#performing my ult duties

[pharawee]

—Winner Tanatat Kunaneksin in MY STAND-IN THE SERIES · Episode 05

[charrlote365]

The Fox's Roulette.

Reference Idol: fromis_9 LEE SAEROM Word Count: 15.798 Tags: Romance, pits, Kpop idol, fromis_9, Lee Saerom

PART 1 The neon lights from street flickered through the window, casting a yellow ray across the polished counter of my bar(PIC 1). The bar has already closed but I was not quite finish working yet, because tonight, my regular customer, also a close friend was visiting. Fate indeed works in a mysterious way, I never thought owning and working in a bar would give me a chance to have a KPOP idol as a friend. Saerom, the leader of fromis_9(PIC2), honored my humble establishment as her first choice to have her favorite activity: Drinking.

Saerom and I had formed a friendship over the years. Despite her celebrity status, she found happiness and comfort in my small bar, away from the spotlight world. I knew her even before we were friends, because after all, I was also a Flover, and you don't have to guess who is my ult bias. It's her. Thankfully she didn't know about this, so we can have a comfortable chit chats. I always know that she was a shy soul, despite of her sharp glares on performances.

As the late night seeping through, the empty glasses were pilling up, yet Saerom's laughter filled the air. She looked happier than usual(PIC3), her cheeks flushed with the warmth of the alcohol. I watched her with a mixture of amusement and concern, knowing she had drunk a bit too much than usual.

"Hey, Saerom," I said, leaning against the counter. "You've had quite a few tonight. Maybe it's time to call it a night?"

Saerom pouted, raising a glass filled with beer high up, her gaze unfocused(PIC4). "But I don't wanna go home yet. I drove here by myself, so I can't drive back home now. You don't want anything bad happen to me, your biggest spender, do you?? bad bad bartender.. hehe..hiccups. Hey, can't I just stay here with you?"

PART 2 I can't believe what I just heard. "What did she just say?!!", I shouted loud in my heart. I hesitated, torn between my duty as a caring friend and the unspoken rules of propriety both as a fan and decent human being. But it seems the devil has won this time, I just can't let go this chance, to spend the night together with my most beloved person on earth, Lee, Saerom.

"Yeah, yeah, alright," I relented with a smile. "You can stay, but only if you promise not to cause too much trouble."

Saerom grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I promise."

As the night deepen, Saerom and I settled into our usual spot by the tinted window. The conversation flowed effortlessly between us, filled by laughter and personal stories.

"Hey," she said hesitantly, her voice was swaying around. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I replied, trying to guess why the sudden change of mood.

Saerom hesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on the swirling liquid in her glass as if searching for the right words. "Are you… a fan of our group?"

Panic gripped me as I struggled with the secret I kept. I wondered why she asked that so suddenly. But with a deep breath, I looked her in the eye and confessed, letting honesty flow from within.

"Yes," I admitted, the word slipping out before I could stop it. "I am."

Saerom's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I had no idea."

"Well, I'm glad that you do. At least I know you like us as a KPOP group, I think we're not doing that bad afterall", she said with a giggle yet with a slight hint of sadness.

"So! Next question! Who do you like the most in fromis?" Saerom asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

I felt my heart skip a beat, panic rising in my chest. I hadn't expected her to ask that now, and now my secret admiration for her was on the brink of being exposed. I searched for words, trying to think what answer should I give.

"Well, um…" I stammered, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. "Honestly, it's you."

Saerom's eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, I feared I had crossed a line. But then, a warm smile spread across her face, and she leaned in closer, she put her hand on mine.

"Really? You don't need to lie to me" she asked softly, her voice filled with genuine excitement.

I nodded quickly, feeling the tension ease. "Yeah, I swear. I'm dead serious."

"What about me? Why am I your favorite?" she asked while closing her eyes with a gentle smile on her face, waiting for me to spill all her good qualities.

"It's how you're so talented and dedicated, yet still so humble. You have incredible stage presence, but you're also kind and down-to-earth. And then your smile always lights up the room and makes everyone around you feel special. You have this way of making people feel seen and appreciated. That's what makes you my favorite, and also to be honest, I really like your visual"

Saerom's eyes softened, and she squeezed my hand gently. "Aww you're making me shy now but thank you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "That means a lot to me."

"Hey," she began, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "I have an idea. Wait here."

Before I could ask what she meant, she stood up from her chair and disappeared into the back room where she'd left her bag. A few moments later, she returned, holding a neatly folded outfit.

"I brought my idol outfit from last performance," she explained, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. "I thought… maybe I could change into it. As a thank you. For being such a great friend and fan."

I blinked, taken aback by her unexpected offer. "Are you sure? You don't have to do that."

Saerom nodded, her smile widening. "I want to. Just give me a minute."

With that, she went into the restroom, leaving me to process the surreal turn of events. My heart raced with anticipation as I imagined her in the dazzling outfit I'd only seen if I went to the stage.

PART 3 A few minutes later, the door creaked open, and Saerom stepped out. She was a vision in her idol attire, the sparkling white dress catching the light and casting a radiant glow around her. She struck a playful pose, clearly enjoying the moment(VID 1).

"So," she said, twirling her body slightly, "what do you think?"

I was frozen. She always look amazing, but able to see her up close in her idol mode hit different. "You look amazing," I finally managed to say something, my voice filled with admiration. "Thank you, Saerom, This means a lot for me."

"I'm glad you like it," she said softly. "I had wanted to do something special for you anyways". "Btw, I feel a lil bit bored, let’s play a game,” she suggested, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Roulette. But with cards. We’ll guess if it’s black or red. Whoever wins gets to ask the loser to do a truth or dare.”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “A little risky, don’t you think?”

She giggled, “That’s the fun part! Besides, you can’t back out now. your beloved Saerom has challenged you! hehe”

I couldn’t resist her playful challenge. I Grabbed a deck of cards from behind the bar, I shuffled them thoroughly and folded one card in half, placing it in front of us. Saerom watched with focus, although I knew she was absolutely drunk like a drunk overworked old man.

“Ladies first,” I said, gesturing to the card.

“Red,” she declared confidently.

I unfolded the card—black. She groaned dramatically, throwing her head back. “Alright, bartender. Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” I replied, not wanting to waste my chance.

She leaned closer, her alcohol reeked warm breath against my nose. “so my Master, what is you first command?", she said jokingly.

PART 4 I chuckled, while thinking. "May I take pictures of you tonight?". She slightly tilted her head back, "Is that all? I don't have to do anything?". "Yes, that's enough for now", I answered while taking my first picture of her on that night (PIC 5). She looked very gorgeous, her eyes are beautiful, and I couldn't believe it that I was the only person her eyes are looking at for the whole night.

We continued the game. This time my turn. “Black.”

Saerom’s eyes twinkled as she unfolded the card—red. She clapped her hands in delight. “Yes! Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” I said, feeling a bit excited.

Her eyes scanned the empty bar, almost like checking if we're really alone, then returned to me with a sudden foxy smile. “I dare you..to show me your kinks through action, you can't back down now! haha!”

I was frozen. "A-are you crazy? I think you drank too much". "No..I'm not joking..", she replied. I looked deep into her eyes trying to confirm her decision, and it seemed she's excited about it. With that, I then asked her to raise her arms, exposing her milky, foldy pits that I love so much(PIC 6). Feeling a bit shy, I closed my eyes then moved my head closer to her pits, the scent of her perfume mixed with her sweat becoming more pronounced. They smelled sweet, almost flowerily. She tilted her arms back slightly, giving me better access, and my heart raced as I put my nose right on her pits and breathed in the delicate smell from her. I lost myself from her scent that I kissed her pits and licked them. She giggled slightly from the tickle yet didn't say anything. I kept continuing kissing and licking her pits, savoring the slightly salty, sweet and sour taste of her foldy pits meat and fat. The scent, the warmth of her pits filling my tongue, emitting an intimate taste that made my heart beats faster. Her hair brushed against my cheek, and I could feel the slight rise and fall of her breath. The world outside the bar seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us in this moment.

PART 5 Regaining my consciousness, I realized I had gone too far. "I-I'm, sorry! I think I got carried away!"

She smiled shyly , her eyes were like she's in absolute intoxication, her breath was uncontrollable from what I just did to her, “It's okay, that was fun, I kinda enjoyed it”, she said with a giggle, her voice was gentle.

Alright, Round three. Saerom guessed red again, and this time she got it wrong again. She didn’t hesitate. “Truth or dare?”, I asked.

“Dare,” she said, feeling bold after what just happened.

She leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. “So what do you want me to do?”, while looking sweetly to me.

I paused, considering. I must have gone crazy that time, because my very next request, was asking her to take off her clothes.

Saerom raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. She hesitated for a moment, then smiled, accepting the challenge. She held up her hands and began to slowly taking off her white dress, one finger at a time, clamping down her dress hook, then her bra, and lastly, her nipple pads. Her movements were deliberate and almost mesmerizing. I have never seen a woman undressing in front of me, let alone someone that I adore very much. Flovers keep calling her fox, but what I see she's more like a swan, every gestures she made was so satisfying to see, she almost like a ballerina, gentle and grand.

Her nipple pads came off, revealing her breast. I have never been so intimate to anyone in my life, yet right now I finally able to get into the hidden part of her personal world. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she neatly folded the dress and bras and set them aside.

“There,” she said, her eyes twinkling with a mix of challenge and shyness. “I'm nude now. Happy?” (PIC 7)

“Very much,” I replied, my heart beating faster, I couldn't even blink, my eyes are locked onto her breasts. There was something about seeing her like this, more relaxed and natural, that made the moment even more special. I gulped, while holding myself from doing anything stupid.

Round four. I guessed black, and won. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” I said, my confidence somehow went unwavering.

I grinned, leaning closer to her. “Now, I dare you to make me as your lover tonight”.

PART 6 Without missing a beat, Saerom stood up, with bare naked body. Without a single word, she came to me and sat on my lap, facing me so closely. She kissed my lips, we ate each other lips and tongue like its a alcohol laced lollipop, it was sweet, sticky, intoxicating and I couldn't get enough of it. I was overwhelmed with all the feelings. Love, Lust and sense of loyalty filled my head all at once. She let out a little moan as I started to kiss her neck. I teased her by gently groped her breasts. she let out a little groan again, only turning me on more. I slowly started to kiss her down her chest, on her tits, sucking on her nipples. I kissed down to her tummy, while gripping hard on her thighs, then removed her underpants. I carried her on my shoulder like she was a doll. Her bare skin pressed against my chest and shoulder, they were so soft yet tender. Her body is truly the epitome of health. I laid her down on a sofa I had in the bar and I spread her legs out for me. I could see her bare pussy, open wide for me, they're perfectly shaved, with small labia and slightly pinkish. Some transparent liquid was oozing out from the precious hole, they looked almost like its begging me start stick in something into it.

I licked all the love juice that was oozing out, swallowed it, and gently bit her clit as she let out another moan. She was too perfect, too much of a goddess. she deserved the best this world could offer. My feelings to her has grown from a friend, to a fan and now the only thing I want in the world is to spend the rest of my life with her. I love her, I love her so much I could die at any moment. She started to moan louder as I licked and sucked hard. I put my fingers in her entrance and started pumping my 2 fingers into her at the same time. I curled up my fingers, making sure to hit her g-spot every time. I thrusted hard while my other hand rubbing her clit fast. I sucked her breast again, making sure all her sensitive parts are teased. Her breath hitched and she started to moan louder and finally her body convulsed wildly as she finally came. that's all I needed to know i was doing a good job. I used my hand to hold on to her hips and arched her body forward, so that we're now facing each other very closely.

PART 7 Her eyes met mine, we exchanged our breath from very close proximity and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. We then shared a kiss, turning all of our emotions into physical contact. Now that she knows I love her pits, I asked her if I could rub my dick onto her pits. She was shyly hesitant at first but she could not refuse it. She then sat on the floor raising her hands up while I stick my dick's tip on her pit fold and started rubbing it all over her pits(PIC8). I could feel the texture and the warmth from her lymph node, her pits actually enclaved deep enough to enclose my whole dick's tip. Fckkk suddenly I felt was going to come but I managed to hold it. I then moved to her back and asked her to squeeze my dick with her pits and inner arms like a sandwich. I knew she does workout regularly and that explained why her arms felt tight like a pussy. I rubbed my dick into her pits slits faster and faster, her sweat and my pre-cum made her pits extra wet and slimy as she clamped down even tighter and let out a moan "emmwahh", her moan was so cute that I finally couldn't hold it, "Ahh!! Saerom ahh!!" I spurted out my cement all over her pits and breast. My heart beat so fast that it could stop any moment and I was so lightheaded I thought I would faint, I have never felt so weak yet completed and happy in my life.

After that, she borrowed my bathroom to take a shower, while I cleaned up the mess we made on the bar's floor. When she was finished, she came out still fully naked, sitting on the bar's chair asking for a glass of scotch. "Really? more drinks??" I was baffled. "Of course! Drinking is number one!" with a smirk on her face(PIC 9). Looking at her breasts suddenly made my dick standing hard rock again, and it was clearly visible to her. Suddenly, she smiled naughtily and whispered, "Hey, wanna go another roulette round after this?" -End

[auraguardians]

ON THE GUARDIANS OF AURA (FACTION)

Also known as "the Order."

Their main stronghold was located near the base of Mt. Silver, though they also had smaller forts and waypoints in various key locations throughout the mainland (Kanto, Johto, etc.) with their reach extending as far as distant places like Hoenn and Sinnoh.

Importantly, while it is possible SOME of them traveled to even more distant lands... the Order preferred to stay fairly localized.

RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING

The Order was always on the lookout for youths (typically between the ages of 10-15) with strong aural abilities. The stronger their abilities, the more insistent the Guardians were about recruitment due to the dangers associated with rogue, untrained aura users.

(Since there is a genetic component to the ability, known relatives of Guardians were also monitored more carefully than most people.)

Full training took about a decade, during which the trainees were closely monitored and only allowed on missions with a mentor.

Upon becoming a fully fledged Guardian, a few oaths were taken. This practice was meant to protect the Order's integrity and the reputations of individual Guardians.

THE OATHS

"I shall uphold the Order's tenets and maintain their will."

"First and foremost, I shall be a defender of the people, a beacon of integrity, and a pillar of strength."

"I shall harm no defenseless opponent, seize no power for myself, and allow no darkness to fester in my heart."

"I shall conduct myself with courtesy, control, and compassion."

"May my spirit remain indomitable, my fire unquenchable, and the light that guides me shine through even the deepest darkness."

DUTIES OF AN ACTIVE GUARDIAN

Active Guardians were typically charged with roaming the lands and giving aid to the common people. After all, being a "defender of the people" includes everyone... especially the folks that are prone to being forgotten by those in power.

To earn income, Guardians would usually perform various jobs and commissions, leading some people to consider them no more than glorified mercenaries. They were expected to send a portion of any fee they earned back to the nearest stronghold, so the life of an individual Guardian was typically rather frugal.

Rules of hospitality and various treaties with the Order did mean Guardians could stay just about anywhere for a while, often with the expectations that they would provide some kind of service in return (protection, healing, prestige, etc.) and avoid lingering too long.

During times of war and upheaval, Guardians were typically sent to both the front lines and the courts of those in power, under orders to give aid and broker peace.

And, while non-violent solutions were preferred whenever possible... dire situations often called for other means. (And, yes, the Order did have a special branch dedicated to shadow work and assassinations.)

FLAWS, CRACKS... AND OATHBREAKERS

No order is perfect, and the Guardians were no exception.

There were always occasional "rogue" aura users. Typically, these people simply slipped through the cracks and were never recruited, because having abilities to manipulate life-force and emotions can go very bad very easily without proper discipline and training.

However, it would be foolish to assume that recruitment and training was enough to prevent an aura user from turning out wrong.

The worst enemies of the Order, by far, were the Oathbreakers.

An extremely rare occurrence, yes, but... it happened often enough for rumors to survive. And it was, perhaps, inevitable that the Order would one day recruit a very powerful youth who did not enjoy following the rules laid down by his elders.

He was charismatic enough able to sway others to his side, causing a split in the faction that eventually led to a war fought that pitted the members of the Order against their own kind.

The final battles were fought an the slopes of Mt. Silver, and led to near total destruction of their main stronghold.

The Oathbreakers were ultimately defeated, but irrevocable damage had been done: not only was the Order's main stronghold in ruins, but so was their reputation. Rumors had spread about the infighting, the dangers posed by such powerful people turning astray...

Thus, the Order disbanded and dispersed, hoping that they could continue their work on a smaller scale.

But, in a strange twist of fate, the Order's quiet disappearance helped immortalize them in stories, songs, and folk legends... while rumors of the Oathbreakers and the exact details that led to the faction's disbanding grew blurry, lost to the passage of time.

[tyonfs]

HI ALICE 👋👋👋 it’s jury duty anon .. once again.. i had so much uni stuff to do and then i went to vegas for my sister’s birthday.. i saw roddy ricch perform at a club, anf then apparently saw gucci mane at some pool party but i was blakcout so i only know this happened because there’s photos of me there 😭

belatedly.. my dream biases are mark and jaemin.. BUT HOW WAS THE CONCERT OMG ???

and i just got done reading the marriage and baby project. so so so so so so so so so so so so so so good like beyond, your characterisation and dialogue are so good like always and same with the plot too! you write my favourite mark fics and this was no exception !!! such a fun and exciting read <333

i hope ur keeping well and looking after urself ! talk soon 🩷🩷🩷

hihi jury duty anon !!! OH MY GOD YOU HAD SUCH A WILD TIME LMAOFJJS?3&; also gucci mane at a pool party ?? and u were blacked LMAOAOA 😭😭 you have unintentionally lived a true hangover (2009) moment

the concert was amazing !! jaemin and mark are my ults as well so seeing them in the flesh was such an experience :’) their stage presence is just so addicting 🤧 i would do anything to see them live again 💘

THANK YOU omg :’)) 💖💖 im so so glad that you enjoyed it and thank you for sending such a sweet ask 🥺 it was really fun writing mark like this HAHAH sooo head over heels while trying to remain indifferent <33 i ❤️ boys in luv

i hope you’re taking care & doing well too !! hope to hear from you soon 🥰

[husbando-collector-sanctuary]

Watanabe Appreciation Post.

Watanabe Nightblade's Ult has me thinking of giving Watanabe the Best Boy crown. Or at least having Kamui share it with him. Because if you don't think that's sexy, and you have the nerve to be playing Punishing Gray Raven, you're playing it wrong.

I mean, I want to hear the game in its native language, but you can't deny how sexy Nightblade's Ult is in Japanese.

Not only that, but my Watanabe's been kicking some pretty mean ass lately. I can't invest a single cent into my Nightblade, so he doesn't even have a fancy weapon, but he'd give your team a run for their money. He's been participating in the new Black Flash challenges and has been one hell of a bad ass.

Plus, @asoundofdrop informed me of an incredibly important Google Doc-one containing the Constructs' secrets and profile information. Watanabe's profiles clued me in on a few things:

- He really would make one hell of a dad.

- He would make one hell of a friend to Kamui (or boyfriend, depending on shipping preferences lol.)

- He spends all day frowning but really is an incredibly kind, dutiful and devoted individual.

- I mean he taught himself how to cook. He sees Liv as a daughter and regards the Forsaken as his family. There was even a line in one of his profiles about him performing for the Forsaken, just to entertain them.

Well. Kamui may have Best Boy crown, but I think Watanabe deserves Best Man.

If I wasn't saving up 2500 BCs for Chrome, I would have already recruited Astral Watanabe.

[riteburdened]

Hu Tao abilities meta + hc 

Since she demonstrates some abilities outside of the norm for humans, even for vision wielders and exorcists or thaumaturgists, I have wanted to write about them for a while and address some speculative stuff too!

Canon:

- Ability to see spirits. Self explanatory, a clear part of her job and it’s shown that not all humans can see them. - Can physically interact with spirits at will. There are times when her blazing spirit (I love the fanon name ‘bootao’ for it haha) passes through her body while others where she physically manipulates it, such as her ult and idle animation. - Able to sense supernatural energies. From her quest, where you make up an excuse to speak to people, “I didn't sense the presence of anything otherworldly.” - Ability to speak with and summon the dead, even those who have passed on. “I can even inquire with those who no longer speak.” / “I was fishing around on your behalf through the channels that aren't accessible to you.” / “I'm not an expert on tracking down the living. However, if you want me to summon someone from the other side of the 'border’--” Quotes from her personal quest about helping the traveler find their lost sibling.  - Can perceive and navigate the border between life and death. She mentions it being her duty to guard the border - both metaphysically in ensuring the living and dead are where they belong, and the ‘border’ as in the physical space. "For those unable to see 'the border,' they're best kept as far away from it as possible.” As for navigating it, she knows how to find it and is aware it is a space where the leylines go ‘haywire’ and it is deliberately filled with perspective puzzles and a looping area designed to deter the living and make them turn back.  - Combat related, she has a unique (afaik) sprint that allows her to physically pass through enemies. This intangibility is not unlike some elemental skill dashes but since it’s not tied to vision usage I find it and the uniqueness curious and worth mentioning.  - The Hu line are empowered from being near death and somehow draw strength from it due to their own lack of fear. Not only is it related to her kit, but Dainsleif has a voiceover line in her Miscellany trailer describing it thus.  “..their directors pass down a secret technique to traverse between life and death. Unafraid in the face of death, they instead unleash yet greater power.”

Speculative/hc:

- Hu Tao claims to be able to erase memories. She hasn’t lied about any of her other abilities thus far, and while this could be a weird joke I can’t say for sure one way or the other. It’s interesting to me though that she chose this wording over making a simpler death threat like she did to Meng! “Don't get all worked up over nothing, okay? or else by the time we're out, I'll have to erase your memories.” Personally, I don’t hc her having this ability and it isn’t part of my portrayal, but found it worth mentioning as it’s something she canonly says.  - Her method of guiding spirits to the other side seems to be for the most part peacefully nudging them to move on, with funeral rites designed to gently put them to rest, and this methodology fits her title of ‘spirit soother’. However I also believe that due to the repeated themes of cleansing via fire that are mentioned in association with her, Hu Tao is also able to perform more forceful exorcisms and banishment. There is also this flavour text from her talent: ‘Supernatural activity by those who have already left this world is a source of great anxiety for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour. In such cases, cremation always lets Hu Tao find peace of mind. The more anxious she feels, the stronger the flame.” which again reinforces (stronger) fire as a more forceful purification agent. - Pāramitā papilio: Despite being her elemental skill, I feel that it is not entirely linked to her vision. The fire aspect perhaps is; but her butterfly motif is something inherent to Hu Tao and the meaning/symbolism of her character, and pāramitā is a Buddhist term associated with enlightenment. This may be a bit of a stretch, but elsewhere in Liyue’s lore, enlightenment is something innate to beings and not granted by an outside force.  - Purification. Outside of burning bodies, how the Hu line took care of the plagues during and after the Archon War is not explored in any depth beyond a mention that it also involved rites. Given how deadly it was, and the effects we see in-game of the tatarigami in Inazuma which is fundamentally the same energy as that of the dead gods in Liyue and likely akin to that of the karma of the yakshas, the Hus must have had a way to protect themselves. Personally I believe due to the nature of exceptional abilities already shown canonically, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for the Hus to have something innate to repel filth and corruption. I headcanon Hu Tao to have a ‘purification aura’ that functions as an unseen barrier keeping her safe, metaphysically burning away exterior negative energies. She is after all the unbound flame. 

[district2001]

Another Canadian

Seventeen AU: 14th member

ERA: Clap

Jangmi ft. Dino x The Boyz (Kevin) 

Recap: Jangmi and Chan meet Kevin (The Boyz) after Music Bank

Words: 1.3k

AN: Requests are OPEN: Please please please send me what you want to see from Jangmi. I’m also open to feedback :)

CHECK OUT MY MASTERLIST FOR MORE JANGMI CONTENT XX

Jangmi’s Masterlist

Yes. I actually googled and found out when SVT x The Boyz could have had interactions, And coincidentally SVT were performing on The Boyz debut music show performance. So this occurred on the 12th of December 2017 (we love research).

The Boyz comeback was todday and I absolutely love the song. And the dance. And the visuals (what else did we expect from them).

Also also: Did you guys like the little feature of another Canadian at the very end/ I think it’s time you meet all of Jangmi’s friends, and get to know her social circle out of SVT.

Send me requests for scenarios w. your ults (even if they aren’t in SVT) and I’ll write a lil something something Xx

“Chan-nah!” Jangmi whined. “Why do I need to come with you to the vending machine?”

Dino laughed, while dragging his twin-maknae down the Music Bank Corridor. “Because, last time Vernon left by himself to get food, we nearly left him for soundcheck.”

“That’s because Vernon’s stupid.” Jangmi stopped as Dino kept pulling a push door. “And clearly you’ve been spending too much time with him.”

Chan squeezed her hand tightly, causing her to yell in pain and shimmy her hand out of his grip.

They were currently on their last day of promotions for Clap, and Jangmi wouldn’t be lying if she said she was a little relieved that it was over. She was missing having sugar-filled cereal every morning, and not going to bed starving. Luckily, her members still snuck her snacks over promotions. And hopefully Chan would aswell right now.

Jangmi turned around to face Chan, as she used her back to push through the door. “Do you think there’ll be Chilli flavoured Chi-“

Her question was abruptly cut off, as she collided into someone. The impact wasn’t that strong thankfully, so she regained her balance quite quickly.

“Crap!” The person she bumped into muttered under their breath.

She quickly turned around to face them, hoping that it was a hoobae or someone she knew (preferably Monsta X considering they were performing aswell). She’d be absolutely mortified bumping into her sunbaenim.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry” Jangmi cried out in English, finally taking in the persons appearance. He looked slightly older than her, or maybe the same age-she couldn’t tell.

She then realised that she hadn’t even apologised in the correct language. “Neomu mianhabnida.” She corrected herself, whilst bowing.

She heard Chan sniffle in his laughter. She mentally cursed him, as well as reminding herself to eat the majority of his chips.

“I’m sorry.” The boy replied, also whilst bowing.

Only then then did she notice that his white shirt was slightly damp in the middle, and that there was a small puddle of brown liquid near his shoes.

“Did I do that? I’m truely sorry, I’m such a klutz. Hopefully you don’t have anywhere to be after this.” She started rambling, as she took some tissues out of her demin jacket pocket, and started furiously wiping the floor.

The boy then crouched beside her, grabbing some of the unused tissues for her hand and started helping her clean up the mess, as well as dabbing some of the hot chocolate from his shirt.

Jangmi decided this was probably the best opportunity to find out who the boy was. He was clearly an idol, considering he was dressed nicely, and had some makeup on his face. She was fairly certain he wasn’t a sunbaenim, but she wanted to make sure.

“Anneyonghaeyo, Seventeen maknae Jangmi imnida” She introduced herself, swiping away the last bit of chocolate evidence.

The boy gave a mini bow to her, or as well as one could bow whilst squatting. “I’m Kevin. Nice to meet you”

“Ohhh! Kevin. You are a foreigner?” Jangmi was curious. She needed some Australian friends badly.

“Yes. I’m from Canada.” Jangmi mentally sighed in disappointment.

“Why is everyone from Canada.” She playfully groaned in English, as she stood up and patted her skirt down. “Well in that case, You can call me Rydel if you want. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand.

Kevin shook her hand.

“Wait, like the highschool in Grease?” He asked as he grabbed the chocolate soaked tissues from her left hand.

Jangmi protested. “I’ve got that, don’t worry.”

“No. it’s ok. It was my drink anyway.”

“Yea, but I was the one not looking where I was going.” She laughed. “I’m a bit clumsy.”

“Aren’t we all?” Kevin threw the tissues into the nearest bin, before walking back to Jangmi.

“Are you a soloist?” She was curious about him.

“No no. I could never. I’m part of The Boyz.” He smiled widely. “We actually debuted today.”

“Congratulations,” Jangmi exclaimed, slightly louder than she anticipated.

“Jangmi-yah. Be quiet.” Jangmi then realised that Dino was still with them.

Kevin and Dino both bowed politely towards each other.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dino.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m The Boyz’s main vocalist Kevin.”

Jangmi fake frowned, teasing her hoobae. “How come I didn’t get a proper greeting from you.”

“Sorry. I’m sort of new at this.” Kevin sheepishly replied in Korean.

“It’s ok. Everyone’s new at this at one point. Ask him about all the stupid things I’ve done.” She gestured at her twin-maknae

A silence followed. Jangmi looked over to see if Dino would contribute to the conversation, but he was too busy looking at something on his phone.

“What company are you under?”

“Crek.er”

“Wait, is that the one with Haknyeon, from Produce?” Dino asked, looking up from his phone.

Kevin nodded. “He’s actually in our group.”

“JR mentioned that he was one of the nicest contestants.” Jangmi added.

“Really?” Kevin asked. “That’s good to hear.”

“I think I read an article about your group.” Dino continued. “You have lots of members like us, yeah?”

Kevin nodded, taking a sip of his hot chocolate, or whatever was left of it. “Not as many as you though. We have 12.”

Jangmi was going to give some advice on being in a large group, when she was pulled away from their conversation, quite literally, by one of her managers.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you two.” The manager pointed the twin-maknaes.

“Oops” Jangmi suppressed a grin.

“The vans loaded. It’s time to go.”

Dino whined. “We haven’t even got our snacks yet.”

“Once you are back at Pledis, you can have some-” Their manager stopped mid-sentence and frowned. “What do you mean by ‘we’?”

Jangmi’s eyes widened. “He was referring to getting snacks with Kevin.” She stuttered, as she quickly slung her hands over Kevin’s shoulders, and brought him closer to her, ignoring his shocked expression.

“Kevin, meet our manager. Our manager, meet Kevin from The Boyz.” She introduced.

They both bowed towards each other.

Their manager grabbed Chan’s hoodie and motioned for Jangmi to come closer to her. “You can get some snacks next time, we’re running late for their next schedule.”

She turned to her heel, and walked out the door, dragging Chan with her. “Jangmi, hurry up!” The manager called out as she exited the room.

Kevin cleared his throat, and only then did Jangmi realise her hands were still wrapped over his shoulders.

“Sorry about that.” She hastily removed her hands. “I’m on a strict chicken breast and salad diet, and if I get caught breaking it, I have to run 5km every morning for a week.” Jangmi switched the conversation to English.

Kevin chuckled. “That’s alright.” He too then began speaking in English. “5km though, damn. That’s brutal.”

“You have no idea.” Jangmi rolled her eyes.

“I better head off before they leave me.” She continued. “Congratulations on your debut once again though. Seriously well done! Keep up the hard work.”

Kevin nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Thanks. It means a lot coming from you.”

“I highly doubt that. But I’ll take the compliment.” Jangmi smiled.

“Nah nah. For real. I think you guys have cemented yourselves in the KPOP scene.”

“And I’m sure you guys will aswell.”

“You haven’t even heard our music.” Kevin sarcastically replied, whilst holding the door open for her.

“I’ll download it right now and listen to it on the drive back.” Jangmi immediately took out her phone and began searching up the group.

“You don’t have to do it.” Kevin protested, probably feeling bad that he was forcing her to listen to their music.

Jangmi sushed him and continued typing until she was interrupted by her Jun calling her phone. She pressed the “Can I call you back later?” button, before shoving it back in her phone.

“Duty calls.” She smiled. “If we ever see each other again, don’t be afraid to come and say hi.”

“Will do.” Kevin nodded, before pointing behind him. “I should probably head back aswell. They’re all probably wondering where I am.”

“Can’t loose a member on debut day.” Jangmi chuckled, while waving goodbye.

“Thanks for the advice and being so friendly.” Kevin bowed, and turned around, presumably heading back to his dressing room

“I don’t think I gave you any, but I’ll take it.” Jangmi yelled over her shoulder, as she turned the corridor.

She took out her phone and ignored all of Jun’s messages about all the other van’s leaving, and the performance team still waiting for her.

Jangmi found one of her best friends messages, which were obviously at the top of her texts.

‘Yo Mark’

‘I think I found you another Canadian.’

‘Now find me an Australian’

‘I’m outnumbered’

Previous: Seventeen Right Here

[mxbbadperson]

homestuck fics

WARNING: links don't work bc fic is deleted

FINISHED:

can i get other amen PT.1,  PT.2, PT.3, PT.4, PT.5, PT.6 : Dirk/Karkat colorswap au with dirk crocker & karkat makara

dutiful: Sollux Ampora/Karkat Peixes

The Southern Sun: Bro Crocker/Carcata Peixes (Beforus Karkat)

The Northern Moon: Dirk Crocker/Karkat Peixes

coronation: Dirk/Karkat/bro demon pact

sing to me: Bro/Karkat singer and body guard au

audacity: Bro/Karkat troll & colorswap au with blue!bro & teal!karkat

grateful: necromancer karkat au

house party: Bro/Karkat supernatural au with two (2!!!) bros! vampire & werewolf

wasting time: Dirk/Karkat/Hal supers au; WARNING: EXPLICIT

give me some sugar: WARNING: EXPLICIT; bro/karkat where bro is karkat’s sugar daddy

calm you down: rated: WARNING: EXPLICIT, UNDERAGE, NON-CON; bro/karkat where karkat’s a teen idol and bro’s his manager; karkat panics before a performance and bro calm him down

children of earth: children of heaven and earth au, porimma-centric

pull: dirk/karkat witch and familiar au; dirk’s the witch and karkat’s his familiar who takes care of him

berate: slight hal/karkat; princesguard au where karkat’s a prince and hal, jake, meenah and feferi are his knights; jake tries to escape

fill: sorcerer and vessel au; karkat’s called to prospit’s court and he picks a vessel for his power

seam: dirk/karkat halloween town au; dirk’s a puppet who’s head keeps falling off and karkat’s a ragdoll who helps

outside looking in: au inspired by the umbrella academy; karkat watches and his siblings go about their day

cookies: witch and familiar au; dirk/karkat, jake/karkat

lovely, dark and deep: dirk/karkat hades & persephone au where karkat is hades and dirk is persephone, karkat is the king of the underworld and dirk is the unwelcome godling

ribbon: dirk/karkat necromancy au where karkat’s a necromancer; WARNINGS: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, SELF-HARM, BLOOD, BODY HORROR

forever in debt to your priceless advice: hal/karkat wetworld au where hal and karkat work together in the park

with world-pervading voice, make proclamation: au: in the end, we’ll meet: karkat and dirk are soulmates but that means karkat ends the world and dirk has to kill him; at the event of his execution, cancri has a vision of the one who brings the end

passion, yet serenity: star wars au; jedi knight karkat and his padawan turned darksider dirk; dirk/karkat

please don’t look at my boner when we fight: dirkkat supers au; the steel swordsman meets a new criminal

chaos, yet harmony: a star wars au; jedi knight karkat and his padawan dirk are now both darksiders; dirkkat

emotion, yet peace: a star wars au: newly knighted jedi knight dirk finally find his missing runaway master karkat; dirkkat

legendary luscious: ult!dirk/candy!karkat, dirk touches karkat’s ass

paralyze my heart; ult!karkat au, dirk visits karkat to give him a gift; dirkkat and jakekat undertones

open your mind to me: brokat modern vampire au; WARNINGS: EXPLICIT; NON-CON; UNDERAGE; MIND CONTROL

a something: dirkkat, karkat arranges books and dirk comes over

it feels good, oh, to be alone with you: dirkkat modern au;  WARNINGS: EXPLICIT; AGE DIFFERENCE

don’t want candy: dirkkat species swap; dirk encounters trickester mode!karkat

a something: a jake/kat supernatural au

feel your weight in arms i’d never use: dirkkat modern au; WARNINGS: EXPLICIT; AGE DIFFERENCE 

complete and utter bullshit: ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP; dirk goes trickster and he and karkat go to the stove

electric affection part 1, part 2: DIRKKATHAL PORN; WARNING: EXPLICIT

a something: dirk and karkat are both writers

it’s a love story, baby just say yes: writer dirk and editor karkat

in my defense, i have none: fantasy au; knight of prospit karkat gets the prince of derse dirk as a a reward

if you never bleed, you never grow: PART 2; the prince of derse dirk gets the knight of prospit karkat as a “reward”

a dirkkat tribble: teacher au, established relationship

open hand or closed fist would be fine: homestuck^2, ult!dirk/candy!karkat, WARNING: EXPLICIT

a something: a dirkkat fantasy au flash fic; karkat as a unicorn centaur!

a something: a dirkkat sci-fi au, WARNING: AGE DIFFERENCE with karkat being older

come home to my heart: dirkkat humanstuck deity and mortal? au

i lie naked and pure with intentions to cleanse you and take you: dirkkat modern au where karkat’s a scholarship kid who depends on dirk’s family; WARNING: BULLYING

a something: dirkkat flash fic; dirk buys a new nightlight

define me anew before i know it: humanstuck witch and witch hunters au; brokat undertones

o lovely nymph: a bro/karkat fantasy au where bro’s a satyr and karkat’s a nymph

i notice everything you do or don’t do: bro/karkat married au; WARNINGS: ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP, EXPLICIT

i’m such a good kitty, don’t put up fights, PT.2, PT.3: dirkkathal, dirk and hal as catboys au

my twisted knife, my sleepless night, my win-less fight: dirkkat soulmate & reincarnation au, WARNINGS: EXPLICIT, ANGST

a homestuck something: jakekat, dirkkat, jake and dirk come back to the hotel room drunk

a homestuck something: dirkkat, lowkey jane/dave/jade, a dinner with friends!

UNFINISHED:

gratitude: Bro/Karkat troll and colorswap au with violet!bro & rust!karkat

outrun the light: jakekat modern au; coffeeshop au, stalking, yandere!jake

freedom and security: infamous: second son au

owning the future: au of freedom and security , kankri-centric

youngling: star wars au; cancri talked to a youngling that has the same last name; cancri-centric

a blessing: karkat as a deity au

[claroquequiza]

the commentary thing- the scene where hanzo uses his dragons and "splits" and then unintentionally injures mccree, up to dropping off jesse with OW and running off!

Oh, wow, I’ll have to be careful not to reveal too much...

“Shimada, huh? It’s been a long time since we saw any of you here,” the young man said in a low voice. As he spoke, Hanzo looked beyond him to the four dark figures scattered behind, each leveling pistols straight at Hanzo’s chest. “We’d heard you were getting back in the business, but it seems your masters are uninterested in re-establishing the old alliance. I’ll be sure to let my bosses know. For now--” his mouth twisted into a feral grin, a sadistic look that was all the more disturbing to be resting on such a young face. “--we will send a message from the Yoneyama with your carcass.” He stepped back, clearing the way for his comrades. Almost as one, the pistols raised a minute amount as they prepared to fire.

Somewhere in Hanzo’s chest, something tight relaxed, sending pulses of relief through his heart. At last. This badly planned, knee-jerk of a raid had overcome all his paranoia, all his meticulous planning and cautious execution, all his stubborn adherence to duty and decorum. It was over.

He would die.

Hanzo’s been looking to die for a while.

He had felt this way before. Even as he stared down the barrels of his impending doom, his mind flickered back a few months, to the open balcony overlooking the glittering lights of home, when the thin, sharp edge of death had pressed against the pulse of his veins.

He got soooo close--that moment in “Dragons” when he looks annoyed that Genji hasn’t killed him yet speaks to me. Like, he’s finally been defeated--finally--and then this assassin is just standing there?? What, is he going to gloat?? Just do it before--

But then death had been pulled away to be replaced with two brown eyes surrounded by necrotic flesh.

And then Genji revealed himself and the whole world went insane. 

His grip tightened around Storm Bow.

“ No. ”

No.

No.

There are at least two voices speaking.

Death had been pressed up against him, reaching out to still the thunderous blasts thudding in his chest--

--no--

--and it was withdrawing, away from the heat and electricity buzzing through his left arm, the tattoo flashing in the dark. No, that was not right--it withdrew from the tiny, traitorous spark, the one that always blazed to life when he--

This Will Be Expanded Upon.

His grip tightened around Storm Bow.

No! There is nothing to shoot with!

Your bow was never anything more than a toy.

A chipped blade, sodden with blood.

Never--never again!

Then think of it as a club. It was a club, at first, centuries ago.

NO--!

Three people talking, now.

It was difficult to say what happened, exactly, when the dragons took hold. Hanzo had never found an adequate explanation. It was even harder now to explain even as his selves slid away from other, as his eyesight doubled and hearing doubled, as the blue light blinded all of his eyes and the twin dragons’ roar thundered in all of his ears.

So! Genji’s Dragonblade is badass, and we know that Hanzo used to use a sword, so it stands to reason that Hanzo’s sword-based ultimate might be similar to Dragonblade. However, being the heir/kumichō of the Shimada-gumi has to be good some for something, so I wanted to think of a way to make it a stronger yet still memorable/unique version of Dragonblade. Since Dragonstrike has two dragons, it made sense to double Dragonblade!

This has since become one of those times when you think of something cool for a story, and later on you suddenly realize: Oh. OohhhhhhHHHH! I CAN DO THIS NOW AND IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE THANK YOU PAST ME. So expect me to expand on this, too, LOOOOOL.

Did they split him in two, he wondered, as his selves dashed to each side, each swinging Storm Bow. One of him aimed for the neck, the other for the head. Two men were cut down, blood splattering from a ruptured jugular ( he had leapt out of the way just in time, eyes wide with fear ) and a skull cracking under a heavy blow ( he had managed to deflect it so that it sideswiped his head, tearing off his ear ).

Since splitting in two would be Highly Useful, even in Hanzo’s newer life as a homeless hobo assassin, there has to be a very good reason why he would never use it again. Until now.

Did they share him somehow, tossing him from one to the other dozens of times a second, too fast for his human mind to process it? He flashed forward too fast to counter, both of him slicing across the eyes ( hadn’t he done the same to him? No, he must not have, he still had his eyes ) before garroting them with the bowstring ( no garrote had been necessary with his blade--it had worked much better, had been much more efficient ). Two more fell, their screams bubbling out ( just as his had ).

I was worried when writing this because Hanzo does use his bow as a sword in “Dragons”, so I wanted to make the experience as strange and foreign as possible so it was the ult that triggered the flashbacks and his breakdown, not using the bow-as-a-sword itself.

The young man was in the middle of stepping back, his expression still transforming from feral to horrified when he both stepped up and swung, the man’s head caught between the double hammers of Storm Bow and Storm Bow. His skull cracked, the skin bulging as it struggled to contain the shards.

Ew.

He fell to the ground like--

--like a puppet with strings cut--

-- just --

-- like --

Oh, Hanzo.

He turned, both pairs of eyes focusing as he both leapt forward. One of him swung and caught the wrist of the cowboy, slamming it against the cinderblock wall the cowboy had stumbled against as he had tried to hurriedly back away, his ridiculous gun falling from his hand. From behind, he smashed Storm Bow against the side of the cowboy’s knee. It gave way with a resounding crack, and the cowboy tumbled to the ground with a strangled cry of pain intermingled with the crunch of glass and plastic.

Hi McCree! What are you doing there?!

The cowboy looked up at one of him, raising his uninjured metal hand, trying to ward him off even as he brought both of Storm Bow up high to sweep down with the killing blow. The cowboy’s eyes were wide, full of fear, brown irises nearly disappeared behind the dilated pupils. He did not want to die, it seemed.

It was a lot of fun writing for Hanzo inhabiting two bodies sharing one consciousness. I love using tenses in ways they shouldn’t.

I also like the idea of McCree being as close to death as Hanzo and having a similar reaction.

He did not want to die, but it was his duty. It was his burden. He had to--

No.

-- you would perform your duty to Overwatch --

Overwatch. The cowboy was part of Overwatch. Genji had pledged his life--Hanzo’s life--to Overwatch. What was he--?

Just a little indication that Hanzo is not the least bit loyal to Overwatch yet. He’s doing this because Genji told him to, no other reason whatsoever, not even to save McCree’s life.

With a jolt like being doused in supercooled water, there was Hanzo, and Hanzo only. He stared down at the cowboy as the world snapped back into ordinary depth, ordinary sound, ordinary experience.

He swayed, he teetered, and fell stiffly onto his side, his instinct to catch himself completely submerged under a swell of searing, agonizing regret and guilt. It was too much. It had not mattered that it was not a sword, it was too much like last time. Ten years was insufficient, it was too close, it was too much, it was--it was--

The cowboy seemed frozen, sprawled on his side, his flesh hand hanging limply from his smashed wrist, his knee twisted unnaturally beneath him. His clothes were disheveled, his red cape bunched up over his shoulders, a bronze colored chest plate splattered with blood. He was staring at Hanzo, his face blank of everything but fear and astonishment.

McCree: What the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell what the hell--

--it was unacceptable to fall apart here, with enemies all around him, with an Overwatch mission in progress.

With the cowboy watching.

Yeah, why was he just watching, anyway?!

With a supreme effort of will, Hanzo forced the regret, the guilt, the paralyzing fear and loathing, into a cold and hard lump in his chest.

It would not stay that way, but it would for long enough.

He had to do a similar thing ten years ago.

Jerkily, robotically, his face falling into a neutral, almost slack expression, he gathered himself to his feet. The cowboy scooted back, a pained grunt escaping him as he jostled his knee and wrist. Something clinked underneath him as he moved. Hanzo glanced down and saw the the pieces of the cowboy’s smashed comm scattered beneath him, crushed as he had smashed the cowboy’s leg out from under him.

He tapped at his earpiece.

“This is Shimada. Agent McCree is injured,” he said, his voice strangely void. The cowboy narrowed his eyes.

McCree: [TEXT REDACTED]

“This is the medic,” said a voice. Somewhere, deep and far away, a clouded portion of Hanzo’s mind was conscious enough to register a tiny beat of annoyance at yet another unknown person. “What are his injuries?”

“Broken wrist and shattered knee. What is your position?”

“I am en-route.”

“No-go, Mercy. Is your position secure, Shimada?” The low, gruff voice.

Hanzo glanced over his shoulder to the entrance of the alley. “No. There are currently no enemies, but I do not know for how long.”

Yeah, why are there no enemies?!

“Can you get McCree to the warehouse?”

“I believe so.”

“We have the chips. Mercy, meet McCree and Shimada at the warehouse. Tracer, head back to the transport and pick up everyone here. Understood?”

“Right-o! See you in a tic!” chirped the bright voice.

“Understood,” said the medic.

“Acknowledged,” said Hanzo. He took a step toward the cowboy.

He flinched and tried to reel back. “Stay the fuck away from me!” he growled.

Hanzo took two quick steps and slapped him across the face. “I must help you while I still can,” he said quietly, voice still abnormally void, to the cowboy’s shocked face. He grabbed the cowboy’s uninjured metal arm, the titanium cold against his flushed, fiery skin, and pulled him up. The cowboy yelped as his injured knee twisted. Hanzo ignored it as he hefted the tall and wide body onto his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. He squatted to grab Storm Bow off the ground and again to collect the cowboy’s heavy revolver and broke into a slow jog down the alley towards the warehouse.

I really wanted Hanzo to slap McCree at least once. I also wanted Hanzo to carry McCree because he does not have chicken legs, goddamnit!!

He focused on the burn in his thighs and back, on his wild heartbeat and deep uneven breaths as he carried the heavy load. The cold lump in his chest was threatening to burst at any moment.

The high blue walls of the warehouse soon came into view. Smoke billowed out of several broken windows and the wide-open door of the fire escape on the third floor. Hanzo rounded the building, searching for the cowboy’s teammates.

He found them gathered by one of the side entrances. If he was anywhere close to being in his right mind, he might have hesitated at the veritable mountain of grey steel shaped into a vaguely human form, but as it was, with his mind running only the most basic and necessary functions as it struggled to delay the inevitable, he merely trotted up to it. Beside it were three more people, a man who would have been intimidating if he were not standing next to the mountain, face obscured with a visor that glowed a dull red in the city night. Another was a man who was should have been diminutive, barely standing above Hanzo’s waist yet was bulky with corded muscle. Hanzo distantly noted the enormous claw that served as an arm before focusing on the last person.

Hanzo Meets Overwatch Under The Best Possible Circumstances

aka Hanzo just can’t switch off the observational skills

She would have looked average, just slightly shorter than him with blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail, but she was dressed in odd formfitting white armor that branched into white and gold wings from her back, all surmounting with a gold halo that circled her head. She held a white and black, subtly technological staff in one hand. She rushed forward when she caught sight of him.

“You are the medic?” Hanzo asked, slowing to a stop.

She looked him in the eye with a piercing, searching gaze that lasted far too long. He would have tensed, would have stepped back to put distance between them, but he was too busy holding back the tide of his own mind. She nodded at last. “Yes. Dr. Angela Ziegler, callsign Mercy.”

Angela: ...three-pointed eyebrows...

This was an accident. The eyebrows thing didn’t occur to me until I was writing Chapter 9, and it was lucky that she had stared at him here. 

Now I get irrationally angry whenever I see fanart of Hanzo without his three-pointed eyebrows.

“Shimada Hanzo,” he replied without feeling. He squatted, and she helped him lay the cowboy on the ground. The cowboy’s eyes were clamped shut, his face blanched and pale.

McCree: I don’t know what’s happening here, but I know he’s jostling my knee on purpose--not that I don’t deserve since [TEXT REDACTED].

She began inspecting his wrist. “What happened?”

The cold lump in his chest pulsed. Hanzo stood with a jerk.

The medic looked up at him, eyes narrowed. “What--?”

“The cowboy will explain. I must go.” Hanzo said as he dropped the cowboy’s gun to the ground and turned away.

McCree: How, though?

“Hold up, Shimada.” The visored man stepped forward. “More of the Yoneyama--”

“I am not so easy a target,” interrupted Hanzo with no heat. “Farewell.”

Whoo, he says that in the game!! And in Chapter 9! Because he wants a catchphrase, even if he doesn’t know it!

With a running start, he climbed straight up the side of neighboring building. Springing onto the roof, he sprinted across the roof and leapt onto the next, and the next, and the next. He merely took whichever route presented itself, reaching at random to the nearest roof or ledge, dropping to street level only to cross to the next block of buildings, focused on nothing more than his breathing, his burning legs, and the next handhold.

He absently noted the industrial buildings abruptly stop, the warehouses and factories sharply transitioning into commercial buildings and apartments, neon and hard light storefronts and marquees slowly brightening the streets. Bordering both districts was a small park, edged with a low hedge that was densely packed with leaves and thick branches. He dropped to street level, digging out his earpiece as he went. He gently clicked it into its port on his comm as he unclipped it from his belt and shoved it into the nearest bush, making sure to bury it as far within as possible before turning away and running silently down the deserted street, bloodshot and increasingly twitching eyes searching the marquees and storefronts.

He soon found one that advertised the supplies necessary to survive the night.

The vending machine had plenty to offer, but he immediately focused on the pink, blue, and white liter cartons of plum wine and sake lining the bottom shelf. With trembling, clumsy fingers, he withdrew a pouch full of rolled up coins from a hidden pocket, a sight as outdated as his kyudo-giand bow. The coins dropped into the slot with loud plinking sounds far out of proportion with their size, and he impatiently watched each carton fall to the bottom of the machine before inserting more. It felt like an eternity before it seemed he had enough for his purposes. He stuffed all the cartons into a plastic bag that he dug out of a nearby waste receptacle and he was back on the rooftops.

In the first published version of the text, I had him break into a liquor store and steal a bunch of vodka--but he very consideringly left money by the register. Then @cantodelcolibri happened to let me know about ALCOHOLIC VENDING MACHINES AND MY HEAD EXPLODED BECAUSE I’M FROM UTAH AND ALCOHOLIC VENDING MACHINES ARE AN EXCEPTIONALLY FOREIGN IDEA HERE OK

All the while, the cold lump in his chest was pulsating, cracking, leaking memory and despair into the pit of his stomach, straining his willpower and his strength. He had to find somewhere soon, somewhere hidden, somewhere high, somewhere where no one would see.

He did something similar ten years ago.

An office building, ten or twelve stories high, pre-Crisis construction with old-style solar panels arranged in neat rows on its roof, waiting to shield him from sight, no neighbors of comparable size. Perfect.

He scrambled up the wall, movements increasingly hesitant and unsure, his chest tightening from the effort of containing himself for just a little longer, just a little longer, just long enough to--

--crawl under the raised solar panels--

--hear Storm Bow and his destroyed quiver clatter to the ground--

--collapse--

--rip open the first liter carton--

--and drink and drink and drink and drink and drink --

--and hold on just a little longer, just a little longer, until the blackout took him, and whatever the cold lump did to him when it finally burst could be safely hidden in the dark.

The last time it took a lot longer than three days to regain consciousness again.

Thank you for the message!! I hope you enjoyed this, too!!

[maenji]

why do you like mercys changes? theyre bad!

it’s 1 am, i’m on my phone, and my house has currently no AC rn since it broke and it’s fucking hot. excuse me if i sound annoyed with this.

i UNDERSTAND that some people are going to be super pissy with the changes! i was slightly annoyed too! but once i actually watched the video and went on PTR to try out the new mercy, it fucking made sense.

the only good thing mercy had was her rez and literally, she turned into this straight hide and wait as your whole team does game, instead of actually performing her duties LIKE A HEALER SHOULD BE. when Lúcio ults, he still heals. when ana ults, she still heals. when zenyatta ults… he’s fucking healing. mercy? oh yeah, here’s a free rez. oh YES, BTW, it’s extremelygame-breaking so please enjoy your 30% longer game.

do you see an issue here? no?

okay let me break it down for you even further.

the healers were made with the idea in mind that they should be HEALING. that’s literally the whole point of them. there’s literally no reason to having healers if they’re not going to be healing. at that point, they’d probably only be giving utility, like symmetra does with her TP/barriers. so the fact that a HUGE part of mercy’s playstyle is that you HAVE to hide, is contradictory to the whole idea of a healing class.

that’s why having a mercy on either team or both can be extremely frustrating bc it’s a very gamechanging ult. compared to the other ults, mercy’s ults tend to be the ones that 75% of the time, change the tide of battle in a split second. it basically fucks the other team completely or partially, no matter how far away you are.

okay past that, just the whole hiding aspect can make her really freaking useless for healing and that’s just bullshit. she’s a healer.

blizzard’s idea of making her more of a constant healer is right up my alley (and personally fits my playstyle more as i’ve always been more of an aggressive healer, never really hiding until recently since competitive people throw little baby tantrums if you don’t). the fact that she’s also able to be more in combat makes stats look a little better. i’ve seen mercys who have 0 fucking damage throughout the whole game (wtf r u doing) and it’s just like wow. it’s not even like you’re playing a FPS????? cool.

there’s also the idea that she’s no longer able to mass rez! not only does this shut down a game breaking ult, but it also makes her less of a target for the other team. (obviously, she’s still going to be a target bc she is a support.) this is one of my biggest things with her! whenver there’s an enemy mercy, the team’s top priority is to focus her, which can often set up to disaster if they ignore the other members of the enemy team too much.

the fact that her rez now has around a 30-ish second cooldown. in the past, her rez has always been something that mercy players have to think about, but especially now!!!!!! not only that, it could help in a pinch especially if your tank goes down in the beginning. i mean we’ve all had that game where the rein fucks up and it’s like well shit, there goes our hold. this rez can actually help to maintain that hold! while she’s less of a “rez” hero, she’s now got more utility almost on her belt!

also her ult wasn’t exactly well thought out in my opinion, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. i hope it’ll go through a much better change, but it’s what we got for now. it’ll honestly be super interesting to see how mercy mains will be using it. while a lot of y'all will be screaming battlemercy, keep in mind, cooldowns have been reduced which makes it extremely interesting. i could see several cases where a mercy could possible ult to run to the point and hold during overtime and rez someone during any of the maps. i feel like it could be extremely helpful in doing that. also during crucial team fights, it’ll help to make her, maybe not a less noticeable target, butif the player is skilled enough, a less hittable target which i honestly enjoy.

overall, i think the changes were needed in the long run to make this a slightly more balanced game. as for everyone complaining….¯\_(ツ)_/¯ deal with it. she’s honestly a slightly more useful, albeit more difficult hero to play now, but i do think she’ll be a lot more fun to play. i know y'all enjoy getting those rez POTGs, but eh. i like murdering people. can’t wait to try her out in comp!!! :0 she now fits with my playstyle very well and i’m excITED!!!!!! NO MORE YELLING AT ME!!!!n