#lets write about a certain topic and challenge each other

[careful-fear]

i've always wanted like, a book club, or a writing club. but chill and small. people are scary

[mirxndatano]

He ate my Heart (University AU, Halloween)

Summary: A student from Coruscant's 'High Republic' University has organized a Halloween party for everyone. Dim lights, alcohol, music, and costumes that can partially hide your identity—what could go wrong? That’s what Akemi thought, not expecting what would happen that night, especially with her crush… Qimir.

Pairing: Qimir x OC Female

Warnings: This is quite LONG, alcohol consumption, I wrote this for fun.

A/N: Sorry, this was supposed to be ready by Halloween, but I had writer's block and didn’t want to leave it unfinished. So here it is to wrap up the Spooky Season. Remember, this can also be a Qimir x Reader, I just don’t like using Y/N.

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

Akemi's house was the perfect place to study, or so the Aniseya twins said. The three friends were studying in the young woman's room, sitting on the bed while Akemi lay on the edge. It seemed like the next day's exam would be a challenge, so they needed to focus their minds and concentration on the topics covered in class. Until…

—So… are you going to the party this Friday? —asked Osha without looking up from her book.

—I don’t know —Akemi replied as she wrote down key words in her notebook—. Dad might not let me go.

—Kemi… Jecki is going, and she’s your younger sister. Do you think Sol would let her go without company? —Mae asked.

—Yord can go —Akemi replied.

—Your brother is way too overprotective; Jecki wouldn’t stand it.

Akemi shot them a quick glance but went back to focusing on her writing. The theories about personality just wouldn’t stick in her mind or stay stored in her brain. The twins exchanged confused looks. Every year, at the start of October, their friend was already thinking about the perfect Halloween costume. They had never met anyone else who got so excited for a single day. And just a month ago, Akemi had practically jumped with joy when she received an invitation to a party hosted by Jackson Wang, a university student famous for throwing the best parties around.

That’s why seeing her go from excitement to disinterest in just a week seemed worrisome to them. What had happened?

—A month ago, you were excited about that party —Mae said as she moved closer and brushed the young woman’s hair aside, trying to catch her gaze—. What happened?

—Nothing, I just remembered those kinds of events aren’t my thing.

—Is that it, or is it because Qimir will be there? —Osha asked, tilting her head.

Akemi stopped writing.

Yes, that was the reason.

Qimir.

They had been texting for months but had never been in the same room together.

It all started when Akemi accidentally posted an Instagram story singing 22 by Taylor Swift with Osha and Mae for her birthday. The video was supposed to be visible only to her close friends, but when she saw that Qimir had replied with a simple: 'Happy birthday, Akemi,' she felt like her soul left her body and came back again.

From that day on, their conversations were casual, often making her bury her face in a pillow; because all her friends and siblings knew that the boy with black hair had been her crush since the very first day she saw him.

There was only one small detail: Akemi’s shyness.

The university campus was massive, so the chances of running into each other face-to-face were slim. There were times when Akemi was certain she had seen him from behind, but before Qimir could turn around, she would run off with her heart racing, avoiding any possible interaction.

She would then rush back to where her friends were to excitedly tell them she had seen him, but Osha and Mae would roll their eyes every time she got to the part where she ran away.

One week ago, Qimir asked her if she would attend the Halloween party. Akemi, thinking he would have more important things to do, answered yes, but when Qimir replied that he would go too... something didn't feel right. It was fear. What if they talked face to face at the party and in the end, Akemi stopped being liked by him? Why would he stop liking her? She didn't even have the answer.

Fear and her overthinking always ended up hurting her.

—Yes... it's because of him —Akemi admitted.

—Oh, Kemi —Osha said as she sat on the floor to look at her friend's face—. But why? Did he say something bad to you?

—No, no! He's been kind all this time —Akemi replied—. It's just that I'm scared.

—Scared of what? —Mae asked.

—Of us talking in person that day —she said—. I know it sounds pretty ridiculous, but... you know how much I like him, and I would hate it if, in the end, he doesn't like me.

—That’s not going to happen! —Mae exclaimed as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder—. He hasn’t stopped talking to you. What makes you think it will be different?

Well, Qimir had no idea how introverted Akemi was in person. At first, she didn’t see it as a disadvantage, until the years passed and she realized that no guy had ever asked her out. She didn’t consider herself the most beautiful in the galaxy, but she didn’t deny that she was pretty; at least that’s what she saw in the mirror. She was confident, however, that confidence wavered when she was at a party and all the girls around her were asked to dance or exchanged numbers with guys. Why not her? Was she some kind of crystal ball, and everyone could see through her? Would the same thing happen with Qimir?

The twins tried to convince her to go, that they wouldn't leave her alone for a second. But nothing made Akemi change her mind.

☆.。.:*・

Friday arrived, and Akemi helped Jecki prepare the fake blood for her costume. The bathtub was a mess when she dropped it from her head to let it drip down to the dress. Another excuse to stay firm in not going to the party.

—Look at you, even with all... that, you look beautiful! —Akemi said to her sister.

Jecki smiled and looked down shyly. She grabbed the hairdryer and passed it near the paint to dry it.

—Maybe I won’t win the contest, but I’ll be satisfied knowing I tried —Jecki said, then gave her a smile.

Jecki sighed and rolled her eyes.

—Yes, but he's such an overprotective brother... he’s going to be right next to me the whole time!

—Well... I was going to do something similar —Akemi said—. You're our little sister, just act like he's not there.

—I will, only if he wears a good costume.

Akemi opened the bathroom door. Yord came out of his room at the same time as Jecki. In a blink, Yord screamed when he saw her covered in blood, and for a moment, it looked like he almost jumped to the ceiling like a cat in a cartoon.

—Oh Force! What are you supposed to be?!

—I'm Carrie —Jecki replied—. And your costume?

—Can't you see? —Yord asked, dropping his defensive stance and extending his arms.

—Yord... —Jecki spoke, then took a deep breath—. Out of all the options on the market, you chose to be Spider-Man?!

The youngest of the siblings didn’t let Yord respond and went down the stairs to get into the car. Their father offered to drive them there and bring them back. Akemi checked the time on her phone… and saw the notification of a message from Qimir.

—It’s time —Akemi said when they were on the porch of the house—. Take care of her, don’t let her get too excited about the colorful drinks. And please, for the love of everything… give her some space.

—I will —Yord replied before getting into the car.

—Are you sure you’re not coming? —her father asked from the car.

Akemi smiled but shook her head. Sol nodded, a bit disappointed that he couldn't convince his daughter. When the car drove away, he closed the front door and went back to his room to read the message from Qimir.

"Will you come tonight? I can't wait to see what costume you'll wear."

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

"I'm not sure." Akemi wrote.

“:(” That was the only reply.

Qimir sighed as he looked away from his phone and glanced around. Akemi was the only reason he had chosen to go to the party instead of staying home. The reason? He was there to confess his feelings. Two months ago, he started feeling attracted to her, so he made it his mission to find her all over campus. But every time he felt like he was about to find her, it seemed like the earth swallowed her up immediately. He also searched for her friends, but got the same result. Until one day, in the cafeteria, he ran into Akemi’s younger sister.

—Um... hello —Qimir greeted as he followed her—. You're Akemi's little sister, right?

—Depends on who’s asking —Jecki replied, giving him a quick glance.

—You don't have to worry, I'm her friend... or well, I think I am.

Minutes later, Qimir told her that he was sure he would confess his love to Akemi at some point during the party. But every time he asked her about it, she immediately avoided the topic. So, Jecki decided to help him by convincing her sister to go with him, thus completing the plan. She might be the youngest, but that didn’t mean she was foolish. Of course, she had overheard the conversations Akemi and her friends had in her room, and on several occasions, Qimir’s name lingered in the air. She knew her sister perfectly; from miles away, it was clear that she also felt something for the young man, but she was afraid to admit it.

A tap on the shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts; there was no one at eye level until he looked down.

—I'm so sorry, not even her friends managed to convince her! —Jecki apologized, speaking loudly because of the music.

—Don't worry... I'll have another chance.

Jecki just nodded and went off in search of her classmates. Qimir sighed again, but this time out of frustration. His friends had just arrived, and they wouldn't let him leave. It was going to be a very long night while his thoughts consumed him.

☆.。.:*・

Akemi was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling while listening to music through her headphones. She didn’t even feel like watching her comfort series when she felt like this, overwhelmed. Had she made the right decision?

She had many messages from the twins, pictures from the party and them showing off their costumes. There was no doubt the event was a complete success; the crowd was evident, and the thick smoke probably carried the scent of cigarettes, perfume, and other things.

She turned off the music and snuggled into the blankets, listening to the sound of her father’s car parking in front of the house. She started breathing deeply, trying to fall asleep.

Until her father slowly opened the door.

—Ah, I thought you were already asleep —Sol said.

—I was about to —Akemi replied with a faint smile.

Her father nodded, and she focused her gaze. From Sol's expression, she knew he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how.

—What’s wrong, Dad?

—Nothing, it’s just... I find it strange that you decided to stay home —he said as he sat on the edge of the bed—. On Halloween.

—Well, technically tomorrow is officially Halloween, so...

—Kemi, you know what I mean.

When her gaze met her father's, she was on the verge of breaking down. Sol had something, something that made even the most guarded person show their most vulnerable side. Akemi blinked several times to keep her tears from falling.

—It's because of a guy, isn't it?

And so perceptive too. Akemi could only nod from the embarrassment she felt.

—And what is it that worries you? —he asked.

—That I’m not enough for him.

—It's a very valid fear —her father said as he moved closer—. Kemi, I know you perceive things differently, and that hasn’t let you see that in every person, you always leave something special, just by being you. You don’t need to change anything about yourself to please others.

—But I want to make that person like me.

—All the more reason, there are many qualities in you besides being beautiful, and I’m not saying that just because I’m your father —Sol said before giving her a hug, which she returned—. If that guy doesn’t see how special you are… then he’s not worth it.

Those words hurt like a knife in her chest, but her father was right.

—I’ll be awake in the living room, in case you change your mind —her father said before walking away.

The door closed, and once again, the room was dark. Akemi put on her headphones and sank into a brief sleep, where her mind made her fall into an abyss of despair. She was at the party, just trying to keep up with the rhythm of the music while standing between Mae and Osha, who were dancing and giving it their all. Qimir was a few meters away, surrounded by his college friends. Everyone had a red cup, the contents of which were questionable, though it was clear it was alcohol. In the blink of an eye, the crowd parted, and suddenly, the image of Qimir being kissed by other girls appeared in front of her eyes.

She immediately woke up, feeling nauseous from that image.

—Fuck it, it's fine! —she muttered to herself as she threw the blankets off.

☆.。.:*・

—Come on... it's just a kiss.

—I already told you no —Qimir said—. Please, go away.

The third girl of the night who approached him with those intentions walked away, muttering insults. Qimir massaged the bridge of his nose, searching for some calm.

—Are you seriously going to turn down those opportunities? —one of his friends asked—. Face it, your girl won’t come, just have fun!

—I am having fun, I don’t need to kiss every girl here. It’s not my way.

—Well, then I’ll take the food you’re rejecting —his friend said before walking away.

—As you wish —Qimir murmured.

He was very persistent, waiting to see Akemi's figure stand out among the crowd. But as time passed, the flame of hope began to fade. He took the last sip of his drink, adjusted the dark coat he was wearing as part of his costume, and before he started making his way through the crowd, he heard a scream.

☆.。.:*

The moment Akemi stepped out of the car, her body started to tremble. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold morning air or because she was forcing herself to leave the house. She felt goosebumps, especially on her legs; a long black dress with sleeves and a vertical slit on both sides of her legs. A belt of the same color with some silver details, and finally, a fake cut near her left eye, made with makeup she borrowed from Jecki’s room.

She walked, following the sound of the music to find the house. A group of girls dressed as zombie cheerleaders passed by her, carrying bottles and bags of ice.

—Hey! —One of the girls greeted cheerfully—. Are you looking for Wang's house?

—Oh, hi! —Akemi returned the greeting—. Yeah, I’m not good at finding my way around.

—Don’t worry, it’s this way —another girl replied, taking Akemi by the arm.

—Thank you so much —Akemi said, smiling a little.

The music intensified, and the young woman took a deep breath to keep herself from running back to her father’s car. Especially when she saw the number of people in the yard, her gaze darted in all directions, searching for Mae, Osha, or any of her siblings.

—Thank you so much for walking me here —she thanked again with a visible smile.

—No problem —the girl replied—. Have fun!

The girls walked away, and Akemi took another breath, activating her lightsaber. The red color and sound caught the attention of those nearby, and for that night, she felt carefree about what others might think. After all, it was Halloween.

—No way! —Mae exclaimed, running toward her with Osha.

The friends hugged, bouncing with happiness.

—Kemi, you look... wow! —Osha said while looking at her friend.

—You both look gorgeous —Akemi said—. The black swan and the white swan, why didn’t I think of that before?

—And you? —Mae asked—. I thought you identified as a Jedi.

—Well, it’s Halloween —Akemi replied, shrugging.

The conversation was interrupted when Osha looked up, hearing the music change.

—Enough talking for now, let’s dance! —Osha exclaimed, pulling her sister and friend by the hands.

The first part of her dream was coming true; she was trying to dance with her friends, even though she felt a little shy. She tried to remember how she used to dance occasionally in her room with the headphones on full blast, but she felt blocked.

—You don’t have to think too much to dance —Mae told her—. Just let go and let it flow.

—I know, but… I feel blocked —Akemi replied—. I think I need something to drink.

—But you don’t drink alcohol —Mae said, surprised—. Are you sure?

Akemi nodded. Mae was still uncertain but took her to the bar, where there were bottles of all sizes and colors. The first drinks barely had any alcohol in them.

But in just two hours, things had changed. Akemi no longer knew what she was drinking, but the taste wasn’t unpleasant. As the songs kept playing, her body began to relax, and she could follow the rhythm of the music without Mae and Osha encouraging her. She was so absorbed in the moment that the memory of her dream faded, as did her introversion. She didn’t even notice that Qimir was watching her from the other side of the garden. Now, anything seemed absurdly fun, making her laugh and joke around.

Meanwhile, Qimir was frozen, stunned by the situation. He never thought he would see Akemi like this, so he felt the need to protect her and take precautions in case any guy approached her with bad intentions.

Akemi bit her tongue and got nervous when —to her perception— Qimir began making his way through the crowd toward her. Was it real, or was the alcohol making her hallucinate?

She turned to look at her friends, and they signaled with their hands, indicating that everything would be fine before heading off for more drinks.

—Hello.

—Ah... ¡Hi, Qimir! —Akemi greeted with a smile, a product of the alcohol in her system.

—So, you like Star Wars? —Qimir asked, looking at her costume—. Why didn’t you tell me?

—Well, it’s something I keep to myself —Akemi replied—. You look really good as a vampire. I mean, not that you don’t always look good, you always look cute, I mean...

Akemi clenched her fist, digging her nails into her palm to force herself to stop talking. The feeling that she was ruining the moment tried to eat her up. But when Qimir smiled, the fear turned to ashes.

—You look incredible too —Qimir said, taking another step toward her.

—Wow, look who finally found each other! —Mae exclaimed, holding a new drink, as did Osha.

—Finally —Qimir said—. Do you think I can hang out with you guys? My friends are already getting on my nerves with their jokes.

—Of course! —Osha replied—. A friend of Akemi’s is a friend of ours.

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

One breath near her nose tickled her, the sound of birds singing through the window made her wake up. Her lashes fluttered, and she focused her gaze.

The breath was from Mae, and behind her, Osha was also sleeping close to the wall.

Akemi didn’t move, a sharp pain on the left side of her forehead made itself known, like a fine needle trying to penetrate her skull. She sighed, accepting the pain as a sign to go back to sleep until her friends woke up or her dad knocked on the door.

Suddenly, her blood turned to ice. She was sure her heart stopped for a second and then started pounding like a drum in her chest. The breath on her neck made her skin crawl. Had Jecki stayed over too? No, the warmth that was starting to surround her came from a larger body. Yord? He never came into her room. With her heart racing, she slowly turned over, and there he was.

Qimir.

His dark hair strands were over his peaceful face as he continued sleeping. She could see his long eyelashes, the fake blood at the corner of his lips reduced to a light stain down to his chin. Although the image seemed cute, she grabbed his arm and shook him gently. How had he ended up at her house, in her bed, and sleeping so close? Qimir woke up and gave a slight smile, but from the look on Akemi's face, he felt like she was seeing a ghost.

—What are you doing here?! —Akemi whispered.

—Good morning to you too —Qimir murmured—. Don't you remember? You told me to stay.'

—What?! —Akemi asked—. When did that happen? No... I don't remember.

She felt her face heat up when Qimir gently stroked her cheek, and a teasing smile formed on his face. Akemi was in shock, never expecting to have the guy who had stolen a bit of space in her thoughts and occasionally appeared in the conversations she had with the twins right here in her room, so close.

—My dad... —Akemi said, her worry growing—. He could wake up at any moment.

—And you don't want him to find me here —Qimir said—. Because that wouldn't be right, right?

Akemi nodded.

—Go down the stairs carefully and exit through the kitchen's back door, it's always open —Akemi said, her mind still groggy but working—. The front door makes a lot of noise when it opens and closes.

—Got it! —Qimir replied—. Rest, drink something to hydrate, and then... we need to talk.

Those words sent shivers down Akemi's spine. Qimir carefully got up from the bed, adjusted his shirt, picked up his coat from the floor, and finally slipped on his black Converse, balancing himself while tying the laces. He glanced back at Akemi, who was now sitting, hugging the blankets, with a storm of intrusive thoughts swirling in her mind. What did he want to talk about later, and why wasn't now the time? Had she done something terrible that she couldn’t remember? Had she upset him? He noticed how Akemi’s gaze was fixed on a point on the wall, her honey-colored irises darting back and forth as if she were watching too many scenes from a movie at once.

Oh, no.

—Kemi —Qimir whispered, leaning closer to her—. It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong.

—Didn't I? —she asked, making an effort to look him in the eye.

Qimir gently cupped Akemi's face in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead. His smile widened when he noticed her cheeks flush a delicate pink.

—Everything will be fine, relax —he said softly before pressing a tender kiss on the tip of her nose and leaving, closing the door carefully behind him.

Silence.

Nothing felt real. This had to be a dream, even though the sting on her arm from pinching herself said otherwise, and the lingering scent of Qimir's cologne on the pillow and blankets grounded her in the undeniable truth of the moment.

—Did your vampire prince already leave? —asked Mae, making Akemi jump a little. Her eyes were still closed.

—I think so —Akemi replied, noticing that Osha was also waking up and stretching her arms—. Hey, what happened last night?

—You don’t remember anything?! —Mae almost screamed, sitting up suddenly.

Akemi shook her head. She also noticed that the twins and she were all wearing pajamas. When did they change? She had so many questions and few answers.

—Do you want to see what happened last night? Here —Osha said, handing her phone over—. This is everything that happened after playing APT.

As Akemi scrolled through the pictures, flashbacks began to flood her mind. Until she reached the photo that made her throw the phone and scream, falling off the bed.

—It can’t be…

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

—Let the costume contest begin! —shouted Jackson Wang into the microphone.

Yes, that memory was clear. On an improvised runway, everyone dressed up that night took their turn. Jecki was cheered on by her entire class, who made a wild scene with their shouting. Osha and Mae also stole the show in their block. Qimir didn’t want to participate because he thought his costume was too basic, but his friends pushed him onto the stage, leaving him no choice. Three people before the contest ended, Akemi made her appearance on her own, spinning a few times with her lightsaber.

In the end, Jecki won thanks to the support of her classmates, siblings, and their friends. For the rest of the night, she carried her bouquet of flowers and kept an eye on her bag containing her prize: a brand-new phone. Jackson clearly spared no expense.

It was 2 a.m. Akemi was sitting on one of the garden planters next to Qimir, talking about all the times she had watched him from afar but preferred to run away, and he about all his efforts to find her and talk in person. When Mae and Osha got tired of dancing, they joined the group without interrupting the conversation. The music changed; it was slower now, and it was no surprise to anyone that the purpose of these songs was for couples to dance.

—Do you want to dance? —Qimir asked Akemi.

—I’d like to —she replied—. But I don’t know how to dance.

—Neither do I.

He took Akemi’s hand, and she followed him to the center of the garden. The couples were already spinning slowly, and the world seemed to stop when Qimir gently placed his hand on the small of her back. Akemi rested her hand on his shoulder, feeling the warmth seeping through the fabric of his coat. The music carried them into a silence that spoke louder than any words. Akemi’s eyes lifted to meet Qimir’s, and in that moment, the carefully built facades of both of them crumbled.

—Qimir…

—Yes? —he asked, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes closing for a moment. It was as if, in that instant, everything else ceased to exist.

—Can I… kiss you?

Qimir shook his head slightly. From Akemi’s drowsy gaze, he was well aware that the alcohol had affected her to some extent.

—You’re not in your right mind —he replied with a wide smile—. It wouldn’t be right.

—I’ve always been aware of my words and thoughts —said Akemi—. Could it be on the cheek?

—Well… —he said, pretending to hesitate, and his smile grew even wider at the young woman’s expression—. That would be fine.

Akemi gave him a quick kiss on the left cheek and hid her face in Qimir's chest, her laughter heard through his skin. He could see from afar how Mae raised her eyebrow, smiled and nudged her sister so she wouldn't miss the scene she was witnessing. Qimir took Akemi's face in his hands, who was blushing from his actions.

—Okay, if you're conscious, how about I kiss you here? —Qimir asked pointing at her lips.

—You can't, you have fake blood.

—It's edible.

Akemi couldn't help but laugh covering her smile with her hand. But Qimir took her wrist lowering it and with the other hand pulled her towards him making their lips finally meet and melt in a kiss. Her eyes closed, the sensation of an electric current going from her mouth to her spine, growing heat like being on fire from the inside. The grass at her feet disappeared, there was no one or anything around even though she felt flashes near her face. Only them and the music that was heard more and more distant and the darkness took everything.

Akemi had fallen asleep.

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

—After that, Jecki called Sol, but he didn’t answer because he had already fallen asleep —explained Osha—. So, we ordered a rideshare to bring us here.

—Wait, I don’t get it… Did I fall asleep in the middle of the kiss? —asked Akemi.

—Yeah, maybe. But don’t worry, it happens to a lot of people —responded Mae.

—And what else happened? Did my dad see me like that? At what point in the story did Qimir end up sleeping here?

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

—Dad’s not answering! —exclaimed Jecki; it was the eighth call with no response.

Everyone was sitting on the planter near the front door. Qimir had draped his coat over the sleeping girl and placed an arm around her shoulders.

—Are you sure she just fell asleep like that? —asked Yord, struggling to contain his anger—. Or did you put something in my sister’s drink?

—Enough, Yord! This isn’t helping at all! —Mae almost shouted.

—I already ordered a rideshare to take us home; we just need to confirm the address —said Qimir, handing his phone to Yord.

Yord sighed, annoyed. All of this was making him feel uncomfortable. Reluctantly, he inputted the address and handed back the phone. The ride was silent, the tension overwhelming. They hoped Sol was deeply asleep so he wouldn’t hear or find out what had happened with one of his daughters.

When they arrived, Yord opened the door carefully. A few meters away, the living room had the TV on. Indeed, Sol had fallen asleep; not even the sudden increase in volume from the infomercials made him react.

—It’s this way —whispered Osha, shining her phone’s flashlight on the stairs.

Qimir climbed slowly, holding Akemi in his arms. One wrong step and they’d tumble down the stairs, creating a loud noise. He laid the young girl on the bed and waited outside the room while the twins changed her clothes, and they did the same for themselves. Yord joined him after closing the door and tucking a blanket around his father.

—I'll let you handle the situation —Yord said, about to close the door to his room—. I'm not going to help you.

—You don't like me, do you? —Qimir asked.

—Jecki and Kemi are my sisters, I have to protect them —Yord replied—. And to be honest, you don't look like a saint.

Qimir nodded, understanding. It wasn't the first time he had received a similar comment. With his appearance, people often thought he was a carefree guy, living life without limits. But that was just how others perceived him, and it didn’t define him as a person.

—I can assure you that I won't cause any harm, you can rest easy —Qimir said.

Yord gave him one last look and nodded before closing the door. Jecki came out of the bathroom with wet hair, in her pajamas, and no trace of the fake blood that had been on her for hours.

—Although you wore a pretty basic costume, I won't deny when someone looks great —she said, giving a thumbs up in approval.

—Thanks, Jecki —Qimir replied, the corner of his lip lifting.

—So… when are you going to tell her that you really feel something for her? —she asked, referring to her sister.

—I hope to do it tomorrow —he said—. I think it's something that can't wait any longer.

—I like that attitude —Jecki said, smiling—. I'm going to sleep, you'd better leave through the back door, it never has a lock.

—I will —he replied before the young woman entered her room.

He could leave right then, but he wanted to make sure Akemi was okay. The door beside him opened.

—I thought you had already left —Osha whispered.

—No —he replied—. How is she?

—She's still asleep, don't worry. She'll feel better in the morning.

—Do you think... I could see her? —Qimir asked.

Osha hesitated, but in the end, she opened the door wider for him to pass. The little light coming through the window allowed him to see part of the room. The walls were white, to his right was the closet and a desk. To the left was the more interesting part; a vanity with her makeup, the bed pressed against the corner, and a wall full of pictures he couldn't make out but guessed would include Akemi's favorite singers, movies, series, and characters. At the foot of the bed was a bookshelf, about to exceed its capacity with the number of titles it held.

Mae was already asleep, and Akemi was beside her. Her hair was somewhat messy, but he could see her long eyelashes when he got closer. He stayed there for a few seconds, starting to move away; but then he felt a hand around his wrist, a sensation that sent a shiver down his spine.

—Don't go —Akemi whispered, her eyes half-open.

—I can't stay, but your friends will be here, with you.

—Stay —she pleaded, pulling at his arm—. Please.

Qimir didn’t want to agree, he looked at Osha —still standing near the door— not knowing what decision to make.

—I don’t think she’ll let go so easily —Osha whispered—. Listen to her, it’s okay.

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

—So much happened —Akemi said, shaking her head slightly, trying to process the words from the twins—. I'm scared of what will happen after all of this.

—Everything will be fine —Mae said, hugging her friend—. Trust us, you know we’re never wrong.

—And this time something is for sure —Osha added, joining the group hug—. He’s in love with you.

Akemi smiled, the fact that people outside of her thoughts confirmed she wasn’t just making illusions in her head relaxed her, allowing a slight weight on her shoulders to disappear, leaving her feeling free. Her phone vibrated with a message from Qimir.

"I made it home. Take today to recover, I'll be at your house at 7," wrote Qimir. "Happy Halloween ♡"

Yes, after a long time, her feelings were reciprocated, and in her favorite season. Who would’ve thought that love would bloom amidst terror, fake blood, and nightmares?

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

[happyhuffles]

Angel - 03

Pairing: Idol!Hyunjin x Musician!oc & MINSUNG!

Genre: fluff, angst, eventual smut?? Idk let me know if you guys want that in the comments.

Synopsis: Two strangers with the same love for the city and songwriting meet under the stars in Chicago. They fall in love, quick and easy. But, there’s a problem. They are both keeping a big secret from each other.

3.4k

Warnings: lots of talk about anxiety, cussing.

Masterlist

_____

Two brutal months had passed since Hyunjin's return to Korea and ever since, Anne has been smothering herself in work. The last few weeks were spent in Ireland, finishing up the production for her friends new album Unreal Unearth. A beautiful concept album about the nine circles, which she was now an expert on. Anne had written most of who we are on her own, but that was the night she had met Hyunjin. He had helped her finish it, and together they wrote, Francesca. 

When she had brought her work to Andrew he loved it immediately. He had been struggling in writing for the second and fifth circles of hell so Anne had taken on the challenge. Hence Francesca and who we are were born. Two devastating and powerful songs about love, identity, lust, and wrath. 

The older man had bugged her incessantly at first. "Who is the anonymous co-writer?"  

He was desperate to know but quickly learned after she broke down in tears that it was a sensitive topic. The only bit that Andrew knew about the mysterious man was that he was close to Anne's heart, dangling on her chest in a shiny silver locket.

It wasn't that she refused to speak of him. Anne just couldn't, not at first. The mere memory of him was so vulnerable in her fragile heart that every fleeting glimpse brought her to tears. But, that was two months ago. She had grown used to his absence over that time and the letters that they sent each other weekly, like clockwork, lessened her pain. 

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" The sound of Andrew's voice brought Anne out of her thoughts. 

She looked up from her notebook, which she had been starring at blankly for the past hour and found her friend buzzing with his own excitement. Tomorrow was the official release of his album, of course Anne was excited.

"Yes! Of course. Are you excited big A?" she said forcing a bright smile onto her face. Hoping that her friend would be too distracted by her annoying nickname for him to notice her down-hill mood. Too bad, Andrew could see right through her.

The older long-haired man gave her a skeptical look. He leaned against the wall that her desk was pressed up against and slide down to the floor, resting his elbows on his knees. Anne let out a exasperated sigh, knowing that Andrew was too perceptive for his own good. 

"What's going on Anne? Talk to me."

Anne let out an long breath and glanced at the notebook in front of her, its pages filled with scribbles and unfinished thoughts. She wanted to tell him—wanted to lay it all out—but the words tangled in her throat.

Tomorrow, the world would hear Francesca and Who We Are.

Tomorrow, Hyunjin could hear them.

And tomorrow, he might finally realize who Angel truly was.

"He doesn't know that I'm angel, I never told him," Anne whisper's out, the words so quiet that Andrew hardly catches them. 

"Who?" he asks, half certain of who she's talking about. 

"Hyunjin," Anne replies as if he would know his name. And he doesn't, but watching the way her hands grab at the locket around her neck confirms who Hyunjin is in Andrew's mind. The co-writer that he knew Anne had fallen in love with. 

"I see," Andrew starts, looking deep in thought. "Maybe you should write to him," he suggests. 

Anne throws her head back and chuckles humorlessly. A single tear falling from her eye as she does so. 

"Yeah, and then what? He ghost's me for lying to him." Anne says, eyes still gleaming with tears. Deep down she knows that he would never do that, but the evil voice in the back of her mind overpowers that thought. "I should have just told him, but I was afraid. I didn't want him to look at me differently, I didn't want to ruin what we had."

Andrew watches her for a long moment, his sharp eyes softening with understanding. He doesn’t rush to fill the silence, doesn’t try to offer empty reassurances. Instead, he lets her sit with her own words, with the weight of her confession pressing down on her.

Anne sniffles and wipes at her cheek, as if that will erase the tear that had already fallen. She feels foolish—like a child caught in a lie too big to take back.

Andrew exhales deeply, raking a hand through his long hair. "Anne, if he really cares about you, he'll understand."

Anne nods her head at his words and a few tears fall from her chin as she does. Hyunjin did care about her, she knew this for a fact. They love each other. But, betrayal is betrayal, lies are lies. She can only hope that Hyunjin can understand hers. 

_____

"Why don't you fly her out here, hyung?" 

Its the same question that Hyunjin felt every member had been asking him the last two months. Each time he gave the same answer. 

He can't. Not when Anne has no idea he is one of the most famous people in Korea, and apart of Stray Kids. Not when his contract with JYP explicitly tells him relationships are forbidden. 

"I don't know Jeongin? Maybe because I broke my contract by even looking at her or maybe because she doesn't even know I'm in a world famous fucking band!" Hyunjin snaps irritably. 

The younger boy flinches at his hyung's hostility and bits his bottom lip. The poor boy didn't know that all the other members had asked him the same question. He had just been worried about his sulking friend. Jeongin wasn't expecting him to blow up. 

"Hey!" 

Its Bangchan's voice that grabs both boys attention. The leader stomps over to them pointing an angry finger, jabbing it into Hyunjin's chest. 

"Fix your attitude Hyunjin," Bangchan starts, his voice dangerous, "Jeongin was just trying to help. Go back to your dorm for the day, we don't need you here if this is how you're going to behave."

Hyunjin clenches his jaw, hands curling into fists at his sides. The frustration that has been simmering beneath his skin for weeks now threatens to boil over, but he forces himself to take a slow, shaky breath. He hadn’t meant to snap at Jeongin. He knows that. But the constant prodding, the endless reminders of what he can’t have, are driving him insane.

His shoulders rise and fall as he exhales, and he chances a glance at Jeongin, who looks both startled and a little guilty.

"Sorry," Hyunjin mutters, rubbing a hand over his face. "I didn’t mean to yell."

Jeongin gives him a small, understanding nod, but Bangchan isn’t letting him off that easy.

"Go," the leader says again, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Clear your head, figure out what the hell you want to do, and come back for dinner when you're not biting people's heads off."

Hyunjin swallows hard, wanting to argue, to insist that he’s fine, but he knows better than to push his hyung when he’s already on thin ice. Without another word, he turns on his heel and leaves, the weight in his chest pressing heavier with every step.

The moment he’s alone in his dorm, Hyunjin collapses onto his bed, exhaling sharply as he stares at the ceiling. Anne's most recent letter sits on the nightstand, the ink already smudged with the tears he cried when he read it this morning. 

She had written another song. The night we met. It conveyed her longing and heartache, and while reading it Hyunjin realized it mirrored his own. They were both being tortured by the love they had for each other. Unable to do anything about their busy lives and the distance between them.

In the other room Bangchan consoled a confused Jeongin. Being the nosy man that he is, Bangchan knew that Hyunjin and Anne's letters arrived like clockwork, every Thursday. So, he was quick to recognize his friends change in mood on those days. 

"Go wash up, we'll all have dinner together in an hour," Bangchan said, ruffling the younger boys hair affectionately. 

As Jeongin left the practice room Felix entered, with Changbin quick on his heels. Both boys had wide eyes as they starred at Felix's phone. Bangchan fought back an eye-roll already sensing what the two boys were up too. The leader was definitely not in the mood for a stupid TikTok dance or aeygo, Changbin's favorite. 

"Hyung!" They both exclaimed excitedly. The boys came to a hault in front of him and shoved the phone they had been gawking at into his hands.

Bangchan immediately handed it back, not bothering to look at the screen. He has had a long day and needed to wash up before Minho called them for dinner. Most importantly, he needed five seconds to himself. He was exhausted. 

"Maybe later," he said, waving them off.

As Bangchan moved to brush past them, Felix and Changbin didn’t let up.

"No, hyung, you need to see this," Felix insisted, his voice urgent enough to make Bangchan pause.

Changbin, practically vibrating with excitement, shoved the phone back into Bangchan’s hands. "Just look!"

With an exasperated sigh, Bangchan finally glanced down at the screen. The moment he saw what was playing, his exhaustion was momentarily forgotten.

Hozier’s new album, Unreal Unearth, had just dropped, and splashed across the screen were the track titles.

Right there, in bold letters, were Francesca and Who We Are.

Bangchan frowned, confused. "Those are titles are familiar?"

"Yeah, and the lyrics are familar too. These are the songs Hyunjin helped his girl write," Felix said watching his friends reaction. 

The leader's brow only furrowed further as he scanned the lyrics. They were in fact the same ones he had read from Hyunjin's notebook. But, he had no idea that this Anne girl was a writer for such big artists. 

Swiping down, Bangchan scanned the information—and his eyes widened.

There it was.

Songwriters: Angel & anonymous. 

Angel.

"Holy shit," he whispered, not believing what he was saying. 

Changbin giggled abnoxbisally at the words while Felix nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, holy shit is right," Felix says, taking his phone back.

He watches his friends face intently taking in his reaction. Bangchan cocks his head to the side, still deep in thought. The man is contemplating so hard that and Felix can practically feel the oncoming headache that he will inevitably have. 

"But he never told us? Anne is literally the biggest writer in the industry," he says confused. 

Felix looks satisfied at his words, as if he had solved a puzzle the younger boy arranged. 

"Thats the point." Felix starts, with a knowing smile on his face. "Hyunjin tells us everything, if he knew Anne was Angel he would have told us. But, he doesn't know." 

Bangchan makes a noise of understanding before chiming in, "He's been so worried that she will be upset because he never told her about Stray kids. But, she is literally doing the same thing. I bet its for the same exact reasons too." 

"Yes!" Both Changbin and Felix exclaim in unison. 

Bangchan laughed at their excitement. The whole situation was funny actually. He knew how worried Hyunjin had been over the last couple months, seems like Anne is definitely feeling the same way. 

Changbin laughed. "Hyung, they’re both hiding the same thing from each other. It’s like a K-drama, but real life."

"And we talked to the other artist Hozier, we're gonna surprise them. It really is like a K-drama." Felix agrees. 

"What?"

Bangchan’s laughter cut off abruptly. He blinked at Felix, suddenly suspicious.

"Wait. What do you mean, we talked to Hozier?"

Felix and Changbin exchanged a look, grinning like two kids who had just pulled off the best prank in history.

Felix rocked on his heels, clearly enjoying dragging this out. "Well, we might have… you know… reached out to his team."

"And," Changbin added, practically bouncing, "we might have casually mentioned how cool it would be if Hozier was a special guest opening on stage at the concert next week."

Bangchan stared at them. "You didn’t."

Felix beamed. "We did."

"And he agreed?"

Felix’s grin widened. "Not just agreed. Loved the idea."

Changbin clapped his hands together. "So, he's gonna drag Anne with him to sing back up and told her that they will have a mini friend-cation afterwords, you know since we have a week break until we perform again."

Bangchan groaned, rubbing his face. "You two are unreal."

Felix smiles brightly and pulls their leader in for a hug, "Oh, you love us. We've just made a master plan to restore our Hyunjinnie's happiness."

Bangchan can't help but internally agree yet he doesn't show it. Instead he steps back and look between the two boys seriously, pointing a finer at both of them. 

"If this doesn't work your both paying for Hyunjin's therapy." Bangchan narrowed his eyes at them. "Do not make this worse than it already is."

Changbin waved him off. "We’re doing him a favor!"

Felix nodded eagerly. "Yeah! And Hozier is literally the only person Anne would ever let talk her into coming here without suspecting anything. She trusts him."

Bangchan crossed his arms, thinking it over. "And Hyunjin has no idea?"

Felix smirked. "Not a clue."

Changbin elbowed him playfully. "Think he'll cry?"

Felix snorted. "Oh, absolutely. Like, ugly sobbing."

_____

By the time dinner rolled around all of the members were up to date on Changbin and Felix's master plan. They all shared the same excitement at the thought of reuniting Hyunjin with the girl they had all heard so much about. Though, only Changbin, Felix, and Bangchan new just exactly who Anne was. Good thing the rest of the members were clueless when it came to putting the dots together as to how Hozier was getting Anne to them. 

With everyone on board and Hyunjin completely oblivious to there plans, everything was almost perfect. Almost perfect. There was still one problem that they had neglected to factor in when scheming. 

Their contract. 

The annoying invasive piece of paper that each of them had signed forbid certain things. A relationship being one of them. 

"Shit." Felix said running a stressed hand through his hair and then pinching the bridge of his nose. 

A taut silence filled the room. All the boys looked between each other worried. How could they forget?

Felix and the rest of the boys were crowding Minho in the kitchen as he cooked them dinner so they could divulge there plan. Instead of the giddy, giggly boys they were moments ago, the group was now distraught. Seungmin, hadn't meant to start a panic when he mentioned their contract. He was just using his common sense. Though, the rest of the boys seemed to have lost it at the thought of their friends K-Drama love story. 

"What are we gonna do now?" 

It was Changbin who broke the silence. The cheery expression he usually wore was replaced with something more serious as he scanned the faces of his friends desperately. 

Felix clenched his fists. "So what do we do? Just give up?" His voice was sharp with frustration. "Because I’m not doing that. Hyunjin deserves this."

The group fell silent again until Minho, who had been quietly stirring the pot on the stove, finally set his spoon down and turned to face them. "We’ll figure it out." His voice was steady, but there was something else behind it—something firm.

He exchanged a subtle look with Jisung who nodded his head. If it came down to it he and Minho would figure it out. 

Feeling slightly nervous at the thought, Jisung took a step closer to Minho whose gaze hadn't left his. The older boys left hand still stirred the pot of soup but the other reached out to rub comforting lines up and down Jisung's arm. 

The action didn't go unnoticed by Felix, who had always been more perceptive than the rest of his friends. He caught Jisung's eye, cocking an unsure brow and the boy looked away quickly, a deep blush coating his cheeks. 

He and Minho knew that none of the members had caught onto them. None of the members except for Felix. The blonde never said anything to them about it, not ever. Nor did he tell the other members or run to management. They were both silently grateful for that but at the same time they couldn't hide in the dark forever. 

Minho and Jisung had spent the past two years dodging close calls, carefully maintaining just enough distance in public, laughing off teasing remarks, and swallowing their longing in the presence of others. It was exhausting—had been exhausting. They so desperately wanted to love each other openly, but that would be dangerous to their careers. However now, seeing another member starting to go through the same thing they knew it was time. Jisung and Minho deserved to love each other out loud and Hyunjin deserved to love Anne too.  

"How are you guys gonna figure it out? You know how strict management is about the contract."

This time its Seungmin who speaks up. His questioning gaze looking between his two hyung's who seem to be having a silent conversation with their eyes. 

Minho turns off the burner ignoring, the comment for a moment, and takes off his cooking apron. He folds in over once and bends over to drape it over the oven door. His hair falling cutely over his eyes as he does so. 

When Minho stands back up straight his eyes find Jisung who gives him a slight nod. His cheeks have a nervous pink tint that would have made his heart flutter if he hadn't been so overwhelmed with his own anxiety. 

Breathing in deeply and then letting out a large sigh Minho clears his throat. His shaking hands subconsciously reach out for Jisung for comfort. The younger boy doesn't miss a beat threading his smaller hand into his boyfriends. 

The moment Minho’s fingers curled around Jisung’s, the air in the kitchen shifted.

Jisung squeezed back, grounding him. His own pulse was erratic, his stomach twisting with anticipation, but there was no hesitation—only the undeniable warmth of Minho’s hand in his.

It was Felix who noticed first. His sharp eyes flickered between their joined hands and their faces, realization dawning. His lips parted slightly, in shock, but then quickly spread into a large happy grin.

The others, however, were still waiting, oblivious to the quiet revelation unfolding in front of them.

Minho was rarely nervous—at least, not outwardly. But now, as he stood here in front of his brothers, holding Jisung’s hand in such a real way, for the first time, without hiding it, his heart was beating so hard he thought they might hear it.

Still, he didn’t let go.

Instead, he licked his lips, met Jisung’s gaze one last time—are you sure?—and when Jisung nodded, Minho turned back to the others.

"We mean it when we say we’ll figure it out," Minho said, voice steady but quiet. "Because… we have to."

Jisung swallowed, forcing himself to speak despite the way his throat had tightened. "Because we know exactly how hard this is." He exhaled shakily, then squeezed Minho’s hand again for courage. "We know how impossible it feels to love someone when you have to hide it from everyone around you."

The confusion in Seungmin’s eyes deepened. Bangchan’s expression grew more serious. Changbin, ever observant, straightened slightly as if something was clicking into place.

And then—

"Wait." Changbin’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight behind it was immense. His eyes widened as he stared at them. "Are you saying…?"

Minho gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Jisung’s breath caught, his heart hammering as he forced the words out. "We’re together."

A/N: Let me know if you guys like this <3

Tag list: @my-neurodivergent-world

[acutiewithagun]

Reader info dumping about their special interest ( let's say, birds, birds are good ) to Donnie for hours, just walking around following him while talking. Could it be platonic please ?

(I don't know birds, but I do know how to write in a way you can insert your special interest.)

Taglist: @oleander-nin

Just talk

You should have shut up hours ago, however, he hadn't asked you too yet. Instead you have just been following him around spouting on and on about your current special interest.

It certainly didn't feel like he was listening. However you didn't care, your thoughts were overwhelming and needed out.

"And also..." You trailed off of your train of thought as Donnie finally sits down at his computer and starts typing. You take this as a sign to shut up and sit down as well.

You flop down onto the custom made chair your purple companion made you a few months ago. The once chatter filled room now quiet, minus the faint sounds of breathing and the clacking of keys. You just silently watch your friend as he works on codes.

He cleared his throat after a minute and looked back at you. "Why did you stop?" You smile at Donnie and let out a short hum. "I thought I might be annoying you with my voice. It's not like you had to listen to a word I said."

"It's good background noise. And who's to say I haven't been listening? Ask me three questions about the topic you've been discussing for the past..." He looked back at the computer screen as he pulled up one of his ninpo screens as well. "...Five hours, forty seven minutes, and ten seconds. I guarantee I can answer them flawlessly, you know, like the genius I am."

That comment made you smile as the spiny softshell continued his work. "Three questions huh? Hmmm, what was the first thing I told you?" He typed something before opening a new page on his monitor. "Scoff, that is simple, you said hello as you entered the lab and gave me a glorious warning about your need to rant. Give a harder question."

You gave a nod as Donnie pulled up a few more ninpo screens and examined them. "Alright, smarty pants, how many times did I repeat the many facts I gave?" He gave a smirk and waved his hand around dramatically. "About five times each, except for your second fact. That was only repeated thrice. Come on, harder." You gave a scowl at thinking you out smarted the turtle.

"Fine, what was fact seven?" He turned to look at you with his smug mug that you wanted to tackle. "If I recall it was about how useless a certain thing that worked against your special interest was. Now what prize did I win?"

You scoffed at that and gave a playful laugh. "No prize, you're the one that posed the challenge." Donnie turned away and crossed his arms. "Tch, I believe I still deserve a reward for being a brilliant friend." You gave another laugh and scooched your swivel chair over to his.

"I test one of your newest inventions, no questions asked..." This caused the ninja to raise a drawn on eyebrow. "...But! It can't cause me harm." He let out a dramatic scoff once more. "Of course not, I'd never harm my friends on purpose."

"So are you ok with that?" You crossed your arms to mirror him, also raising an eyebrow. "Extremely, in fact, I have one you can test in a few hours. However I'd like it if you hung out with someone else while I work on it. As to not ruin the surprise." You shrug with a nod. "Yeah, I can do that."

With that you were pushed out of the lab within seconds, Donnie placing a bracelet thing on your wrist. "Excellent! I will buzz you back when it is ready."

The doors of the lab closed quickly after those words and you were left a little dumb founded. You blinked in confusion before turning around to find one of the other brothers to hang out with.

How did it go from chasing Donnie around the lab spewing out facts to being shunned until an unspecified time?

Maybe normal friends wouldn't be such a bad thing.

[black-arcana]

JINJER Releases New Song 'Someone's Daughter'

Ukrainian modern progressive metal icons JINJER have released a brand-new, blistering single, "Someone's Daughter". The song arrives with a thrilling music video, and is now available on all streaming services worldwide.

JINJER singer Tatiana Shmayluk comments: "'Someone's Daughter' is an artistic attempt to cast the light on the inner world of women, who in various scenarios and circumstances have had to choose a path that was historically made by men.

"In a world where women are often underestimated and overlooked, they are still powerful heroes who navigate hardship with strength and resilience, unapologetically becoming themselves and breaking barriers in the face of the challenges that face them.

"'Someone's Daughter' celebrates transition from naivety into wisdom, weakness into force, unwavering determination and fearlessness as our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives walk through adversity and fight for better change. These women are often forgotten but they have earned respect. They've earned mine, that's for sure!"

JINJER recently completed recording the follow-up to the 2021 album "Wallflowers".

During an appearance on a recent episode of Knotfest's "She's With The Band", Shmailyuk spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for JINJER's new LP. Tatiana said: "My purpose is just to write lyrics and sing them. I'm so behind right now with the writing lyrics. And I warned my guys. We were at least to get a really rough draft, rough sketch or a demo of one song, like maybe first single from the new album, at least get this, but nope. [Stress and creativity don't] work with me. Well, but when the deadline's coming, and everybody knows that — I've been talking, like, every single time we release a new album, I say that, I say this — deadlines push me. So I just have to write, so I get this stream of consciousness, basically. I write down whatever the bullshit is in my head. And then you build it. At least you have to have bricks to build a poem or whatever it is, just lyrics."

Regarding the musical direction of the new JINJER material, Tatiana said: "It's gonna be different, first of all, because I feel that the music differs a lot. And to my mind, the whole — I won't say how many songs are there; I guess 12 or even 15; let's say 13; I don't remember — but they all have… not all of them, but half of them, at least, they have a similarity in them. They're similar to each other or they remind me. They have this concept within — without any lyrics, they still sound like they belong to one box. They are a set of songs. And I already think about all the… I'm not even thinking about like the lyrics — I think about the topics and stuff, but I think about the booklet or the cover or even the music videos and what I'm gonna wear there. And it has a certain flavor to me that… I feel like it has this flavor of 19th century. It's very romanticism from the 19th century. If you listen to it, you will think, 'Oh.' You know, when you listen to MUSE, you feel he was inspired by a lot of classical composers — obviously. So our new music has this flavor. And I'm so excited."

JINJER will embark on a North American tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from fast-rising Japanese metalcore unit HANABIE and progressive metalcore mainstays BORN OF OSIRIS.

JINJER released its first official live DVD/Blu-ray, "Live In Los Angeles", on May 17 via Napalm Records. Recorded and filmed on December 22, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, this offering is intended to celebrate not only getting through the last few years in one piece, but also the band's 15-year career.

"Live In Los Angeles" was a spontaneous decision by the band, recorded as raw as possible, to emphasize the passion that can come from a live show. This release is an explosive mixture of JINJER's discography — featuring fan favorites like "Sit Stay Roll Over", "Home Back" and the game-changing "Pisces". The live album contains 16 songs in various audio formats, with some strictly limited: the deluxe digipack features not only a DVD, but also two more songs, "Wallflower" and "Disclosure!", recorded in Paris in 2023.

JINJER is:

Tatiana Shmayluk - Vocals Roman Ibramkhalilov - Guitars Eugene Abdukhanov - Bass Vlad Ulasevich - Drums

Photo credit: Lina Glasir

[wistfulwatcher]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @tessaservopoulos, thank you! ☺️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

40, though 2 of those are graphics for events/challenges.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

579,021!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

My AO3/main writing fandoms are Yellowjackets, The 100, Once Upon a Time, and Supergirl. I've been writing since I was 12 though, so I've also written for CSI, Criminal Minds, Buffy, Smallville, Glee, Lost, and Friends.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1) let our mercy be the gifts we lay - swan queen 2) Deliver Me - swan queen 3) sharing is caring (it can be fun) - swan queen 4) let me lend a helping hand - supercat 5) it takes two to tango, and other dance cliches - swan queen

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I did my early fanfic writing on forums and livejournal, where the culture was to respond to each comment. It's actually how i made most of my fandom friends pre-tumblr, just getting into long conversations in fanfic comment threads that would veer wildly off-topic. I really miss that, and unfortunately I do feel like the culture has shifted to the perception that replying to comments is more to ~boost your stats on AO3 (which could just be me being a worry-wort, but it makes me hesitant sometimes!).

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I am so not an angst writer, but I wrote one truly angsty fic for the doctor mechanic angst day, called hands of time where one of the pairing dies at the end. I'm glad I tried it, and I was actually pretty proud of the writing overall, but I'm certain now that I'm a fluff girl, through and through!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

With the exception of the aforementioned angst, all my endings are happy! I can't do it any other way. Any of the established relationship fics are probably the happiest (because any first time fics I usually give a hopeful but not perfect ending, to show that they WILL be happy but it'll take a bit of work which feels the most realistic to me), but it takes two to tango, and other dance cliches is probably truly the happiest ending because it's the fluffiest fic to begin with.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I am very fortunate, I do not.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Pretty exclusively, yes 🤭 I like to write smut with feelings, where the smut is all about characters connecting and working through their issues. I love smut, but it HAS to have depth or I don't care.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I have written exactly one crossover for a glee landcomm challenge, and it was a glee/community crossover. It's the first time I wrote a humor fic, too!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I think a lot of my swan queen fics have been reposted on those Russian (iirc) sites back in the swan queen heyday. But I don't think any have ever been stolen, stolen.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I did just get podficced for the first time a few days ago, on let me lend a helping hand! I can't wait to listen to it ☺️

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Possibly as part of a landcomm challenge, but if so I don't remember the specifics? Otherwise no. I'm notoriously a TERRIBLE collaborator, I'm too much of control freak to co-write 😅

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

This is such an incredibly difficult question. Any pairing I've written for holds such a special place in my heart, and inspired me deeply enough to write. The only pairing that's a contender for this title that I haven't written for is Xena/Gabrielle (and that's in part because they're too canon for me to feel the drive for, although I did at one point start a post-FIN fix-it fic, but didn't get far).

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I started a post-Scream 5 Sidney/Gale fic that I was excited about, but lost steam on. I'd like to finish that one day, but I doubt I will. I have a lot of Misty/Nat ideas in the mix that I want to write, though I do have hope I'll write those once I make it through the winter blues.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to think dialogue is my strong suit, in part because I write to try and get a good feel for a character and their voice. But I think I get the most compliments on movement/how I describe the physical behavior of characters which always surprises me since that doesn't feel like my strength!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Motivation feels very difficult for me, so I write in weird jags and it's unpredictable (which is so frustrating to me!!). But actual content-wise, I think my biggest weakness is action, especially fighting or scenes without much/any dialogue. They just never feel organic to me, no matter how much emotion/reflection I try to put in there.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Use it sparingly, and only when it won't detract for those who can't read it or it is translated as part of the dialogue. I think it's most meaningful when the translation is part of the story, otherwise you're taken out of the scene to check notes for a translation (if you're like me). Single words, short phrases, or pet names rarely detract in my opinion, even if it's not translated in the fic since you can usually glean the meaning from context.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Friends, Monica/Chandler. It's still floating out there and it's truly terrible 🫣

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

My most recent fic, dust off those rusty strings, is my overall favorite. It's the longest work I've ever written, and I think it's the best, as well. I put a lot of effort into foreshadowing and parallels within the story, and I felt like I grew over the course of writing it. It was also a perseverance project for me, because I really thought I was going to give up after the Yellowjackets finale aired 💔

Tagging: @alinaandalion, @tabithatwo, @toocabaret, @woodenpicador, @lesbiantahani, @laurabenanti, @shinyalice, @tunemyart, @strangesmallbard, and @damelola (and of course, anyone else who would like to!).

[crosbyism]

Fic Writers Q & A

tagged by @dadvans (like a fortnight ago, lol my bad bud, thank u boo)

How many wips do you have currently? like 9, and actively working on about two. fucking r i p, my writer’s block is absolutely taking me out back to the glue factory right now.

Which one are you finding the hardest to finish? Why do you think that is? I’ve been struggling with creative block for a while, so everything is hard right now. But for sure the ones that are hardest are the ones I’ve made the least progress on— where I love the idea and have written some scant words but maybe haven’t found the voice or the sticking points. It’s really important to me to find an emotional core while I’m writing. Sometimes that manifests as a certain atmospheric vibe given by the POV character’s emotional state bleeding into the narration (see nuts and bolts and the low tide), sometimes that’s a very concrete topic or discussion that the fic is centered around (like who can grow me), and sometimes it’s just about hitting the right narrative voice. In Pornstache and the Dogg, that sort of narrational style that’s (comedically) commenting on the events as if from after-the-fact (“It wouldn’t have happened the way it did…”; “And if it weren’t… then Nate would never ask…”; “That’s how Nate ends up…”)— I slid into that almost right away. Although it took quite a while, it was really smooth going from start to finish, and I think I even wrote it chronologically (which is unusual for me) because getting into the flow of that voice propelled me on really well. I think of it like a river: if the established current (=narrative voice, emotional core) is really strong, it’s a lot easier for me to just ride that current and let it take me where I need to go. So when I don’t have that, or am still trying to find it, that’s really hard. It’s why long-ish fic is really hard for me, because I’ll have an idea that I can plan out, that’s easy to sort of map plot points out for, but then the actual writing process is really hard because while I know what needs to happen, actually finding the voice for the story around it beomes a challenge. For me, doing it the other way around is much easier, because rearranging plot points or dialogue is very easy and natural for me if the groove of the narrative voice is well-established for me to slip into. It’s why I think of myself as more of an editor than a writer, because I find it a lot easier to rearrange my writing in order to get to a satisfying emotional ending— which is, to me, the whole point of writing.

What does it usually look like when inspiration strikes for you? It looks very random, haha. No rhyme or reason whatsoever, very mercurial lightning-in-a-bottle type shit, which makes it harder to capture. I do actually get boosted creatively a lot by spitballing with friends (most notably dadvans, who really lights my fuse like no one else), but other than that it’s unfortunately hard-to-plan, haha.

Do you curate playlists for each fic or is your process different? For a lot of fics, yeah, but not for every fic. what’s much more common is that I’ll curate either a ship playlist or a playlist for a certain mood or atmosphere, and it’ll get me in the right mindset to write e.g. a creepy scene; a sex scene; shenaniganery; etc. It’s all about mood-setting, for me.

Do you go balls to the wall and write as you go or are you more organized? I think of it as writing as I go like 90% of the time, but I don’t think that’s exactly true. It’s funny bc I always have certain beats I wanna hit for sure or plans that have evolved by midway through writing. That’s true for smut as much as for anything else. For smut it can be sex acts or sexually motor-revving moments for the characters (which, to me, is always emotionally significant), but mostly it’s an emotional beat. But it can work out to be structural elements too! For example for who can grow me I knew that the logical ending of the fic was the end of the weekend, and I’d already written and conceptualised the conversations that needed to happen within the fic/timespan of the weekend, so I ended up making a timeline midway through the process to more concretely figure out what conversation needed to happen when, so that it’s sort of “all ticked off the checklist” by the time they leave the cabin at the end of the fic. After scribbling down a timeline and planning it all out, it became clear that the last scene didn’t need to happen right before they left and that I didn’t need to make them leaving the cabin a part of the fic at all, since it was more important that it should happen the morning after The Big Emotional Talk. So I MacGyver’d it into the final scene happening on the second to last day, as they’re going out for a little hike. Because for the emotional beat, it was more important for Matthew to finally ask for something from his brother, trust him in that way, and for Brady to be able to give it to him, to sort of reforge the trust and emotional connection. So that ended up being a change made through logistical planning. What that did mean is that an easter egg that I planned fell through (Brady and Matthew were going to meet the mysterious owner of the cabin coming in as they’re going out, and sort of lift the minor mystery of who the cabin even belongs to), but since the emotional story was more important, it was a cut I was pretty happy to make.

tagging: @crosmack @imafriendlydalek @plethoriall bc i’m curious (no pressure tho buds ❤️) and anyone else who wants to. talking about this was actually really fun!

[mskinkyafro]

Natasha doesn’t bother me for pursuing Stefan — I do not want that man. But it really irks me that she’s constantly gossiping, both about MC and her relationship w Stefan, and just about everyone in general. Her beef where it was revealed she had all this to say about all the other women rubbed me the wrong way; why are they making that her only personality?

I’m not doing a Natasha route but she’s so pretty and she seems really fun. I just wish the writers would let her expand her topics of conversation from MC/Stefan to literally anything else. Does that make sense?

I’m not trying to diss Natasha. Again, she’s gorgeous and I couldn’t care less who she couples with (I’m flirting with her man Hamish so what can I say about her and Stefan). I think more than anything the writers hate her and are making her kinda gossipy, which feels… icky considering she could be a LI. Idk. I think I’m crazy

1. To answer your point she’s always gossiping, maybe I’m forgetting things or not reading into it enough, but I don’t feel like she gossips a lot. I feel like the part that was capture on the PDA Awards was the bulk of it. And also the moment with Melissa. I feel like her gossip level is similar to everyone in the house bc they have nothing to do BUT interact with each other and “gossip”. You can apply it to literally everyone else. Shit even my man Finn, was desperate for some tea during the kiss during hide n seek between Kat and whoever. Like they all do.

To your credit, I agree with the writers have had her bring up Stefan and Mc relationship too much. Which is annoying. That I wish they would have done better at feeding that to the player without using her as much. I think they needed to a certain activity discuss more about what went wrong in everyone past relationships or instead of paywalling it, airing out what happen in everyone season since some people are in the loop or out of it regarding the other islanders season.

And Natasha shared a season with Mc so even though she constantly bring them up, I see it as her way of trying to discuss or compare their different journeys navigating the same season.

Now this might be my bias coming in, but I feel like her commentary or “gossip” isn’t any different from like mc’s own that typically we see in the thought bubbles or comebacks during challenges. So I guess it just boils to personal preference and how we perceive the writing, but I just see it as no different from Mc commenting or being savage to people’s face. Hers just got aired in the most messy way.

2. I agree and ultimately still blame the writers as a whole from keeping her as our go to lore character. And therefore we hardly get more about her personality. We see that a lot with the entire cast.

Especially when there’s so much more interesting things about her. She’s a dog groomer, is it high end or specialized in certain breeds. She’s really flexible, was she a gymnast star?

Like so many things. I guess for me, I tend to really hone in on those things and run with it to help fill in the gaps. But it’s annoying that as a player I HAVE to do that bc they don’t give them more time to talk about more things.

3. But lastly, You’re not really the demographic target for my rant LOL. I just was annoyed by moreso ppl who don’t even want Stefan or on a non Stefan route pissed off at her when in my eyes , the very qualities they claim that makes her snakey or bad friend is the very same ones Mc can have and typically does. Ones that we later revere.

Or better yet, Kat still gets hate typically but we got some who prefer her over Nat and I’m like, Kat has been the absolute WORST compared to Nat. Like cmon now.

And yes, honestly the writers once again set up the black female character for mistreatment. They know damn well a certain chunk of this fandom can’t resist it. So yknow. It is what it is. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I’m never surprised.

But appreciate your reasonings, nonny. Like I said, you’re not who I’m aiming my critiques to but still. I see where you coming from and appreciate it nonetheless.

[renisfan]

Since I just mentioned DW, let's also take a look at how it handled the theme of Oudou vs Hadou! As I recognize it had been a topic of discourse before and people had different opinions on what they wanted to express with this concept. I find it may be valuable to see what KT themselves had said in their other game (since their writers did the most writings).

From DW7's Shu story:

Now this English sub isn't very clear about the concept of Oudou and Hadou, so I'll show you the jp subs too:

It literally says Cao Cao = Hadou while Liu Bei = Oudou.

DW8 explained a bit more into their respective thoughts, in the ending of Shu's hypothesis story:

There's one more line which I think isn't very well translated, in which Liu Bei asks for people to talk, trust and support each other (while in en he says "what we need are allies who we can trust and friends who'll support us!")

And this ending features Liu Bei reaching out his hand to a dying Cao Cao and Cao Cao challenging Liu Bei to realize his ideal if he can. Sounds similar to a certain moon route right?

And it showing a person from the Oudou fraction, a person from the neutral fraction and a person from the minor race fraction adjacent to the Oudou fraction being friends together has absolutely nothing to do with a certain gleam route.

Anyway, the general concept is rather clear:

Hadou = ruling through force, people need to be shown what's "correct"

Oudou = ruling with benevolence, believing in people's hearts

However, I don't think KT is treating Hadou as an inherently bad thing. Maybe because they really love Cao Cao and Nobunaga to death. They're somewhat treating it as an equally valid way to end conflicts. Even if you may have enemies or NPCs talk about how their path is brutal every once in a while, it's not taken that seriously because it's based on "reason" and to end things quickly and "dream of benevolence is too unrealistic" bla bla bla. It's only when getting explicitly compared with Oudou that it'll be shown in a more obviously "bad" light.

And that is probably why - as you may have noticed - both above comparisons are from Shu's story. In Wei's story, while they will still talk about their Hadou, they barely touch about Liu Bei's Oudou. Even if their conflict remains the main focus of the story, they just don't make the comparison. Just like their 3H counterparts.

(But, while AM have a lot in common with Shu's story, CF is way less similar to Wei's story. For one, while Cao Cao doesn't like Liu Bei running around "prolonging the war", he's always treated him and his ideal with respect, which Edel-chan certainly doesn't.

CF is more like... DW8's Jin story where the mitri is Jiang Wei. Feel free to find out what that means if you're interested... just know that I absolutely despised that story 🙃)

Well got a bit carried away but to conclude, in KT's eyes:

Hadou bad compared to Oudou

Except that Hadou good aksually, if you yeet the concept of Oudou away from the story

And Oudou just like chivalry is too good to be true, so Hadou good

Supreme Leader uwu

...or at least that's how I perceived their opinions.

Btw, do you know that DW had the OG gatekeeper-kun?

I'm specifically referring to the one assigned to Shu (featured from 10:28) because his lines are the closest to gatekeeper's and iirc he was in DW7 too while the rest were added in DW8 as his other fraction variations. Sorry I couldn't find a video of the DW7 version nor did I find a English one, so this is the best I can get :( Actually found a video that has the DW7 part, but it's jp voice with Chinese subs, so still no English :(

People liked him in DW, so they made a Fodlan version of him too!

[mareenavee]

Writerly (And Artistic) Thumbprint Challenge!

I was tagged by the lovely @hannahcbrown to try this out!

Rules: look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. what are five (or more!) narrative elements, themes, topics or tropes that continuously pop up in your work?

I'm gonna tag a few fine feathered folks for this, and let them circulate it out to the rest of the mutuals and see what we can come up with :3

Tagging: @paraparadigm, @changelingsandothernonsense, @friend-of-giants, @oblivions-dawn, @thana-topsy, @saltymaplesyrup, @thequeenofthewinter, @rhiannon1199, @tallmatcha, @airiat, @the-storytellers-seer, @orfeoarte -- and more. If you are not tagged, please, do absolutely consider yourself tagged and tag me back. And always tag the mutuals even if they've already been tagged. Pile on the tags so we can all see the cool stuff we each come up with. (:

Under the cut for some observations.

I have written a lot over the years and most of it is not fic, but here is what I can observe from original, fic, poetry and nonfiction. These are in no particular order, though I saved the best for last.

Identity I like to write about what makes a person themselves. A lot of my early spoken word poetry talked about body image and how to exist in a world like ours as a person who is not considered thin. Some of my favorite nonfiction pieces discussed what it was like to be a college student working retail and being recognized as other-than-a-retail-worker in public and how identity shifts between roles. In my fic, I explore a few things like what makes a hero a hero? Who are you when change/fate/destiny upends everything you've ever known? How do you become the person you're supposed to be?

Strength Especially in a lot of my fic, posted or otherwise, I think this crops up perhaps almost as much as identity. What does it mean to be strong? What sort of events do we weather and get to the other side of it? For who are we strong? Is being strong the same as being brave? What kinds of strength do we need in our daily lives and how does it affect our decisions? In the fic, we see a lot of the strength to overcome adversity by nature of the quest. But we also see, which dives into another point, the strength to forgive, the strength to confront ourselves for our behavior, and the strength to move forward, even when it hurts.

Friendship Ah, the power of friendship :> But no, even in a lot of my fic WIP ideas and fragments, there's a lot to be said of relationships within fiction that show different kinds of love and support than what is expected of a certain pairing or tag. There are a ton of different expressions of love, and I think one of the most underutilized is strong, solid friendships. This also incorporates found family or portraying a group of people who have decided against all odds that they will go out of their way for one another regardless of circumstances. When I write good friendships, I do it because it reminds me irl that we are worthy of this kind of support and we are capable of giving this kind of support, and not everything has to be as one-dimensional as popular media can sometimes show. Fic is the perfect place to explore it because it's decoupled from marketing, generally, and we don't have to worry too much about what sells (: So I lean into it where and when I can.

Mistakes This one is kind of rather broad. I could have listed specific kinds of mistakes but then we'd be here forever LOL but suffice to say I do write flawed characters that don't always know the next right thing. In my poetry, I talked about the mistakes I've made and observed in my time. I have given some of the mistakes I've made and observed to my characters in original and especially in World. Part of this category though is asking the question of how do these mistakes affect others? What does it take to forgive? Can they be forgiven, and why or why not? Is the character flaw so deep that there is no redemption for them? Are there certain kinds of mistakes that change who a person is completely? What is the cost of forgiveness? There's a lot to play with in this category without even having to get down to specifics. :>

Hope This is my favorite thing to write into any of my work ever. Perhaps because real life can be so very difficult and can seem so very bleak sometimes. Combined with everything above, I absolutely write hope into things, even if my stories seem rather bleak at the outset. For World, all of my POV characters have bits and pieces of tragedies that I have had to endure in my life and it's extremely cathartic to see them get through their drama, hardship, grief, self-inflicted chaos, and other things. Because it reminds me that there is hope yet for this place, if there is hope in their world. It is a form of healing for me to put them in situations they can get out of. So hope. The most important theme, I think, for my writing. (:

[mediaevalmusereads]

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (10th ed.). University of Chicago Press, 2019.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: academic book, creative writing guide

Series: N/A

Summary: The most widely used and respected text in its field, Writing Fiction by novelists Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey-French guides the novice story writer from first inspiration to final revision by providing practical writing techniques and concrete examples. Written in a tone that is personal and non-prescriptive, the text encourages students to develop proficiency through each step of the writing process, offering an abundance of exercises designed to spur writing and creativity. The text also integrates diverse contemporary short stories in every chapter in the belief that the reading of inspiring fiction goes hand-in-hand with the writing of fresh and exciting stories.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: references to war/violence/trauma/suicide/etc (as examples of stories, excerpts from stories about these topics, etc)

This book is non-fiction, so my review will be structured a little different than normal.

I picked up this book on recommendation from a friend who is a creative writing instructor. I wasn't really looking to improve my own creative writing, but rather, I was looking for a guide that would give me the language to talk about writing from the perspective of craft. That being said, you can still use this book if you're interested in creative writing instruction: I'm just letting you know that I'm not coming at this from the perspective of one who writes creatively.

There were a lot of things I really appreciated about this book. I really liked how focused each chapter was, getting right to the point with few embellishments but plenty of illustrative examples. Every concept, therefore, was easy to grasp, even if implementing it in one's own writing is a challenge.

I also appreciated that each chapter dealt with a particular topic (character, plot, point of view, etc) and offered numerous freewriting prompts and suggested readings. These collections help the reader both practice what they've learned and to seek out material that illustrates the concepts of each chapter, and I think they're varied enough that most readers will find a reading or prompt which resonates with them.

Lastly, I appreciated the way that Burroway explained why certain writing choices were better than others while also acknowledging that some prescriptivist "rules" can be broken. For example, Burroway very clearly breaks down the difference between showing and telling and explains when showing may be more effective versus when telling is the better choice. She also explains what effects showing and telling have in the reader so that authors can approach a project more mindful of their impact.

All that being said, I didn't give this book a full 5 stars because there were some little things that irked me. For one, this book is somewhat biased against genre fiction and makes some generalizations that I don't think are fair. Still, there are some passages that acknowledge that genre fiction can be productive and that writing to reader expectations isn't always a bad thing, so maybe I'm more annoyed than offended. Additionally, this book uses some metaphors that may or may not be upsetting to people. For example, Burroway describes plot in terms of a war (specifically the conflict over the Gaza Strip) and facial features (which may come across as ableist at times). I can't speak for everyone and perhaps I'm reading too much into these comparisons, but it's better to be aware that they're used.

TL;DR: While there was nothing in this book that was essentially "new" for me as a person familiar with literary criticism and craft, I do think Writing Fiction is a good resource for people who may just be starting out (like high school or college create writers or adult writers who don't recall much from English class). It gives a lot of clear, concrete advice and provides useful language for articulating what constitutes "good writing" in the modern age. For these reasons, I think it's a helpful text, but by no means the only handbook one should use when crafting a story.

[jodilin65]

A quick glance at the news is full of the usual sad stuff. It seems some product is being recalled nearly every day, and the mental case involved in the Slender Man stabbing is going to be released from a mental facility in 7 years as if that can "unmental" her. People don't change. 

SoCal is on fire, and while I don't feel much for the celebrities who have half a dozen other houses to go to, I feel bad for those less well-off. That's got to be pretty horrifying, especially given how big it is and the fact that only 8% of it is currently contained.

I organized my bookmarks earlier. The list gets quite endless when you let them go. I made about a dozen folders or so containing different topics like writing, medical, entertainment... that sort of thing.

My fatigue is off the charts today. I'm back to the break-up sleep. Took half a clonazepam when I woke up in the middle of my sleep, unable to fall back asleep right away. First, I woke up hot, and then I woke up cold, then had to pee. It's absolutely horrible, and I'm trying not to think about how long it could be before I have the CPAP back and find out just how much the sleep apnea is contributing to how exhausted I feel so often. As I said, I think the stage was always set for sleep apnea, but as we age, things change. Just like the skin loses its elasticity in the nose and causes nasal collapse at times, the throat muscles also change. I think that once my weight also got up to a certain point,  I was pretty much doomed. No guarantees losing weight would do me any good the older I get. If I can ever tackle the fatigue, I may make one more attempt at dieting. I'll start at 1,400 calories now that I've got AI tools that can make weekly menus for me, and I've gotten to be a pretty good cook. I'll take off 100 calories at a time until I get results—if I get results—and if I don't have to go crazy low in order to get them. I'm still metabolically fucked, like it or not. But that's still way down the line. My number one priority is the fatigue. 

Where I hardly ever used to nap, now I'm napping nearly every day or at least lying down. Still hard to believe my thyroid has that much to do with it since it's not that bad, and it's been a hell of a lot worse yet I wasn’t so tired. Even Doctronic thinks most of it is the sleep apnea. Unfortunately, it's going to be a while before I find out, and to stress me out even further, I forgot to take the clocks going ahead on March 5th into consideration when I used the program to schedule my appointment in mid-March.

It's only been a couple of days, but it does seem like my nose could be a little better since restarting the steroid spray.

We ordered an extensive UTI test that checks for 8 different things…Leukocytes, Nitrite, Urobilinogen, Protein, Bilirubin, Ketone, pH Levels, Specific Gravity. I wish I could know for sure the burning was due to menopause and nothing else, but we'll find out if the WBC count is elevated in my pee because it certainly shouldn't be and could be a symptom of other things besides a UTI. After I take the test which arrives tomorrow, I'll call Rhonda's office to see how to schedule the virtual appointment with her. Depending on the findings, I might mention the spots of blood. There were only two or three of them, though.

His catalog of free stuff he can get each month is surprisingly extensive, and I was surprised by all the things my own plan has to offer. At first, I was pissed because I saw the exact same popcorn popper I recently got as one of the options. Then I thought it would be nice to have a new potato peeler since this one is getting kind of dull, but it came with a couple of other utensils I just didn’t need. I considered shampoo and lotion but then decided against it. The perfumes were too expensive, and so were the Fitbit watches, some of which are pretty high-end. I only had 800 points to play with, and I don't know how often they have challenges. I was hoping they would have an electric grill, but they didn't. They had an electric griddle, a waffle maker, a quesadilla maker, a sandwich maker, a slow cooker, and a rice cooker, along with other kitchen-related things. They also had health-related things, of course, along with jewelry, apparel, and shoes. There were quite a few other things as well, and finally, I decided on a set of blue towels. At 700 GSM, they're good quality. The towels I got when we first moved in here are not very good. They're usable, but a little thin and they're starting to get a little stringy too.

We changed Tinky's cage earlier, and now I'm just vegging out in frustration and wishing I had more energy. Maybe someday—even if it means trading it for a new problem—since I just can't get a break and always have to have something.🫤

[verona2314]

It's already WIP Wednesday again!! Time to share works-in-progress, writing or art, for Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss!

I had been tagged by @man--eater , finally, I decided to share a fragment of the chapter 24 from the fanfic I'm writing. I hope you enjoy it. (I know im late im sorry!) (Tomorrow its the next update!)

I will tagg @empressofashed

Stolas flashed a polite smile, although his gaze sparkled with a mix of interest and caution. He was familiar with Alastor's reputation.

“You must be Alastor, the infamous radio demon. The princess was telling me about you,” Stolas replied in a deep voice, every word measured. “The pleasure is mine, though I must admit I expected you to be a bit more… intimidating. This hotel is more… gleaming than I imagined for someone of your… caliber.”

Alastor let out a soft chuckle, delighted by Stolas’s subtle provocation. He was also a master of verbal games and was more than willing to keep dancing.

“Oh, dear Stolas, you’d be surprised how well a place like this can serve my… purposes,” he said, leaning on his cane as his smile widened even further. “I must say I’m surprised that someone as… busy as you would come here just for a ball.”

Stolas clasped his hands behind his back, looking around before fixing his gaze back on Alastor. “I know you’re aware of the importance of this event,” Stolas replied softly. “I thought it prudent to ensure everything is in order. After all, when it comes to nobles and… relevant figures, it’s best that things go perfectly.”

Alastor nodded with exaggerated theatricality, although behind his mask of courtesy, Stolas’s comment about “relevant figures” did not go unnoticed. He knew that Victoria, as a judge of the limbo, would be in the sights of the nobles, and that worried him more than he was willing to admit.

“I understand, I understand,” Alastor said, tilting his head. “After all, we wouldn’t want anything less than perfection to befit a noble like you. But I wonder, is it just the event that brings you here? Because it seems you have something more in mind… perhaps a special interest in the guests.”

Stolas looked directly at him, smiling with a calm that only reinforced his authority. “It’s always prudent to know those who have influence in… certain spheres. And as you may have noticed, Victoria is someone who has caught the attention of the nobility. It would be a mistake not to take the opportunity to meet someone so important.”

Alastor maintained his smile, but something inside him tensed. Was Stolas not just here for an event but also to sink his claws into Victoria like all the nobles who saw her as a key piece? “How interesting…” the radio demon replied in an almost sweet tone, though laden with venom. “I have no doubt that Victoria will be a topic of conversation among the nobles. After all, her position is unique. But one must be careful… sometimes the things that seem so within reach can be the hardest to catch.”

Stolas let out a brief laugh, aware of the implicit challenge.

“Don’t worry, Alastor. I always know how to get what I want. But I appreciate the advice.”

They both fell silent for a moment, sizing each other up. Although they were meeting for the first time, it was evident that this encounter was far from the last. They both knew that, in hell, every misstep could be fatal. And for Alastor, the idea of Stolas or any other noble getting too close to Victoria was not something he could allow.

[ontogen1]

Have you ever found yourself watching dog videos on social media, and two hours later you realize you only wanted to spend 10 minutes? Well, digital marketing is often like that. It’s fun, indeed, but there are so many strategies and trends that one can lose track of them so easily. These strategies we’re talking about here are not complicated, we can incorporate these into our marketing tactics to make our lives easier. Creating a successful online marketing strategy is not an easy task in today’s digital era, where consumers are overwhelmed with data and market rivalry is stiff. It’s not enough to own a website and do a few social media posts. If you want to separate yourself from other businesses and get your target customer’s attention, you need an all-rounded and well-articulated strategy. With digital marketing's 7 C's, the seven pillars which are used to support the structure of your target customer’s choice, will make sure that it leads into sales, and finally promote your business's online progress. Let's have a look at each of the 7 C’s.

Customer

Your ideal customer should be at the center of everything you do in digital marketing. Customer identity, their needs, wants, and pain points. As the demographics do not fully reveal who our customers are, we must go deeper into this study. Meaning, that we need to be looking into areas such as monitoring their online behavior, especially the content they have liked or watched, their preferred content formats, and what challenges they go through in their daily lives. Making these decisions helps in customizing messages for specific interest areas while writing posts or approaching customers in general terms.

Content

Content is crucial for every successful digital marketing strategy, because it is what attracts visitors, and informs them on what your business stands for. Compelling content makes them become devoted customers. There are various types of high-quality content such as: Blog posts: Blog posts refer to insightful and attractive articles uploaded to the website. It identifies the main issues in the industry and customer problems that can be effectively addressed using your product or service. Ebooks and whitepapers: Ebooks and whitepapers provide comprehensive guides and studies that provide information on areas that are important to your market segment. Videos and infographics: They contain information that is visually engaging and easy to understand but also with captivating storytelling that will hook your audience. Social media posts: Posting on social media such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube can create room for discussions between people about different topics while boosting the popularity of certain products. You can take the liberty of inviting individuals to websites via hyperlinks.

Context

Context matters. Your message must fit the platform as well as the audience. On LinkedIn, for example, you may prefer posting a formal white paper whereas on Twitter, a funny video could be suitable for your marketing audience. When it comes to the understanding of user intent, context is key. Do they present themselves as buyers who are only seeking information? Does this mean they’re casually browsing through social media while at it or others? Align your messaging along with content to their current stage during the purchase.

Community

Building a strong online community is not only having a large number of followers. It means you have to make genuine connections and interactions with your audience. It is the way you can make your audience turn customers loyal. Responding to comments and messages: Responding to the comments and messages of your audience shows that you care about what they have to say. You can enable comments on your social media and website to boost your engagement. Host contests and giveaways: Encourage participation among your audience so that they will eagerly participate in giveaways, which will encourage more people and increase your engagement.

Convenient

Your website should be convenient enough for users to use on mobile. Most importantly, the Call To Action should be clear and easy to find. Having mobile accessibility is as important as having desktop accessibility. Now, with the majority of web traffic coming from mobile devices, make sure your website and marketing materials work flawlessly on smartphones and tablets as well. Additionally, consider offering options like chatbots for quick customer service inquiries, making the user experience better for the customer.

Cohesion

To build brand recognition it is important to make uniform content on all platforms. The brand you have will be the same. Therefore, on every platform where you’ll do online marketing, such as social media or a website, let there be one voice or image associated with your brand. This kind of approach shows the importance of brand visibility through the utilization of identical visuals (photos, graphic design elements), color schemes, font styles, and brand language. You need to make sure all the platforms you’re uploading your content on should be cohesive, meaning it should be uniformly managed. So that the audience will have no trouble going through your content.

Conversion

In the end, the goal of your digital marketing efforts is to get a conversion. This may come in the form of a website signup buying a product, downloading an ebook or mentioning someone for business collaborations. You need to set clear-cut conversion goals such as checking important numbers like website visits, engagement rates as well as click-through rates. The end goal should be making money through conversion sales. Customers should be clicking on your link and buying your products. Identifying potential engagements with the use of analytics tools, while updating your advertisement continuously will result into good returns from sales. We are Ontogen Digital, a leading digital marketing company. We specialize in website optimization, graphic designing, video editing as well as blogging. For more information contact us via email info@ontogendigital.com

[black-arcana]

JINJER Releases New Single 'Rogue'

Ukrainian metal juggernauts JINJER have unleashed their brand new single "Rogue", showing once more their refusal to conform to the musical genre rule book. The song's accompanying music video can be seen below.

"Rogue", featuring the ferocity of vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk combined with a sonic rollercoaster of chugging riffs, pulverizing bass lines and intricate drums, is another raging reminder that JINJER never minces words when it comes to their music and always keeps the pressure on with each new release.

JINJER comments on "Rogue": "Our new single 'Rogue' is a reaction to many things … it's brutally honest, it's in your face and one of the most intense tracks JINJER has ever released. We are so excited about this new track, about the new album and everything that's on the way."

JINJER recently completed recording the follow-up to the 2021 album "Wallflowers".

When JINJER's previous single "Someone's Daughter" was released in August, Shmayluk said in a statement: "'Someone's Daughter' is an artistic attempt to cast the light on the inner world of women, who in various scenarios and circumstances have had to choose a path that was historically made by men.

"In a world where women are often underestimated and overlooked, they are still powerful heroes who navigate hardship with strength and resilience, unapologetically becoming themselves and breaking barriers in the face of the challenges that face them.

"'Someone's Daughter' celebrates transition from naivety into wisdom, weakness into force, unwavering determination and fearlessness as our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives walk through adversity and fight for better change. These women are often forgotten but they have earned respect. They've earned mine, that's for sure!"

During an appearance on a recent episode of Knotfest's "She's With The Band", Shmailyuk spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for JINJER's new LP. Tatiana said: "My purpose is just to write lyrics and sing them. I'm so behind right now with the writing lyrics. And I warned my guys. We were at least to get a really rough draft, rough sketch or a demo of one song, like maybe first single from the new album, at least get this, but nope. [Stress and creativity don't] work with me. Well, but when the deadline's coming, and everybody knows that — I've been talking, like, every single time we release a new album, I say that, I say this — deadlines push me. So I just have to write, so I get this stream of consciousness, basically. I write down whatever the bullshit is in my head. And then you build it. At least you have to have bricks to build a poem or whatever it is, just lyrics."

Regarding the musical direction of the new JINJER material, Tatiana said: "It's gonna be different, first of all, because I feel that the music differs a lot. And to my mind, the whole — I won't say how many songs are there; I guess 12 or even 15; let's say 13; I don't remember — but they all have… not all of them, but half of them, at least, they have a similarity in them. They're similar to each other or they remind me. They have this concept within — without any lyrics, they still sound like they belong to one box. They are a set of songs. And I already think about all the… I'm not even thinking about like the lyrics — I think about the topics and stuff, but I think about the booklet or the cover or even the music videos and what I'm gonna wear there. And it has a certain flavor to me that… I feel like it has this flavor of 19th century. It's very romanticism from the 19th century. If you listen to it, you will think, 'Oh.' You know, when you listen to MUSE, you feel he was inspired by a lot of classical composers — obviously. So our new music has this flavor. And I'm so excited."

JINJER will embark on a North American tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from fast-rising Japanese metalcore unit HANABIE and progressive metalcore mainstays BORN OF OSIRIS.JINJER released its first official live DVD/Blu-ray, "Live In Los Angeles", on May 17 via Napalm Records. Recorded and filmed on December 22, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, this offering is intended to celebrate not only getting through the last few years in one piece, but also the band's 15-year career.

"Live In Los Angeles" was a spontaneous decision by the band, recorded as raw as possible, to emphasize the passion that can come from a live show. This release is an explosive mixture of JINJER's discography — featuring fan favorites like "Sit Stay Roll Over", "Home Back" and the game-changing "Pisces". The live album contains 16 songs in various audio formats, with some strictly limited: the deluxe digipack features not only a DVD, but also two more songs, "Wallflower" and "Disclosure!", recorded in Paris in 2023.

[de-fright-ful]

I ran out of space on the character document to explain, so I’m dumping it here to link back to from the full document to kind of explain what I’m talking about!

Now, cunning: I know in a lot of cases, it’s viewed as sort of a playful, trickster sort of cleverness. I DO NOT mean it like that for Amity, Amity’s cunningness is an underhanded form of cleverness. She’s never going to outright lie to get her way, but she’s finding loopholes and playing on allowable manipulation tactics to get her way. Y’know?

A couple good examples of this trait of hers in practice:

Her partnership with the Saijikara Pokemon League on making herself a designated, approved gym area — she was given rules, agreed, read them inside and out — only to follow the rules to the dot and make her ‘official Gym’ her family estate and thus write off necessary repairs to the greater estate (that do not ever too far into personal expense) as the costs of maintaining the Gym space — which is absolutely true, it’s just a sneaky, underhanded way of going about it. Which of course earned ire from some of the older Gym Leaders (who still see her as an over important upshot to this day), but she was following the rules. CUNNING.

When she took part in a Global Pokémon Gym Challenger event — on paper the assignment was for the leagues across the known world to send two or three elected tributes from their Gym Programs to fight each for a prize — which in reality was public marketing to drum up hype and bring attention to new comers to the League. But that’s a separate topic! Where the cunning is concerned: Amity was one of the two Gym Leaders chosen from Saijikara. She went over there with a (albeit surface level) understanding about the function and way gyms in different regions worked (to point of following a single Pokémon type per gym). Amity knew what her appearance and Gym Leader theme would make other Gym Leaders BELIEVE she’d play with (just ghosts) but that fact, that she’s presumably just a ghost player, made her a sitting duck. She COULD follow that expected path, and bring out Whinnie and Magnus but Amity is CUNNING. Amity knows this perception and plays into it - but with no intentions on following through. Amity played every interview straight. She made sure Whinnie and her were seen as an inseparable team for all the world and THE partnership. But Whinnie wasn’t on the battling team - not only would HE have hated it - Amity wanted that to be the expectation, that she’s lead with a Ghost/Flying so when she threw out the Grass / Normal Sawsbuck, she’d completely strike the Gym Leaders strategizing to hit her team off their guard (& hopefully, play into how THEY’D hope to use Ghost/Flying’s weaknesses against her, after all, Normal is immune to Ghost and Grass trumps Ground) CUNNING,

(also for closure on that saga, she placed 11th worldwide in that contest, not the very best but she’s proud that she placed that high against everyone and that she was the highest placing Saijikaran.)

Or, honestly, the entire deal with Amity giving her younger half-sisters, who have no relation to her father’s side of the family except through being raised BY HER, the last name Joy. Both because, in the eyes of the law, she is (essentially) their parent and the only parent they’ve ever had since birth. But more importantly to Amity, so that they can use that name and leverage it to stay safe if anything happened to her. Amity’s paternal side of the family is so far spread out and distant that she’s certain more than enough of them believe Amity actually gave birth to both girls, and to that end, Amity is using her name, her FAMILY name, to take advantage of that ignorance and make sure that there’s no chance those girls would be left completely stranded. As De Claires, which they are rightfully, they would have no one willing to take them in by merit of family. There is no structure for them to fall back on. But as Joys? A Joy will never let another Joy go homeless or passed away without a second thought. If they BELIEVE those girls have Joy blood, there will be a home for them. Amity knows this, she expects it, she PLANNED it. CUNNING.

I truly do consider it a flaw that boarders on Ruthlessness but without any malicious motive behind it, y’know? Amity does what she needs to do to keep on swimming. If the world won’t throw her one, she’s making her own out of whatever she can and damning anyone who scorns that for her. That’s survival. It isn’t pretty, it just IS.