#okay also the pool one?? deceased

[lovelydrusilla]

"from the vault". a deep dive into iconic robin tunney photos.

🎄tm secret santa 2022 day seven for @thinkingaboutjisbon

[kithtaehyung]

back to december (teaser) (m) | ksj

title: back to december (teaser) pairing: brother's best friend!seokjin x reader(f) rating/genre: m (18+) ; angst , fluff , smut ; brother’s best friend au, wedding au, second chance au summary: ever since you left town to pursue your dreams, life has fast forwarded into one big blur. so when you hit pause to attend your brother’s wedding exactly three years later, your brain instinctively resets and rewinds. because you have to spend it with the very person that had been there at the start. the one person you regret leaving behind. note: this originally started as a one-shot for @raplinesmoon for the maui relief fundraiser, but turned into something more. since it also fit into the mold of this holiday collab, here we are! note 2: this is part of the jingle all the way collaboration with @kpopfanfictrash, @leahsfavefics, @cybrsan, @yoonia, and @sugaurora! all the holiday collab fics have the phrase “the holidays aren’t so bad with you around.” warnings: [explicit warnings to be posted on drop day!] language, alcohol, angst lol, time switches/flashbacks, seokjin being the sweetest until he’s not >:)), reader being damn cool, overthinking, bbf!jin needs his own warning i am warning y’all now, horribly great jokes, winter themes, relationship failures, stress/anxiety, jin being jin, did i say angst?, falling into cold water, a lot of gd yearning mood: back to december - taylor swift, halley's comet - billie eilish, universe/snowing in la - thuy teaser word count: 1.2k | est. word count: uhhh 20k+ lol wanna be on the taglist? add yourself here! est. drop date: january 2024

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It all started with an accident in winter. 

Ever the gracious hosts, your family decided to throw a cookout for your brother’s birthday, inviting everyone in the neighborhood and its outskirts to join in celebration. While your brother was initially opposed to being outside in the frost, word got around that his crush of three years running would be present, which suddenly warmed him right up to the whole idea.

Typical.

You were also initially opposed—having to sit through the festivities while your older sibling hogged all the attention—until you discovered your own downfall was attending, too. 

Because of course he would.

And if he was coming, you were set on making your naive self presentable and noticeable, and you still consider the day of the party to be the best you’ve ever carried yourself. You were confident, you were radiant.

Until you got bumped into the backyard pool.

You don’t even recall who knocked you in. All you remember was water rushing into your vision, and paddling through outright shame and embarrassment when you shakily swam your freezing bones to the ledge. Everyone saw you: your friends, your family, your brother’s older circle and acquaintances. In your adolescence, it was the literal worst thing to have happened to anyone in the history of ever.

But someone’s outstretched hand greeted you when you got to the pool’s edge. 

And when you looked up, you questioned if you hit the bottom on the way in because the face you were seeing was a shock. Were you deceased? Did you somehow swim to heaven’s beach?

No. It was really him, the very person you got all dressed up for. 

Seokjin. Handsome, reserved, off-limits friend of your brother Seokjin. 

Years later, you still question why he was the one helping you out. But it didn’t matter at the time because all you wanted was to get thawed out as soon as possible. 

“Come on,” he had urged. “You’ll get sick.”

Trembling because of the cold and nothing else, you took his hand and let him haul you into the house, wondering what the hell was going on the entire time. Why was he the one helping you? Where the hell was your brother? 

Because not only did he lead you inside, but the boy also accompanied you to your bathroom, grabbing a towel off its rack and wrapping it around your knocking shoulder blades. 

“Grab some clothes, okay?” 

“Huh?” 

“Go get clothes,” Seokjin ordered, moving towards your shower. “And change out of those as soon as you can.” 

“Oh.” Blinking, you couldn’t decide if your shivers were from the fall or his comments. But either way, you were shaking horrendously. “Yeah, okay.” 

After that, you remember being so cold you couldn’t even move your legs. Which meant that Seokjin had to lead you to your room and wait at the entrance while you hastily grabbed whatever you could find. 

There was no way he was gonna catch the cutesy patterns of your underwear. No way. 

When you were done, Seokjin brought you back into the restroom, the spray of water echoing through the festively decorated space. “It should be warm enough now,” he urged. “Don’t wait.” 

“Thank you,” you finally huffed, hating how your shakes stifled your gratitude. “You can, uhm. Go back out there now.” 

“Mm.” In the doorway, his eyes reflected the bright lights so perfectly. To this day, you still remember the way you compared them to stars. “Well. Umm. Good luck.” 

And you will never forget the way you felt heat before you even touched the run of the shower. 

“Yes, it’s all set. We are still on for Monday.” 

“Good. This is the meeting we absolutely cannot miss.” 

“Umm, yes—I mean—Understood.” 

“Is everything okay over there?” 

Rushing to close the door of your rental, you bite back a curse as your suit jacket catches in the edge. Because of course it does after the frantic day you’ve already had. “Yes! Everything’s”—you smush your top against your side while shutting the door again—“Fine! But I do have to go.” 

“Sure, sure. Oh, one more thing—”

Right. Rummaging through your purse, you locate the keys at the very bottom while trying to ingest the four things being tossed into your ear, locking the car in a fast walk to the massive mountainside property ahead of you. 

“ —then we’ll finalize the merger. Got that?” 

Holy shit, your brother must be doing even better than you or his fiance is loaded. 

“Hello?” 

“Oh, shit, sorry. Yes, Mr. Hamada, we can do that.” 

“Mm. What did we say about language.” 

“Apologies.” Damn your filthy mouth for running even faster in cold weather. Because it is the goddamn arctic out here. “I will say I have been getting better, though.” 

“Improvement won’t matter if you fuck up during the meeting.” 

“Alright, buddy.” Your superior’s laugh grates your ear as you haul ass into the warm estate, worry suddenly gripping you when you realize that no one is walking around. 

Shit, are you that late? Did you miss everything? 

Skittering right to the main doors, you start to panic. Are these the main doors? They look like them. Fancy. Very fancy. Shit, shit, shit, is the wedding over—

A full body bumps into your side as you round a table bursting with flowers. Having a sound enough mind to cover your receiver, you react in a shout, “Hey, watch it—” 

“Sorry!” 

Wait. You know that voice. 

Even though it’s one that you haven’t heard in years. 

“…Jin?” 

Everything slowly stops as the man turns and, if you weren’t so in shock, you would’ve noticed the way his eyes traveled from your heels to your perfectly trimmed brows. 

You expect both something and nothing. Because when it comes to the person standing in front of you, there’s no telling what he’ll destroy you with next. 

But what comes out is merely a tiny, chest-constricting, 

“Hello.” 

You stare, and stare, and stare some more. Even your boss cannot bring you back to the present with his incessant poking. 

Because Jin looks so fucking handsome in his suit that’s not quite dressed yet, with hair that’s swept just enough to throw you off planet earth. Even the way his tie lounges around his neck gives you pause, because it showcases how broad his shoulders have become. 

How can he look the same and yet so heartbreakingly different?

“I—” 

“Later, tuna fish.” 

Your heart lurches. 

“They’re waiting for me.” 

To your dismay, Seokjin presses a soft hand on your shoulder while passing through the ornate entrance, his lingering burn searing through as you watch him button his suit on the run. 

Well. At least you didn’t miss the wedding. 

You hear your sibling’s hearty shout echo throughout the hall, but you have to physically tear yourself from your spot to finally answer your boss. 

And to not fixate on the one person you thought you were safe from today. 

But of course he’s here. Why wouldn’t he be? Him and your brother have been inseparable since the beginning, and you should’ve known even being on different planets wouldn’t keep them apart too long. 

Speaking of… 

Traveling to another galaxy might solve the numbing ache in your chest. Maybe you should consider that gigantic leap yourself. 

Because seeing Jin again brings you back to December. 

And the frost you feel in your bones overshadows any weather brewing outside. 

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tbc.

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wheee! we have a teaser! | join the taglist!

a/n: isi i hope you know what monster you're about to unleash lmao. here's to another holiday seokjin! gosh, he will keep haunting me and i love him for it. second chance with isi's initial brother's best friend!jin request? gotta love it. the one-two-three punch, i reckon. anyways, hope y'all enjoyed the teaser and i am so so nervous about the main drop but hope you like that, as well :'))

links: jingle all the way collab ; masterlist

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Untamed

All Old Things are New Again by The Feels Whale (miscellea)

Full-time necromancer and part-time cam boy, Wei Wuxian, finds himself unexpectedly homeless. An enthusiastic patron comes to his rescue.

Conversely:

Immortal Cultivator Lan Wangji has been waiting a long time for his deceased husband to be reincarnated again. In retrospect, he should have anticipated that this is how it would go.

DC

myself and this body that they stuck me in by misspickman

"Oh,” Bart says with a hint of surprise in his voice. “You look so pretty.”

“I look like a girl,” he rebuts. He's not sure why he's even continuing this conversation.

Bart, blissfully unaware of Kon's internal crisis, shrugs and says, “Well, I think you'd make a lovely girl."

when I see myself, I always know where you are by suzukiblu

"There's no point in killing Superboy," Match says reasonably. "It's not like you'd care if he died."

"The Agenda thinks I wouldn't care if Superboy died?" Superman asks incredulously, just staring at him. "Why, because he's a clone?"

"Because I reported back my interactions with you when I was pretending to be him," Match corrects, puzzled by the vehemence of the response. "And also the lack thereof."

"What?" Superman says, still just staring.

Stranger Things

smoking guns (hot to the touch) by fivecenturiesverse (+ podfic)

Sure, they've saved the world, but the best part of that really is that it doesn't end there and in a town where everyone thinks he murdered a girl, he's at least got Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley. It's really not his fault he accidentally starts living at Steve's house, he was invited, after all. There's a mystery too, about Barbara Holland and Steve's pool.

“Your boner is digging into me,” says Robin, and Steve snorts a tired sort of laugh.

“I don’t have a —”

“You do, I can feel it. Gross.”

“Okay, but it’s only a little one,” he says in a small voice which sounds like he’s impersonating someone.

“Are you ever going to let that go? I peed a little bit when the Russians got the torture devices out, okay?” She sounds amused, though.

Eddie jolts. “Russian torture devices?”

Robin carries on like she didn’t hear him but Steve catches his eye and he’s grinning. “How do you even have a boner dude? You were definitely having a nightmare I know your twitching means a nightmare… Did you have a boner over Vecna?"

M!ik

Iruma's Bloodline Ability by SpeedOfSnake

"Of course!” Asmodeus took the bait. “I am talking about Iruma-sama's ability to wipe the minds of his enemies.”

...Iruma had the ability to do what now?

...

Asmodeus believes Iruma has a bloodline ability, and Iruma tries to figure out why.

Star Wars

Back Where We Belong by thiswildheart

"Obi-Wan," Anakin breathed, and the dread crystallised into heartbreaking terror.

Of course. He should have known. Maybe he had known, but been too afraid to look it in the eye.

Not the kids, not Padmé, but someone as dear to him as they were. No wonder he'd been so sure his family was in danger.

(The war is over and Palpatine's gone, yet traces of his intended empire still threaten Anakin's family. Anakin will not fall again, but he's prepared to use everything the Light can offer to get his brother home.)

[yoongisleftearring]

part three: acquainted with the hood of my car

S E C R E T S E C R E T

pairing: Idol!Changbin x Influencer!reader

-> in which Stray Kids attempt to protect their image after an unexpected encounter with you, but, oh, Changbin is kinda hot? AND emotionally intelligent?? Oh no.

word count: 655

a/n: I've kept you waiting long enough I'm SORRY

previous < masterlist > next

Taglist: @amara-mars @mynameisnotlaura @exo-skz-imagines @pvnkfangirl @cursedcursives @chvngii @lethallyprotected @junebug032 @soupbinlily @smally97 @wondering-out-loud @bigsobs4skz @marcillfll @marsattacks @abbiestearsricochet @3sriracha @hinanitiram @hyvnfilms

This was going to be your day. You just knew it. 

Sure, you accidentally hit snooze on your alarm for way longer than you should have, resulting in your shaking hands fumbling with the doorknob, using your chin to balance your large binder between it and your chest so you could twist said doorknob.

The shaking hands could also be down to the fact that you haven't had coffee yet today, but that's normal, right?

I forgot to pick the coffees up.

I'll text you their orders.

Perfect. Just what you needed.

You walked backwards through the café doors, takeaway drinks in hand. The coffees lay in a cardboard tray, four tucked nicely in their slots, the fifth balancing precariously in the middle of them. The large binder filled with essential documents was nestled in your underarm, but as you walked, you could feel it slip. Luckily you weren't far from the building now, just one more street away. Your mind was far from the road, focusing on not dropping or spilling anything, and maybe you should have paid more attention, but this is a zebra crossing; I shouldn't have to.

Though, the white KIA that came hurtling towards you would probably disagree. 

Upon seeing your struggling figure, the car driver slammed on the brakes, the movement pushing his head forward, straining his neck. His head was down, and his eyes were closed, but he felt it. It didn't feel like much, but who was he to know what force kills helpless individuals on zebra crossings? He raised his head slowly and with much effort. He couldn't see you. He undid his seatbelt and pushed the car door open, standing out of it and rubbing slightly at his neck. Something was pooling at his feet.

Oh god, is that blood?

The substance led back to a small puddle surrounded by the deceased coffees and their now crushed cardboard holder.

Thank god.

Snapping out of his slight haze, the man registered your figure, thankfully moving, dusting yourself off as you stood with a small stumble, your hands flailing in an attempt at regaining balance. Your head snaps towards him, eyes fierce.

"You fu-" You began but abruptly stopped upon seeing him. He was slightly short but really, really buff. His face-

"Oh my god, are you okay?" he shrieked, eyes wide in panic as he almost ran towards you. 

"Me?" you chuckled cooly, scoffing slightly and trying to ignore the searing pain in your temple. "I'm perfectly fine, you?" As the words left your mouth, you felt yourself stumble again, the world becoming blurrier and darker. He watched as your limp body fell to the concrete below you with a thud. He tried to reach out, but the shock slowed his movements.

"Oh, fuck!"

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

Changbin had no issue removing your limp form from the scene of the crime, neither physically nor from bystanders, which is actually quite concerning in hindsight. 

Changbin wasn't actually sure what to do in this situation. If someone had told him before, he would probably have dismissed them because: that would never happen to me. He laid you carefully in the backseat of his car and there his jacket over your body in case the police happened to pull him over. He thought it would look slightly less suspicious that way. 

Changbin wasn't sure what to do, but he knew somebody who would. 

The drive to the dorm was probably one of the most stressful situations Changbin ever thinks he's been in. He was constantly trying to turn his head so he could see you. God, he doesn't know what he would have done had you woken up then. Thankfully the drive wasn't long, partially thanks to his legally-teetering speed.

Punching the numbers into the keypad at the main door of the building posed a surprising challenge when two of his arms supported your weight. Still, he managed and swiftly made his way through the building and to his dorm, hoping to avoid any of his neighbours. 

[goodboyaudios]

Is it possible to give us a general resume of the Triad?

Like what's it's social standards? Why does it exist? What's it's purpose in society? When did this whole "doing things in the backgrounds(like sub-delta)" even start? Were they always like this?

Y'know, stuff like that.

Pls?? :3

The Triad's original purpose was to give hope to a world that was facing mass hysteria.

At the time, New Tennessee, the planet, had been split in half by cosmic horrors from Untempora called Leviathans and with it, half the population of the world had been consumed.

People were frightened as the Paladin King had met an untimely demise leading his black crusade into the abyss.

During this time, the women of New Tenessee who had been put in the position of taking care of the sick rather than helping to fight on the front lines, were forced to handle the panicked civilians and soldiers who truly believed this would be their end.

These women were the backbone of sanity for the paladins as they faced the unknown horrors now residing in the mantle of their world. The leading women were the many wives of the now deceased Paladin King. They introduced a religion and the concepts of theism in order to stir the hopes of the people. And thus the Triad of the 3 gods was born.

This might seem farfetched to a lot of you, but to a people that are desperate to stay alive, these ideals sparked and became incredibly popular among the citizens. But it wasn't enough.

The wives of the king recognized that, while their religion had brought hope, it would only be a matter of time before belief faded to anarchy once again. So, they studied and researched the artifacts found on the planet when it was first found. Within them, the found the knowledge of mental sciences. They learned to control the minds of their warriors to keep their minds from slipping into insanity as they fought. They did recognize this inhumane manipulation of the human mind as dark magic, so they disguised it as "the will of the gods coursing through the bodies of their beloved warriors".

One clan in particular willingly submitted their entire family to this "supreme will". This clan was Clan Mirio. This, of course, was not known to Ahlanaas, who was currently in the thick of it, fighting monsters for his countrymen, who he'd assumed were doing just fine. You know how that story goes though, of course.

From then until now, the Triad opted to be the true voice of the Paladins, preaching their holy ideals. But they knew that, to a bunch of punch-happy, battle hymn chanting men, they would need a male figure as their leader. Something for future cannon fodder to look up to and be inspired by. Someone for the word of the gods to enact through, at least to the masses eyes. The Triad elected to stay in the shadows, while a new Paladin King rose among the ranks.

By the way, that someone would've been Athion Blightfinder or Ahlanaas Mirio, but both of them mysteriously disappeared.

While the Paladin King acts as the figure everyone looks up to, the future wives that make up the triad is the real governing force, pulling strings behind the scenes. And whenever they screw up, they pin it on the king, absolving them of all blame.

The Triad's idea to ostracize bastard children, comes from multiple motivations. The first, obviously, is to have a test pool to experiment on without anyone truly caring. The second is to keep men loyal to their wives. For if they dare to step out of line, their "others" will be forcibly removed from the picture.

The incident with Mirio also made them realize that the men should never be allowed to read, lest the anger of mankind be turned on them.

For women its okay, because if a woman ever found out, no man would believe her, but the Triad would believe her...and that's how they'd get them indoctrinated into joining them. By forcing women and men to turn on each other. If a man ever found out...he'd never be able to trust or even look at a woman the same way.

Did I ever mention that Albus is sexist? I thought I made it obvious in the story, but I just wanted to double check lol

Hope that explains everything!

[eyooosh]

academy's undercover professor AU! VAMPIRE

(Major Spoilers!)

13 years ago... He, Heathcliff Van Bretus is in the brink of death after falling off a huge pit. A follower of lumensis planned on killing the him because some people from the royal family felt threatened by his presence..

The young Heathcliff did not die from the fall but his head is injured and is bleeding excessively...

Heathcliff continued to cling to life despite knowing that no one will help him... maybe by the time there was someone out there, he might have been dead from bloodloss.. Or maybe one of the gods will bless him again, prolonging his life and suffering.

Even if the he healed from his injuries, he'll still be stuck in the deep pit, there is also no food nor water to consume..

His head throbs in pain and his vision is swirling around... The young boy's body is drenched in his own blood, pooling all around him.

Heathcliff stared up above, weakly clenching on a strange piece he found nearby.. His blurry vison saw the moon illuminating its serene appearance just above the deep pit..

It is only for a moment before his sight darkened.. "HoHo. I didn’t think there would be anyone here." But perhaps fate would not allow him to die.

Rudiger Cherish is a quarter vampire.. 13 years ago.. When he was just infront of death's doorstep, Grander found him..

Because of excessive bleeding, Grander then decided to feed him a very small amount of her precious blood from her small, pale wrist...

He healed instantly but it didn't come for free..They made a deal, she will feed him, shelter him and teach him while he will eventually grant her death.The blood he received turned out to have a side-effect on him..

As he eventually inherited her blood after a few nights..

He's an unusual case actually..

His skin became quite sensitive to the sun and consumes blood like his master.. Though he only consumes blood as an alternative method for treating his mana deficiency and fortunately, he doesn't go crazy for blood when he's thirsty...

He is no way near his master, a pure-blooded vampire.

He doesn't have immortality nor the ability to use her blood magic. She stated that he only inherited a few of a vampire's characteristics and is did not became an actual vampire like her.

His fangs are also quite small and less sharp than his master's fangs. They can't penetrate deep enough to tear a nerve, hence his masters frequent teasing of "baby teeth" everytime he brings the topic of drinking blood.

The seal helps him conceal some his vampire traits too.. His vampire traits, fortunately, didn't hindered his abilities.. His vampire blood didn't clash with the divine power and slightly enhanced his dark attribute.

Making him slightly more powerful at night, though only for a miniscule amount, compared to Grander.

===

Ludger received a cup of coffee from Sedina as usual in his office.

"Thank you."

Sedina peeked at Ludger, who is sipping coffee while looking through papers with his rimless glasses.

'Vampire..'

After what happened with the world tree, Sedina became quite closer to Ludger and other U. N. Owens who risked their lives to save her.

She  learned how to control the world tree and met her deceased mother once again.

She brought Ludger to her mother and conversed with each other. It got rough first but they talked in the end and her mother even teased her.

'Sir. Ludger has the Bretus royal bloodline and even vampire blood..'

She didn't mean to eavesdrop in their conversation but she heard it because they fought right in front of her.

It is quite contradicting when Bretus is the homeland of Lumensis church and vampires are the devil's children.

Sedina is really curious but it is Ludger's secret, she can't just prod.

"What is it?"

Ludger noticed Sedina's gaze and asked but still not looking up from the papers.

"We-well! Its just... Uh!"

Sedina jumped and stuttered.. She contemplated whether to ask him or not.

"Just ask.."

"Okay.."

Sedina looked at Ludger and decided to just ask.

"About when mother said that sir. Ludger is a.. vampire? Well, you don't have to answer if you don't want to! "

"Ah, about that."

Ludger took another sip in his coffee and immediately casted a sound-proofing spell in the office. He had expected Sedina to ask him about his origins after the World tree incident.

"She is right, i am a part-vampire."

"Oh! Then sir. Ludger, do you often drink blood?"

"Not that much.. I only drink blood as an another method of recovering mana."

"Then do you get burns when standing in the sunlight? Wait, you go out sometimes though.."

"It's not like that..."

Ludger shook his head at the ridiculousness but gave a response.

"My skin is just a little sensitive."

"Oh... Is that why you always wear coats?"

"Yes."

"Then, do you-"

"-I don't like drinking someone's blood."

'Ah, i was about to ask him that...'

Ludger immediately spoke and Sedina awkwardly nodded at what he said.

"Then sir, what kind of blood do you drink? how often do you drink blood? Should i continue giving you vegetables? Ah, sorry that was too much!"

Sedina got too excited and asked more questions, though Ludger didn't mind.

"I drink animal blood once a month or sometimes, a week. Also, the vegetables you give me is fine too."

"Ah-"

Sedina let out a gasp as she absorbed new information about Ludger.Sedina felt like she got a little closer with Ludger for him to answer her question..

Sedina felt another urge to ask another question but the bell rang. The spell he had diminished just a few second before the bell.

"Well, maybe later Sedina.. It's time for class."

Ludger sat up from his chair and went to his class.

Sedina first picked up the class documents before following Ludger.

She felt a little sullen, there's so many things she wants to aks, but there's always a next time.===

[uwoninternet]

Can't a ghost have some peace?

...and mora wouldn't be bad either...

Soooooo...guys, granny was occupied with her exams this week and my freak out time also took some time off of my schedule, this mean: to the people who is somewhat interested in the lyneyxreader "I'm not nuts, okay?!", most of the second chapter is in the work, but its still not complete. That work will probably only be 3 chapters long.

Anyway, no one cares about this old granny that doesn't know how to work the internet quites right yet, lets just focus in my new brainrot!

Guys, do you remember Hu tao's quest?? The ghost boy and Hu tao's insistence in helping the passing, *cof**cof* such as chasing Qiqi *cof**cof*

So, you, my sweet summer child, reader, is a ghost!

The afterlife isn't that exciting, you dare say, you die and you keep having the same apparence, same place, same everything, EVEN same job! C'mon! You thought death was supposed to be about resting!

But nooooo!

You literally die from working way too much in the family hotel, get a silent funeral where your crazy uncle buries your old shell in the garden just for your soul to be unnerved enough by It to make you return. Seriously, you just wanted something a little more beautiful than just freaking dirt to lay for eternity, but still, he justifies that your body was meant to bring the earth back to it's glorious days with blooming flowers.

Anyway, with no more employees other than your deceased self and your employer, uncle Yan, running the place was simply a mess, alone in the path between Liyue to Sumeru with just travelers to keep human company for you two. You always thought this Bull crap of only employing family was dumb, the only thing keeping...that kept you, when alive, was the heck of a guilt trip your parents forced down your throat, hypocrites! Both of them, leaving you here while going on to explore Teyvat. "Adventurous hearts", They said, couldn't keep them locked down, but your poor uncle! How would he keep your great great great parents bussiness running If he was alone?!

Your uncle was fine, the second you reappeared in a ghostly form trying to get him scared enough to change your burial ground he simply sipped his tea, said you should change and eat your supper before before It gets cold, after that, to hurry to bed because, as he put It, "the early worm gets be safe from the bird". And there! Back to work.

It took you some time, but slowly you learnt how to keep your shape stable and still be able to interact with solid objects, even If everything was the same, being a completelly new being without a solid form to keep your soul grounded and in its shape was hard! Many doesn't know, but the soul is like a mollusc seeking for a home, its composition being maleable in such a way It shapes itself to the body that houses it, but, after losing its recipient, time also eats away the form It was holding previuosly and learning how to still be...you took you some valuable time.

Anyhow, everything happened, let bygone be bygones, hada hada hada, you wake to the rising sun, work and...stare in space or wander around the place as the sun set, till the Sun wakes to greet you once again. Though the 'not needing sleep' thing let you pick up and try multiple hobbies, flowers were finally blooming in the garden with the help of your ghostly hands and the books about gardening your uncle buys from some merchands that pass by, you perfected your abilities with bakering and started to try new recipes the casual guest speaks about here and there, you are trying to learn your uncle's way with tales but still, It seems theater is not in your genes. That dramatic man probably took ALL of It from the whole family in the gene pool.

So see, you are a pretty laid back and chill ghost, is almost as If you never died in the first place, so can that freaking child leave you alone?! Brunette, teenager, obsessed with passing, keep giving the guests creepy advices and trying to tie you up to force you to go be burried. You feel like you became way to good with the impression of a kind of solid body.

"Don't be to hasle, director, If they get too upset we will have another burnt day." - uncle's playful voice reaches your ears.

Multiple groans follows after, together with Yan's resounding laughter. Before...

"What's a burnt day?" - a child like voice echos in your ears, you bet this little pal didn't wish to sound like they are screeching, still...

"It's when the director pisses the lad so much, They burn each and every meal They make! Please! I will only stay for a week, i can't keep eating just burnt food, miss!" - pleads one of your guests.

"They need to find rest! Thats the cycle of li-", the annoying teen is cut off by a higher screech of the kid.

"THEY BURN ALL OF THEM?! THAT'S SUCH A WASTE!!"

Taking that as enough of a warning about the incoming usual ping pong discussion of 'let me bury you' and ' no's' you share with the brunette, you sneak away to the garden....what?

You hide away, walking to the farthest that is still inside the premises of the hotel so you won't listen to the girl's resoning once again in repeat, a place distant enough so your form will flicker and leave you looking like a shadow, but not enough to force It back to your resting body. It always gives you whiplash.

You sit by a tree, gazing the distance, head empty or so you wish to be, the pounding in It is so unfair, you don't even have a real head! And yet, your confusing feelings are quite too much for a soul to remember how to induce a headache.

Your irritation with the endless motivational talks about resting peacefully in death, with not being able to get there, with your uncle's calmness with this infernal situation, with your parents who left you and don't even know their guilt trip lead you to your demise, with your stupid broken self preservation and, on the other hand, after all the rage passes, you can only feel numb and frustrated. You sigh, trying to let all out in an exale of air, leave all the feelings in the place that haunts your spirit. Kinda of ironic If you do say so.

You look towards your burial ground, at least is as beautiful as you once...is that....is that blond girl...no, no, everyone gets warned about not...SHE FREAKING IS! SHE'S FREAKING TAKING YOUR FLOWERS! YOUR GODDAMNED BODY FLOWERS!

"HEY! HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" - You almost fall with how fast you jump up and run towards her, How dare she?! Your soul can't rest and now even your rotting shell has to be disturbed?! Nuh huh!

"You...you can interact with me? Is...this a cutscene?" - she whisper to herself.

You don't even get to have a sad, poetic moment for 5 minutes and now what? Is SHE confused about being a ghost?

"OF COURSE I CAN! LEAVE MY FLOWERS ALONE!"

"But...but i need to Farm...."

"...What?"

"I-i mean-", she coughs lightly as if she was simply trying to win some time to remember what she was saying, "-how...Hello, my name is Lumine.", she puts her hands in her waist, posing as a hero.

"....and?"

She looks at you like you were the weird one, "alright,see you later", she smiles and turn to continue picking the flowers, RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR STUNNED FACE! How can someone be so shamelles?!

"See you now, miss!", you step on her scarf, her beautiful, glowing scarf! If she wasn't picking your body eating flowers you would be on your knees pleading for forgiveness for dirting such gorgeous thing. She gags as her troath is struck by the scarf. "Don't pick on my body!"

She turns, annoyed, "Look who is talking?!"

"don't come with that on me! I'm not the one that's literally taking someone else's death tribute!"

"Who's death are you talking?!"

"Me! You are stepping in my FREAKING body! Taking my flowers! That i myself had to give for me!"

"wait, what?"

"i get It, no one fucking cares about my end other then what i should do now that i passed! But guess what?! I'm tired of working and working and working just to waste away, for what?! just want to rest in a beautiful place, ok?! Don't i deserve to pretend that someone cares for me at least?!", you huff, even without a troath you feel a horrible pain in your vocal chords, "i just.... can't i have some semblance of...being important?"

She looked, truly looked at you, not as just some nobody trying to catch her attention. Blank face, still her eyes held an understanding you haven't seen in a long while, she gently placed the flowers in her hands back. "You are the ghost."

"...If you try and spill that Bull crap about peace and leaving this earth, then pack it, i don't wanna hear It."

"you can't leave", she says as If realising a big secret.

You look at her, sighing before sitting beside It.

She is hesitant before sitting by you, looking at the flowers. "... that's How you died?"

"Working to the bone? Yeah, and look where It got me...."

"fighting a girl about flowers?" - she jests, almost silent.

You huff a laughter, "yeah, i guess."

You two share the silent for some time and thats How your friendship with Lumine starts. Maybe, afterlife can be exciting after all.

Thats It!

Guys, i simply LOVE the twins, i'm simply in love with them both! Lumine is such a princess and Aether is such a cutie!

Anyway, granny is a little bland i think, hehehe.

Geishin fanfic lovers, If you reach this point, know my little secret...

Granny loves y'all!!!

Drink water and don't forget to eat, lets forever share the brainrots together ;)

[chess-writes]

My Beloved

NikiMayo

Tw: Cannibalism, descriptions of cannibalism, multiple descriptions of gore, unhealthy mindsets, slight possessiveness, obsession, murder, blood, neither of them are mentally okay in this, probably ooc.

Note: uhhhhh uh uh also written late at night so possibly bad writing 💀. neither of them are mentally okay and i don't think cannibalism is okay i just wanted to write smth more horror-ish. feedback is appreciated! also the timeline may be messy because they're in school still but also in the dorms and i don't feel like doing research to check if that's right. i'm tired 💔

Summary: Mayoi has shown Niki one of the many secret rooms so he could try new recipes without using up space in his dorm or his workplace. As Mayoi was "checking in" on him, he saw one of the new "recipes" he was making.

The story below has potentially upsetting and disturbing descriptions of cannibalism, stalking, and gore.

Mayoi had heard the rumors that surrounded Niki's family. He had never really cared for such things, as he didn't believe a monster such as himself could judge anyone.

But here he was, in the vents, silently watching the man he had found himself unable to stop thinking about. He had been confused by Niki's behavior towards him, how someone so adorable could somehow be kind towards a monster like him.

So here he was. watching the man that had taken over his thoughts.

And he was eating another human.

Mayoi had shown Niki one of the many hidden rooms in the buildings. Niki had wanted a place to try cooking new foods outside of his workplace and dorm so he wouldn't bother anyone, and Mayoi couldn't help but want to get close in any way to the man he had become obsessed with.

Ah, such a disgusting monster such as him had dared to get close to someone so sweet and precious...

He had felt guilty for weeks for disturbing his precious Shiina-san, even if he had happily thanked him and even promised to cook for him.

He watched Niki pull flesh off of the recently deceased students wrist with his teeth. He hated how such a display didn't disturb him.

In fact... he felt even closer to Niki than ever.

He was filth, but witnessing someone so pure do something so unholy made him feel like perhaps his Shiina-san wasn't so unreachable after all.

Niki seemed happy to keep eating, blood covering his face and hands, and even splattering not just on his clothes, but pooling under the corpse.

Mayoi had seen the student around before. He wasn't anyone important. He wasn't part of a unit, and he was in his first year at the school.

But, even if he wasn't all that well known, everyone would notice if he went missing. And Niki wasn't a very secretive person.

Mayoi felt a horrible chill as he pictured the grey-haired boy getting taken to jail, never to be seen again.

He simply couldn't let someone who was so needlessly kind to a disgusting creature like him face such a thing...! And was it truly that bad for him to eat him?

Shiina-san was always hungry, and his father was also an alleged cannibal... he must not know that it's frowned upon.

Plus, there's overpopulation issues anyways.

Mayoi watched as he continued to devour the body for a few more seconds before finally getting the guts to pop the cover of the vent off and climbing out.

Niki turned towards the noise and was visibly panicking, desperately trying to wipe blood off of his face, but he just smeared it more and more.

"Ah- Mayo-chan! I- I promise! I can explain-! Well... no. I really can't! But-" Niki rambled, looking like he might cry.

Mayoi raised his hands and waved them while shaking his head. "Nngh.., Shiina-san, I'm sorry that filth like me approached you! I promise, I wont snitch...! I'm... I'm here to help!"

Niki went quiet, looking at him. He looked relieved, but still a bit suspicious. "You... you what?"

Mayoi couldn't help but think that Niki looked delightful like that, covered in blood with his attention on him...! Ah, he was so disgusting, liking such a thing...

"Shiina-san... you've been kind to me... I can never repay such a thing in all my life, but i'll do what I can anyways...!" he whimpered, afraid that... afraid of what? That Niki would eat him, too? He had no right to fear such a thing, He should feel honored if someone so sweet wished to consume his disgusting flesh.

"I can help clean up... or even get rid of what you don't eat...!" he looked away from Niki, blushing as his imagination went wild. If Shiina-san agreed, then the two would be permanently bound side by side by a secret that they could never tell...!~

"Mayo-chan..." Niki sounded like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mayoi was caught off guard when Niki tackled him into a hug, getting blood on him as well. "Uwahh... you're such a nice person, Mayo-chan!"

Mayoi wasn't sure what to do. He was a horrible person, disgusting, an accomplice to murder, and-

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Niki holding his hands and pulling him over to the body and sitting down, tapping the spot next to him, urging Mayoi to do the same. He did so.

Niki happily kept eating, and even handed Mayoi the other arm so they could eat together.

Mayoi felt like he blacked out, because when he was aware of himself again, the student's body was cut up and placed into bags in the fridge, with bones, fat, and any organs that couldn't be prepared were put in a large trash bag.

"Okay... so you'll go get wet rags, cleaner, and new clothes for us both, and then we'll clean up in here, and throw that away?" Niki recited their plan.

Mayoi nodded. He knew how to sneak around, and he could barely feel bad about the serious crime when Shiina-san looked so happy and was holding his hand like that..!~

Mayoi returned with the supplies in another bag. the two of them cleaned up and used hydrogen peroxide so that even a blacklight couldn't reveal the blood. Then they stripped and used the cloths to wipe off any blood before adding those, as well as the bloody clothing, to the trash bag. Then they got dressed in what Mayoi had brought.

The room was spotless, and the two of them looked as innocent as they could.

Mayoi grabbed the bag and double wrapped it in case it ripped and started to walk out, Niki joining him.

Mayoi nearly jumped out of his skin when Niki slipped his hand into Mayoi's empty one. He said nothing, and neither did Mayoi. He could certainly feel his face getting warmer, though.

The two were barely given a second glance, more people being caught off guard by Mayoi being visible or the two holding hands. But, thankfully, the two were left alone.

They didn't go to the dumpster. They looked up any places that had an incinerator and went there. Mayoi was sneaky, it wasn't that hard for him to get in unnoticed.

The two walked back, Mayoi staying quiet, and Niki happily holding his hand and rambling about food.

The student was declared missing, but Mayoi made sure it was never traced back to his precious Shiina-san.

[opalsiren]

i am once again going insane about tiny zikki moments from mostly unrelated episodes. today's installment is their moments in 2x24 'three's company'

let's talk about the moment he finds her on the beach and calls out 'hey stranger!!' and she immediately gives him this familiar and fond smile. he wants to hang and she's trying to be all cold and distant but you can tell she is so happy to see him like when he offers to take her to the movies and holds her hands and does the little thumb-rub thing not once but TWICE tumblr user hoziersgf found deceased she can't stop smiling even though you can tell she doesn't want to be. then rikki is like 'some other day okay' and kisses his cheek and it is undisputably adorable and he just. leaves her to it. lets her have her space even though he misses his gf because he knows she's going through it with mermaid shenanigans and respects her boundaries season one zane would NEVER

also litch really wrote an entire post about this one (1) exchange but to recap when rikki goes to see zane after taking a step back from the girls and he 1. grins at her like she hung the moon and 2. instantly clocks she's had a fight with the girls since he knows both her AND her friends sooooooo well plus they have a cute little kiss they are in love your honour

we as a society NEED to talk about the moment they’re strolling down the beach with their arms around each other teasing each other and zane is like i’m better company than your friends and rikki is like ‘it’s debatable’ and they both just laugh like they’re so happy and comfy around each other just. doing nothing. plus they are both clearly so mad when emma and cleo interrupt their kiss. can we also talk about the little moment when they say they need to talk to rikki and he patiently waits for her to come back. when she goes back to him her expression instantaneously turns from sour to totally happy and relaxed she’s all ‘where were we’ and he’s like ‘kissing’ and puts his arm around her again and kisses her on the cheek and they laugh together AGAIN. they are disgusting i literally hate them so much.

can't not comment on the other beach scene where rikki is clearly a little restless after excluding herself from the group and zane instantly knows what's wrong and suggests they go to lewis's party. then when she shoots him down immediately he is like 'you don't have to let charlotte win you can go back (to the group) whenever you want' and rikki looks all thoughtful and introspective because she hadn't considered that before. i am the furthest thing from a charlotte hater but in this moment zane reminds her who she is, that she won't let people walk all over, that she's rikki chadwick and she won't be the loser to someone else's winner. zane truly knows her so well that, by simply being there, he never lets her forget who she is. *screams for one thousand years*

i am thinking about the little moment when they're sitting sipping their juices at the juicenet being both adorable and iconic when ash calls rikki. for a sec she meets zane's eye and is like 'hi ash how's the party 😉' because she knows charlotte has probably done a piss poor job throwing a party for lewis sorry charlotte baby i love you dearly but that was a certified mess <3 and wants zane to be included in the joke. when she hangs up she's like 'cleo and emma have left lewis's party' and immediately zane matches her tone like 'that's not like them' just as concerned as her. not only does my guy know rikki chadwick like the back of his hand he knows her friends too!!!! immediately she's like 'exactly' and they rush off together to see what's going on because they are a team and it's fine i'm fine i'll be fine

plus when they’re outside charlotte’s pool room when ash is trying to burst in on cleo and emma and zane is the one to get him to leave them alone when rikki can’t like he leads him away saying it’s ‘secret women’s business’ or what have you. king shit. i also personally think that zane was at least a little bit involved in putting the party boat together for lewis since you can see him checking his watch and staring at the water as if waiting for something right before it gets there i am connecting the dots etc.

anyway in conclusion i believe in zikki supremacy <33

[yutafrita]

Through the Webs- CHAPTER FIVE

"And through it all, I will fearlessly love you."

Sungchan x Reader (y/n pronouns are she/her)

Chapter Warnings: References to deceased parents, mild to graphic depictions of violence, mild psychological horror elements, spider(s), references to minor character death, slight references to homophobia, depictions of poor mental health institutions

Chapter Word Count: ~5.4K

Through the Webs Master List

Synopsis: Therapy. Medication. Wallow. Repeat. You have gotten the daily routine down pact. Your visions or “delusions” as the doc would say, haven’t helped you when it comes to recovering from your amnesia, though. What has helped are the times when Sungchan visits you in the hospital. He says he’s your best friend, and since no one else has visited, what else are you to believe? Certainly not your own delusions which keep telling you that the asylum is more than what it seems.

Tag List! @nini0620 @maleegayuh if you want to be added just send an ask or comment <3

Chapter Five

That night, several memories bubbled to the surface. The first one was when you were younger and was of your mothers teaching you how to swim in a community pool. The next one, was of you waking up one day during puberty and suddenly being able to speak to spiders while also being able to create webs of your own. Strange, but you’d later find out this is how the others got their powers. A few other memories swelled together- getting accepted into university, saving Sungchan’s life at a party, fighting criminals with Jisoo, graduating from university and opening your private investigation business with Taeyong.

The last memory that came to you was what woke you up. It was of you in what you assumed was your shared home with Sungchan, where the two of you were perched on the couch watching TV. You were digging into a bowl of popcorn, a bright ring hanging onto a necklace you wore.

“This show is so dumb.”

“You say that about every show I watch, Sungchan.”

“Because you only watch reality dating shows.”

“And everytime you always ask me a million questions because you love it,” you taunted, handing him back the bowl so he could have a few kernels. 

“I don’t love these shows… however, they are entertaining,” he admitted, taking the bowl from your hands. “I do love you, though.”

You chuckled, mindlessly reaching out to grab a few more kernels. As your fingers met the bowl, his hand grasped your wrist and you looked to the side, giggling at Sungchan’s dilated pupils.

“What? Is it the popcorn that makes you feel some type of way?” you teased, lifting your other hand to caress  his cheek as you smirked at him. “I love you.”

Smiling, he adjusted to hold your hand as he leaned forward. “Good,” he whispered, just before closing the gap between your lips. Hands running through each other's hair, his hand squeezing your hips- and with that, you were awake.

The way your memories were coming back, it was as if you were watching a movie of someone else’s life. You knew it was you. Yet, it was the last memory that jolted you awake because of how grounded in reality it felt. You couldn’t deduce if it was just the simplicity of the memory itself, or the lingering feeling of Sungchan’s hands and lips all over you.

Speaking of Sungchan, he held you tightly, his soft snores indicating that he was still in a slumber. A blush rose in your cheeks as you felt his hands splayed on your stomach, his hands on you in your memory still at the forefront of your mind. You shook your head to clear your thoughts, and slowly unraveled yourself from him, doing your best to not wake him but failing as you heard his snores stop.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered. You heard the rustling of sheets and the lights inside the van came on, blinding you for a moment.

“It’s okay,” he yawned, rubbing his eyes. He paused, raising a suspicious eyebrow. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like… I don’t know like you saw me naked or something,” he was studying your face, and with the van now lit up, he saw the heat rising on your face. “Oh my god.”

“What?” you nervously picked at the hem of your t-shirt in an attempt to push down the memory.

“You saw me naked,” he chuckled, his stupid smirk making you groan in irritation.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Which time was it?”

“You are the worst,” you covered your hands with your face in embarrassment.

“Was it that time after I proposed? Or that time in the student parking garage? Or was it that time right before graduation? After graduation?”

“No way you can remember every single time,” you huffed, frowning as he still laid on the sleeping bag, laughing at your embarrassed state.

“No, but I can keep going.”

“I don’t like you.”

“Sure, sure,” his smile was still on his face, and you had to fight the urge to not smile back at him. It was infectious, really. The look in his eyes as he spoke to you and teased you, it made you feel special- you didn’t need powers to feel that way, just his smile.

After breakfast, you made your way to the work room to try and readjust to your powers. The spider Sungchan had given you had taken to sitting on your shoulder, not saying anything beyond repeating that it was hungry a few times.

“Go and catch a fly then,” you snapped at it, sitting up on the work bench next to where Ten wass mindlessly doodling. Sungchan was helping Doyoung do some supply checks and was discussing things on the opposite end of the room.

“I can’t believe you can talk to spiders,” Ten repeated again. He and Taeil were the last ones waiting on their powers to come back. “I wonder what mine is.”

“I haven’t gotten any memories of yours,” you wish you had.

“I know,” he muttered. You looked over his shoulder, looking at the intricate sword he was drawing. It was drawn with a thin blade, and a small inscription you couldn’t quite make out. “That looks awesome.”

“Thanks! I wish it was real,” he confessed, smiling sheepishly.

“Hm, I think modern heroes could maybe use swords,” you were staring at the drawing, knowing that Ten was very proud of himself and happy to be able to draw again.

“Yeah, sure. As if I could just-,” his eyes widened sharply, and with his right hand, he pressed the palm of his hand onto the paper where the hilt of the sword was drawn. Swallowing nervously, he pressed his hand harshly onto the sheet of paper, and just when you were going to ask what he was doing, his hand reeled back with a full sword in his hand.

“Holy shit,” you swore, standing up with your eyes wide. The sword was just like how Ten drew it- it was thin but sturdy, the hilt was wrapped with white bandages, and the inscription was perfectly placed beneath Ten’s hands. “The Canvas?” you read aloud.

“T… That was my vigilante name,” he smiled, and you watched as memories seemed to enter his consciousness.

“Ten?” Doyoung called from across the room, and you glanced over to see him and Sungchan gawking at the sword. “Got your powers?”

“Oh yeah, I think so.”

As the day continued, you stuck to the dart board in the corner, listening to different bits of conversations as you tried to figure out how to utilize your spider webs. Jisoo had arrived later with her siblings, taking to carrying random bits of heavy equipment and helping Kun and Yangyang make a few repairs. Jaemin also arrived with Renjun, taking to helping his friend by powering up some electrical equipment.

“You’re doing it wrong,” a harsh voice sounded over your shoulder as you tossed a dart at the board, missing the center by a few centimeters. 

Looking over you went to roll your eyes before pausing. “When did you dye your hair?”

“Oh,” Taeyong quickly shook off the blue wig, revealing his blonde hair that needed a touch up. “I was collecting intel in the park today.”

“Ah,” you replied dryly. Trying to flick your wrist the way you’ve seen in your memories, you aimed it towards the dart board, to no avail. “So how did we end up starting a business together?” that was one thing your memories hadn’t given you yet. 

“I hated my job as a police detective. You wanted to be a PI fresh out of college. It just worked out. Plus, I was happy to work with the girl who my brother was in love with,” Taeyong reflected, taking a dart from the stool next to you and tossing it, hissing quietly when it landed on the farthest ring. “I never had great aim.”

“How was the intel?” Sungchan’s voice sounded to your other side, and you took it as a cue to continue flicking your wrist at the board.

“They haven’t cleaned the public parks in ages and my informant is telling me that Capsik’s men raided our old meeting restaurant,” Taeyong responded, taking another dart and missing again.

“I guess they figured out that’s where we used to meet,” Sungchan muttered. His hand came up then, and you looked over at him as he stared at you for permission before placing his fingertips gently where your palm meets your thumb. “You would always start your webs by tapping here,” he tapped the area again, “with your ring finger.”

“Telling her how she used to do it isn’t helpful,” Taeyong grumbled.

“And just telling me that I’m doing it wrong is more helpful?” you countered, following the technique Sungchan gave you to feel a quick release of web fluid from your wrist. “Awesome.”

After a couple of more tries, you were able to extend it enough to grab the dart on the board and bring it back to your hand. Finally, you were starting to feel comfortable in your own flesh.

“Alright guys let's circle up,” Sungchan had moved from your side without you noticing, now standing on a chair in the middle of the room.

“This isn’t soccer practice,” Yangyang teased. He placed his tools back down before he moved to the center of the room nonetheless.

“Renjun, can you pull up the Mayoral house feed?” Sungchan instructed, earning a nod from Renjun as he moved towards his large monitor set up.

“You think we’re ready to move forward with phase four already?” Kun asked loudly, crossing his arms. You didn’t know what he meant by phases, but Kun certainly seemed doubtful of whatever it was.

“I don’t think it's a matter of being ready,” Sungchan sighed, glancing over to see the center monitor showing a large crowd outside of the mayor's house. “This is the second protest group within the last two weeks.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Ten interjected.

“It would be, if not for…” Sungchan’s voice trailed off as two large double doors burst open from the mansion, groups of armed guards waltzing out with batons waving in their hands as they began attacking the crowd. Cringing in pain, you turned your face away from the screen.

“God dammit,” Renjun muttered, clicking away at his keyboard before shutting off the livestream.

“How can we help?” Taeil asked first, puffing his chest as he spoke.

“You don’t even have your powers back,” Jaemin sighed, looking hopelessly at Taeil.

“That doesn’t matter- none of those people have powers and they’re doing more than we are,” you crossed your arms over your chest, holding yourself as best as you could. Looking up, you met Sungchan’s eyes. “What’s the plan?”

Amongst the muttering, you remembered the stupid ad you saw on the Capsik enterprises website. “They’re having an investors gala,” you spoke loudly, hardly recognizing the strong voice that came out of you. 

“At the end of the month,” Renjun had the website open, and his eyes met yours in a knowing manner. 

“I can get information on who’s going so we can better plan how to infiltrate and take down Capsik,” Taeyong was visibly running through his own thoughts.

“You’re going to need someone else to do that with you,” Kun spoke.

“I’ll gather intel with him,” Ten suddenly offered.

“No way- you just got your powers back. You aren’t ready,” Jennie chastised. 

Ten shrugged at his sister. “My power is the most covert and adaptable to gather intel.”

“He’s not wrong,” Jaemin’s response earned a glare from Jennie. “What? If I get caught, I create an electrical surge. If Jisoo’s caught, she at best can punch their way out, we don’t know what Taeil can do, and god-,” he looked at you in exhaustion, “she’ll call every spider to them in a panic.”

“Not every spider,” you half joked, earning a snicker from Sungchan and Jisoo.

“Ten, you’re not gathering intel without some additional backup,” Sungchan turned to Jennie and Lisa, “You guys got something for him?” Sungchan’s response caused Ten’s sisters to laugh as if it was a joke.

“We got into this shit because of him and his powers- we have more than enough,” Lisa replied between giggles.

“We’ll head to the surface tonight then,” Taeyong nodded. 

“Until they get back, we should keep monitoring the cameras around the mayoral house,” you thought aloud.

“Oh my god please no more monitoring days!” Rosé groaned, causing half of you to look at her in confusion.

“What’s a monitoring day?” Taeil asked, voicing your own thoughts.

“It’s how we’d split up watching you all when you were captive, but y/n’s right,” Sungchan placed a hand under his chin as he was thinking. “We had those on night watch checking the cameras, but it should be monitored 24 hours a day.”

After crouching over a sheet of paper, Sungchan quickly drafted up shifts and times for monitoring the cameras. There was a particular thrill in you- not from excitement, but more so that this felt right- being able to speak and actually help in formulating a plan, this was part of who you were, this you were sure of. 

“How did you get your powers back?” Taeil whispered to you as Sungchan bickered with Renjun about getting a specific time of the day.

You shrugged. “I don’t know… I was just really angry and it… happened.”

“It just happened,” he repeated, glaring down at his feet. “All I know is that it has something to do with my voice.”

“That’s all I know too… maybe you’re like a siren or something,” you joked, and when he went to smile a look of realization hit him. You tilted your head, confused.

“That was my vigilante name,” he nodded, the memories seeming to swim around in his mind now.

“The Canvas and Siren, I wonder what everyone else's was,” you thought aloud. “If your name was Siren, does that mean you sing to activate your powers?”

“I guess,” he grumbled, not seeming fully satisfied. His high notes can kill! They can kill! You glanced down at your shoulder, the spider Sungchan brought you, seeming to return now with a full belly.

“How do you know?” You asked it, ignoring the surprise in Taeil’s face. We all know! He even knocks out the insects around him- it makes eating easy. You looked back at Taeil, suspicious if you should even tell him. There was a reason none of the family members here shared the information- so you pressed your lips tightly together.

“It’ll come to you soon,” was all you could reply with before turning back to the group.

The next two days held more weight- with a schedule of when everyone needed to take night watch or monitor the mayor’s house, the time in between was used wisely. After Lisa and Jennie cried over their brother being put into danger, they dragged you and Jaemin to the work room to take your measurements. It seems that they had been working on different pieces to enhance both of your powers, and were ready to throw themselves into completing them while their brother was gone. You took to practicing your own powers, also allowing your memories to surface more and more as each minute passed.

---

Sungchan wanted to take you on a date.

He was getting to know you again, except this time you and several people were stuck together underground. Before, the biggest obstacles were you only seeing him as a friend and not wanting him to be harmed by your life as a hero. It took Sungchan a ridiculous amount of time and courage to confess his romantic feelings toward you. But, now you knew he was in love with you. You had those memories- and hell, you seemed to reciprocate some feelings too.

So, Sungchan wondered, why was it so hard for him now?

The evening following your first night terror you sheepishly asked Sungchan to keep sharing a bed with you. It made his heart flutter when he went to climb to his sleeping bag on the top of the van and your hand shyly reached out to him. Every time you smiled at him or even made a joke he wanted to kiss every part of your face. It was becoming a slow torture for Sungchan- this was worse than before you two had gotten together the first time.

Before, when you weren’t romantically involved, he had no idea the whirlwind romance you two would have. He had no idea how wonderful it could be- he was just fantasizing before. Yet now, he did know what life was like with you. He loved it. His thoughts weren’t simply a fantasy anymore, they were real memories, and he so longed to kiss you and hold you in how things were before your memories were stolen from you.

“Let me get this straight,” Jennie was stocking up the small storage space that acted as the third room in the underground, shooting Sungchan a humorous look, “you want me to make sure that no one else knows that you two are in here so you can take your fiancé on a first date?”

“It sounds dumb when you say it like that,” Sungchan lifted a palette of canned food, placing it on a high shelf that was barely out of Jennie’s grasp.

“Because it is,” she sighed, “It’s also very sweet,” Jennie crossed her arms. “Is now really the time to be doing that though?”

Sungchan shot her a knowing look. “I could ask you the same thing. Rosé was very quick to get me out of there during our night duty a few days ago.”

At this Jennie’s cheeks turned red and she frowned. “T-that’s not true! And, well, you have memories with y/n,” she turned around, lifting her clipboard as she mindlessly glanced over the inventory list. “We were always too scared of our feelings, but being down here…” her voice trailed off.

“Cover my date and I’ll cover yours?” Sungchan extended his hand then, and Jennie glared at it for a moment, pinching her lips as she thought it over.

“You have to get Renjun to bake that pasta for us.”

“Fine.”

“Deal,” Jennie shook his hand, smiling as she did so.

---

“It should allow you to store the web fluids and grab on to them easier,” Lisa explained to you, tightening the brace on your wrist. “We made you one ages ago, but when you were captive I worked on perfecting it.”

She connected the rubbered tips of the brace to each of your fingers, and after she secured it fully she took a step back, smiling. “I named this device mouse.”

“Why?” you asked, flexing and relaxing your hand so you could get used to the feeling of the brace.

“The first prototype was called rat, but this one feels cuter and sleeker. So, mouse,” she shrugged.

“Ten said you were an artist, how did you get into weaponry creation and design?” it was a question you had been wanting to ask both Lisa and Jennie.

“I make sculptures on the side, but my full time job was a mechanical engineer,” she said this casually as she took out the screwdriver from her toolbelt. “I learned how to actually build things from watching Jennie, but normally I just create the plans. Mechanical engineers aren’t usually known for their building abilities.”

“That’s an impressive resumé,” you whistled, meaning it. “How is it that everyone here has some amazing job backgrounds?”

She shrugged. “I know Doyoung and Rosé are in medicine because of Jisoo. She was always getting injured growing up,” Lisa hummed, furrowing her brow and pausing as she adjusted the screwdriver to tighten a bolt on your brace. “It all just sort of worked out, I guess.”

“Yeah,” you muttered, going quiet as she finished tightening the last bolt.

“Perfect,” she smiled in satisfaction, placing the screwdriver back to her tool belt. She carefully undid the brace from your wrist and fingers, placing it back onto the workbench. “When you’re feeling up to it again, feel free to grab it and let me know how it works. I know you’ve been practicing all day and are pretty webbed-out.”

“Thanks. For everything.”

“Happy to help- hey, could you have Jaemin head in here a few minutes early? I know he has to watch the Mayoral building soon with Renjun so I wanted to do some final touches to his equipment beforehand.”

“No problem,” you nodded. Closing the door and the row of locks behind you, you started the short trek down the sewers towards the main room, the only sound for a moment being your sneakers hitting the cement.

Help. Help. She wants help!

The tiny skitterings of the spiders echoed in the tunnel, and you paused in your journey to survey the small crowd of them that decided to come out and greet you.

“What makes you say that?” you whispered to them, not wanting to speak too loudly in the sewer. You had been assured numerous times that where you all were located was out of bounds from civilization enough that speaking loudly wouldn’t matter, but you didn’t want to push it.

We feel it. We feel it! You noticed how odd it was in their groupings they spoke collectively. Your small spider that Sungchan gave you (you should see about its name at this point), spoke in full sentences and was even developing a personality.

You furrowed your brows and knelt down to be closer to the group. “Could you guys do me a favor?” you asked sweetly, curious to see their reaction. There seemed to be a small hum from the group of arachnids, before a small cheer erupted, and you took it as your sign to continue. “I’m going to need you guys to gather information for me.”

Spying! Spying! She wants us to spy!

“Capsik. Can you follow him and the people closest to him?”

Capsik… Capsik… there was a low grumble amongst the spiders. He kills all spiders near him.

“Of course he does,” you huffed. You should have known- especially when there were no spiders even in the asylum. “Can you then stay close to Taeyong and Ten? Tell me if something goes wrong with them?”

Another soft grumble and then, we’ll stay as close as possible.

“Try not to be all together all the time, don’t wanna draw suspicion,” you chuckled. No worries. We help! We help! “Thank you,” and with that, the crowd skittered away from you, chattering amongst themselves,

Jaemin was releasing and unreleasing electricity from one hand to another, listening politely to a story Yangyang was telling him about eating hotpot when you arrived.

“Jaemin, Lisa’s asking you to come in early to the work room,” you called to him.

“Man, I was getting to the good part,” Yangyang grumbled.

“For what?” Jaemin asked, a flash of electricity sitting between his hands.

You shrugged. “She said it was to take final measurements. She just finished with mine.”

Moving past where they sat in the center, you saw Sungchan sitting on the top of your van. With a sandwich between his teeth, he was typing away on a laptop as Taeil talked his ear off. It seemed Taeil was making up for lost time, and was making sure to speak as much as he could whenever possible- not that you minded.

“... best one of the series,” you heard the tail end of Taeil’s speech, climbing onto the van as Sungchan grabbed for the sandwich with one hand to take a bite, tightening his grip on the laptop.

“Are you talking about-?”

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon? Yep,” Sungchan answered your question between bites, smiling as he watched you sit next to him.

“You know we can watch other movies now, right? Kun has a DVD collection he saved for us.”

Taeil huffed, crossed his arms and grumbled, “I watched the other Transformers movies already.”

“If I have to see Shia LaBeouf’s face again I think I will actually lose my mind,” you chuckled.

Without missing a beat, Sungchan spoke, “you haven't had that in ages.”

You feigned an offended gasp as Taeil laughed loudly, shoving Sungchan’s arm lightly as the latter smiled. 

“I don’t think anyone here has their mind anymore,” you sighed. Sungchan took this small cue to finish his sandwich, glancing between you and his computer screen.

“Oh, have any more memories come back?” Taeil asked casually, leaning back on his forearms.

“No… just one of me talking to a few of Capsik’s captives one time, but nothing groundbreaking,” you sighed. You glanced down, seeing that Sungchan was combing through footage of you all at the asylum with a notes app open with random dates and times typed up. “What are you up to?”

Sungchan perked up, his eyes widening as if he was a deer caught in headlights. “Oh! Well, I’m seeing which of Capsik’s close confidantes passed by while you were in the asylum. I’m keeping track of the clearest images I can get of them.”

“Why?” 

“Well,” Sungchan furrowed his eyebrows, “I need to send these pictures of Capsik’s guys to Taeyong and Ten. Taeyong is going to an internet cafe to check a burner email so I need him to get it sent by then.”

Nodding, you looked over his shoulder, “that’s the head psychologist.”

Sungchan laughed dryly. “That’s not a psychologist, that’s Capsik’s accountant.”

“Why would he trust his accountant in there to torture us?” Taeil asked, frowning as he glared at the screen.

“He’s the only one he trusted who could also appear straightlaced? That’s my theory, anyway.”

Quietly, you watched Sungchan work. You watched as the wrinkle between his eyebrows furrowed as he finished gathering the images for his brother, clicking quickly through different screens. Swiftly, he sent the photos, sighing in satisfaction as he safely closed the computer.

“That was boring,” Taeil got up from the van. You rolled your eyes, shaking your head as Taeil sauntered off to speak to Kun.

“I thought it was cool,” you smiled, brushing your arm against Sungchan’s.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” he laughed softly, his eyes meeting yours as he put the laptop to the side.

“I’m not!” you swore, raising your right hand up, “I swear!”

“Sure sure,” Sungchan chuckled, smiling at you. You noticed the small amount of mustard on the corner of his mouth, and you instinctively raised your hand, swiping your thumb to remove the leftover mustard. Pause. Another memory flooded your brain.

This time, Sungchan was holding and caressing your cheek, swiping away at the tears that had trickled down your cheeks.

“The files Taeyong acquired… It proves it. Capsik, he…” your voice trailed off, your sobs making it difficult to discern what you were saying but Sungchan did his best.

“What did Capsik do?” he asked. He was visibly trying to stay calm, and despite the tears blurring your vision, it was easy to tell that he wanted to understand what you were struggling to say.

“H-he hired a driver to knock my Mom’s car off the road. It was right after the first time we refused to work for him.”

You moved your hand quickly from Sungchan now, staring at him wide eyed and in shock.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his eyes studying you.

“You lied. You said she lost control of her car,” you whispered. Sungchan’s mouth hung agape as he tried to figure out what exactly he should tell you.

“I thought… that was a memory that needed to come to you. On your own,” he admitted. His bottom lip trembled. You sighed, and nodded. It must have been one of the other burdens you accidentally placed on him, there was no way it was easy for him to hang onto this.

“I have to kill him,” it was a matter of fact that escaped your lips, and Sungchan’s own eyes widened.

“What?” it came out blunt.

“Maybe the version of me you knew before thought it was wrong,” you hummed, looking out and towards Taeil who was playing hopscotch with Kun now, but this version has been robbed of her memories. Me killing him despite the anger I feel… It's a kindness. Because if I could have it my way, it would be much worse,” you spoke through gritted teeth. 

Sungchan placed a hand on your shoulder. “I’ll help you, no matter what.” Turning your head, you met his eyes. Every memory you had began accumulating with Sungchan, his doe eyes always looked at you as if you were the most important being in the world. His hand holding your shoulder, the way he seemed ready to always be there for you, and the look in his eyes made a heat rise in your cheeks.

Report! Report! I’ve come to report!

The small voice forced you to break eye contact with Sungchan, and after clearing your throat, you stared down next to where you sat on the van. A small spider crawled its way next to you two, seeming to bounce up and down in excitement.

“Everything okay?” you asked it, picking it up into the palm of your hand.

Yes! All is well! Taeyong and Ten have gone to rest for the night after visiting an internet cafe! The spider then turned its body around towards Sungchan, who smiled at the arachnid. 

“Aw, what’s this one's name?” he asked, his hand which dwarfed yours reached out to meet your own, the spider crawling onto his hand of its own volition. Pauk!

“Um… they said Pauk,” you watched with wide eyes as the spider happily crawled from Sungchan’s hand onto his shoulder. “Pauk says that your brother and Ten went to rest for the night after they visited the café.”

“Ah! Well, thank you Pauk,” Sungchan’s smile was wide as he looked between you and the spider. Happy to be of service to Dihncara and her partner! And with that, the spider bounced off of Sungchan’s shoulder, jumping off the van and away from the two of you.

“Dihncara? Who's Dihncara?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“That’s you,” Sungchan simpered.

“Huh? No it’s not.”

“It’s Arachnid backwards… you liked it when I first suggested it,” he sighed, leaning back on his forearms now.

“You want your superhero name to be Dihncara?” Ten’s eyes peered back at you over the notebook he was writing in. You nodded. You would all be conducting your first press conference tomorrow to formally introduce yourselves to the city after saving the mayor’s life, and you needed an actual hero name. “Spider person” would only get you so far.

“Yes,” you affirmed. 

“I can’t believe you helped me come up with my superhero name,” you scoffed.

“I was there through it all.”

“That’s cheesy,” you lightly shoved his arm, trying to stop the smile from spreading on your lips.

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” he joked, putting a hand on his chest to feign honor.

There was a feeling the more you spoke to Sungchan. It was difficult to articulate, but after dinner that night and laying in the van with him, you determined what it was: warm. Everything about Sungchan was warm. The way his cheeks crinkled his eyes when he laughed really hard, the way he lovingly helped everyone, the way he held you at night. The cold feeling in your chest melted when you were around him.

“You seem lost in thought,” he breathed, tilting his head your way as he watched you stare at the roof of the van that night.

“In my memories you slept without a shirt,” you spoke quickly, looking to your right to see the t-shirt clinging to his chest.

“That was not what you were thinking about,” he rolled his eyes, his smile gleaming. “But, if it bothers you I can very easily sleep without it.”

“Only if you want to.”

“Hm, what do you want?” he asked, propping his head onto his hand, now staring down at you.

“I want for you to just feel… comfortable,” you felt good settling on those words. Sungchan’s free hand moved and gently pinched your cheek, earning an annoyed sound from you.

“You’re just so cute,” he defended, tucking a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. He had to know what he was doing to you- there was no way he couldn’t know that speaking that way to you and also being gentle would cause you to blush again.

“I resent being called cute,” you huffed, turning your face away from him.

“Yeah, right,” he teased, moving to flick the lights off and surround you both in darkness.

[feuqueerfire]

Never Let Me Go Ep 1 - 4 Live Blogging

I’ve been anticipating this for so long and my interest even spiked halfway through 2022 so it’s a bit :0 that I’m finally getting to watch it; first show of 2023 no less! I’m kinda really nervous though, so I’m getting around to it at 11pm lol Hope I love it

Also, hope I enjoy my on-air show experience with this too! Second time after The Eclipse.

Ep 1 (Jan 1) 

1-1

please Neung’s birthday wish basically hoping that his dad stays healthy and happy and with him for a long time. it’s because he said it out loud that it won’t come true, isn’t it? haha

His dad’s birthday gift is a necklace that says “Only one” in Chinese characters. Neung = One, Dia = alone or only or something from what I could gather. so it’s a reflection of Neung’s Thai name, which comes from the fact that he’s an only child and he’s the only one his dad has hopes to continue the family and business

I’ve seen a few comments here and there saying the ?caretaker?servant?assistant?security? mans (Palm’s dad as we’ll find out later) might be behind Neung’s dad’s death and as he insists that the family stays to wait away from the rain (even though they’re already standing in the rain) while he goes to get the car, I can begin to see why they’d think that.

Did Palm’s father even call the ambulance?

Episode Name: Father 

“You’re the only hope for the [surname] family” both his father and now mother have said this to Neung like dang, no pressure

Neung’s mom so beautiful and cool

oh sighting of Perth and his father (who I already know is Neung’s uncle)

the music when Palm’s doing his boating duties :> I wanna be in a boat on the sea too although I’d suck at fishing so bad

ooh okay I got spoiled that Pawin’s character was the one who beat Neung up in Ep 3 and saw that ppl said it was an easy guess but didn’t know why. after seeing him stand up for Neung only to ask Neung for a favour from the principal, I understand

oh lol Ben’s an endearing character “When you play the piano, you look very happy.” “You watched me?” “uh No, I didn’t” I’m glad to see the Ben and Neung storyline

Neung and Palm first meeting and I can’t tell if I’m imagining tension just because I want it to be there or not

1-2

damn, Neung heard a sound had to go explore with a gun

The pool scene, specifically the beginning, kinda cheesy but I’m into it nonetheless

Neung slapping Palm’s pleading hands away 

ngl I thought Neung in the back of the car driving away while leaving Palm behind would be a more dramatic scene from the trailer lol

bro the way my wi-fi went out for a few mins??? 

i like them showing Palm travelling to school and how he kinda stares at everything because it’s his first time whereas a seasoned Bangkok resident would stride past it all quickly

also Palm sees the banners that demand land back, so Neung’s family’s businesses is kinda like Tawi right

wait at first I was like why do the kids make fun of Neung, I feel like it makes way more sense to suck up to him the way Pawin’s character is doing and talk shit behind his back. but seems like all the kids in this “special class” and this school in general perhaps come from influential families (even if Neung’s in the most influential), so they don’t care about burning that bridge? still stupid to do but makes slightly more sense that they’re already rich kids

Palm being spoken to and blending in with the kids so easily as he’s invited to play basketball makes Neung understandably envious

“Are you following me?” “No” as Palm gets caught following Neung

please Neung dragging Palm in to the hallway and them standing 0.5 inches apart for no reason even though there’s space

Palm horny as hell, I believe it, what with the moments in the swimming pool scene + the hallway

1-3

Neung’s mom is cool but I hope she doesn’t girlboss too close to the sun and get killed by Neung’s uncle or something. Also I was thinking that if this was a show from the uncle’s POV, it’d be about how his deceased brother’s wife is pushing him out of the business even though it’s a family business and how it’s unfair that he hasn’t been left a hotel or smth as if that family is conspiring to ensure everything stays in their hands etc like who’s seen as right vs wrong could be different, so i wonder if Tanya is sketchy too

Neung being a bit of an asshole and dangling not telling Palm’s dad about Palm swimming at night above his head, so true.

1-4

Well Neung easily figured out Palm was sent to protect him

ah here’s the “We’re our father’s puppets”

bratty and entitled Neung who’s only looking for a friend agh fr

“Can you help me, Chanon? You’re the person I trust the most” no like Neung’s mom telling Non this definitely makes it seem more like he’ll be behind Neung’s father’s murder but he has like 0 motive right now unless he’s working for Neung’s uncle who promised him riches

Non really went we owe them a lot and this could be a lifelong job for you to his son

Neung having that smirk on his face even as he asks Palm to be his friend because he wants a friend but doesn't yet want to be vulnerable enough to be genuine

Linguistics: Palm calls him Khun Nu even as he agrees like “If that’s what you want, Khun Nu, I’ll be your friend” or smth. I think it’s more like Khun Nu is the 2nd person pronoun actually “I (pom) will be Khun Nu’s friend.” On the other hand, Neung has been using gu/meung toward Palm

Linguistics: I’m glad I understand more of certain Thai words and registers because it seems to play a significant role in this because of the difference in status and class. 

“Khun nu”. in 1-1, Neung tells Uncle Non to stop calling him Khun Nu and after some convincing, Non says “Alright, Khun Nu” which is funny lol but is just translated as “Alright” in the subs, meaning people who don’t know it lose that aspect (the main aspect of the conversation because “Alright” means Non won’t call him Khun Nu anymore vs “Alright, Khun Nu” which shows that Non has no intention of stopping)

Palm using -khab and khun nu with Neung (What does he use for I pronouns? pom? I haven’t noticed yet). He used gu easily with the classmate during the basketball scene though

Anyway, good first ep! It did a lot of setup for the family dynamics, school situation, and character’s personalities and backgrounds. The story doesn’t seem like it’ll be unpredictable but rather about the journey and I’m into that. I haven’t been looking forward to this because of heavy plot or twists and turns but rather character dynamics, progressing relationships, and certain tropes. I wanna see where they go and how we get there. 

Also, this is one of the only times I’m excited for a love triangle. I’m into whatever Ben and Neung will have for a brief time. I wanna know why they won’t work out (Ben backstabber? they just realize they like the other guys more? who breaks it off?) and how they transition to their main pairs.

The acting is not incredible like the way it’s in some of my other favourite shows but it’s not terrible either. I think the writing and cohesiveness of the story is good so far, hope the screenwriting continues to be good because some of my favourite shows fall flat it certain aspects of that (Not Me and The Eclipse had weak ending and inconsistent writing respectively). 

Ep 2 (Jan 2/3)

It’s 12AM and I’ve not even started the ep yet so technically it’s jan 3 already but no I’m counting it as the 2nd’s ep. I’m so sleepy and tired since I just got back home from a dawaat but I wanna at least start this ep

2-1

is that Palm being annoyed at having to serve food to Neung?

Linguistics: Neung said the words “puen gu” when it translated to “don’t you wanna eat with me?” i wanna know what he said esp bc the next line is “you said you’d do what i told you”

Linguistics: okay yknow maids or children of maids in BD would definitely not call the children of their boss with “apni/highest most respected register” it’d be “tumi” as any other adult would call people the same age or younger than them. so the fact that Non and Palm are soo subservient and use -krab is interesting (this might just be Thai society and not showing that they are especially subservient compared to other people of similar status difference btw. i’m just noting the difference between this and my culture)

Episode Name: Friends

damn not Palm not knowing a lick of Mandarin but being in the class with everybody else since he’s in the same class as Neung

(Fave) Linguistics: insane how Chopper just asks to use gu/meung with Palm and it’s an easy agreement. Neung also turns his head to them when this happens (Palm still uses -khab and Khun Nu with Neung)

Phum really is a dickhead, talking about Neung’s bag being cut in front of the whole class and asking if he did something to someone

Linguistics: Ben uses gu/meung with Neung and is straight forward in asking if he wants to be friends

oof not this Ben and Neung blooming friendship thing as Neung becomes confident that Ben’s not just using him. 

sometimes the music choice for this show is hm

(Fave) this fucking scene is so brainworm inducing. first of all, the word is pengyou ie friend. Neung literally takes Palm’s hands and places the fingers on his neck and tells him to remember the feeling as he says those words. Palm’s eyes lingering on Neung’s face, I so believe he’s already insanely attracted to Neung.

Linguistics: Neung wants Palm to call him Neung Diao so bad instead of Khun Nu that he tries to trick him by having him repeat Peng You x3 and then sneaking in a Neung Diao. Palm manages to not say the full thing though

oof, Neung just wants a friend whose friendship doesn’t depend on place, time, or status

“Do you like when I order you around? Fine! From now on, don’t call be Khun Nu again.” this fucking dynamic

Linguistics: at like 16:50 when Palm’s saying he can’t say gu/meung to Neung and Neung says fine you don’t have to say gu/meung to me but don’t call me Khun Nu, the subs don’t mention the gu/meung part and just allude to ‘call you that’ and ‘call me that’ which makes it kinda not quite make sense bc what are you talking about. i’m glad i can pick up them saying gu-meung to be able to understand what ‘that’ is referring to in the subs

Linguistics: Palm says he’ll call Neung as Khun Neung instead of Khun Nu

it’s 1 I should go to sleep oof maybe after part 2

2-2

Neung’s uncle is like an evil version of Yangfrom To Sir, With Love lol. also kinda funny to think of him as Chopper’s dad when heseems like a decade older max

Neung laying it on thick for his mom to get her to allow Palm to swim ahh

school giving special treatment to Neung by letting him go through even though he’s late while the other boys are doing pushups and he offers to do them too oof that’s not good for making the other boys like Neung nor for making Neung not feel singled out

both Ben and Chopper saying it’s the other who stopped hanging out with them 

Chopper bitcoin trader noooo

oof Chopper accusing Ben of wanting something from Neung. still up in the air whether it’s true or not but it’s still inappropriate for Chopper to insinuate that

Neung’s bratty “So, am I smart to come up with that excuse?” is sooo yeah i love the haughty vibes of this character

“Wait. Why don’t you swim a bit longer? I want to watch you.” that’s so fucking gay, not to mention Palm’s shirtless and his muscles are flexing as he swims like 

okay acc time for sleep idk how it’s 1:47am and I’ve fucking watched 2 parts of the ep lol

ummm i should’ve finished watching the rest of this ep before going out at 1:30pm on Jan 3 but it’s 12:30am on Jan 4 and I’m just getting around to it lol. I did reread 80% of Son of Neptune though oof so good <3 

Ep 4 was released today so technically the plan was to have watched that but it I’ll finish up ep 2 and go to sleep

2-3

“how can you help? music is an art, you’re only good at physical activity” damn Neung, not holding back lmfao asshole for no reason

lol Palm’s face when he realizes the friend that told Neung about this position is Ben

Linguistics: did Macky use the 2nd person pronoun ‘nai’ for Neung? Neung’s using ‘pom’ for 1pp

lol Macky very presumptuous with the “or is it that you’re interested in me, huh? :D” but I like that in a girl so

Neung getting annoyed by Palm and Macky dancing, I wonder if it’s a platonic possessive jealousy or if he already romantically likes him a bit and if so, if he thinks it’s a platonic thing or if he knows he’s kinda into Palm 

lol all the boys noticing Neung when he’s playing the piano and Neung always asking them about it like oh? you noticed?

heh Neung and Palm with the Roti Sai Mai where Neung can’t help being a dickhead with his ‘are your hands clean’ but also can’t see Palm be dejected, so eating it anyway

Neung loves testing his power and pushing boundaries like when Palm asks if he wants another one he replies with “if i said i want a 100 more, would you make them for me?”

(Fave) my tags for this scene:  #several things like first of all food (and how it's different from the breakfast scene)#secondly neung's inability to not be an asshole with the 'are your hands clean' but inability to see palm dejected and eating it#thirdly the way neung just tests boundaries and checks his power over palm with the 'if i want 100 pieces' thing like broooo#but also him dangling the order and command that they're friends over palm's head#with bringing up smth like 'aren't you my friend' or 'can my friend not?' (idk i just heard __ puen gu mi dai-o?) to get palm to eat

2-4

ben and neung are cute together lol ben trying so hard

pls the gong sound when Palm catches Ben and Neung together like girl it’s not that serious

oof idk whether I want Ben to be a schemer or not 

ooh Ben seeing Palm get into Neung’s car and also seeing the motorcycle people cut them off

Palm huddling Neung 

damn Tanya really going “Palm you must protect Neung both physically and emotionally” as if that’s just a regular ask of someone. + Neung overhearing them say it too and Palm making eye contact while agreeing

Fave Scenes: 

Pengyou touching throat scene, it’s just mind-numbing and I’ve already written about it above

the Roti Sai Mai scene bc so many things are at play

Ep 3 (Jan 4/5)

It’s 12:30AM on Jan 5 and I’ve finished reading Son of Neptune, the first bit of Mark of Athena and last part of Blood of Olympus. Then had a crisis about whether to retry reading the Trials of Apollo series or finish the Malec book #2 (The Lost Book of the White or smth) or catch up to this ep rip so many things pulling me. Think I’ll just watch the first part of this ep and go to sleep and finish the rest tmrw

3-1

please Neung’s pleased face at getting Palm to sit next to him in the car

I wonder what Palm’s dad thinks about 1) Palm disagreeing with Neung and 2) Neung saying “you can be physical and i’ll be the brains. that way we’re a good match.”

Episode Name: Enemies

once again Neung’s face at indirectly standing up for Palm during Chinese class

Neung really divulges to Phum that it’s troublesome and unstable at home after his dad’s death (like even saying his uncle’s mad or smth)

who’s Phum’s dad? What’d Neung mean by he saw him in the news?

lol Ben pulling a Bad Buddy Pran with the “you and Palm... what’s your relationship with him?” except instead of asking Palm (ie. Ink), he’s asking Neung (ie. Pat in this scenario) which I guess also happens in the sleepover scene in ep 4.

oh, Neung’s telling Ben that Palm’s his driver’s son, mans is just in a divulging information mood today ig

Ben’s straightforward with his “if you need a friend or someone who can take care of you, I think I can do that”

“I just want someone who believes in me and doesn’t treat me like I’m weak” “I don’t need extra training to do that for you.”  smooth Ben

(Fave) This Ben and Neung interaction like I’m loving the Ben and Neung progression bc I wanted this relationship and love triangle to happen so bad. i also talked about why i want it down below. 

3-2

ahhh Ben with his air of innocent presumptions and subtle digs and letting Palm know his own place while also letting him know Ben’s place with the “I’ll be around more often. Hope you can trust me more, I won’t hurt Neung”

(Fave) insane dynamics while dancing. Palm dancing with Macky while staring at Neung and Neung staring back while dancing with Ben. The two pairs bump into each other. Then Neung shaking off thoughts of Palm and Macky (girl is it Maggie or Macky) that night vs Palm smiling while imagining him and Neung dancing instead; shows where each person is in terms of their feelings as well.

time for me to sleep

3-3

I hope they keep up this thread about the land Tanya’s taking back or whatever and the citizens who were leasing the land are upset about it. She reassures Neung that that the land is theirs and they’re doing nothing wrong but hmmm

oof the shooting range scene. “think of someone you love and want to protect”

please I miss how Yang and Tian were so ride or die best brothers for each other in To Sir, With Love despite everybody putting them in competition. Chopper’s disinterest toward Neung’s position and empire gives me Yang vibes so I kinda want them to be supportive happy cousins pls (though if Chopper gets mad at Neung or betrays him to help his dad, that’d be interesting too)

oh Chopper saying “Don’t get too close to [Ben]. He can’t stay close to someone for too long.” cuz they used to be close in grade 10 (they’re in gr 12 now ig?)

damn Chopper’s dad really pushing Tanya. It’s not that he’s wrong because Tanya is struggling but giving him parts of the business doesn’t seem like a viable solution either since he’s such a snake

Chopper’s kinda interesting because he also makes digs at Palm but it seems more unintentional than the passive-aggressive digs Ben was making at Palm. Chopper seems like in the same boat as Neung where they don’t fully understand how to bridge these social class gaps elegantly.

Chopper’s dad now knows about Palm... wonder if he’ll try to use him or anything

lol Palm “talking back” and teasing Neung at the pool, so true

oh yeah Ben’s comments were eating away at Palm, which makes sense. ig it’s good that he went to ask Neung whether he told Ben about Palm being his servant and Neung both admitted it but also said he didn’t say servant

okay i knew smth about necklace being taken by Pawin’s character. so Neung puts it in the locker, Pawin (Phum?) sees, steals it when he goes to the bathroom while Neung’s in the pool, Neung realizes his locker is unlocked and the necklace isn’t there but he has a tracker on that thing lol good for him

3-4

no interesting because I do want Neung’s parents to be capitalist leeches who are cheating the villagers and Phum's family to be suffering bc of it and Neung to have to come to that reckoning (even though he doesn’t deserve to be bullied by Phum and other students)

lol Phum clocking their gay asses and thus resorting to homophobia

Palm going into a blind rage hitting Phum for hurting Neung

(Fave) this necklace putting on scene is sooooooooo and the convo before it too

Fave Scenes

Ben and Neung’s little convo about Ben being his bodyguard

the Ben-Neung and Palm-Macky dance scene + the imaginary Neung-Palm dance. I like the music during the scene as well

Palm retrieving Neung’s necklace and Neung letting him put it on him

Love Triangles

The reason I’m so in for this Ben/Neung relationship is that I loved the image of Ben and Neung holding hands while Palm walked behind them sooooo much omg. I like pining and jealousy up to a certain amount but pining forever for no reason without saying anything or being overly jealous over nothing is very offputting, so pining because your crush is in a relationship (not to mention the class divide) + the jealousy from that is just so good.

Also, I say I hate love triangles but I just hate it when we the audience and the characters all know the endgame couple. In YA love triangles, A clearly loves B much much more than C but will string C along for so long and they won’t even really have a blossoming romance or go far. Media with love triangles that work are The Infernal Devices trilogy (Will, Jem, and Tessa all love each other dearly and Tessa does get into a serious relationship with Jem before with Will and then again with Jem after Will dies) and to a smaller extent, Light On Me (Taekyung was actually interested in and invested in Daon but the relationship didn’t work out because of character differences, not just because we all knew Shinwoo was endgame from the beginning).

Here we can see what draws Neung to Ben (his one friend at his same social status, Ben saying the right things) and why, even if Neung likes Palm (TODO: which does he? and does he know whether he does?), he’d pursue a relationship with Ben. So, I hope that regardless of whether Ben’s a scheming bastard or dies or they just break up, that their relationship makes sense for both Neung’s character and the narrative and how Palm reacts to it.

Characters

I think the strongest aspect of this show is the characters; I love how they’re being created.

Neung is a rich boy, he’s sassy, he’s naive in certain aspects but he’s very clever in others and can manipulate situations/people to his desires. 

Palm is falling a bit too fast for my tastes (does he really think of Neung as the great love he wants to protect when shooting?) but is interesting nonetheless with how he interacts with Neung when alone vs with others outside of the house vs with Neung when others are around

I think Phum was interesting because even though he’s a pesky asshole, if we were watching the show from his POV of having his father attempt suicide because some capitalist fuckers were taking their land and making them lose money, we’d be so mad at the heir of this empire, strutting around and acquiring the benefits of squashing other people 

Chopper seems genuine so far, even though he keeps accidentally offending people (Ben’s intentions with Neung, calling Palm a servant). He’s also kinda funny about Ben, as if mans got his heart broken by him.

Ben listen I like him because he seems like he wants something, though I can’t tell if it’s only to be Neung’s bf or more. He seems calculated but I don’t think he’s fully evil, more like passive aggressive and wanting something. 

I’m curious to see more about Chopper and Ben’s story as well.

Ep 4 (Jan 7)

I’m splitting my time reading the Trials of Apollo novels (30% in book 2) and watching this, so it’s taking a while for me to catch up here

4-1

I wonder if the Phum thing is done or he’ll continue doing things

oho, the way Palm and Neung took forever to let go of each other’s hands

Episode Name: Love

another pleasant Neung and Chopper interaction but I keep anticipating it turning sour in the future maybe

lmfao did Neung really come outside to stare at Palm washing the car in short sleeves and shorts for a minute and then go back inside

naurrr is Maggie (prev. Macky) tricking Palm to hang out or did he forget?

pls the way Neung looks down/over Palm’s body like 3 times as if he can’t control his eyes when Palm opens the door shirtless

pls Neung’s “when I hear you, nobody will hear it *smirk*” 

please Neung dragging Palm up to sit on the bed and Palm’s facial expression like pls let me live i’m done

Neung’s so forceful with Palm both with how he speaks and how he just grabs his jersey, it’s acc soooo alkdjf he’s kinda mean? arrogant? condescending? about Palm’s choices of festivals though, it’s kinda interesting because that’s not how new friends would talk to each other

4-2

ohhhh interesting, in this Neung and Chopper convo, seems like Neung doesn’t want the business but Chopper does. “I never want to do it. Do you wanna do it?” “Don’t joke with me about this, sutt. I may take it seriously.” “You can take it” in a jokey manner but I wonder whether it’s foreshadowing something; Neung giving it to Chopper in a happy way the way they’re talking here or Chopper (with his dad) taking it by force

lmfao Palm and Maggie really hung out at Palm’s basketball practice?

ooh jealous Neung seeing Maggie post an ig post of her and Palm

please usually Neung finds it amusing when he gets Palm to take back to him but now Palm not doing the assignment because he went out all day + spent time with Maggie but also doesn’t say that he spent time with Maggie means Neung gets irritated at his quips

not the story of the holiday being of trails of love and separation lmfao parallels to Palm and Neung ig

what is with this showwwww “If you can [get an A], I’ll have a reward for you” “What?” “What do you want? I can give you everything.” first Neung talking about scolding Palm and now rewarding him goddammit Jojo

please the Ben and Chopper scene is so good. Chopper apologizing for insinuating Ben wants something from him and Ben confessing that he wants Neung to like him back and Chopper’s vision goes hazy. Then him encouraging Ben to confess ahhhhhh and the way Chopper tells Ben to confess is actually mind-bending, like he’s saying all his own thoughts aloud as someone with an unrequited crush on Ben but framing them as Ben’s situation with Neung

Ben: I thought we’d stop being friends after what happened that day. <-- girl what happened on what day?!?!?!?! 

4-3

Palm praying as he hands in the assignment lol

naurrr Neung and Ben are so cute T.T Ben giving Neung the cut paper craft with Neung’s name and reassuring Neung about not devaluing himself, ah cute

I’m not into them more than I have into Neung-Palm but I’m sooo glad they didn’t cut this out from the mock trailer

Also interesting that Neung said he has good feelings about Ben and feels good about being told that he’s liked by such a popular guy like Ben and he’s never been confessed to before. he however doesn’t say that he likes Ben in a romantic sense, though I do think he kinda does

yeah it’s an awkward, stiff kiss but I’m not really mad about it the way people on twitter were lol to me, it’s not meant to be fireworks and passionate because that’s not really their story? It’s cute, a bit awkward, a bit fumbly, and in the end, not quite right not quite what the other needs

oof, I know that Palm saw the kiss based on spoilers but right now, the audience and Neung don’t know that

Palm’s “I don't have a right to get mad at you” 

okay verrry interesting, how at first Palm was sitting down, so even though he was speaking cutly, Neung was taller than him --> Palm gets up all defiantly, making him higher up than Neung --> Neung gets mad and is like aren’t we friends? Why aren’t you telling him things? and then gets up on the higher ground so that they are on the same ground and equal height

Neung saying “You cannot hide your feelings for me” about Palm being upset about smth but like hmm lol

Neung in the closet

Palm really doesn’t trust Ben and I can’t tell whether that means I shouldn’t trust Ben either because it’s foreshadowing or if it’s showing that Palm’s jealous lol

Once again, Neung talks about being wanted by Ben but not about wanting Ben. so ig that’s where they’re heading in terms of Neung liking Ben back

Neung also likes it that he has Palm to watch his back

beautiful beautiful Neung in the bathtub tbh

oof Neung thinking about the Ben and Neung kiss only to be overtaken by Palm and himself thoughts

4-4

ooh i’m so excited to see terrible shitty drunk Neung

oh Neung grinding his teeth with jealousy at Palm and Neung

hehe Neung and Ben are cuuuteeee idk idk

insane shot of Neung taking shots while in the bg Palm and Maggie are talking about going on a trip with a fishing boat

Also this screenshot from @/justafriend-ql from this post about this scene playing out the 4 rules of firearm safety from ep 3

Neung looks beautiful why drinking as well + his watch on his left wrist

upon rewatch: someone pointed out that Palm says ‘Neung’ while trying to dissuade Neung, not Khun Neung ahhhhh guttaral screaming

ohhh terrible horrible words from a drunk Neung hurled towards Palm  which contradicts how he had been trying to act so far but really got Palm where it hurt

upon rewatch: after Neung’s said the words about Palm being his servant and lackey etc, Palm goes back to saying Khun Neung

“You can dance with her but you can’t dance with me, huh?” Oh Neung is fucked in the head rn

oh so that’s how the fight happened? I was wondering how they’d have that in the middle of a cute dance party

oh gross they really had spit and vomit on Neung’s mouth after his retching, fascinating choice

oh Neung was nottt doing well “Palm, I can’t breathe” :0

This episode was so good, it gave me things I wanted (Neung-Ben) and things I didn’t know I wanted but are great (terrible words from a jealous, possessive Neung)

When they added Perth to the cast, I was afraid that they'd scrap the Ben-Neung storyline from the mock trailer or tone it down but no, they're giving me what I wanted!!! We got cute Ben-Neung interactions where Neung’s entertaining it because he likes the attention and Ben might like him genuinely or may have hidden intentions. It’s so good. I saw some people upset that the Ben-Neung kiss happened and that it happened before any Neung-Palm kiss which I don't understand because why would you want Neung-Palm to happen and then for Ben-Neung to happen? bffr. also people were annoyed that it was an awkward kiss but like? i’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be? Ben’s into it but Neung’s not really super into it bc he’s using Ben to feel good, not because he’s romantically interested. I love Neung stringing him along, he’s so selfish and also into Ben being romantically interested in him rather than his wealth or power.

terrible Neung lashing out at the end but ahhh that was so good to me like the whole entire thing with Neung's initial jealousy while playing the piano, followed by the Neung and Ben conversation, the shots of beautiful Neung drinking with Maggie and Palm in the background talking about going on a fishing boat, terrible horrible words from a drunk Neung hurled towards Palm which contradicts how he had been trying to act so far but really got Palm where it hurt (+ Palm’s Neung --> Khun Neung) and then the “You can dance with her but you can’t dance with me, huh?” is soooo fucked. the fact that they had spit and vomit on Neung’s mouth after his retching? fascinating choice. and then Neung was nottt doing well the way he was reaching for Palm and the “Palm, I can’t breathe”

It’s kinda not fun to read the reddit on-air thread or watch tiktoks of ep 4 thoughts because everybody hates ben and/or neung diao but like goddamn there’s no reason to hate ben beyond “eww he’s getting between my ship” (+ some people mentioned him negging Palm in that dance class but like? he’s a jealous boy trying to get his mans? and he seems kinda sus but the hatred seems disproportional to what ben has done so far). with neung diao, the point is that he’s flawed and traumatized and doesn’t know how to have friends and is terrible, like idk whatever it’s just not fun to read rants because i’m having fun with the choices the show is making 

Next Ep 5 Preview: I didn’t watch it but ofc I’ve been spoiled anyway. Someone spreads the photo of Ben and Neung kissing across the school and I think Ben’s terrified of his father or something. Ahh so fucked

I’m excited to watch this for the next 2 months! My second on-air show! 

[thenativetank]

Native Fish Hunting - Interlude!

Okay the last post didn't have a lot of interesting going-ons, I'm sorry to say. But this one will have some neat stuff I promise! Me and the wife drove over to southern Alabama to do some kayaking and found ourselves at a place called Crab Island. You best bet I made a beeline for it once I saw it on the map! Lots of cool native species to be found there.

The most populous invertebrate species on the island was of course... crabs! I mean, not really crabs, but they have "crab" in the name. We found dozens of Green/Striped Hermit Crabs (Clibanarius vittatus), one of our native brackish species that sometimes find their way into the aquarium trade. We found many between 1 and 3-4 inches long, I'd wager. This guy is covered in live snails, as were many of the other larger ones. I think they were immature Fighting Conchs (Strombus alatus).

Anybody from the East Coast of the US is probably familiar with this species - the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)! We found many of these shells washed up and spied a few live specimens, but I only made half-hearted attempts to catch them bare handed so you'll have to forgive me. I'm not really in the mood to be pinched!

We didn't see many live aquatic snails, mostly just the shells, but we did happen upon this American Crown Conch (Melongena corona), far from its maximum size of 5 inches. Still, a very cool find and I believe the first time I've happened upon a still-living specimen.

We weren't limited to aquatic snails either! We saw a dozen or two of these Marsh Periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata) which I found particularly interesting because we have the same species up north in Virginia. Not an active species by any stretch of the imagination but I've always found them neat.

My wife correctly reminded me that I did not have an Alabama fishing license, so I left my nets in the car. Which is kind of a shame because there were hundreds of these killifish species (Fundulus spp) and I'd like to have known which they were! I'm pretty certain they are Gulf Killifish (F. grandis) but iNaturalist suggests that Longnose Killifish (F. similis) is more common here. I don't think it's the latter, but hard to say!

I didn't need a license for this guy though - this tiny Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides) was deceased and must have just washed up moments before we arrived because it was in fantastic shape. Pinfish are probably one of the most common coastal fish in this area, but this was the first one I've found washed up like this.

I love these things. This is a skull of a Sea Catfish (family Ariidae), sometimes called Crucifix fish because of the shape of their skulls. This one was submerged in a pool of stagnant water, probably having been picked over by the fish here. iNaturalist suggests it is likely a Hardhead Sea Catfish, but given that Gafftopsail Catfish are also local, I'm not comfortable making such an ID.

As I picked around in the pool of water, my feet were nibbled on by many of the smaller fish here! I could make out some of the same killifish as before, but also Sheepshead Minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) as well - another species we can find in VA. Didn't get much in the way of good pictures due to glare, but fun experience nonetheless.

While I found some Sargassum seaweed washed up here too, the more interesting specimen was this fella! I think it's a Graciliaria species, but really it's hard to tell. Right now people are going NUTS online about sargassum washing up in Florida and any searches for "seaweed in florida" is coming up with hundreds of hits for those articles. So I'm gonna take my best guess!

[bufomancer]

I know I’ve been focusing a lot on the foster hams lately so here is a comprehensive update post on all my pets

Reptiles & Amphibians

Meryt is doing great, I want to do some revamping in his terrarium soon once I have more time and money but it’s not crucial

Lucky is in her “not eating for breeding season” phase of the year but is otherwise in good health and very active

Boots has forgotten that people exist because she rarely sees them at my mom’s but is otherwise doing well. Still need to plan if I’m moving her to my apartment this year or waiting till next June when we move. I’d prefer to have her with me, but her viv is such a pain to move.

Niobe is doing great and took her first quail recently, and then back to a rat for her next feeding. This is great news, many are worried about giving variety to their ball pythons in case they get picky and only want one prey source but she had no qualms about going back to rats. I’m planning a rat for her next feeding and then either a quail or a soft fur :-)

Ricearoni is growing for sure!! He’s been active recently and I think I may need to size up to larger pinkies for him. He’s not quite fuzzy size though.

Freak is also doing well. I dug him up the other day to check on him and he looks healthy. He swam in his pool for a bit not too long ago, as evidenced by the dirt I found in there. I want to get him a bigger swimming area.

Rodents

Clover, Cardamom, Dracula, & Mick are still their happy energetic little selves. The soft furs (so all but Mick) have developed papillomas on their tummies and tails but so far they aren’t affecting their quality of life. Fingers crossed it’ll be a long time before I need to consider euthanasia. They’re not quite a year old yet. But papilloma growths are exceedingly common in soft furs.

Panko and Badger are also doing well. I split Dog off from them (more on that later in the post) and they seem content enough just the two of them but I may introduce Trowel to them when he arrives, we’ll see.

Miquella, Melania, Harrowhark, and Palamedes are getting so big and so crazy. I am planning to upgrade them in the near future since four soft furs in a 100qt bin is starting to feel cramped! Worst case scenario, I’ll split off two of them into their own 100qt bin.

The ladies (Wonder, Rowe, Mooncake, Mochi, Vendrick, Gwyndolyn, Butter, and Goose the soft fur boy) are overall doing pretty well. Wonder is on her way out, unfortunately, but she’s still getting around okay and snuggles with her friends. It won’t be long now, though. Rowe is pretty old, nearly two- I got her last September and her and Rix (now deceased) were christmas gifts- but she’s still bright and active so I am hopeful she’ll have a few more months in her at the very least. Mooncake and Mochi will turn two at the end of October, so I don’t expect them to see next spring but they’re both in great health so I am hoping they’ll make it to two years old and maybe even through the end of the year. Vendrick, Gwyndolyn, and Butter are all under a year and in great health. Hopefully they will stay that way, but who knows what’s going on in their genetics. Goose is about a year now but still in good health and soft furs can live 3-4 so I’m not worried about him. When my lady colony decreases in size I may swap them into a 100qt bin and put the soft fur quartet into their 200qt bin if I don’t get them their own 200qt bin.

Florian is shockingly still alive and doing fairly well. He gets pain meds and antibiotics and essentially is in hospice. He’s two years old now. He gets around okay, but his bad eye is very swollen. Pain meds are helping. If they stop helping, it’ll be time for euthanasia. For now, though... I’m hoping he’ll pass quietly on his own.

Dog is also not doing too well and I suspect on his way out. We’re not sure exactly what’s going on but no one else is affected so likely something isolated or opportunistic. We’re trying some meds, if they don’t work we’ll try something else. He’s over a year and a half and came from really truly filthy conditions so I suspect this may just be his time. Mouse lifespans are shit.

Katie Hamster is about a year old now and still acting the same as the day I got her, full of life and happy to burrow all day and all night.

Rat & Yoshi the foster hamsters are both doing great. Rat is so sweet and friendly, I can’t believe she hasn’t had an application yet! Yoshi I am planning to look into an elimination diet for to see if his allergies are dietary rather than environmental. And I’m hoping I can hand tame him so he will be more adoptable.

Also, Cecil & Holly my cats are both doing fantastic :-)

[seththemusehub]

so hey I took a nap after I ate and had a weird and kinda fucked up dream that I think would make a good video game, y'all gimme thoughts. gonna put it under a readmore, but uh. yeah. looking for thoughts and playability opinions if this were a 2D pixel game.

content warning for murder, drowning, decapitation, abuse of a child both physical and emotional, murder, alcohol, chainsaw murder, doing some Mousetrap board game type shenanigans, strangulation, and being turned into a cat. also murder again. and guilt tripping. almost forgot the guilt tripping.

you play as a kid named Lissa, and there's unlockable 'friends' you can get to help you out after you save them, each with their own different skillset. the main goal is to survive to the end of the week in your house, which is a deathtrap, and also your parents are kinda awful and easily tipped into murderousness.

Mom is one of those 'okay you did your chores but you also left this thing on the counter which undoes all the good you did today, you ungrateful little thing, why can't you be like your sister who died who was definitely perfect, and also why don't you ever bring friends over for me to compare you to' types.

Dad doesn't show up very often but it is never good news when he does, because it tends to result in a lot of arguing with Mom and also shit just sort of escalates and also you kinda suspect he's behind the shit that would have happened to the friends you save because he always seems to be present at the shit you save them from.

first friend I remember was Charlene, who is basically a kid who is in training to be a witch. she can turn you into a cat to let you sneak around and there was a minigame where you had to hit buttons in the order they showed up on the screen to sneak by the window Mom was near without getting spotted. the cat form was used to get into tight spaces too, which let you find a hiding spot in the garage you couldn't access before you 'discovered' it with the cat form, as well as get into the back yard which hid some clues about what happened to your deceased sister, which was definitely fucked up. you have to rescue her from drowning because Dad put her in the bottom of a neighbor's empty pool while she was tied up and put the hose on full blast. you definitely do have to dodge him on the way into and out of the area, otherwise you can legit die right next to Charlene because of him.

second friend was Tabitha, a kid learning how to be a ninja. she can set traps both lethal and not lethal, and if you use yourself as bait, she can definitely murder your parents if the trap is chosen correctly. was mostly a 'pick these preset components to make a trap, and also where you want Tabitha positioned so she won't be noticed and can function in the way you need her to' sorta minigame. her rescue is another one that can kill you because it involves a car. she's in the trunk of a car in the adjacent neighbor's yard all tied up, and if you wait too long to get there and you're behind it when it gets started up, it'll run you over. if you've got the trunk open when Dad comes back to the area, you'll get shoved in with Tabitha and it'll basically be a game over because it's implied both of you were killed after the car stops.

on the cat minigame, if you kept fucking up instead of stepping on something that made noises, you'd meow. compulsively. you get a few shots before you get to that point, and you either need to be REALLY BAD AT IT or doing it on purpose to get Mom to look for where that noise was coming from. it wasn't, like, timed or anything.

third friend was Nana, a sneaky neat freak whose weapon of choice was a chainsaw of all fucking things. after you learn your parents' routes and how to manipulate where they went at any given time, you could direct her on how to go around your house and fix shit to keep Mom happy/happier, and you could legit use her to brutally murder them outright if things went right. her minigame was one of those 'directions and planning strategy game' things where you keep her ahead of Mom and do shit to keep Mom busy if she needs more time. her rescue was one I don't remember much about beyond the fact that it's in one of the wooded spaces behind the house. I assume that something was going to eat her if she was left out there. or Dad would show up to murder her or something.

fourth and final friend was Cadie, a kid with a massive sports habit. she could pop holes in windows with baseballs, nail people with one with the accuracy of a fuckin sniper, and I recall at least one instance of her kneecapping Dad with a bat before clonking him over the head with the fucker. PVP melee minigame, pretty much. straight up do not remember a damn thing about her rescue. guess I get to make shit up for hers.

unlocking a friend meant they were always unlocked after that. can work with up to two of them at once for varied results and endings. generally goes 'success with parents alive, success with Mom dead and Dad alive, success with Mom alive and Dad dead, success with both parents dead, failure [several ways]' for endings, per selections made during the run.

I remember a few of the 'endings' which I thought were kinda entertaining. first one was where you are an absolute gremlin child up until the last day when you finally tip Mom into murder. no chores done, video games while she's yelling at you, make mess worse, climbing the trees to escape from her when she's trying to catch you, and tipping her into murderousness on the last day was pretty much breaking something [the computer in my dream but honestly could be anything in the house] in front of her and then opting for the bunk bed you used to share with your sister as a hiding spot instead of the trees. was some 90s Bart and Homer bullshit ending.

second was using Cat Form to get into the back yard and being there in Person Form to examine your dead sister's stuff and grave for clues when Dad shows up. there was an axe and some vital limb loss involved. vital limb being your head.

third was straight up avoiding both parents successfully and hiding out in the garage, but not in the cat discovered hiding spot. had to sneak into the house for food, but otherwise you could basically just camp in there and avoid detection and manage pretty well.

final one was with Nana as a partner where you basically blitzed through the house with her to get shit done before Mom got home from work, avoided Dad, and then waited until Dad left the next morning to get Nana to straight up chainsaw murder Mom in her room. from there it was 100% just hiding from Dad and keeping the place clean, which wasn't Hard, just kinda annoying.

am pretty sure Cat Form examining shit resulted in 'MEOW' word replacement in the text boxes too, like the sentence is the same, just every word is 'meow' instead of whatever it would have been.

[aajjks]

Passion;

synopsis. you were yoongi’s everything, his biggest blessing and he’d do anything to keep you.

pairing: yan!soft husband!yoongi x fem!reader.

warning: GORE. YANDERE, DARK, MURDER, DESCRIPTIVE GORE, BLOOD, KNIFE, CRYING, INSECURE READER, STOCKHOLM SYNDROME.

REPOSTED PLS SHOW LOVE AND SUPPORT!

VIEWER DISCRETION IS HEAVILY ADVISED.

note. HAPPY YOONGI DAY!!!! WOOHOOO ITS YOONGI DAY AKA THE MOST BLESSED DAY IN THE WHOLE YEAR. Okay so fun fact, TODAY IS MY DADS BIRTHDAY TOO JAJAIAUH SO DOUBLE BLESSED DAY! I just wanted to write something for our birthday boy! if it’s not so good then I’m sorry! ENJOY! I wrote this in 15 minutes eeek.

masterlist.

your husband was a very hard working man, he was simply made of passion. He was the most passionate person you knew. and you admired him for that.

He did everything so passionately. his way of loving and cherishing you was dreamy. like how you’d always dream of marrying someone who’d treat you like a queen, loving you so unconditionally that it all felt like a dream.

it really did. sometimes like a dream and sometimes... like a nightmare.

Your relationship with your husband was bow at a bumpy road. only because of your insecurities. but every couple in the world went through the same issues that you were going through these days. right..?

sighing loudly you stirred the cake mixture one last time, trying to distract yourself.

not today Y/N...not today.

yoongi was a blessing in your life. while, you were a curse to him. you got everything but what did yoongi get? a good for nothing pathetic wife?

actually... that woman was right.

putting the cake batter in the oven, you came back to the living room, your mind was still on things... were you not enough?

maybe. leaning your head back against the couch, tears were starting to build up in your tired eyes. “G-God. I’m really the worst.” barely managing to choke that out, a broken sob left you.

those words were getting to you. that woman was right... you didn’t deserve min yoongi. You didn’t deserved to be called his wife. she was right. He just pitted you.

She was right. He wasn’t in love with you.

the waves of sharp pain in your head wasn’t allowing you to think clearly. being too emotionally fragile, you let things easily get to you.

You were pathetic. really, yoongi was so unlucky to have you, who’s wife cries on the day of their husbands birthday?

and you were too distracted to notice that your husband was finally home.

home to you.

oh, just how much was he raging.

yoongi was absolutely boiling with anger. The room was dark, Blood painted the walls in messy strokes, the feathered splatter of arterial spray.

It dripped down the walls, pooling darkly into the carpet. As he approached the scene, the floor made a damp squelch noise, like water being pressed from a damp sponge, and viscous crimson liquid welled up warmly between his toes, staining the skin. the blood curling screams of the dying woman ringed around the suffocating four walls.

“You stupid little bitch. you really tried me this time.” yoongi laughed like a psycho as he stabbed the bloodied knife again into the woman’s guts. “shut the fuck up!” growling at the pathetic sounds, yoongi twisted the knife deeper into the females stomach.

“god fucking damnit. how are you even able to scream, I literally just cut off your tongue..?” tsking, yoongi grumbled. he needed to hurry.

It was almost time.

“I can’t fucking believe this. Today is my birthday and my beautiful wife is waiting at home for me and I’m here waiting for you to finally go to hell.”

drops of sweat were running down on yoongi’s face. little stains of blood also evident on his pale skin. “How fucking dare you say all of that bullshit to my Y/N!?” screaming at the now deceased woman, yoongi stood up. Gazing at the blood oozing out of the pale corpse’s body. he smirked.

he had his revenge.

“well, she had it coming. it’s going to be such a memorable birthday. now I better get home to my queen.” he shrugged as he threw his knife away.

and walked away, to come home to you. his passion.

[ragingbookdragon]

To Be Human--To Be Alive

Hal Jordan x Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 3.5 Warnings: Explicit Language, Mentions of Death, Angst

Author's Note: I've been listening to Calum Scott's "Biblical" on repeat since it came out and I thought about this. Enjoy! -Thorne

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Hal Jordan was no stranger to pain. He’d felt it all: emotional, psychological, physical, mental, the list goes on and on, up and down, left and right, every which way until the end of time. That being said, he still wasn’t used to being thrown into concrete walls by meta-humans who had strength equivalent to Superman’s.

He rolled onto his side, feeling his broken ribs shift beneath his skin, and groaned, trying to find the will in him to get to his feet. All he had the strength to do was look over at Barry who was busy getting his own ass handed to him by another meta-human who seemed overly fond of freezing his feet.

A sinister laugh came from above him and Hal turned his head, eyes widening as he saw the meta-human standing before him a slab of concrete raised in his hands.

“Oh fu—”

He saw it before he heard it. The meta-human’s head intact one second and exploding into a hundred shards of brain matter and bone, some of it splattering across Hal’s suit and face. The concrete slab fell behind the meta-human and then he went to his knees, body pitching forward to land beside Hal’s feet.

The echo of the gunshot was enough to gather the other’s attention and her eyes had barely widened before another shot echoed across the street and her head exploded too, body falling beside Barry.

The two superheroes scrambled to their feet, and Hal was already forgetting about his broken ribs, willing constructs to life in order to provide protection for him and his best friend. Whoever killed the two enemies wasn’t firing anymore, but Hal wasn’t going to take any chances.

Green Lantern. Flash. Come in.

Barry skidded a stop beside Hal who shifted his hand, making the constructs combine into one giant wall; he put his free hand to his ear. “We’re here, Batman.”

What just happened? The life signs of your targets just went offline.

Hal looked to his friend whose blue eyes were wide, equally shocked about the turn of events. “Uh…about that…”

What happened?

“Batman, we’ve got a sniper somewhere in the range of our local. Took down both meta-humans within seconds of each other.”

Deceased?

Hal glanced behind him at the freezing meta-human’s corpse, a giant pool of blood growing from the spurting arteries. “Well, they don’t have heads anymore, so, yeah. They’re deceased.”

Understood. Superman’s coming in for protection.

The line clicked and Barry looked at Hal. “I think we should move. If that sniper’s still in the area, we shouldn’t be hanging around waiting to find out.”

Hal let the speedster pick him up, speeding down an alley away from the street so they’d be out of the line of sight. “What type of gun do you think they used?”

Barry shrugged, setting Hal down. “I don’t know. Normal rifles don’t do that much damage, even from that distance.” He didn’t even want to look out the alley way. “That had to be a high caliber rifle.”

“You think they’re a friendly?”

“Hal, they just blew off two people’s heads. That doesn’t seem friendly to me.”

He shrugged. “Well yeah, but they didn’t blow our heads off so…” he tipped his head side to side. “Seems like they were helping.”

Barry glowered at him. “Blowing people’s heads off isn’t helping superheroes. It’s vigilantism gone dark.”

“Sheesh, you sound like Spooky with that attitude.” Hal griped, turning with a new construct when a flash of red appeared in their visions. He lowered it when he realized it was Superman. “Supes!”

“Are you two okay?” Superman asked.

“We’re fine,” Barry replied. “The bullets came from the right. If I had to take a guess, it would’ve been the parking garage in the distance.”

Clark shook his head. “I checked. There were no signs of scuffing from a gun stand, or GSR around the area.”

“So, where’d they fire from?” Hal questioned and Clark nodded towards the street.

“Somewhere farther than just this street.” He glanced at them. “Whoever it was is gone now. C’mon, Batman’s getting a statement ready for the local PD.” He flew off, leaving Hal and Barry standing beside one another, more confused than anything.

***

Calling in late to work had never been Hal’s thing. Honestly, as lazy as he was sometimes, he loved his job. Loved the thrill of getting up in the air, loved feeling the shock sending him into his seat as he broke the sound barriers in the sky. Scrounging around parking garages and abandoned buildings for a ghost-shooter wasn’t his idea of a good day.

So far, he’d searched at least three abandoned buildings in the area, each coming up empty, and the last one showed the exact same signs. He sighed, letting the construct fade. Even the ring couldn’t make heads or tails with any of the evidence around him. Whoever their shooter was, was practically a specter. Hal had no idea how someone managed to shoot two meta-humans down that fast and then leave just as quickly, escaping both Barry and Clark’s abilities.

Hal had seen people killed before. Had even done the same a few times, even up in the air on combat missions and in his suit when he had no other choice. But seeing someone’s head burst like a watermelon hitting concrete right in front of his very eyes was something completely different. A different level of fear that there was someone out there ready to do the same to him, and all it would’ve taken was a random whim and a finger pulling a trigger. But it was like he told Barry—whoever their shooter was, wasn’t shooting to kill them, they were helping.

He drew his eyes along the wall of the empty room, finally resigning himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to find whoever it was that had helped them; with that, he sighed, letting his shoulders droop—he was going to lose fifty bucks to Barry because of this.

“Giving up so soon?” Hal spun around, coffee eyes wide as he scanned the room around him. “I’m surprised Green Lantern showed up. I was expecting Superman or Batman.”

“Who said that?” he questioned, spinning in a circle.

“Who or what?”

“What?”

“Who.”

Hal growled. “Quit screwing with me.” Apparently, they already knew who he was, and he let the green suit flash to life. “Show yourself.”

“Why should I?” they asked in return. “I saved your life.”

“You blew off two people’s heads.” He retorted.

“Should I have let the metas crush you and freeze off Flash’s legs? And here I thought you wanted to live and let your best friend be safe.”

“Killing people isn’t always the answer.” Hal said, turning around again and then he saw it, the glimmer of what looked like a tactical cloak. He pointed to the corner of the room and let a construct come alive. “Show yourself.”

The glimmer appeared again, and then something booted down and he watched as the tactical cloak faded, leaving a woman in its place, sitting up against the wall, one leg stretched out, the other pulled up near her chest, her elbow resting on her knee—and a big sniper rifle was resting against her chest, barrel pointing up towards the ceiling.

She was decked out in some kind of cyber armor that Hal could only describe as futuristic, solid black with purple electric currents running through the slots where the plates of her gear met, mainly down her shoulders and arms, and down the sides of her chest to her ribs to her feet.

“What’re you doing here, Green Lantern?” she inquired, the mask she wore muffling her voice enough that it wouldn’t give identification; her visor was darkened too. “Shouldn’t you be in the air, flyboy?”

Hal tipped his head curiously. “You know who I am?”

She nodded. “I do. And who Batman and your friends are.”

“How?” Batman’s identity was practically unidentifiable unless he told someone.

“Government databases as well as a hacked encryption into the Justice League computers.” She seemed awfully nonchalant as she shifted and rose to her feet, slinging the rifle to her backs. Even when Hal aimed the construct at her, she didn’t seem phased. “Why are you here?”

He blinked. “I wanted to find you.”

“What for?”

“Well…I’ve got a bet riding on finding you, but I also wanted to see where you’d shot from.”

She eyed him momentarily then gestured him over to the window; he stood beside her, and she pointed down the street. “I shot from here.”

Hal’s eyes almost bulged out of his head—he couldn’t even see the street they’d been on. “That’s gotta be at least eighteen hundred meters. Maybe farther.”

“Fifty caliber rifles are built for long range.” She merely replied. “I heard the commotion when the JL got into the city. Then I heard you and Bartholomew Allen getting beat down and decided to level the playing field.”

“How’d you hear commotion that far away?” he asked, and she tapped the side of her head.

“I’ve got enhanced senses. But the detection cameras around the city help too.”

Hal looked at her, watching as her eyes were darting around the street, like she was trying to work a strategy in her head; it reminded him of Barry. “Are you some kind of super soldier?”

She nodded. “I was. Designation Spectre.” Her head turned and she met his eyes. “I was created for covert military operations.”

“You mean assassinations?” he mused, and she nodded.

“Amongst other things, yes.”

“So, if you’re a military toy, why are you here?”

Something shifted in the air and Hal shivered. “Because when they cut the operation, they started hunting down all the soldiers. I went AWOL before they got to me.”

“You’re on the run?” Hal was sympathetic to her, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. “I can help you. Come to the Watchtower with me and we’ll see about setting you up with us.”

Her head turned again, this time staring at the hand gripping her shoulder; he didn’t seem to get the hint because he squeezed her arm. “You mean come to the government regulated superhero operation? That one?”

He winced. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing I could’ve said.” He pulled away. “But we can protect you. Or at least get you to safety away from any enemies.”

She grunted quietly. “There’s a lot of enemies after the bounty on my head.”

“How many?”

“Well, Deathstroke’s been a recurring figure.” She rolled her shoulder and turned around, walking away from the window. “He’s more annoying than dangerous. Like a brown recluse infestation that you just can’t kill.”

“Do you want to come with me though? I can take you directly to the Watchtower and call Batman.”

“I don’t think someone like Batman is going to like someone like me coming into his territory.”

Hal made a face. “Excuse you, the Watchtower is our territory.”

“Yeah, everyone but Wonder Woman is Batman’s bitch.” She bemused. “You just think the place is for everyone.”

“Still waiting on a yes or no.” Hal griped.

“I’m thinking it over.” Then she fell silent for a few moments; she hummed and looked at him. “Alright I’ll go with you.”

Hal cocked a brow. “It took you that long to think about it?”

She scoffed and led him from the room. “Don’t be ridiculous, my mind moves at a speed similar to Bartholomew Allen’s or Bruce Wayne’s.” She glanced at him. “I was looking over the watchtower floor plans in case you decided to collect my bounty and I needed to escape.”

He merely blinked at her and formed a construct outside the building, watching as she climbed in. “Something tells me you’re going to be a handful.”

“Well, I can tell you like having your hands full, Hal Jordan.”

Hal chuckled. “What’s your name?”

“(Y/N) (L/N).”

***Months Later***

Oddly enough to Hal’s surprise, (Y/N) fit right in with the League. She and Barry could talk about forensic science for hours, going into their own little world that only batman knew anything about, and occasionally, the Big Bat himself would involve himself in their discussions. It was the one time Hal thought that Batman was enjoying himself. Of course, Batman also seemed to enjoy training with her.

They’d go for hours on the mat, switching through different forms of martial arts, and Hal and the others kept a betting ring on who would win each match because for all the greatness Bruce Wayne was as Batman, (Y/N) seemed to be the only person who could match him blow for blow and still win sometimes.

Diana loved her, or so she loved the idea that (Y/N) didn’t back down from fights or simply let enemies off the hook. And he understood from listening and learning, that (Y/N) enjoyed Greek literature and culture, prompting the two women to delve into deep conversations over history and stories.

Everyone loved (Y/N). She was like Bruce if he were lethal and was kind. And Hal? Hal wanted nothing more than to take her to dinner, but surprisingly, (Y/N) was either extremely dense or she just didn’t want to date anybody because every time Hal asked her out, she had an excuse. And while Hal backed off when a woman said no, she’d not said no yet, so he was merely wondering if she was waiting it out—something he was going to find out, come hell or high water.

***

He watched as she held the soldering iron in one hand and held up the gauntlet in the other, examining her work before deciding it was decent enough to call it a day. Setting both the armor and the tool down, she stood from her seat and stretched, rolling her muscles, and popping her joints. She didn’t like to be still for long periods of time unless she was doing something, like sitting in a sniper nest or enhancing equipment; he’d learned that the hard way after they were set on global patrol in the Watchtower one night.

“Do you want something?” she asked, not looking at him as she gathered her armor together.

Hal chuckled, walking over to lean against the table. “A few things.”

“Gonna ask me out again?” (Y/N) questioned, putting the gear into a footlocker.

“Finally gonna say no?” he responded, and she stood up, meeting his gaze.

“Do you want a no?”

Hal shrugged. “It’d be easier than having to come up with another excuse for asking you out.”

(Y/N) hummed, walking past him and he followed her as she wandered through the hall of the Watchtower. “So far you’ve asked me out twenty-one times.”

“I’m tempted to make twenty-two, if you’ll say yes.”

She paused and turned on him, giving him an odd look. “Why do you want to go out with me? Aren’t you worried about fraternization?”

“Fraternization is only regulated in the military,” Hal shrugged off. “We’re no longer in the force.”

“That only answered part of the questions.”

Hal reached out, thumbing a smudge of oil off her face. “I’m interested in you.”

“That’s it?” (Y/N) inquired. “You’re interested in me and that’s why you won’t quit asking me out on dates?”

“You’re smokin’ hot?” he offered with a snarky grin, and she rolled her eyes, turning around.

“Every day I’m reminded of why you’re such a skirt-chaser.”

As she walked off, he hurried behind her and grabbed her upper arm. “(Y/N), wait.” She paused and he pulled her around. “Go out with me tonight.”

“Are you asking or telling?” she challenged. “Because the latter isn’t going to fly with me.”

Hal snorted. “It’s a bit of both.” When she cocked a brow, he added, “Go out with me tonight, and if you don’t have a good time, we’ll never talk about it again and I’ll stop asking.”

(Y/N) regarded him a moment. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

She pulled her arm from his grip and spit into her hand holding it out to him. “Shake on it, flyboy.”

Hal pulled a face and grabbed her hand, shaking it firmly, and when (Y/N) pulled back and stalked off, he grimaced and wiped his hand down his pants—but he was happy she finally agreed.

***

“It’s been a long time since I had good Cuban food,” she murmured, glancing towards the stars in the sky. “I’d forgotten how good it was.”

Hal looked over at her, folding his hands in his lap. “Before or after the program?”

(Y/N) hummed. “Before…I grew up in an old neighborhood in the suburbs of Jacksonville…there was a Cuban restaurant down the street from my house and we used to go there all the time for dinner.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“My family.”

Something in her tone seemed bitter, but also disheartened and lamenting. “Have you seen them since you came back?”

(Y/N) looked away and muttered darkly, “The government executed them when they couldn’t bring me in.” Her lips pulled down. “I heard that none of my family gave into their demands…they were loyal to me until the end.”

Hal felt his heart sink in his chest. “I’m so sorry, (Y/N). That’s horrible.”

She shrugged. “I killed the squad that attacked them…I got my revenge.” Her eyes found his as she looked back over. “What about you? Is your family still around?”

He found it hard to believe she didn’t know even though she knew everyone before she joined. “You don’t know my history?”

“I only know your name,” she responded. “And what little you’ve shared. Well…little is for Batman, you share an awful amount of yourself with everyone.”

Hal snorted and nudged her in the ribs. “Hey, just tryin’ to be friendly.” She smiled, waiting for him to speak, and when he did, his voice was just as sad as hers was. “I have a big family. Me, my siblings, my mom, everyone else.”

“No dad?” (Y/N) questioned and he looked at his hands.

“My dad died in a plane crash when I was a kid.” He sighed. “I witnessed it.”

“That’s…I’m sorry.”

“I swore I’d never bow down to my fears and when I turned eighteen, I joined the Air Force and followed in dad’s footsteps.” He huffed a breath. “I still get terrified when I fly…always have…but I do it to honor him.” Hal swallowed thickly, feeling warmth in his eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be someone that would’ve made proud.”

A hand touched his and he looked down at it, then to her, eyes widening when he saw tears silently running down her cheeks. “I’m sure your father is looking down on you with pride wherever he is, Hal.”

He couldn’t help but reach over with his free hand. “You’re crying?”

(Y/N) nodded. “Your story is…heart wrenching.” She leaned into his palm. “I feel your pain.”

“I—I can’t believe you’re crying for me though…no one’s ever done that.”

She reached up and wiped a tear that had fallen form his eye; he hadn’t realized it did. “You can cry too, Hal.” (Y/N) smiled sadly. “We might be strong…but we’re still human.” She reached up with her free hand and pulled his hand down from her face, squeezing it in hers. “Cry if you want to, Hal. I won’t judge you if you do.”

Hal didn’t want to cry. Not in front of her at least and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep them at bay. “It’s not manly to cry in front of a woman.”

“Everyone cries, Hal, even men.” (Y/N) leaned forward and took his face in her hands, pressing her forehead to hers. “You are allowed to feel.” He gazed into her eyes, this time not stopping the tears as they gathered in his; she smiled. “Fall to pieces, Hal…I’ll put them all back together.”

“Yeah?” he breathed tearfully, and she nodded, pressing her lips to his.

“Promise.”

Hal pulled from her grip and buried his face in her strong shoulder, and soon his body was shaking with sobs. And (Y/N) merely wrapped her arms around him.

“Let it go, Hal. Fall to pieces, darling.” She whispered, pressing kisses to his skin. “I’ll pick it all up.”

He kept apologizing, “I’m sorry’s” rolling off his tongue with each cry and she merely shook her head.

“Don’t be sorry, darling.” (Y/N) replied, turning her face to his cheek, pressing her lips to his skin. “Be human…be alive, Hal.”

His grip only tightened on her, and he shifted his face so he could see her, and he stared into her eyes, his own big, brown ones saddened, but full of heart and emotion. She threaded her fingers in his hair and smoothed it with gentle stokes and caresses.

He sniffed strongly and croaked, “The next time we go out, can we forgo the emotional moment?”

(Y/N) huffed a laugh and kissed him. “Sure, Hal.”