[00:44] “It’s fuckin’ sweet...What’s up with yer blood? Don’t ask me for the details, but I was told that there’s somethin’ special ‘bout yer heart, but is that really enough to yield these kinds of results? Nah, I doubt it.”

*Rustle*

[01:03] “Oi, ya know what’s up, don’t ya? Did they fiddle with yer body or somethin’ ...Ah...Fuck...I’m feelin’ kinda dizzy...is it ‘cause of yer blood? ...Actually, you’ve got that dazed look in yer eyes as well...Not a bad look at all. Both of us get to feel good. ...This experience is a first for me. Usually they either succumb under the intense pain or go batshit crazy, but never have I seen someone make a lewd face like you.”

Your eyes widen in surprise.

[02:02] “Hehe...Shocked to hear that? Don’t worry, honestly. Just enjoy it. If ya beg me to indulge in more of yer blood, I wouldn’t mind dotin’ (2) on ya a lil’, ya know?”

You protest again.

*Rustle*

“Che...You’re still fightin’ back? Ya really aren’t cute at all. ...What’s yer problem? God gifted ya with this special body, didn’t he?”

You shake your head.

[02:34] “...Ah? Ya never asked for it? ...Hah! Well, I honestly don’t give a damn ‘bout how you feel ‘bout this. I like pleasure, simple as that. Besides, I would never turn down a delicious snack either. ...I’ll suck ya down to the very last drop.

[03:04] ...Honestly, I don’t care if ya stick to or try to change your morals. I think it’s bullshit and I have no interest in that sorta crap. The only thing that interests me...is yer blood. Besides, ya could never beat me in terms of strength. ...I mean, just take a look at our difference in height!”

*Rustle*

[03:30] “You’re a midget! Ya look like a lil’ kid next to me. Haha! Which means...All resistance is futile. Guess you’ll just have to behave if ya don’t want to be in a world of pain, huh? ...Altho’, I have to admit that when they don’t even attempt to fight back, there’s really no fun in beatin’ them up. So if ya wanna resist, be my guest.”

You try and speak up.

“ー Stop right there. Ya talk way too much. Well then...Where should I bite ya next? Maybe I should go for yer leg?”

*Sluuuuuurp*

“Haah...”

*Sniff*

[04:20] “Your scent only keeps gettin’ better...How should I describe it...? Nnh...”

Yuma bites you once more.

*Sluuuuuurp*

“Haah...”

*Rustle*

“Aah...I can’t...My body’s burnin’...and I feel unbearably hot...Haahn...”

*Sluuuuuurp*

[05:00] “Nn...I can feel it flowin’ inside of me...Somethin’ as hot as magma...right into my body...Hehe...This is the best...You’re way too delicious...”

*Rustle*

“We’re still nowhere near done yet...”

*Sluuuuuurp*

“Sick...It feels like even my senses have become numb...The fuck’s this stuff? Nnh...”

*Rustle rustle*

[05:39] “Hm...Honestly, I’m embarrassed that such a dull chick is makin’ me feel this way...You’re way too intense...What have ya been eatin’ to get yer blood to taste like this?”

You frown.

“Vegetables turn out perfect with the right amount of fertilizer and water. So what’s the secret in yer case? ...Oi, ya listenin’? Now’s not the time to space out...Hey!”

*Smack smack*

“Can ya hear me?”

*Smack smack*

[06:14] “Che...She lost consciousness. Did I scarf down too much from the very start? Should I have minded my ‘table manners’ a lil’ more? Ah...What a drag. ーー Oi!”

*Smack smack*

“Hey!”

*Smack smack*

“Wake up, ya bitch!”

*Smack smack*

“...Oi!”

*Rustle*

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Yuma says ‘go for something where you don’t have to worry about people flipping up your skirt’, implying that a sexy pair of underwear is worth showing off, I suppose. :p

(2) While かわいがる or ‘kawaigaru’ usually means ‘to dote on’ or ‘to spoil’ in a positive sense of the word, in DL it is often use ironically and actually means ‘to treat badly’ instead.

[fandom-sheep]

MCC 18 SEP 21

Yellow Yacks and Cyan Coyotes with a little Aqua Axolotls. Part 1/1

The only reason I didn’t forget MCC was because I got the notification for Eret.

I have Wilbur on my TV. I’m going to watch Eret on my phone. And I’ll have Tommy on my iPad probably.

Wilbur throwing a tantrum and saying he won’t play.

I feel like a true Gen Z member with my multiple screens of minecraft.

I’m only just getting the Wilbur notification.

I love watching everyone run around before MCC and scale things.

Griefing the thumbnail. 😂

Wilbur just causes problems on purpose when it comes to group photos doesn’t he.

He just loves finding ways to cause problems.

Wilbur got a coconut!?!

I didn’t mean to type the question mark originally. But I am a bit confused.

Wilbur just stocking up on coconuts

True friendship is a quote book. I have several.

Baby banana boo.

Wait. I heard the word tumblr

Scott what did you do with tumblr?

I’m scared. Only Eret permitted on tumblr.

I remember watching hole in the wall as a tv show as a kid.

Wilbur’s glasses that don’t do anything.

There are September discounts for subbing?

Neato.

The conversations in my work discord are something else.

Not surprised that Wilbur is going for top swearer of MCC

But my residents are going to walk by my door and judge me.

Alright I apparently wasn’t signed in to twitch on my iPad and it took me entirely too long to learn to remember it.

Tommy looks like he’s really concentrating. Oh wait never mind.

Wow the yaks are in first currently. I might be cheering for a winning team for once.

Alright I have my iPad split screen between Tommy and the MCC website.

Everyone break the elevator!

In the game, not in the building I work. I don’t want that paperwork.

Stick together and place many block.

I’ve been in Wilburs position. “I’ll be captain” “yeah let’s let Wilbur be captain”

Not a single POV I have up is synced. But that’s life.

Oh not starting out strong.

Just keep going. Ignore the falling people just like ranboo last time.

We are at the absolute bottom for this game.

Where’s a bag of popcorn or something?

“Stay down there. That’s how I won that one time” -Ranboo

Down they go.

They didn’t have anywhere to run.

Second round!

Oh that wasn’t their best idea. It was fun seeing Erets POV of that.

Go Teams.

Turning down the volume on yellow yacks to listen to aqua axolotls.

Aqua please. You have so much potential.

Nope.

Switching audio again.

Yellow back at the bottom.

Ranboo ranboo ranboo ranboo

Down he goes. 😂 the timing of that was funny.

Please. Don’t die

Wilbur. Scott. Please.

Scott uncovering the creeper.

Their plan is literally just sit and be.

To be fair that’s my plan for everything I do.

Oh cobwebs are smart.

I’m eating very salty Chick-fil-A chips and need water.

We are still doing ok. Wow.

Cobwebs man. The real MVP.

They are still in 10th

COBWEBS!!! And Wilbur standing on the edge of a block.

THEY WON THAT?!?!!!!

It moved them from last to eight. But still. Wow.

Holy cow. How did that happen.

I always forget what the acronym game is.

Oh yeah. Wilbur snuck and found this. I remember.

Go team!

Oh the website updates faster than the game. But we’re starting off decent.

I’m going to have to take back that statement aren’t I?

Go go go go

Fly fly fly fly

Build build build build

Go Wilbur!

Rafter strat.

Wilbur found the rafters and everyone else loved it.

Blocking his own jump. 😂

I really should do the inside joke chair emoji thing for laughing. But I don’t care.

Tiktok is nice. Depends on the side you are on, but it’s nice.

We are doing halfway decent. I’m proud of us.

Wilbur is struggling and I think he might cry.

Not bad. I don’t think.

Power sweater.

This game in MCC has rainbow road vibes

I’ll have to make that it’s own post since I feel that’ll be popular ish.

Holy cow we hit first on the website!! How?

Ranboo sweet one.

They said no peaking to Wilbur.

Wilbur making them block stuff off and the like is so funny.

Run yaks run!

I missed the moment Wilbur just mentioned. Oh well I’m sure I’ll see the clip.

First last first.

Hey 4th overall. Look at em.

Wilbur switching to full screen to show us his M&Ms.

Let me balance my water bottle on the bedpost above my head. No way this could possibly go wrong in multiple ways.

Double coins. Gorgeous.

Chickens are being sniped.

What’s going to work? TEAM WORK!

I don’t think I have ever watched a game of grid runners in my life?

Alright game should start any second because it started on the website.

Alright stream is delayed about 13 seconds.

Go teams go!

Wilbur just sniping targets.

We’re doing ok.

All this dirt.

Go go go

We’re completing things first.

Cake!

Wilbur got in!

Now they eat

Oh but they are falling.

Oh wow the painting is complicated. My friends and I would fail to communicate so fast.

Is this lever thing just find the button but complicated?

Go you got the levers!

Items grab!

My friends and I would seriously struggle unless I was allowed the lead. But I would lead us off a cliff.

Everyone get ready to go in as soon as the cake is done.

Exit! You guys are so close! Please!

Woohoo!

Go Ranboo! Go Scott!

Come on guys. Come on. Good communication.

I think I like watching Wilbur with MCC because he had a similar strategy to what I would do.

Wilbur why did you try to act cool!!!

They keep saying they are miles ahead but not according to that scoreboard.

You placed 3rd. Good job y’all.

I’m excited for bonuses.

They have another minute until the others run out of time.

Good soup.

Oh wow. Ranboo and Wilbur really are always totgehe.

We are doing well. I see the board changing on the website so much.

Where will they land.

Looks like 2nd or 3rd

Fourth overall. Not bad.

Lap time is logical.

Audience vote?

Look at me redownloading twitter.

Can you not see how others have voted on twitter?

Oh there it is. It only showed mine for a sec there.

Battle box looks close. I voted ace race.

Oh it all looks close right now.

Long break my beloved.

I don’t have time to start my laundry but still. My beloved.

Game 5/8 so MCC won’t be too much longer.

I look up and Wilbur is shaking his ass at George. I’m not surprised.

Phil and Sneeg judging Wilbur.

Wilbur twerking on Phil and Sneeg joining.

Poor Phil.

Wilbur just having visited so many random places with so many random words just gathered.

Oh wow parkour tag is low. But so is sands.

Oh wow it was a tie. Between Sands and Parkour

“Wilbur is Sand Daddy” -Scott and then all the agreement noises.

Sands of Time is my favorite practical game

Maybe because Wilbur is really good at it. And Ranboo had been trained by him.

This is just good.

I swear Sand daddy is going to kill me during this.

I am just going to pass away.

My stream delay though.

Wilbur who says he stays very quiet as he makes circus music noises.

Minecraft Rhinos. Because I can’t spell their real name.

I don’t quite understand sand of time. But I like watching. It’s like college football.

I am missing the only college football game I care about for MCC.

Go Team.

No blue yet.

All the mobs.

“You better not die” sung to the tune of Santa clause is coming yo town. -Wilbur

Keep it up guys.

Oh no. They lost the key.

Oh good they found the key.

You can tell Wilbur had a musicians brain. He just hears something vaguely lyrical and starts singing a song.

Gotta promote your band whenever you can I guess.

I listened to the last Ep for like an hour and a half yesterday while I went about my day.

I wonder how we’re doing?

Only a few seconds.

I could warm a heating pad in the amount fo time they have left.

Ranboo doing these puzzles so amazingly.

Quit caring about what others think. Just do your thing.

I swear the sand daddy thing.

I love the cage of shame for not tracking your sand.

I zoned out. Red cyan orange?

We’re almost 15 minutes into sands.

I want to play Minecraft on my iPad right now.

Wait the website updated. We were 6th?

Yikes. I thought they did better.

3rd overall though!

Wait what was that about most influential improv thingy? Good for them.

Build mart!

Oh Ace Race. Wilbur calling Ace Race his girlfriend now.

I want to see the enemies to lovers fan fictions of Ace race and Wilbur.

Oh wait I can do that. I can verbally tell one like I have others in the past.

I’m excited to watch this.

Wilbur flirt with the race.

I’m not mentally prepared for this.

Everyone just joined because they don’t want to miss Wilbur x Ace Race.

Oh no. He’s not doing so well.

Oh Wilbur is giving us more.

Complicated history…

Whispering to Ace Race and Solidarity.

You’ve got it Wilbur.

Keep on talking. Keep your brain busy while you play.

Mommmm Wilbur is flirting with Ace Race again!

He’s whispering though so I can’t quite hear it and will have to find a clip channel that added subtitles.

Oh teams are changing on the website.

“What are you doing in my women Philza?” -Wilbur

“I will end your bloodline which is canonically also me.” -Wilbur

I can not track all the quotes from this. That’s beyond my abilities.

Wilbur did halfway decent, but it still uncomfortable.

Ace Race is a person now. Also the fact that Wilbur compliments Ace Race so much.

Sally v. Ace Race.

I want to find that fanart now.

Scott honey. Confirmed cannon is everyone fancies the fish.

4th. Not bad.

We’re still talking Ace Race x Wilbur

Build mart! My dearest buildmart!

I miss them sliding around in the sleds.

Grab da flowers!

We’re in 1st at the minute.

Come on yaks!

No coyotes!

Hurry hurry hurry.

Work discord going it’s thing again.

Oh we’re dropping fast.

Move the redstone! Thank you

Alright back on top. Keep it up.

Nevermind.

I love the way the build spaces for the different teams work.

Who is the person on the build?

Oh first again? Nevermind.

Oh we popped up to second. We’re so behind. Come on.

Duck!

Good soup energy. Now all I can think is the bi wide energy song.

Time is running out.

Yeah we aren’t catching up to first. Just hold second.

Where is granite?

Game over.

Third overall now. Not bad. Last game time they can possibly pull it into dodge bolt.

I need to go get a picture with the President of the university for a game with my work.

Good Soup.

I’m sitting here making popcat noises while waiting.

Game time! Go team! Survive!

Wait where did the steamer go? I wasn’t paying attention.

He’s back.

He’s swearing for his points on the swearing list.

Is pee a soup? No. I don’t think it’s think enough under normal circumstances.

Karl is apparently swearing according to Twitter. Good for him. He deserves to swear some as a treat.

Everyone running and leaving shubble.

Oh good they are all together.

Just keep running.

4th so far.

Cars. Beep beep.

Ranboo breath child.

Calling Wilbur like some kind of golden retriever.

Bow boy

Scott is leader now. Because otherwise they are arguing.

We are playing the don’t die strategy.

Come on team.

Did I put my cut in this post? I did.

Ranboo having stolen the airdrop. And he has a thing!

Oh the boarder is right behind them.

They are fighting Dream?

Nice Will.

We’re in fourth.

Boarder is right there.

Sapnap? Nope.

Pink attack and they book it.

Oh no. There goes Wilbur.

Is it just Scott?

Scott vs the world.

Just Organe and pink. They came third.

GO ORANGE!

Please. Please let us do it.

Overall third. Pink overtook yellow.

Sadness.

Ranboo has achieved: Found Hated Game

Ranboo has been hit by Survival games so many times now.

If they had just lasted a tiny bit longer they would have come second.

Cheering Orange I suppose.

I have no skill at picking winner POVs.

I have 3 teams I was at least kinda watching. And none of them are in dodgebolt.

Gosh can hear Ranboo tweaking.

Wow. Yellow yaks just as a team twerking.

What is Wilbur chewing on? Wilbur don’t chew on things that probably aren’t meant to be chewed on.

I can hear the band outside of my window. I think my campuses football game is starting.

The drum line practiced outside my window all the beginning of the semester so it’s fun seeing them march to the stadium.

Oh and there are the cheerleaders.

Oh right I was watching MCC! Who’s winning?

Come on Orange. So close.

Wait I looked out my window. Why is the band walking back to where they were?

Along the sidewalk?

I thought it was game time for a minute.

Oh dodgebolt could go either way.

Distracted by Jesus.

Grian! You got this!

Nice Grian.

Oh Grian has a chance!

Oh!

Oh!

It’s so close!

Ooo ooo!

I’m so invested.

I SEE THE CONFETTI IN THE SITE! But I don’t want to miss the shot.

Come on Grian.

I know you do it. But you’ve got this

YESSSSS

Woo hoo!!

That was a good MCC. Now to do the chores and homework I originally planned to do today.

That was a nice stream.

Scott is separating Ranboo and Wilbur?

Please. Scott.

Don’t separate the beings.

You know. Twitter needs to politely bully Scott into keeping Ranboo and Will together.

Oop and that’s Wilbur done. That was fun.

See y’all next time!

[mattbflatt-loves-starset]

The Progression of Failed Love - A STARSET Playlist

Y’all ever make a playlist before? That shit is so much fun. Using the music by your favorite artists and ordering them in such a way that portrays your own idea or story... I love it, and I’ve only just started doing it. It’s a very unique way to creatively express yourself. Now that I’ve hyped my audience up, it’s time to break all of your hearts by sharing my playlist of STARSET songs called “The Progression of Failed Love” which follows the story of a typical young couple who just couldn’t make it work. Yes I know, this is a dumb movie trope told a million times and blah blah blah, but this is my blog so deal with it ya fuckin’ dorks… of course I’m kidding, and in all seriousness, this was the most genuine playlist I was able to make. I have my own personal connection to it, and if you’ve had a relationship before, you’ll most likely find a way to connect to it. I enjoy it, and I hope you do as well.

The playlist’s first three songs in order are “Satellite”, “DIE FOR YOU”, and “Starlight”, and they encompass the honeymoon stage of a budding relationship. Let’s call these songs Act I of this story. “Satellite” to me really embodies the feeling one gets when they first fall for someone. The energy is high and all you can think about is what you would do for this individual, with lyrics that support this idea greatly:

“Satellite! Shine on me tonight!

I will be your gravity, I will stay and never leave…

My satellite! Are you here tonight?

Shine your light and set me free.

Take the darkness out of me.

Shine on me!”

The relationship hasn’t started yet, but the interest is growing like crazy. These lyrics hit hard, check out the rest of them here:

STARSET – Satellite Lyrics 

“DIE FOR YOU” is just a more intense version of “Satellite” within the context of this story, but it makes sense because this song represents when the relationship is now official. Both parties have fallen for each other, and the love is starting to run deep. The whole vibe of the song is much more intimate, with a calmer kit part (hot damn Adam Gilbert you are smart with writing your kit parts), but yet the same exact key and even a similar tempo. The songs are so similar, yet so different, and it’s really smart. Kudos to STARSET for this, and as a personal benefit, it makes the story of this playlist flow really well.

Starset - Die For You (Official Audio) 

“Starlight” is a very specific moment in time, and marks the end of the honeymoon phase. The couple is stargazing, and the sky is just beautiful. I see many colors and galaxies in the night sky when listening to this song. The only thing is, they aren’t physically together. Their lives have picked up, and while they can’t be with each other at the moment, they still love each other very much, so they stargazed on a phone call. They are sad that they have to spend less time together, but they reassure each other that they love the other person very much, and that they are inseparable. This song has a very special place in my heart, as it’s just a beautiful song that makes me think a lot. I get a little heartsick listening to it, as it makes me think about memories that are dear to me, but it fits this spot perfectly in my playlist story.

Starset - Starlight (Official Lyric Video)

The honeymoon period has now concluded and we are moving into Act II of this story, where problems arise. This act starts with the song “Telepathic”, which has a frustrating feel to me. The song is from the perspective of only one of the characters, as they feel their significant other expects them to be a mind reader and won’t share emotions by just talking about them. As I’m sure a lot of people understand, this is infuriating to deal with, as it just makes people typically want to slam their head through a fuckin’ brick wall. At the same time, this character is very easily read by their significant other, as they wear their heart on their sleeve, making it seem like their lover is… well… “Telepathic”. This brings up insecurity, and arguments ensue. The lyrics support this idea well, for example:

“But you can read my mind

I feel it all the time.

Felt it all around you…

You had me under spell right from the start

I don’t have a telepathic heart.”

STARSET – Telepathic Lyrics 

The arguments get worse as we progress into the song “FAULTLINE”. This song has a lot to do with pointing fingers and blaming, as now both lovers in this story are outright arguing with each other a lot, and over stupid shit too. They aren’t handling being apart from each other well and are having a hard time with communication due to insecurity and distance. The vibe of this song fits this mood, as it’s got a sparse but tense groove, and the accompanying guitar/synth parts are rough and a bit grungy. Out of all the songs in this playlist, this one takes 3nd place for the lyrics fitting well into the story, with such snippets as:

“First you gotta know, how to play the victim

Hate to tell ya so, but you repeat the symptoms like an aftershock

And I only wanna make it stop…”

And also:

“Caught me shaking at the site, oh

Caught me quaking in my mind, oh

You’re tripping over every fault of mine

You’re breaking open every single time

It’s never black and white, no

Going seismic out of spite, oh

I never know if it’s your fault or mine

You’re breaking open every single time

Faultline.”

STARSET - FAULTLINE (Official Audio)

 Like damn, that entire second snippet is the whole ass chorus. This song fits super well here.

The last song in Act II has some intense, even lustful feelings tied to it, this song being “PERFECT MACHINE”. The couple is desperate to make things work, as they still love each other very much but are really struggling. When they see each other, they engage constantly in what people called “hate-fucking” which ultimately solves nothing, and then fighting after they are done. Yes I know this was a WILD turn out of left field, but this is the story I envision with this playlist, very intense and potentially very real. The song I feel is the entire progression of one… erm… let’s call it a “session” of what was described above. It starts with the lustful feelings I mentioned before, then about one third of the way through the song, the entire feeling changes, becoming very angry and desperate. This song takes 2nd place for lyrics best fitting the story, with the lyrics changing from this:

“Show me your insides, show me your secrets

Show me what you desire… I can fake it”

To this:

“Even you know… even you know, this was all for nothing…”

STARSET - PERFECT MACHINE (Official Audio)

STARSET – PERFECT MACHINE Lyrics 

Again, damn bro. I relate to this part of the story the least, as I’ve never experienced something like this, but holy shit that still cuts deep.

Finally, we reach Act III of this story, the end and the aftermath. This act opens up with “Let It Die”, which is the song that marks the inevitable end of this relationship. This song talks a lot about “breathing back life” into something and I feel that marks the end of a relationship very well. The feelings have been lost and it’s very possible that at least one party has moved on, so it needs to end. There’s not much to say about this song, except the one lyric that really made this song claim its spot on this playlist:

“But you told me, if you loved me, let it die”

Starset - Let It Die (Official Audio)

The relationship is now over, and one of the characters has left the narrative. We now enter the mind of the one who was still holding on to feelings. With this, the penultimate song to this playlist is the iconic ���My Demons”. This song paints the image of inner demons attacking someone, and how they once had a significant other that would save them from these demons. The song references sickness, demons, needing help, and other color words that really paint the picture of someone mourning the death of love they once had. It is one of STARSET’s most emotionally impactful songs, and every single OG STARSET fan knows this song. This part of the story is the perfect spot for this song, and though I don’t want to copy another batch of lyrics for the purpose of finishing this story, I strongly encourage you to just listen to the song and pay attention to these lyrics. They’re very audible and very emotionally charged.

Starset - My Demons (Official Music Video)

We have finally reached the end, and the song that ends this whole story is “Ricochet”, another one of STARSET’s best songs. I know what I said about not copying another batch of lyrics to this post, but this song wins 1st place for lyrics relating to the story on this playlist, because this song is literally about reflection on a failed relationship and just wanting to see the other person:

“We were one in the same,

Running like moths to the flames,

You’d hang on every word I’d say 

But now they only ricochet…

We were falling away,

You left me with a bittersweet taste,

But when I send my heart your way,

It bounces off the walls you made,

Ricochet”

COME. ON. You CANNOT tell me this isn’t the best way to conclude this really sad story. This isn’t the only set of lyrics in the song that paints this picture well, THE WHOLE SONG DOES. Back to the story, time has passed and the remaining character still misses their ex-lover. They’ve tried really hard to rebuild some sort of relationship with them, but it just didn’t work. This song is the final stage of their mourning, and while they know very deep down that it will get better, they need this time to grieve.

Starset - Ricochet (Official Music Video)

STARSET – Ricochet Lyrics

I don't relate to this entire story, but it was sure as hell fun to write. I apologize for any emotional pain that I have caused during the telling of this story, but this is what came to mind when I was creating the playlist. You’re a real one if you made it to the end, this being my longest post yet. I really hope you enjoyed.

Links Used (In Order):

https://genius.com/Starset-satellite-lyrics 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJxSNbAer9M 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tiCEp3K3Rs 

https://genius.com/Starset-telepathic-lyrics 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfqVlwetWfY 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keMBtyjYUPQ 

https://genius.com/Starset-perfect-machine-lyrics 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJtBYAKBByk 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkll0StZJLA 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaC0YVaIMno

https://genius.com/Starset-ricochet-lyrics

[redrabbitspod]

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ROLLING STONE HERE:

(full, designed article. But if you don’t want to follow a magazine layout, read the transcript. Art by @bloodydamnit)

TRANSCRIPT BELOW THE CUT

Red Rabbits: The Rolling Stone Interview

Featuring Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten, and the Red Rabbits Team

By Angie Rodner

On a chilly Monday, Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard are standing side by side, looking at something on Andrew’s phone in our New York, Rolling Stone headquarters. The rest of the Red Rabbits team, consisting of Dan Wilds, Seth Gordon, Renee Walker, Robin Cross, Allison Reynolds, and pro Exy legend/honorable mention Matt Boyd, orbit around them. It's an interesting scene to take in, to say the least. No matter what they seem to be talking about, they all defer to the two hosts without any of them seeming to acknowledge it. 

I was lucky enough to sit down with all eight of them, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m a fan of the podcast and I’ve followed since Season 1. The story of Andrew and Neil (formerly known as Nathaniel Wesnisnki, the son of the Nathan Wesninski or the Butcher of Baltimore), and the revelation of their connection they’d shared as kids, was better than any true crime podcast I’d ever listened to. 

Now, the team takes on what they’ve dubbed ‘The Case of the Newark 9’ for their second season. It’s a case based around the hunt for a man known only as ‘Steven’, who they believe is responsible for a series of kidnappings and murders of young girls in and around the Newark area. They’re joined by Robin Cross, a victim and survivor of Steven’s, who is helping them investigate the case. 

I sat down with Robin and the other women of Red Rabbits first. 

What’s it been like to work on this podcast together? Was it strange to go from looking for Neil, to having him in the studio, to watching him and Andrew form the relationship they have?

Dan: It was strange, because in all honesty, it wasn’t strange. Does that make sense? None of us knew about the meeting they had as kids, but when Andrew finally told us, everything made a lot more sense. Really, they belong together. It was much weirder when they first got back and hadn’t acknowledged what was between them yet. We were all just kinda like... are y’all not seeing what we’re seeing?

Renee: They got there eventually.

How have things changed from Season 1 to Season 2? The cases are obviously different, but they still involve missing children. What’s the atmosphere like around the studio?

Dan: Tense.

Allison: I’m not even there that often and I can still feel it.

Robin: It is tense, but there’s also a sense of urgency. We know ‘Steven’ has another girl now, so it’s like every day that goes by is another day he has her... Another day we either find him, or we don’t.  

Mm... I can’t imagine how difficult that is. However, with that being said, the NYPD have made it pretty clear that they aren’t buying what you guys are selling. How does that make you feel?

Robin: I don’t feel anything about the NYPD. My anger is better placed elsewhere. I am angry. But the police didn’t listen to me when I was a kid and trying to tell them important information. Why would they listen to me now?

Renee: I think we all try and take our cues from Robin. Andrew and Neil are very careful to include her and get her opinion on certain things before moving forward. We’re not letting this thing with the NYPD deter us. 

Speaking of Robin then, what’s it like for you to have her on the team? As one of Steven’s victims that is, there with you in the studio?

Robin: Oh no. Say nice things about me.

Dan: Girl. [ laughs ] Honestly, she’s amazing. She’s my little sister and I’m not just saying that. I think we all kind of feel that way. I’ve never known a person as strong and determined as she is and I know - see she’s blushing! [ laughs again ]- I know she hates it when we talk about her like this, but it’s so true. She’s family now.

Renee: She is, and I think she brings a really unique perspective to the case. We have someone here who’s directly involved, who lived through it and can give us some idea of what the other girls went through. I think most people would really love to have that kind of resource during an investigation.

Allison: For sure. She’s even my muse for my fall line. Everything is going to be deep colors and fun modesty.

Seems like you’ve been properly inducted into the team, Robin.

Robin: [ smiling ] It feels amazing...

Now, last question. Are you confident you’ll find what you’re looking for?

All as one: Yes.

Speaking with the ladies was fun. They were easy and connected and you can tell that there was a real sisterhood in the studio that day. It was refreshing to see women supporting and helping each other thrive in such a competitive industry. There was a lot of laughter between them, and it was such a joy to be able to share it with them. 

-

My next interviewees were Seth Gordon, ‘resident TFN sound engineer/IT guy/anything to do with technology’, as he tells it, and New York Lynxes starting backliner, Matt Boyd. When I tell you I laughed throughout this entire interview, I’m being completely sincere. There was something about the way the two bounced off each other that had me smiling and understanding why they are both so well-liked. 

You guys are best friends aren’t you? I feel a bromance in this Chilli’s tonight.

Seth: Bet. Matt Boyd is my homie and BFFL. Do people still say that? Anyway, we have matching necklaces and everything.

Do you really?

Matt: No, not really, but I’d totally wear one if he gave it to me.

[ laughing ] Matt, how did you even end up here? I know you were friends with Neil, but I feel like the details on that are kind of murky.

Matt: I hit him with my truck. [ My jaw dropped ] No, really! I hit him with my truck in Midtown Manhattan when I was driving home. He refused to go to the hospital so I brought him back to my place to make sure he was okay. He didn’t leave after that.

Seth: Because you held him hostage? That’s the way I hear it.

Matt: Oh yeah, for sure. He takes up so little space, why not? [ laughs again ] No really, I did convince him to stay, but I just felt like he needed a friend. He was obviously running from something and he was scared. I just didn’t know from what or why at the time.

And when you found out?

Matt: Honestly? I just about shit myself, but it made so much sense. All the little questions I asked myself early on, finally had answers. 

I saw the interview you and Dan did with Essence. You guys look amazing together.

Seth: They are amazing together. It’s gross. 

Matt: Yeah, and you and Dion aren’t constantly fawning all over each other.

Is that Dion hovering nearby?

Seth: Yep, that’s my man. He’s amazing and fuckin’ fine as hell. Can I say fuck in this interview?

Sure.

Seth: He’s fuckin’ fine.

Seth, what’s it been like for you, putting together the shows? There’s been a lot of audio that’s hard for us as listeners to hear, and I’m sure there’s more we haven’t even heard. 

Seth: There is.

What’s that like for you to have to go through it all?

Seth: Really hard sometimes. There was some stuff in Season 1 we didn’t air that seriously gave me nightmares. It’s worth it, though. We found Neil and I think we’ll find Steven.

Are both of you confident in that fact?

Seth: Positive.

Matt: I think if anyone can find him, it’s Andrew and Neil. They’re determined and they’ll keep looking no matter what.

I believe them. 

Andrew and Neil were my last interview of the day, and a more determined pair I think I’ve ever met. 

Here’s the thing readers: They’re connected. It might make me a poor journalist, but I don’t know how else to explain it. At one point during the interview, Neil reached over to squeeze Andrew’s arm. At another point, Andrew reached over to squeeze the back of Neil’s neck. They were obviously a comfort to and for each other, and it almost seemed like they borrowed strength. It was intense and being able to witness it has been one of my favorite moments in my career.

So, let’s talk about this season before we get into everything else. You’re looking for a man you believe to be responsible for the disappearances of multiple girls in the Newark area. Do you feel like you’re any closer to solving the mystery than you were at the beginning?

Neil: Absolutely. We’ve gotten some really great tips and we think we’ve narrowed some things down. We don’t want to get too deep into what we’ve got at the moment, because we’re still investigating. But we’re confident in what we have.

What’s it been like working with Robin? I was able to interview her earlier, and she’s really something.

Andrew: She’s been the best resource we have. She’s incredibly strong and unbelievably quick. She’s taken this terrible thing that happened to her and turned it into fire, and it’s been amazing to watch. Most of the information we have comes from her.

The interview you guys did with her was absolutely chilling. I cried three times listening to it. How do you handle hearing these things? I feel like it’d be really hard not to take it home with you.

Neil: Yeah. It’s hard sometimes.

Andrew, I want to touch on the interview Riko Moriyama just did with Kathy Ferdinand and your response. What was that like for you, hearing Riko wrongfully expose something like that on live television?

Andrew: It was… I was stunned, I guess. That information was supposed to be sealed. My name was redacted. So I have no idea how he even got details of the case.

You’ve talked before about being in the foster care system. It sounds like you had a pretty rocky childhood.

Andrew: Yes.

Neil, I know yours was no picnic either. Do you think that this kind of... shared trauma, I guess, is part of why you two work so well together?

Neil: Yeah, partly. When we met as kids, I think a bond was cemented. We both knew how horrible adults could be to children. But now that we’re older, I think more than a shared trauma, it’s a mutual respect for that trauma. We both have shit, you know? I told Matt this one time and I didn’t really understand how true it was until recently, but we both have baggage that we share. We take each other’s on to lighten the load for the other. But, there are times when it gets really fucking heavy, and I think recently we’ve figured out that it’s better to lean on each other when that happens, instead of trying to carry it all ourselves.

Why do you think Riko felt the need to call you two out like he did? I know he mentioned Neil possibly being manipulated into the relationship.

Neil: [laughs]

Andrew: I wish I could manipulate him into having better taste in music.

Neil: My taste in music is fine. 

Andrew: It is absolutely not. And I don’t know why Riko feels the need to comment. I’d be interested to hear the reason. The things he said regarding Neil were ridiculous, and in his response, Neil has made sure to make that known. But the thing that really bothered me was his comments on mental health. He tried to basically call me unstable for seeking therapy and admitting that there came a point when I needed outside help. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people in this country who seek out therapy every year. There’s no shame in it and I’m unsure as to why Riko believes there is. Honestly, I’m shocked the Moriyamas haven’t released a statement. He’s their mouthpiece, after all.

Do you think they should apologize?

Neil: Yes.

Andrew: I think they should at least clarify. I’ve already heard people are planning to protest their new documentary and I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to give my money to people who think I’m less of a person because I struggle sometimes.

Speaking of struggle, let’s move back to the case. I know the NYPD has been giving you grief over your claims that the person you’re looking for is the same person that’s taken Haylie Clark. Robin, especially, seems completely certain. How does it feel to know law enforcement doesn’t have your back on this?

Andrew: Familiar. They’ve never had my back before, so why would they start now?

Neil: I’ve dealt with too many crooked cops to really take it seriously. I have no idea what their motivations are and to be clear, I’m not saying I think they’re crooked - I’m just saying that in my experience, the help doesn’t always come like it’s supposed to.

The rest of the team seems pretty confident in you two. They all said they absolutely believe you’ll be able to find him. Is it hard sometimes, not to lose faith?

Andrew: It’s hard all the time. But it doesn’t matter. We have to keep moving forward. We aren’t going to stop until he and Haylie are found. 

I think that’s really commendable and I look forward to seeing that happen. Now, tell me a bit about the team. Neil, since you came in at the end of Season 1, how did you find the dynamic as an outsider?

Neil: I didn’t really understand it in the beginning. Not really. It helped having Matt at my back for months prior, but I’ve never had the opportunity to make solid connections with people. So when I came into the studio, to this group of people who had known each other since college, it was overwhelming. 

Andrew: That’s funny, seeing as how they like you better than me.

Neil: It’s all the charm and charisma. 

[ laughing ] And now? You all seem really tight knit.

Neil: Now, yeah. We are. These people are my family.

Andrew?

Andrew: Yes?

Neil: She wants you to say something nice about the team.

Andrew: Every single one of them knows my coffee order, and it’s truly amazing that they can do what the interns cannot. [ he looks over at Neil, who’s tilting his head and raising his brows ] Oh, don’t look at me like that. Fine. We have a really strong team. I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing without them. Seth works harder than anyone I know, Dan keeps us all in line with just a look, Renee is the only reason I agreed to do this in the first place, Reynolds has a lot of money and she’s not afraid to use it for a cause she believes in, and Robin is the most inspiring person I’ve ever met.

And Matt?

Andrew: Who?

Neil: The guy that kept me alive for months while you were hunting me.

Andrew: [ rolls his eyes and shrugs ] He’s fine.

-

My take away from the interviews was this: these people will do whatever they need, in order to find their perpetrator. They believe in their cause, they hurt for these girls, and they’ll find justice for them in the end. They’re family, that much is clear, and I can’t wait to see how this ends. I can’t wait to say that I was there when it’s over.

Red Rabbits can be heard on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and GooglePlay. You can follow the website at redrabbitspod.tumblr.com and twitter @redrabbitspod.

And as the Red Rabbits team always says, “Keep Searching”. I know I will.

[cyberdva]

Breaking Up With My Girlfriend Prank (GONE WRONG) - C.B. ☆

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Summary: In the midst of the popular Prank War, Colby had the genius idea of pranking his newly announced girlfriend. A prank that would completely backfire on their relationship. Colby would go through thick and thin for his girlfriend, but even his dramatic acting messed something up. Can he fix it?

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Main Masterlist

Colby Brock Masterlist 

Word Count: 2k

Date Uploaded:  4/7/20

Warnings: Mild Swearing and Mentions of Sex

A/N: I have so many Colby ideas lined up…. quarantine work is currently kicking my ass, so I apologize!

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“Colby this is your worst idea yet.” Corey had merely walked through the door and was already pounded with chaos. The infamous prank war had been escalating further than planned. It had gotten progressively worse. The ideas these guys had were coming to a point of destruction. Not just the house, some of the pranks had begun to take effect on their relationships. Aaron was frequently locked in his room playing video games rather than hanging out with everyone.  People outside of the five core roommates had been dragged in. Anything for the views they say.

“Well I mean the fans have been requesting it. I’m one-hundred percent sure she won’t mind after I tell her where the cameras are hidden.” Emotions in the Trap House were only invisible barriers. So many times videos were filled with violence, purposely made for entertainment use.

“No wonder the fans wanted it… they all want a chance to date you…” Colby made his way to the staircase and paid no mind to the advice his friend was dealing him. Corey made note of the rabid fangirls that wanted nothing, but Colby for themselves. He was an unstoppable force and sometimes that led him to his own fall. Colby was back in his room, alone. It was oddly quiet. Perfect timing to begin filming..

“What’s up guys? It’s Colby Brock! Today I’m back with another prank. This one might not end too well,” His cheeky grin filled his face, on the inside anxiety ate away at every inch. “As you know, I have a wonderful girlfriend and the prank war is at its peak, so I’m breaking up with her.” A pause for dramatic effect, this needed views so he could win the war. “As a prank.” He extended his hands and put on a big smile. In his mind, Colby convinced himself that this was going to go smoothly.

“I’ve been dating Y/N for a couple months now and I felt it was time for her to get in on the action. I guess it’s an initiation…” Colby fiddled with his rings, he felt that everything around him was cloudy. “Sorry, I’m really nervous about this…” he giggled. His fingers found themselves running through his hair. With pupils wide, there was no denying this had to go horribly wrong. 

“She should be on her way over here in a few minutes. Flabby post-its thrashed their way around as the heading wind of the opened window left more than to be desired. The camera’s microphone crackled. Even the universe somehow knew how utterly stupid this idea had to be. It felt wrong. He could say he cheated on her? Why would he do that? 

‘Fuck.” Colby knew the audio files were now unusable. There was no energy left to redo this, he’s seen Corey and Sam do this so many times and their girlfriends were completely fine… after a while. He was being too hard on himself. His lungs filled with the cold, nightly air. He could do this. It’s just a prank. The window slammed shut as Y/N car slowly pulled into the long driveway. He could do this.

Colby had put too much effort into his emo-like inner monologue that reality even slipped away from himself. He made mere seconds to hide the camera and get into position. The video quality jumped even lower as Colby snatched a stray shirt on the scum-ridden floor. He tried his best to find a second angle, he fumbled with an extra camera and stuffed it on his dresser, underneath a towel. 

“Okay guys, she just got here. I have no idea what I’m going to say, but I hope she forgives me.” Another nervous laugh on cue. He was sweating like he had just come back from the gym. The large front door slammed shut. He received a text…

Y/N: I’m on my way up! I’ve been missing you all day!

“Shit.” The sound of feet hitting the trashed staircase filled his ears. He looked normal, a bit more jumpy than normal, that was all. She was right outside her door, her hands gripping the door handle. With one last look at the cameras Colby flashed his eyes to his window. The weather grew dark and grim. Rain threatened to spill at any given moment. The door was now wide open and closed with a short click.

“Hey Colb… how was your day? Anything eventful happen?” Colby made no emotion, it was not that hard to do. He gave no reply which Y/N thought was odd. She dropped a small bag filled with what would most likely be food. She looked up at him. The silence was sickening.

Her eyes skewered around for possibly a camera. It seemed scarily unusual for something like this to happen. “Are you oka-”

“We need to talk.” His voice was stern as ice. As stern as an icy pond found on a freezing December Sunday. Y/n’s pupils dilated, it wasn’t the friendly greeting she was expecting. Far from it likewise.

“What do you mean? Did I do something wrong…” she plopped down onto his sheer bed. The awkwardness was indescribable. It was the first time the pair were unable to converse. It seemed fake, like a problem that would never arise. Colby rose from the bed, fist clenched. Y/N fell backwards into the mattress.

“It’s not really you. It’s me.” That is the phrase bound to start some sort of trouble. No one really knew what was going on.

Y/N’s face contorted, “I’m sorry. Yesterday we were having sex and today there’s a problem?” She stared down at her sweaty palms, small portions of rage and sorrow were quickly brewing. “Sorry, that sounded really harsh.”

Colby smacked his hands together and a clapping noise echoed, “This is what I’m talking about.” He turned around to hide his smile. This was a situation where even he couldn’t keep his face straight.

Baffled, Y/N sat with a raging passion, “What the fuck do you mean?!” Seriously! I assumed everything was well.” She didn’t know what to do next, honestly. Where to do amongst all of this. 

“We need to break up.” Hell began again. This wasn’t what Y/N was expecting, tears fondled sporadically across her waterline and danced their way down her face like a drunken ABBA member. Her body jolted in a manner that was unthinkable. She left in a flustered hurry, Sam saw her waddling down the stairs and tried to make a headspace to connect the dots. He was interrupted by Colby stomping his way downstairs in sheer panic, equipped with a camera.

“It’s just a prank! Y/N! It was fake!” 

The grand door slammed shut.

++++

“Devyn, has Corey ever pulled this shit with you? Seriously. He seemed so convincing. Do you think he secretly meant it.”

“Knowing Colby, probably not. You’re acting like he’s a stranger. You’ve known him for how long now? Two years?”

“It really wasn’t so thoughtful of him.” The eerie ambience of the phone static paired with the pitch black

“It was a prank. They aren’t meant to be thoughtful Y/N… well semi-excluding Jake’s pizza prank.” She sighed into the phone, “Not wanting to over excite you or sound mean. You’re kind of overrea-” She hung up the phone, Y/N knew she was reacting unlawfully, she just wanted this to leave an impact. I guess it would be better for the video anyways...her phone vibrated. Four missed calls from Colby. 

The rickety door flung open and Y/N stepped outside. She convinced herself no one was watching. If Colby knew where she was he would most likely have a fit. The wind was the same  as it was, whispering secrets into the ears of anyone brave enough to listen. A branch cascaded to the asphalt that bounded the ground into one, swift motion. Y/n popped her heels onto the road. There was silence. A stray shopping bag floated past her ankles. Y/N Thought about how Colby was feeling. Did she really hurt him by leaving? Was he not kidding about what he said? Shit. She felt sad. Cried. If only she knew what was actually going on. Fuck this. Fuck Colby. Y/N stopped in her tracks, “No…” she thought. “Devyn was right. I’m going back” 

After a shitty teen-romcom reenaction Y/N made her way to the brooding boyfriend’s home. Colby sat in his room while Sam poked jokes at him, trying to cheer him up. He abandoned his phone on the stringy carpet and hoped she would get over it. She came back. 

“I hate you, you know?” Her small amount of makeup was splattered down, Colby’s spirits crushed deeper. 

“Just stay the night.. It’s the least I can do.” He begged. He pleaded. The last thing Colby needed was to lose her. 

“You actually think I would drive home after all of this happened, it’s like 12 in the morning.” She re-opened the bag from before and cracked open a soda.

“I’m so sorry. This got way out of hand and I didn’t mean any of it. I love yo-“

“Shut up Colby.”

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Part 2? Y/N does a break up prank on Colby? Send me an ask to let me know!

[zrtranscripts]

Home Front, Mission 11: Turn Your Radio On

Calibrations

~

[static]

SAM YAO: Five? Five, it's Sam. Are you receiving? I'm getting your headcam feed. I'm glad you're safe. Well, safe as anyone can be, hiding in a camping store in a mall full of zombies. We've got an emergency, Five. We need you. Better warm up, do some jogging on the spot. You've been lying low for weeks, you need to stretch those muscles.

It's the comms. We've had them down for maintenance. We were just bringing everything back online when the super horde trampled Abel's main radio repeater tower. We've set up signal boosters to compensate, but comm range has been crippled. You're at the very edge of our reach. We can't contact half our runners in the field. You can help, Five, but... you're gonna have to leave that store. Are you willing? Yes, that's my Five.

There's a phone mast on the mall roof. Janine says you can find equipment to convert it into a replacement repeater. First, you need to open that store's shutters to get out. They're controlled by a crank handle by the door, remember? Now grab the handle and move it up and down. You know, the same movement as those bicep curls you practiced with tin cans. [shutters rattle and creak] Yeah, that's it. The shutters are raising. Keep going, Five.

No, the crank's jammed! The shutters are too low to fit under. Uh, keep pulling the crank, Five. Try and work it loose. [crank squeaks] Hurry, Five. I've got cams in the mall. No zoms outside your store, but there are plenty in a nearby clothes shop. The noise has them shambling your way. [shutters clang] Yes, that's it! The crank's unjammed. The shutters are inching up. [static] Oh no, signal boosters are burning out. Five, keep working that crack until you're sure you've raised the shutters enough, then slip under them. Find the uh, the Screen and Share electronics store somewhere on that floor. You've got a few minutes before the zoms catch up, but try and be quick. Once you get there – [audio distorts and fades]

~

PETER LYNNE: Oh Five, how are we? It's Peter, still here in the Princess Louise cinema. Oh, uh, Sam's signal boosters died. But lucky for you, some of us are stranded in the field with radio gear. Sam had us make our own boosters so we could be backup operators. So I've got cam feeds on my cinema screen. I can see you searching the mall. So that is the electronics store on your left. Head in there. [door opens] Oh. Seriously, this store is a complete mess, and looks like part of the ceiling's collapsed. Um, right. Sorry. Five, the gear you're looking for, that's on the back shelf. So it's behind the massive pile of rebar and broken TVs, so you're going to need to move the rubble to get through.

Right. Use your legs to lift. And you know, doing squats should probably help. I mean, you know squats. Come on now. You plant your legs hip-distance apart and then you bend your knees like you're sitting on an invisible chair. So uh, make sure that you're doing one squat for each piece of rubble you shift. Get squatting.

See? There we go. Gorgeous! Best looking chair I've seen in years. That's it, Five. Just throw the rubble aside, no one's using it. Right, we're halfway down, Five. Speed up, come on. Um, I do actually see some shamblers heading towards the store. They're coming through the food court and they've not stopped at Claire's for earrings, so probably hurry on that one. [fox growls] Yeah, I am sorry about that growling, Five. See, you know – easy! I am holed up with a fox and those zombie moans are pretty loud on our end and that's woken the poor thing up.

That's it, Five. Well done, shifted the pile. Right, grab one of the big yellow boxes on the shelf behind. They're the ones labeled Valmont Inc. Home Broadcasting Kit. [zombies moan] Hello, fans. Yep, that's uh, zoms pouring into the store. So right, fire exit on your right. Duck through. [door opens] That's it! Right, okay. Lock the door behind you. Oh, I can tell you're on quite a nice balcony, actually. I mean, it'd be a decent view if it wasn't so foggy.

And uh, that stairwell just downwind of you, that's gonna take you to the roof. Okay, I'll accept that the zoms might break that door down. So the collapsed wall by the stairs, Five. Uh, pick up some more rubble and you're gonna use that to block the door. That's a good idea. And when it looks secure - trusting you on that - head up the stairs. Come on, a little more squatting can't hurt. Come on. Yeah, see? There we go! Great, keep going. [fox growls] Oh, for God's – no! No, listen to me. Stay away from the cable! Uh, sorry, Five. All the noise is freaking out my fox, and he - I don't know if you've had a fox, but he bites things when he's nervous. Uh yeah, no, that door, uh, get that door blocked and then get to the roof. No, bad fox! Bad fox! Drop it – [audio distorts and fades]

~

[static]

SAM YAO: Five, Five, are you there? It's Sam. Yeah. Oh, great. Uh, Peter's having um, technical difficulties. Listen, Janine's setting up better boosters at Abel so we can transmit to the relay once you get it working. She's not done yet, but I wanted to check in. Oh! Oh good, you found a stairwell. Outdoor fire escape, right? That should lead up to the roof. Take the stairs at your own pace, Five. It's misty out. I guess we've all had a lot of practice stair stepping lately, eh?

Uh, Five, turn to the left. Yeah, look through the windows you're passing into the mall. Oh, I was afraid of that. The zoms inside can see you, and they're stalking you, heading up inside the mall while you head up outside it. You need to outpace them or they'll catch you on the roof. Speed up. Start tackling those stairs as fast as you can.

Yeah, that's it. Keep pushing it, Five. The zoms are slow, but the mall has super fast escalators. They're whisking the zoms up right behind you. Great, you're pulling ahead of the zoms, Five. Keep going. Oh God, they're creepy. They're scratching at the windows until you're out of sight, then shambling after you.

Okay, Five, you've got a good lead on the horde. You can slow down. Take the rest of the stairs at whatever pace you like. Huh, that's weird. I'd swear the floor you just passed isn't on the blueprints. What's that, Janine? Okay, right on it. Uh, Janine says I've got to go offline so she can do some calibrations. I'll try and get Peter back so he can take over. In the meantime, get to the roof, find the phone mast there. You're doing great, Five. Just keep going.

~

[static]

JODY MARSH: Five, it's Jody, coming at you from my warehouse den. Peter's still offline. I’m the backup backup operator. Uh, hey, you're on the roof and the fog's clearing, nice. Look at all those rooftop solar panels. The phone mast’s on your left, big metal spike on a little concrete platform. Quick, take your broadcast kit out of the box. [kit pieces jingle] So uh, it's your basic metal tube covered in dials. See the yellow cord on the underside? You need to connect that to the control panel at the base of the mast. They must have been doing rewiring up there when Z-Day hit. Those are live electric cables all around the mast, no room to sit or stand next to it. You'll have to stretch into a planking position to reach the panel.

Get on your knees in front of the cables, holding the end by the yellow cord in your mouth by its side. Lean forward to rest your arms on the platform under the mast. It's just wide enough. Adopt a planking stance. Support your weight on your forearms and toes, keeping your back straight. Now shuffle forward until your toes are almost touching the cables. Right, your face is near the panel. Use your nose to nudge open the latches keeping its outer case shut.

[cables zap, latches click]

Hold that stance. Hold it. Keep going with the latches. Okay, that's a quarter of the latches open. Don't risk using a hand, Five. You could lose balance, and those are live cables under you. Nice. Keep it in place. Halfway done, Five, you're doing great. Stay strong. Zoms shambling onto the roof. They're on the far side, headed your way. Don't panic, Five. You've only got a few latches left. Great, the case is open!

Okay, lean your head forward, stick the cord in that shiny red socket. That's it, Five. Now on your feet. The kit's um, designed to hijack any transmitter it connects to. It was a selling point, apparently. Turn it on. Uh, set it to um, send and receive Abel frequency 1. [buttons beep] It'll take a few minutes to configure.

Those zoms are almost onto you. We need to get you off that roof. They're blocking every way down except... see that railing to your far right? There's a platform below you can jump onto. Trouble is there are loads more live wires that way. You'll have to leap between them, do some fancy footwork. Think of it as dancing, Five! It's less scary that way. Go on, toward the railing. Get dancing, go!

~

JODY MARSH: That's it. You're at the railing. Jump off the roof now. You okay, Five? That was a rough landing. You're on a window cleaning cradle suspended beside the building by cables. Good job Sam gave us detailed recon notes on that shopping center. Hey, now that the fog’s gone, you can see for miles. The town around the mall, the countryside. The uh, zillion zoms on the pavement below. We'd better get you inside fast. Really fast. Your landing jarred the cradle. It's coming free of its cables.

Okay, don't panic. Think, Jody, think! Oh yeah, great. That's really helpful. Brace yourself, Five, the cradle’s listing. Move your head, look around. There must be some way in! Wait, that window on your left, it's boarded up with plywood. I bet you could punch through it. Quick. Into a jabbing stance, one hand shielding your face, the other eye level, ready to strike. Get punching now. Punch it, come on! Come on, Five, hit those boards. Give it some welly. That's it, belt it! Oh no, my signal booster's overheating. Hurry, Five! Quickly, get through. Keep going, Five, you're getting through. Belt it! Come on, nearly there! That's it, the boarding smashed. Climb through the window, Five.

That was close, Five. The platform's crashed down right behind you. Sometimes I think you're the only runner luckier than me. Better get the lay of whatever shop you've climbed into. Run a perimeter circuit of the room. I've really missed this, Five, working together. I've been stuck in this warehouse for ages, zonked out on painkillers for my sprained leg, which is feeling way better, by the way. Being on a mission again, it's almost like old times, right? I'm losing reception. I can't resolve your head cam feed anymore. I hope that signal [?] works, Five. I guess we'll find out – [audio distorts and fades]

~

SAM YAO: Five? Five, come in, it's Sam. You did it! That kit hijacked the roof mast for us. Comms are back to full strength. Signal from the Spectrum Mall is green. I repeat, Spectrum is green. You saved the day, Five, just like you always do! Five, are you actually jumping for joy? Yeah, yeah well, I don't blame you, actually. I might join you. Oh yeah, looks like you found your way into the mall’s big games and comic shop. And hey, the door's already barricaded shut. Most of the zoms are still up on the roof. You should be safe there for a while.

I knew you'd come through, Five. You just sit tight until we find a way to get you out. There's a vending machine right by that shelf of Demons and Darkness books, so you won't be bored or hungry. And now the comms are working, we can start the indoor exercises again! Hey... Yeah, but can't I...? But I was just...! All right. [sighs] Janine says I have to go offline for a bit so she can run some systems checks. In the meantime, get some rest. Pick a couple of Demons and Darkness manuals to take from that shelf so we can all have a nice long game when you get home. Stay safe, Five. Keep this channel open. I'll be back really soon, and that's all thanks to you.

~