#the mun lays down the law

[backedagainstthewall]

|| THE BASICS ||

NAME: James Andrew Martin

NICKNAME(S): Nothing really gets wide use.  

AGE: Varies depending on verse and time, main verse age is roughly 30 give or take a couple of years, later verse is usually mid- to late-30s, sometimes later for some marriage threads, earlier verses and historical verses vary more.

SPECIES: Human

|| PERSONAL ||

MORALITY: lawful / neutral / chaotic ||| good /  gray / evil 

RELIGIOUS BELIEF: James comes from a family that’s primarily Methodist with a few Baptists.  His own household was Methodist.  He would consider himself a Protestant Christian, but not really too concerned with denominations.  

VIRTUES: chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice

PRIMARY GOALS IN LIFE: He’s a bit lost for a while, with stopping criminals being a mixture of payback and justice for himself and others.  But he’d really wanted to just finally leave it behind, settle down, live like a “normal” person.  

LANGUAGES KNOWN: English, some fluency in Spanish and Russian in main verse, French in a couple of historical verses

SECRETS: Lots of them.  

QUIRKS: He has a secret fondness for cartoons and will watch them sometimes.

SAVVIES: Fighting, general survival and laying low, basic lockpicking and pistol shooting

|| PHYSICAL ||

BUILD: slender / scrawny / bony / fit / athletic / herculean / babyfat / pudgy / obese / other  

HEIGHT: 5′11″

SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: Multiple scars on his torso.  Most are relatively faded, but still noticeable at close range.  Also has a minor scar on his knee from childhood.  

ABILITIES/POWERS: N/A

RESTRICTIONS: N/A

|| FAVOURITES ||

FAVOURITE FOOD: Lasagna

FAVORITE DRINK: Orange juice

FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING: Sausage

FAVOURITE COLOR: Dark blue

FAVOURITE MUSIC GENRE: Rock

FAVOURITE BOOK GENRE: Nonfiction 

FAVOURITE MOVIE GENRE:  Action

FAVOURITE SEASON: Fall or spring

FAVOURITE BUTT TYPE: Round

FAVOURITE CURSE WORD: “Shit”  James is not a big cusser, though.  

FAVOURITE SCENT: Food, specifically, Italian food, some seafood, or most meat.

|| FUN STUFF ||

BOTTOM OR TOP:  Either works for him.

LOUD BURPER OR SOFT BURPER: Usually keeps it soft, but sometimes he’ll let one rip.

SINGS IN THE SHOWER: No

LIKES BAD PUNS:  The only kind he likes.

THEIR OPINION ON THE MUN: “He’s okay.  Probably wouldn’t consider him a friend, but I can get along with him.”  

[cuilpantielthesleepyscribe]

Hotpot | Oneshot for 50s AU

1942, three years into the Second World War. A British Chinese household in a small English town.

Lai Jing was careful not to let her own frustration show as she turned off the stove, the pot coming down from its boil with the too-familiar aroma of a years-old hotpot base - constantly replenished with water and whatever ingredients were available as necessary - filling the kitchen.

Her mother would have raised an eyebrow. Keeping a master sauce for years was not unheard-of, but whoever heard of a master hotpot base? And adding to it with whale meat and horse, with carrot tops and leeks and anything available?

Five children, and myself alone to feed and raise them, that’s who.

Offal had joined the ration list, though the butcher was at least kind enough to still allow her to purchase the chicken feet that no one else ate off-ration.

Wai K- no, Henry, as he insisted, as the world called him - eyed the worn pot as if he was about to march into battle like his father. Yuk Zhi pouted, already crossing her rail-thin arms, but not complaining. Being sent to bed hungry when she complained and cried for something else had sunk that message home.

“Henry, get the bowls for everyone,” she ordered, and her oldest son hurried to fetch the bowls from the drying area - still too high for Yuk Zhi to reach, well within reach for her fifteen-year-old brother. The rest of her children needed no further instructions, immediately queueing up as she ladled the hotpot out into chipped bowls.

First the bowls for Henry and Wai Faat, Wai Yung and Mei Mun; all four were at that ravenously hungry stage of growth, where they shot up like weeds and their stomachs were bottomless pits. Those bowls were filled with vegetables, a little of the meat ration, and more of the whale meat, rubbery strips that they would determinedly chew through nonetheless. Mei Mun got their chicken’s one egg today.

A smaller bowl, for Yuk Zhi, with the rare bits of horse and bacon, more tender and easier for her to get her jaws through - though a strip or two of whale meat still made its way in. Her siblings glanced over at her bowl, a brief flash of envy crossing their faces - particularly her two younger sons.

Her oldest boy stared them down. “Here. I prefer whale anyway,” he said, not breaking eye contact with his brothers and fianceé, as he scooped the bits of his pork and horse into Yuk Zhi’s bowl and took her whale meat for himself. Yuk Zhi mumbled a “Thank you” at her brother, picking at her food unhappily.

“Ma, I don’t feel like having egg today. Have mine,” Mei Mun said suddenly to Lai Jing. Before she could stop her, her daughter-in-law scooped the egg into her bowl, immediately bringing her bowl up to her lips to forestall any attempts to give it back. Somehow, she’d noticed the purely-vegetable contents of Lai Jing's bowl, the abundance of carrot tops and leeks despite Lai Jing’s efforts to keep it inconspicuous.

Lai Jing frowned. “Silly girl. You’re still growing - I can only get fatter. Eat your egg.”

“I don’t like eggs,” Mei Mun insisted stubbornly. “Give it to muimui, if you don’t want it.”

Even at eight, Yuk Zhi wasn’t oblivious enough to miss that. “Mama, I also don’t want eggs. You eat it.”

Her sons chimed in with their own agreements. If even the baby was showing filial piety by insisting her mother took the only egg, they could hardly do less. She and Wong Loi had raised their children that well, at least.

Now she stared around the table with a growing feeling of fond exasperation and despair at how her children had learned to be so conscious of it, and fitted the lessons she had taught them into their new situation accordingly.

Helplessly, Lai Jing raised the bowl to her lips, and ate.

A traditional Chinese hotpot from the 1950s, brass. Coal was burned in the bottom and the smoke rose through the central chimney, while the pot itself was welded to the base.

Notes:

Meat was rationed from 1940 in the UK, and offal was added to the list from 1942 to 1944. However, whale and horse meat were available ‘off-ration’ or without restriction. If you kept a chicken, you no longer got an egg ration (one egg a week at this time), BUT you got a chicken feed ration. 

Lai Jing has something of an advantage, in that she grew up in a culture that routinely eats chicken feet, beansprouts, and other foods the locals won't bother with, and herself is willing to try eating virtually anything. Thus, the carrot tops.

The endless boiling/reboiling of the hotpot soup is, as best as I can tell, not actually typical in any way, shape, or form, ever - it's Lai Jing’s effort to keep as much nutrition and flavour in the food as possible.

Coal was rationed from 1941, (cooking) gas and electricity from March 1942.

Current ages of the Chan kids:

Henry/Wai Kit: 15

Edward/Wai Faat: 14

Nathaniel/Wai Yung and May/Mei Mun: 12

Pandora/Yuk Zhi: 8

Pan isn’t actually a super picky eater ordinarily, but the fact that she’s eating more or less the same broth/soup multiple times a week for years will make anyone get sick of it.

Lai Jing/Mrs Chan and all three (living) older kids refuse to touch hotpot ever again after the war - though Lai Jing makes an exception for if it is almost entirely meat, and the broth itself is so rich and spicy she can’t see the bottom of the pot.

Fun fact: Wong Loi/Mr Chan and Pan are the only ones in the family without an aversion to hotpot. 

Pan has very poor memories of the hotpot at the beginning of the war, seeing as she was five. By the time she’s old enough to remember, the taste has changed so much from its original clear base (with the additions of many, many non-traditional ingredients) that she basically has no memories of how actual hotpot tastes.

Mr Chan was on the Western Front and then in Burma from 1939 to 1943; by the time he returns, again, the broth tastes nothing like hotpot broth and is actually starting to resemble a master stock.

[thewomanwholaughed]

I am 25+ and have been roleplaying on tumblr since 2013.

I'm Dollgendered Transfeminine and my pronouns are Doll/Dolls. You may refer to me as Fifi or Doll-mun.

Won't interact with Genderbent characters / blogs with Genderbend themes.

I do not own any of the characters, regions, objects and mythos. These are all owned by DC Comics.

Nothing Joker does, feels, or thinks reflects my personal opinions and beliefs in any way.

Blog covers a variety of triggering topics, all of which will be tagged. If something isn't tagged, or you have a request for something to be tagged: please let me know.

Practices hard/soft blocking. I curate my experience, I hope you do too!

Note:

Allow me to preface this by saying that I in no way advocate for any negative stereotypes. I am a disabled trans woman with a fondness for Joker as a fictional character and villain. The lack of LGBTQA+ positive media is a serious problem and even if things get better it’ll take a lot more effort for LGBTQA+ characters to become so normalized that there won’t be a problem making them a villain or explicitly maliciously evil.

I know that Trans people have been portrayed as the butt of the joke or straight-up malicious in a lot of media, and various harmful stereotypes attached to it. The pick-up in the bar, the deranged serial killer, and so on. I am by no means trying to say that I agree with these takes by writing and roleplaying Joker. But just because someone is LGBTQA+ doesn’t make them a good person, nor should you attack them on the fact that they do belong to that community.

I wanted to play with the various Joker origin stories that often have the same narrative to them: ‘All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy.’ I took a spin on this and made the Joker a Transwoman who went through the experience of trying to live in a society that does not accept her, stacking problem after problem against her till she snaps and becomes the Joker. How the various problems Trans people face such as healthcare, familial and romantic relationship problems, not being able to find work/getting fired, losing your home, sexual assault, and murder; can create a monster that doesn’t just lay down and take it.

I am not saying that Joker is in the right for doing what she does, and I am not saying that she’s in the wrong either, as the entire point of Joker’s character regardless of which take we’re talking about is that it’s a person who was driven to the brink and snapped. I simply wished to explore a different narrative that may come off as distasteful to some, but is a reality for a lot of people.

The joker I portrayed is just like the others in comics, video games, cartoons, and movies. A murdering psychopath with a penchant for humor and gags, everything circus or clown-themed. The only thing that changes is her Origin story; she still wants Batman dead, and she still wants to cause mayhem and chaos while giving people a good laugh. Her being Trans is part of the character as she stopped caring about the law and the people around her and takes what she wants, but it does not define her. She remains the Joker with the same twisted humor and mentality.

If this bothers you, please spare yourself and don’t follow/interact. There is plenty of positive LGBTQA+ media and portrayals out there, I simply wanted to indulge in a darker take. I hope that one day, Trans and Queer folk are so normalized in society and in media that we don’t have to feel upset anymore about how we are portrayed. That it’s alright to have an LGBTQA+ villain who is a villain not because they’re queer but because they’re evil; for all those out there who like villains, myself included. 

So please do not consider my Joker to be similar to any other form of media Joker and interact with an open mind if you take that step!

Q: Joker X Harley Quinn how does that work? A: This is dependent on the writers. My Joker is not abusive/manipulative towards Harley, should they be in a relationship. There is an aspect of feminism to my portrayal, and it'd defeat the purpose if Joker started behaving that way towards Harley.

Besides, Harley has come very far as a character that Joker's presence is absolutely not necessary for her as a character. So I am open to various takes their relationship might be. Be that they are just two clown themed individuals, that they did go through the Arkham song and dance, or that Joker is just a different universe's Joker so there is no direct relation.

Q: Your Joker is disabled, what exactly does that entail? A: This kind of ties in with my notice from above in that Joker is not more or less of a villain because she's disabled, and it has nothing to do with the old (and frankly disgusting) trope of Villains having visible disabilities. It's just that I as a disabled individual myself wish to write something I can personally relate to.

That said; Joker can be beaten up in a fight despite her disability. There is no reason to hold back because of them, as she will not hold back either. Joker is an ambulatory wheelchair user. Her wheelchair is heavily modified in both appearance and function to keep up with her antics. And in a dangerous situation will be abandoned if necessary. Her cane functions as several things at once. Part of her attire, a blunt weapon, and a tool to help her walk.

And just because she does lots of antics doesn't mean she doesn't suffer from pain for behaving in this manner. If Joker escapes, then she might just need a few weeks due to a lack of spoons and plenty of pain/discomfort in her legs. That's one way to get her off the streets. But it won't stop her from being a menace.

[toriofthetrees]

As the Piper lays his Goddess Down

The Emperor from the Ostara Tarot by @bardillustration The Empress, Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephane Pui-Mun Law

The Emperor

His masculinity is gentle, because he hears the birdsong and the bubbling of the creek and the rustling of the leaves and the whistling of the winds. He hears it all and protection comes easy.

That's what you do when you love something unconditionally. That's what you do when something gives to you eternally, irrevocably, like you matter just for existing.

The Empress

Her mind is like a tapestry, a neverending design woven and changed woven and changed as her soul take in all that creation shows her.

For it is those depths of her soul that creates - flora, fauna, life, art - right back for creation to hold, for creation to grow.

Sovereign

She holds all her life, all her seasons, the skies and earth in her womb and she is tired, frigid, hollow from the wintry splendor. He finds her shivering and ready on the side of the hill.

He is so kind and so handsome in his dark cloak, which his staff of oak and woven rowan. He smiles with such affection and gathers her up in his arms.

He kisses her lips softly, gently, and the frost thaws. He kisses her cheek tenderly and the earth swells green. He kisses her neck, rests in her warmth and early blooms, snowbells and daffodils rise from the earth.

Warm tears spill down her cheeks. Are you ready, my king? His sigh is serene, I love you, my queen. He holds her, lays her down in the soft grass, takes her in soft and deep. So that life will rise again.

Inspired by "Green and Grey" by Damh the Bard

~V. Holland

[queenharumiura]

[ mun related ] ♫ ━ a small playlist for a muse of your choice (or just a song)

Taken from meme: [x] ||Accepting|| @parallelroutes 'Or just a song'-- it's like you know that I don't normally listen to a lot of music lol (thank you I secretly stress out when I see playlist options and I beg no one to send in but the world always fails me)

The Song: [x]

Readmore only because it got a lil lengthy

Okay, before anyone judges me for this, but I've liked this song for many years now, and I associate this song with my KHR duo (Haru and Kyoko).

Kyoko especially gets plagued with people hitting on her as a school idol. While she is always very kind and patient, she doesn't like being approached all the time by random people who only see her as a pretty face. At least try to get to know her first before you try to pick her up.

It's like she's looked at like an item to claim or win over and she doesn't like it. Case in point Mochida challenging Tsuna to a competition to see who can win Kyoko. Oh- she was so unhappy about that. AS SHE SHOULD!!!

There was also the one beach episode where the guys were challenged to a competition because of the girls (Kyoko and Haru) so it's a big mood for them. Haru is the one who is more--- honest and open about her displeasure. From how she treats Dr.Shamal and TYL Lambo, she's unafraid to simply lay down the law with violence if someone goes too far with her.

Punch you in the lips indeed. As she gets older, her patience for nanpa goes into the negatives. Kyoko does continue to be polite about it, but she does know when to put her foot down if someone goes too far. Haru is that friend who will come in like, 'you've chosen death and i'm about to hurt your feelings'.

Both girls are friendly and love to make new friends, so they're generally very open- but the moment they realize someone only approached them to nanpa, that's when Haru especially has zero patience and is just: We're not interested, good bye. Try again in the next life, but even then the answer is still no.

I am so sold on the fact that with Ryohei being so protective over Ryohei (and by extension Haru since they're always together) he taught them two things:

Go for the solar plexus

Just kick them where the sun don't shine and run off.

Haru took that and ran with it. You started annoying her? Punching you in the gut. You're annoying her friends? One-two combo. Punch you AND kick out your shins.

I like it because two women are singing in the song, so it fits with me associating this song with Haru and Kyoko.

I like how the lyrics have a good amount of sass to it, and that's really Haru speaking. She will punch you. No, you can't buy her a drink, let her tell you what she thinks. She'll come for the jugular and absolutely destroy you- does this get her in trouble?

...

Well. Yeah. NO REGRETS THO!

Kyoko is more passive as she normally is, but there are times when she gets mad and will actually act. She's mostly concerned when it deals with others, so if someone is bothering Haru or is getting hostile because Haru... is being Haru, Kyoko will step in.

I do like to think that she's very perceptive so if she needs to, she will be very cutthroat with the things that she says. She has no problem what so ever with using whatever resources are available to her to make sure you rue the day you messed with her friends. (Haru is the more direct approach kinda gal. She needs to get a punch in. STRESS RELIEF!)

Kyoko is more of the, start shit, get handed scathing remarks-- and after the emotional damage, say hello to her brother! YAY! 8D

The day you mess with a mutual friend of Haru and Kyoko is the day both of them will tag team and will intervene. You'll regret bothering their mutual friend.

To be honest, both girls will step in if a girl is struggling and is in need of help. Neither of them are the kind to ignore a stranger in need of help. Haru is just very righteous in personality, and there is a reason Kyoko wanted to be a police woman as a child. The sense of justice and wanting to help others is strong in her.

[pi-jessicajones]

Update: Rules for Jess blog.

So I have been trying to add this page to my blog for months now, but just not have had the time or opportunity. And for some reason tumblr won’t let me edit my blog like it used to...so thats annoying as ...Idk. Pick something annoying and insert it here now. 

Rules for this blog:

1. Mun and Muse are of age (obviously) No NSFW with our muses unless mun is of age too

2. This blog is about a very rude, very sexy and very violent woman. So there will be swearing, NSFW, violence etc etc. I try my best to tag everything. If I forgot I go back and tag...don’t follow if this bothers you. Also feel free to shoot me a message if I have mentioned something but not tagged it. 

3. No Godmodding. (Feels like this one should be obvious too but occasionally its just getting out of hand.) 

4. I try to rp as much as possible but RL stuff is going down. This year is going to be hella packed and I wouldn’t be surprised if I pass out from exhaustion before all of this is said and done. 

5. RL stuff comes first. Sometimes if I worry people have forgotten our thread I will send polite reminders after about a month or so (or even longer if I have rp’ed with you before and know how you are.) If you need to put our threads on hold for a bit...lemme know. I be cool with that. I just want to know so I don’t keep sending reminders. 

6. Jess is currently single in the MV. Currently dating/or fuckbuddies with Loki in the...I don’t know what universe that is...we should have a name for it. @benevolentgodloki, Currently dating/soon to be more serious with Brendan in the SecretSmile/Jessica Jones crossover universe. @brendan-block And I think we decided maybe fuckbuddies with Thor in a ...another universe name to come... @araedi and soon to be more with Mick St. John for the Moonlight/Jessica Jones crossover if you want to ship with Jess...that’s cool. @deliicatexflower Let me know. We can work stuff out. Don’t force ships. (Really surprised that she doesn’t have as many as I thought)

7. I don’t have a wishlist page. The theme I picked for this blog doesn’t have enough links for it. I do reblog all sorts of starters. ALL ARE WELCOME TO SEND THEM THROUGH. SERIOUSLY. I don’t get enough. 

8. In case you haven’t noticed I am a crossover whore. I like to do it all. 

9. If you ever need help with ship names let me know. I’ve had some successes. Such as JewelledThunder for Thor and Jessica ...and I can’t remember some of the others off the top off my head but they are amazeballs.

*MORE TO COME*

[forceechoedtouch]

I’m desperately trying to distract myself from dwelling on the fact that I’ll be trapped for 4 hours tomorrow with a “blue lives matter/rioting is wrong/yeah there’s several incidences of police brutality but what about THAT ONE COP that got attacked/I don’t always agree with him but T$ump is alright” coworker who I KNOW is gonna try to start shit with me.

I have attempted this distraction by rewatching SW. out of the 6 movies I’ve watched so far the only time my brain finally stopped my “oh crap I hope I don’t either punch her or dissolve into angry tears tomorrow” thoughts was when Poe showed up on screen when TFA started. For 1.5 minutes I had Cal going “THAT’S MY BOYFRIEND @poewingsdameron ISN’T HE JUST GORGEOUS AND WONDERFUL AND GOOD” instead 😂

[ckret2]

something i really like about your roleplay blogs is the balance you strike between "yes, and" and integrating your worldbuilding headcanons. for instance that exchange you recently had on the succubus alastor blog, where someone else had different headcanons, i thought the way you had him ask about the other alastor's hell was quite elegant.

Oh thank you!! 😭 I think successfully "yes, and"-ing is one of the most important skills to have in roleplay, particularly if there's no DM laying down the law on the setting and you're all just building off each other improv style.

Especially if you're playing with a character who's not part of whatever group you're in that's agreed to be in the same universe, part of being a good RPer means you've just got to accept that whatever the other mun says about their universe is true. If they claim the sky is green you don't get to go "no the sky is red" and stubbornly act like your version is right, you go "damn it's so wild that your sky is green and my sky is red" and, ideally, treat it like an opportunity for your character to marvel at how interesting and new this green sky is.

Because respecting the boundaries of what you can say about their universe means they're also respecting the boundaries of what they can say about your universe! You don't have to deny your headcanons to validate their headcanons! Both your headcanons can be true, in different places! You lose nothing by accepting their version!

It's easiest when the other player's got a particularly well-developed and interesting spin to share (like peryton al, who I assume is the one you're talking about since that's the most recent al mine's talked to!) but it's a thing I try to do no matter who I'm RPing with.

And as a bonus when you're going "oh interesting, it's like this over here, tell me more about how it is over there," if you do it just right, you get in a loop of doing that back and forth and now you're BOTH sharing backstory & worldbuilding headcanons. And let me tell you there is nothing RPers love more than infodumping their backstory & worldbuilding headcanons.

It's been especially easy/fun to do this with my Alastors since I imagine at one point he was a hardcore occultist, so he's already interested in mysterious stuff like variations between timelines.

[sweetestlamb]

Stronger Part 3 (Unbreak my Heart)

Summary: Gang-tae finally gets a reality check.

Author's note: Slightly tipsy as I wrote this, life has been very busy but I have plans to write a naughty Search:WWW fic so I wanted to get this out first. The next chapters will be the climaxes and y'all can let me know if you want smut in this series, or if you like it nice and wholesome. 🙃🙃🙃🙃 But no worries the smut would come muchhhhh later.

Mang-tae lays limp on the night frosted ground, gleaming button eyes peering up at him in judgement. With a deep rooted sigh he bends over to retrieve the doll, pocketing it before turning from the empty spot she no longer resides.

The happiness that bubbled up at her unforeseen appearance has twisted and crystallized into a rancid pool of disappointment and melancholy at her just as sudden disappearance.

He doesn't understand.

Opening up had been difficult, the most challenging obstacle he'd faced in their.... predicament. She'd been poking and prodding for as long as he'd know her, enticing him to crawl out of his self imposed prison, until he broke. Unleashed all his pain and misery on her like torrential showers thundering from the heavens. Voicing hidden horrors and his not so hidden desires, he'd tried to subdue his feelings but as always she made him act out of character.

The thought of that mad woman harming her made his skin boil with heated anger, so much so that all he could do was kiss her back to life; his grim thoughts had painted morbid tales of her demise and seeing her there on the staircase, painfully gorgeous had been so heart shattering he almost wept.

But somehow that hadn't been enough. His secrets and his scars weren't enough for her, she'd seen the real him and taken his advice to get lost. She wasn't supposed to listen to him, she never had before.

"Geesh what was that about? She looked like a witch out here! Did you two have fight? Why didn't she try to kidnap you and take you home?" Jae-su's bewildered voice cracks through the thumping of his heart, weighty in his chest.

He fumbles to think of an answer. He's at a loss, maybe he was the one who wouldn't understand her for a hundred years.

"I... don't... It's nothing. We're fine. Let's go inside." His friend scoffs, condescending eyes calling him a liar but he ignores them, running away instead.

At least he still has Sang-tae.

"I can't. I'm busy." His brother carelessly rejects his offer to hang out and watch cartoons, stuffing pencils and a notepad into the satchel slung across his body. Fidgeting as he fixes his hair in the mirror, visibly excited about his events for the day. He tries not to be jealous that he isn't a part of those plans.

He fails.

"Where are you going? Can't I come?" He pleads, staring up at his older brother with wide beckoning eyes.

Sang-tae stares back nonplussed, "You're not as cute at the alley cat, that won't convince me. That isn't convincing at all Gang-tae."

With a groan he rolls on the bed roll, before clambering onto his feet. Pulling out his phone he sends Jae-su a text, Do you want to hang out? He freezes as his eyes unknowingly land on her messages underneath, tricks to get him back in the castle and teasing selfies that he had saved once he received them.

He'd composed many messages to her before his thumb destroyed them with systemic viciousness, leaving no letter untouched. There was still a minuscule part of him that envisioned her coming back of her own volition. She always came back, boomeranging back into his life every time he attempted to flick her out. It was a law of his universe.

Yet it had been days since their last interaction and he'd heard nothing from her, no calls or messages, simply radio silence. He was beginning to become worried.

The honk of a car snaps him from his thoughts as Sang-tae perks up at the alarming sound, happily flailing before running out the doors.

He follows blindly, stopping in the doorway gazing down at her familiar car, instinctively he grabs Sang-tae's arm hindering his movement and escape.

"Where are you going?" He asks stupidly as if he can't see what is so painfully obvious.

Sang-tae looks at him with a look that mirrors his own thoughts, "My bestie invited me to a book conference, I'm going as her illustrator. We're going as partners, it's too to make connections she said. I'll be gone all day."

He can't hear Sang-tae's excited spiel over the blood rushing to his face, she hadn't contacted him at all but clearly was still conversing with his brother. Why was she only upset with him? Annoyance and jealousy ebb in equal waves in his blood line.

"Hyung don't you think that's too much? I thought you weren't talking to her right now." He instigates, feeling petty about being the one left out.

"I was but I forgave her, sometimes best friends fight but she apologized so I forgave her. She's going to be a better best friend now."

Sang-tae speaks calmly and certainly, pulling away from his firm grip and skipping down the stairs before hopping into the car.

Finally he allows his eyes to land on the window, readily expecting her answering gaze, eager to lock eyes with her and get lost in time with her.

Her smile is blinding and tender, eyes soft crescents.

But they aren't on him, they are locked instead on Sang-tae. Cloying possessiveness curls around his control and without any acknowledgement of him, they're gone in smoke and the smell of burnt rubber.

He gets drunk, disgustingly so, sloshing the liquid on his sleeves as he loses his balance and almost pitches off the table.

He'd bitten the bullet and finally sent her a message, readying for her to call and for them to fight their way back into their... predicament.

Instead he'd gotten a taste of his own medicine, it was poignantly bitter. It hadn't even been read. He wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.

"I told her everything, things I never even told you! But she's ignoring me, why? Why would she do that?"

Jae-su's eyes are huge as he rambles on, snatching a shot of soju from his hand before he can slam it back, he whines making grabby hands.

"Why did you get so drunk? You said that you only wanted to have a few drinks." Jae-su sighs exasperated, falling back onto the table folding his arms behind his head.

"Jae-su, what did I do wrong? Why won't she answer my messages? I stopped running, I let her catch m--"

"Yah!" They both jump from the volume of the scream, Gang-tae almost falling to the ground in his shock.

Sang-in's rage filled face swims in his vision, intoxication stuttering his movement.

"You think you did her any favors? You think meeting you did her any good? Do you know what she was like after you left her that day? She cried everyday. You broke her. You made her come back to this wretched place, do you know what that castle means to her? You're a selfish prick. Did you even say sorry to her for everything you've done to her?" Sang-in's spit showers his face in a wet splash, a feeling of deja vu overwhelming him.

He blinks back, dazed.

Jae-su shakes himself from his trance, jumping to his defense, "What's your problem? Of course he apologized to her! What are you accusing my best friend of?" He points his finger into the manager's face as they slap and hit each other.

That day. His blood runs cold, remembering his cruel words, berating and belittling her all because he couldn't deal with his feelings for her. Couldn't be honest with his brother or himself.

One time event.

Her tears salty like the sea water that crashed at their feet.

Realization drops on him like a dead weight, severing his air flow.

Did you even apologize?

Did you even say sorry?

He racks his brain scouring his memory desperately, that conversation playing out in his mind like a movie, scene by scene.

Telling her about Sang-tae and his trauma, the effects that had on him and the way he was allowed to live life, inviting her to join this life, be with them.

And, I, need you.

All about him.

He hadn't asked her if she was okay after being targeted by a patient, her skin pale as he ascended the stairs to wrap her in a hug. Her voice was not a part of the conversation, he'd said let's talk but in all honesty he had been the only one to talk.

About his pain.

His suffering.

All about him.

Gosh.

"I'm an asshole." He whispers aloud finally, finally understanding.

Sang-in and Jae-su both pause at his soft declaration, hands tangled from their scuffle.

"You are. But somehow you got the bitch and the nice girl. You don't deserve either."

He has never felt smaller in his life.

Why are you mad?

Stop acting up.

Those had been his messages, the only messages he'd sent to her, nothing but shameful regret fills his veins now, he hadn't done nearly enough. Not by a long shot.

He'd woken up the next day with a killer hangover and a sour taste in his mouth, wanting the ground to swallow him up. He wasn't that lucky.

He'd called her, one, two, three, many times. Each time going to voice mail, testament to her avoiding him.

Mun-yeong. Please.

I need to talk to you.

He'd lost track of the amount of times he'd looked at his phone hopefully, only to be crestfallen when it wasn't her. If this was anything like she felt when he ignored his messages he would never do that again. That coupled with Sang-in's snarky comments and withering glares made him want to pull his hair out.

The castle looms over him as he hesitates at the gate, before pushing it open with a loud creak.

His knocks boom on the hollow wood of the door, pounding as hard as his heart. The castle is silent, he pounds once more.

"Mun-yeong! Ko Mun-Yeong, please open up! I need to talk to you." He hangs his head, hand sliding down the smooth wood.

The silence is deafening.

"Please, Mun-yeong. I'm.... sorry."

He falls to the steps, the strength disappearing from his bones.

"Get up. Stop making such a scene, this was always the outcome. Only I can take care of her."

He twists his head around, eyes too tired to form a true glare but the intent there.

"Where is she?" He demands, fury and shame emboldening him.

Sang-in scoffs at him, walking away after peering through the windows.

He feels his eyes prickle from his emotions overtaking him, life without her was like going from high definition to black and white, his life was lack luster and empty.

"Wait." He begs, tears caressing his cheeks, "Please, where is she? I have to make this right."

Sang-in pauses on the last step, hesitation evident in the sharp angle of his shoulders before he starts walking again, leaving him shattered on the ground.

Sang-in stops at his car, steel eyes as he looks at him with pity, "Maybe it's your turn to start chasing."

The truth can be humbling.

[cursedserpenthq]

Here is the official list of limited time roles for Adventure 3, which will focus on the Water Jewel. This Jewel is tied to the Muscian on the ship, Lyra Di Rossi ( @siren-scng ). As such, these limited time roles have more detail than previous adventure’s roles. Only one of these roles has the option of joining the crew at the end of the adventure. Please remember, members are only allowed two permanent roles at any given time, so if you already have two roles, you would not be able to keep a third full-time. 

If you would like more information about the limited time roles listed below, feel free to contact the main and/or Lyra’s mun. You can also take a look at Lyra’s family task right here. ** To start, I’d like to give members who have not yet played a limited role time to apply.  I will open it up to those who have played a limited time role at the end of the week (12/06/20).

NEEDED ROLES

These limited time roles are needed for the adventure and most wanted.

LIMITED TIME ROLE #1 - TAKEN

(Sam Heughan, 50, man, merfolk) Is that (ARROYO)? (HE) is known to be (CARING & PRIDEFUL). Will they help or hinder the crew? Only time will tell!

Name: Arroyo // Species: Mer // Age: 45-60

Arroyo will be the first character the crew will encounter on this mission, and he will have an option to join the crew after the event ends. You can change his name, just make sure to inform the admin.

Arroyo is Lyra’s eldest brother, the oldest child of the seven. He should be between 45-60 years old (fc does not have to match his age, because of mers aging more slowly than humans). Suggested FCs: Sam Heughan, Chris Hemsworth, Stephen Amell

A hunter, Arroyo has remained largely unconcerned with the politics on Oyster Island, and has often tried to act as a peacemaker or mediator in disagreements. He’s level-headed and down to earth. While he prefers to solve problems with words, he’s not afraid to fight when he decides it’s necessary, and he won’t allow himself or others to be bullied. He has a strong sense of fairness and believes in doing the right thing.

Largely regarded as one of the strongest mers in the colony, Arroyo does not enjoy fighting, but will if he has to. He prefers telling stories, and he taught Lyra many of the stories she learned as a child. He has a habit of embellishing stories of his own adventures.

Despite their large age gap, Lyra & Arroyo were very close when she was growing up. She looked up to him and believed all his stories, no matter how outlandish. When she stood trial, he stood up for her and advocated for forgiveness, but in the end had to accept her exile as being better than her death.

LIMITED TIME ROLE #2 - TAKEN

(tom hardy, 42, cis man, merfolk) Is that (AYDEN)? (HE) is known to be (CLEVER & IMPATIENT). Will they help or hinder the crew? Only time will tell!

Name: Ayden // Species: Mer // Age: 40-55

Ayden will be encountered by the crew later in the event. He cannot join the crew and may die during the event. You can change his name, just make sure to inform the admin.

When the crew meets Ayden, he will have taken control of the Water Jewel and will have become corrupted by it. 

Ayden is Lyra’s older brother, the second oldest child of the seven. He should be between 40-55 years old (fc does not have to match his age, because of mers aging more slowly than humans). Suggested FCs: Domnhall Gleeson, Tom Hardy, Charlie Hunnam

One of the warriors responsible for guarding the jewel, Ayden takes his duty to the colony very seriously. He is very opinionated and headstrong, often unwilling to listen to what others have to say if they disagree with him. He can be very hard-headed and prefers to solve problems with his fists. He has little patience and he often rushes into things, but he is also very competent, clever and is usually able to do what he sets out to do.

For a long time, Ayden has believed he should succeed his mother as leader of the colony and primary protector of the jewel. He is a very talented and experienced warrior, and many mers in the colony agree with and support him, but he is frustrated that the decision lay solely with their mother, the current leader of the colony, because she seems to disagree.

Ayden and Lyra were never close. He was already a teenager when she was born, and he didn’t have the patience for dealing with young mers, so he mostly ignored her. When it came time for Lyra to stand trial, he may not have wanted to see her die, but he wanted to support his mother, so he did not weigh in on the deliberation or speak up for her.

LIMITED TIME ROLE #3 - TAKEN

(katheryn winnick, 147, cis woman, mermaid) Is that (WYLLA)? (SHE) is known to be (STRONG-WILLED & HARSH). Will they help or hinder the crew? Only time will tell!

Name: Wylla // Species: Mer // Age: 100-150

Wylla will be encountered by the crew later in the event. She cannot join the crew and may die during the event. You can change her name, just make sure to inform the admin.

Wylla is Lyra’s mother. She should be between 100-150 years old (fc does not have to match her age, because of mers aging more slowly than humans). Suggested FCs: Katheryn Winnick, Charlize Theron, Lena Headey

The leader of the colony and the mer mainly responsible for protecting the jewel, Wylla is a ferocious warrior who believes in the laws of their colony more than anything, and believes that protecting the jewel is the only way to ensure the survival of their race. She is very stoic and headstrong, but she is willing to listen to counsel from those she trusts. Her word in the colony is pretty much law, and she takes her duties very seriously.

As she is getting older, it’s time she names a successor. Many in the colony support her son, Ayden, and while she knows he is a gifted warrior, she worries he may be too reckless to lead, and too power-hungry to protect the colony and the jewel. She has instead favored her eldest daughter, Emiyn, as her successor, and this has caused issues on the Island as Ayden feels he is being slighted because of his sex.

Wylla was never a particularly affectionate mother, but she does love her children as much as she is able, even Lyra. The decision to exile Lyra was ultimately hers, a small mercy when the alternative was death. She felt she had to prioritize their laws and set an example when Lyra broke them, and because of her stoic nature, it’s difficult to say if she regrets this.

ADDITIONAL ROLES

These roles are not necessarily needed for the adventure, but are definitely wanted.

LIMITED TIME ROLE #4 - OPEN

Name: Arron // Species: Mer // Age: 100-150

Arron will be encountered by the crew later in the event. He cannot join the crew but will survive the event. You can change his name, just make sure to inform the admin.

Arron is Lyra’s father. He should be between 100-150 years old (fc does not have to match his age, because of mers aging more slowly than humans). Suggest FCs: Toby Stephens, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Alexander Skarsgard

One of the colony’s best hunters, Arron taught of his children how to hunt large prey with a spear or trident. He is a gifted warrior, but does not often fight. He is the strong and silent type, but he’s also one of the few people Wylla trusts in order to take counsel from him. He is a simple but wise man, who afforded his children great freedom to learn from their own mistakes.

Arron has remained neutral in the conflict between Emiyn & Ayden, although he has been known to come between them when things get too heated. He leaves all major decisions to Wylla, and any disagreement he may have with her he keeps private, with the notable exception of when Lyra was exiled. That was one of the few instances where he openly spoke against his mate.

Arron taught Lyra how to hunt, although she was never a particularly dedicated student. He was the parent who would listen to her when she had problems and try to help her fix them. When she was standing trial, he stood up for her and convinced Wylla to only exile her; he tried to believe that he’d taught her well enough to survive by herself.

LIMITED TIME ROLE #5 - TAKEN

(max irons, 40, cis male, merfolk) Is that (QUAY)? (HE) is known to be (PROTECTIVE & RECKLESS). Will they help or hinder the crew? Only time will tell!

Name: Quay // Species: Mer // Age: 40-50

Quay will be encountered by the crew later in the event. He cannot join the crew. You can change his name, just make sure to inform the admin.

Quay is Lyra’s older brother, the third oldest child of the seven. He should be between 40-50 years old (fc does not have to match his age, because of mers aging more slowly than humans). Suggested FCs: Aaron Ashmore, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Evans

Like Lyra, Quay is one of the colony’s sirens. He was trained to fight like all of the mers in their colony, but he does not excel at it like some of the others, and instead has focused on honing his voice to be able to lure sailors away from their island. He always felt like he was somewhat trapped in his older brother’s shadows, since he couldn’t measure up to them physically, but he was better known for his kindness and wisdom.

Quay was always close to his brothers, and so he’s always supported Ayden’s desire to be the next leader of the colony. He doesn’t dislike Emiyn, but he senses the same coldness in her that he knows their mother possesses. He resents their mother for exiling Lyra, and he isn’t sure that their way is the best way to run the colony, so he has supported Ayden to try and change things up.

Ever since Lyra first started to sing, Quay knew there was something special about her. He spent a great deal of time teaching her how to sing, and then teaching her their colony’s special songs. They were extremely close, and when Lyra was supposed to stand trial, he was so outraged that they were considering the death penalty he tried to free her before the trial. He was knocked unconscious, and by the time he came to, Lyra was long gone.

LIMITED TIME ROLE #6 - OPEN

Name: Emiyn // Species: Mer // Age: 25-35

Emiyn will be encountered by the crew later in the event. She cannot join the crew and may die during the event. You can change her name, just make sure to inform the admin.

Emiyn is Lyra’s eldest sister, the fourth oldest child of the seven. She is Erwyn’s twin. She should be between 25-35 years old (fc does not have to match her age, because of mers aging more slowly than humans). Suggested FCs: Imogen Waterhouse, Brie Larson, Cara Delevigne

A warrior following in her mother’s wake, Emiyn is young but extremely promising. She can be very judgmental, and like her mother, believes that their laws must be strictly upheld. She does not have much compassion, but she is extremely intelligent and learns very quickly, and she rarely makes mistakes. While she has not yet had time to prove herself to the colony, she is eager to, and follows her mother’s orders without question.

The colony says she is just like Wylla was when she was young, and many think this is why Wylla favors her as successor. Wylla spent more time training Emiyn than she did any of her other children, and the two of them are very close. They see eye to eye on many issues, bringing them closer together.

Despite being close in age, Emiyn and Lyra never really got along. Emiyn was always so serious about her training, whereas Lyra would blow it off to go sing on a rock. Emiyn had little respect for her sister, and was not surprised that she swam off and made friends with a human. She supported her mother’s decision to uphold the law and exile Lyra.

APPLICATION

(fc, age, gender, species) Is that (FIRST NAME)? (PRONOUN) is known to be (POSITIVE TRAIT & NEGATIVE TRAIT). Will they help or hinder the crew? Only time will tell!

[albusofecclesia]

Creative Writing - Misplaced Anxiety

He really did not want to check his mailbox. Not at all. By Newton's Laws of Motion he did not want to check his mail out of dread of a few pieces of correspondence he had been putting off for some time. Anxiety ate away at him, head overthinking the matter in ridiculous ways and his stomach churning with proverbial dread.

He knew it would be alright once he finally did the task - and could start forward on the path to attend to his upcoming, cumbersome responsibilities expected of him. Being rendered so anxious over simply opening a few letters was embarrassing. He felt his ire rising steadily at himself and further worried that it might overflow and cause him to lash out at others unnecessarily.

Of all times for these matters to surface, though. He was in quarantine with the rest of the Order. He couldn't just gallivant off at the whims of another who had decided to wait until the middle of a pandemic to call in the favour owed. He had cut ties with the contact some years prior and had gone full no-correspondence, knowing that the only reason they were seeking him out now was because they needed something. And that something was suddenly necessary on their time, not Albus's. They'd had so much time before the pandemic to settle the matter. The audacity of some people. Really.

He found himself distracting, or rather procrastinating himself, with work on long-untouched projects, looking over old letters and papers, and even pacing to and from the windows when the energy would be better served to just go down and get his forsaken mail.

Why was this such an issue. 

Goodness, it was tiring. It was so, so very silly to be so worked up over something that would be so menial and trite in the future. It was the apprehension, the tension, that was the hard part - but why was it so hard - this was really starting to aggravate his last nerve.

Maybe if he went down to make some tea, he could mentally prepare himself to collect his mail on the way back up to his quarters.

Alright. That was the plan. Now to head downstairs to make some tea.

Any time now.

Move.

Oh for…

He slumped back into the chair at his desk and gave a loud and irritated sighed into his hands as he covered his face. This was part of his burnout, he knew that. But had he not worked on it to the point of not being overstimulated by a small task? He felt so tired, even though he had done very little that day - aside from some light clerical work and a bit of self-care relaxing.

The human psyche was an interesting, temperamental thing.

Perhaps once the sun went down, he would find the energy to attend to the oncoming hard tasks he really, really did not want to start. They were, after all, big commitments from the moment he opened the letters. And he had no clue if he had the energy or the mental fortitude to see them through to the end.

He wanted help, but it wasn't a situation one could really ask another for help. Perhaps for moral support, but what lay ahead was for him to forge ahead solo, and he dreaded every step of the unknown fathoms ahead. Sure, once the situations were resolved, he might laugh, or realize they were not as tedious or terrifying as he had previously thought, but he couldn't coerce his mind otherwise. It didn't work that way, his mind didn't work that way.

Sometimes he worried and fretted far too much, to an exhausting degree. Adrenaline leaving his system after working himself into a tizzy was always rough on him, no matter how much he trained himself to keep level-headed in many a situation. He could stay calm in battle, in an argument, but sometimes little anxieties like the seemingly-by-comparison- miniscule challenge before him, sent him into a worry spiral that made him question his own sense of self and sanity. He hated every minute of each of these 'silly' little anxiety episodes.

And he never did end up noting the time when he finally mustered the energy and courage to go down and collect the dreaded mail.

((Mun's note: This is not to downplay anxiety attacks and generalized anxiety - it's sadly all too common for folks suffering anxiety to get mad at themselves over what is causing them such a reaction. I’m quite aware that I tend to beat myself up a lot over my rampant phone anxiety.))

[chicagocityofclans]

Good Evening City of Clans,

As we discussed on Discord, due to inactivity, we have decided to end the Starter Prompt early. On Friday, February 19th at 9 am CST we will be ending the Starter Prompt and dropping threads. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause muns and muses. Our dash has threads that have been open and ongoing since December. These threads are beginning to overlap. A mass thread drop will be refreshing and show the effects of the Starter Prompt. 

To aid in making this transition smooth, we’ve attached a recap of the Starter Prompt and a few major events that have taken course since December. Below the ‘Keeping Reading’ will be every Original Character who has joined Chicago that might not be on written bios; Upcoming plots and major plots that are now set in motion; Full recap of the 10 Starter Prompts; and new main RPG links to check out. 

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions and/or concerns. Also, be on the lookout for our Favorites Prompt coming out on Saturday. 

New Arrivals Update

The following people have arrived in Chicago since December.

Inez Sparks: Inez is a newly written human shifter that has been established in Chicago for decades. She might not have connections to prewritten bios but she has connections to the local human shifters. Please refer to her bios for these connections.

Gendry Kingsley: Gendry is a witch who is over a millennia-old. He has returned to Chicago after being gone for about a decade. He might not have connections to prewritten bios but he has connections to the local supernatural community. Please refer to his bios for these connections.

Siobhan Cooke: Siobhan is a newly written Kodiak Bear shifter who has lived in Chicago and been a part of Clan Heavy for her entire life. She might not have connections to prewritten bios but she has connections to Clan Heavy. Please refer to her bio for these connections.

Ella Greene: Ella is a newly written hyena that was born and raised outside of Chicago. She was recently bitten and turned into a hyena. She might not have connections to prewritten bios but she has connections to local Hyena Clan. Please refer to her bio for these connections.

Tiggy Krieger: Tiggy was scouted out by a local seeker, Emmett Wilhelm, to join the Chicago supernatural population. She is a warlock with the power of disintegration and is now mentoring under Garrett Cleirigh.

Luke Corvinus: Luke’s pack was killed senselessly by hunters. He is a coywolf who came to Chicago in search of Anton and has joined the Nimble Clan. He is debating joining the local Wolf Clan but refuses to do so without Anton.

Dante Parisi: Dante is a grizzly bear and a member of Michael Johnansen’s old pack. Dante alone with 36 moose, 20 assorted bears, 8 mountain goats, multiple families of bison, reindeers, and rams moved to Chicago and joined Clan Heavy after they had trouble adjusting in Wyoming.

Natasha Mahoney: Natasha is a human shifter that moved to Chicago from Nashville. She moved along with her sister to be closer with her long-distance boyfriend, Sirius Cobic, and to work as a supernatural lawyer.

General Plot Updates

Clan Rat has found out about the Underground being truly poisoned and the Vampire Seethe Master is asking for retribution from the entire clan for the damage and heartache they’ve caused.

The local Human Shifters have confessed that a handful of human cops, detectives, judges, and internal affairs (law enforcement) know about the Supernatural. While the immortal three could care less, a majority of the Animal Shifter Council is furious and are in the works of planning a Council meeting to discuss possible consequences.

The Lasiter Mark has officially been added to the Codex. Updates on the main are soon to follow.

Gretchen Sims has finally officially taken the head position of Clan Hyena. Nada Rajui has returned to his position as 2nd and Liaison.

Scorpius Getta has told the supernatural community about plans for Hotel Winona and asked for Witches and Warlocks to lend a hand.

Garrett Cleirigh has campaigned for the open warlock seat on the council and has been granted the seat.

Starter Prompt Recap 

Below is a recap of what happened during the unfinished Starter Prompt.

Bess

Bess found out about vampires. Dan killed a Comic book store owner and Bess caught him in the act. Dan eventually convinced her to help him clean up the mess. He promised her they would see again before running from the freshly cleaned-up scene. 

Bess has possibly found out about magic users. She found Lyra on the scene of a deadly B&E (breaking and entering). Lyra followed a spirit that was begging for help when Bess showed up. Lyra explained to Bess that she thought she heard someone in the backroom calling out for help before eventually teleporting away. 

Bess found out about the supernatural. Inez was trying to cover up a hyena attack when Bess showed up on the scene. The owner of a Comic Book store was bitten and in the process of changing as Inez tried to come up with a cover story for Bess. During this Bess was attacked by a shifted hyena whom Inez shot dead as a result. Bess was bleeding from the head when Inez reported that there was an officer down and that they needed an ambulance. Inez stayed on the scene to explain things to the responding human shifter cop.

Ainsley 

Rhiannon found Ainsley as a fox and took her home to heal her. She believed her to be a real fox and was simply wanting to help out an injured animal. Ainsley shifted back to her human form once Rhiannon had her healed and Rhiannon offered her a change of clothes and a ride back to her home. 

Patch found a fox being attacked by a wild coyote and saved her. He brought her home and cared for her thinking she was a real fox. He eventually called on Judson to help him and it was an awkward moment when he found out his new pet, Maid Marian, was actually Ainsley from Clan Nimble. Judson volunteered to take Ainsley home as Patch wrapped his head around having bathe a grown woman in her shifted form. 

Peter saved Ainsley from a coyote attack. He caught the color of her white eyes earlier on and knew she was a nimble shifter. He talked her into shifting back to her human form but Ainsley soon passed out after. Giving her his jacket, Peter took her to the hospital and contacted Clan Nimble. He stayed long enough to give a police report and retell the story to Percy before leaving. 

Conrad

Lyra was found by Ben’s ghost and led to where Conrad was laying. She decided to help him out of the Underground, and this led to Conrad finding out that Lyra could speak and see Ben, who had died over a year ago. Lyra explained that her powers allowed her to see and speak with the spirits of the dead. 

Conrad was found unconscious and naked by Kris, who ran to Jaxson and Sam, who were visiting the Underground, for help. Jaxson took charge of the situation and ordered an evacuation of the Underground. Jaxson and Sam started to feel symptoms of whatever poison that was still lingering around Conrad as they carried him out of the Underground. Kris was waiting for them when they got out and drove them to one of the safehouses. 

Getta, Petra, and Sadie found Conrad unconscious and naked Underground. Getta ordered one of their magical healers to heal Conrad. They explained to Conrad what happened to him and the poisonous gas that plagues the Underground. Geta got in contact with the Human Shifter to escort Conrad out of the Underground, after having Conrad sign a waiver, acknowledging that he was not attacked by anyone Underground. 

Winnie found Conrad naked and unconscious in the Underground. She woke him up with her powers and after the two realized one another were Supernaturals he trusted her enough to get him out. Conrad shifted and Winnie carried him out in her pocket. He had her drop him off not far from a safe house. After she left he scurried in and passed out again.

Kudzai found Conrad naked and unconscious in the Underground. She teleported him to her home and began healing him. After he regained consciousness, Kudzai contacted Nick who came to pick him up. 

Monty 

Emmett got Monty to help with his search for a dangerous witch he was searching for. She was arrested and punished by the Council. Patch and Monty are tasked with coming up with a cover-up story for the Nimbles News report and their own police and autopsy reports. 

Duke was taken to Isaac. Monty did not believe that Duke had a twin brother that was the culprit. Isaac explained that Duke indeed had a twin brother and asked for the charges for the destruction of property to be dropped. 

Asa was taken to Clara. Clara’s reaction wasn’t the best, therefore, Monty didn’t stick around for long and made sure to erase all evidence. 

Ebony was taken to Alexus who happened to be with Grant at the moment. Monty told them of what happened that there will possibly be charges rung up against her if the animal shifter wanted.  

Kudzai 

Asa was injured due to Ebony but got away. He was found on the side of the road where he had fallen and was taken to the ER where Kudzai worked. She performed surgery on him and he is mending. 

Zack was injured in a clan dispute. Kudzai healed Zack’s minor injuries enough to wake him up and ask a few questions before preparing him for surgery. Zack asked for his wife, Sarah, to be called and waited for her to arrive before proceeding with the procedure. Zack had a bruised liver and had to have an exploratory laparoscopic procedure to examine the extent of the damage. Kudzai surgically and magically fixed Zack’s severe blood loss, a forming infection, and a slight problem forming in his bile ducts. The procedure was successful but Zack remained in the hospital under Kudzai care for a few days. Since Zack refused to age, Kudzai, with the help of Rhiannon had to slowly heal him and make it look like he was aging to trick the on-duty human nurses. 

Peter was injured in an attack by fellow wolves who were attempting to take his position. He allowed Kudzai to begin to heal him and asked that she contact Garrett Cleirigh. Who quickly teleported there and teleported Peter away. There was no discharge order and no patient, so Kudzai had to come up with a cover story, causing more tension between the two council members. 

Cassandra was unconscious when she arrived. Kudzai made quick work of healing her and contacted her emergency contact Helenus. Kudzai has asked that Cassandra return for a checkup since the reasoning behind her unconsciousness was inconclusive. 

Ebony 

Helo was setting up new surveillance for CAMO when Ebony came out in full gear and began running after him. He eventually played it off like he was human, and swore not to tell anyone she chased him if she let him go. He is unsure if she bought the ruse or not. Ebony doesn’t fully buy Helo’s story and plans on getting security surveillance up soon. She has also reached out to her neighbors about a suspicious kid around the neighborhood that she thinks might break in; knowing they will more than likely call the cops if he shows his face around there again.

Ebony has made it aware that she wants to take over the family and went on a hunt to prove her intentions. Sam saw Ebony prowling around the younger Jackal shifters she was watching and decided to lead her off of them. This led to a chase in the park where the two women fought. Sam was able to change into her rat form and slip away from the hunter. She sustained mild injuries but declined to admit how she got them to others in her pack out of embarrassment that a hunter got some hits in. Ebony is trying to figure out what kind of supernatural the girl was. One moment she was there and another moment she had vanished. She is hoping to trail the girl in the future and find out more. 

Ebony was chasing Asa on a hunch that he was an animal shifter. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she was guessing that he was something big and powerful by the way he moved through the trees. Ebony eventually caught up with Asa and held his attention with a crossbow pointed at his heart. She was able to do a brief interrogation before Asa attacked then gave her the slip. Asa made it to the ER with a crossbow injury and a few other cuts and bruises. 

Lyra

Neaera got a recording of Lyra performing a ritual in the woods. While Lyra was able to bind the spirit but she didn’t finish her ritual due. Neaera played dumb and ran from the scene. She replayed what she got to Ray and Louis. GOLD plans on returning to the scene of the ritual to see if they can gather more information and they also plan on putting an expert group on Lyra. 

Talia walked in on Lyra performing a ritual by chance. The disruption was enough for one of the spirits to escape. Talia and Lyra spent the entire night recapturing the escaped spirit. Lyra finished her ritual but it was under the close watch of Talia and Roman; whom Talia talked Lyra into calling.

Averill watched Lyra work from the darkness of the woods, randomly, but a scream from somewhere else distracted the both of them. They would later find out it was a scream from a hunter hunting down an animal shifter. Lyra had asked that Averill help her catch the elemental spirits that escaped during the short distraction for her ritual. The two formed a somewhat awkward bond while hunting down and summoning the last two spirits needed for the ritual. 

Ken 

Ken managed to get out of the Underground without too many consequences thanks to Arthur. He called Judson once out of the Underground and Judson teleported to his aid. Once Judson saw that it was Arthur that had helped Ken, Ken learned that Arthur was a good friend of Roman’s, who had made Ken’s work life a living nightmare. 

Isabetta was unaffected by Ken’s powers. She easily picked him out of the crowd as the possible culprit which Ken confessed to and had no power over what was happening. Offering to help him out and into a Lyft or Uber, Isabetta and Ken made their way out of the underground while avoiding people who were obviously affected by his power. Ken may have given Isabetta his number and address as a thank you gesture. He also offered to get her a wine bottle filled with the blood of an aged witch or warlock with the power of her choice. 

Rachel was working on her homework Underground when she noticed all of the non-vampires were acting strange. She was ready to bold, not wanting anyone to think she had anything to do with it when she nearly tripped over Ken. They met before and striking up a conversation wasn’t hard. Rachel found out that it was Ken causing all of the commotions and that his powers don't work on her. With the help of Fiona and Aleksander, Rachel was able to help Ken from the Underground and contact Simon who took Ken home. 

Skylar 

Skylar accidentally pulled water out of Kate’s water bottle. She witnessed the water act almost animatedly and when Skylar ran into the nearest store, Kate followed. There she was met with the sight of her long-term crush, Ryan Cleirigh. He sent Skylar away to Judson and then invited Kate up to his apartment to explain what she saw. 

Skylar lost control of her powers when she found out she was locked out of her apartment building. Minsky tried to help her calm down but Skylar’s magic had the best of her. She saw Minsky as a threat and the key her magic was forming eventually turned into a knife. Minsky managed to talk her down and Skylar apologized before making a run for Judson’s shop. She explained what happened to Judson, who gave her Minsky’s number, and Skylar personally called him to apologize again.

Fenrin saved Skylar from exposing herself when she accidentally used her magic in public. He triggered a fire hydrant to go off and made his escape with Skylar. Both had heard of each other from mutual contacts caused Skylar to be more relaxed than she would have with anyone else. Fenrin offered to buy her a coffee to calm her nerves as she waited for Audo, Ryan, or Judson to return home. Fenrin and Skylar talked about their shared powers and got to know each other. 

Kudzai witnessed Skylar’s accidental magic. Being older and a Council member, Kudzai was able to send a spell causing the water to evaporate. She and Skylar walked around the block before Kudzai offered to teleport inside of Skylar’s apartment. While they were walking, Kudzai was able to calm Skylar’s nerves and assure her that things like that happened all the time. Skylar has never thought about joining the medical field but they had exchanged numbers and Kudzai told Skylar to contact her if she ever wanted to talk about it.

Skylar’s magic had a mind of its own and unknowingly pulled coffee from two Starbucks cups Lyra was holding to form a key for her apartment. Lyra’s soothing and calming tone helped Skylar calm down enough to stop her oncoming panic attack. With instructions from Lyra, Skylar was able to place the coffee back into the coffee cups but insisted on buying Lyra new ones. 

Michael 

Asa heard about what was happening at the zoo and went to help Michael with crowd control. Michael and Asa lost sight of each other when the human shifters finally stepped in after someone tried to climb over a gated area. However, when Michael returned to the Hotel, and sought out Asa and thanked him for his help. 

Clara saw Michael’s speech and the outcome on social media. She went to help but somehow the two got into a heated dispute. A few choice words were said and Michael has been avoiding Clara like a plague. 

Hailey lost track of where she was and ended up in a rioting crowd that Michael was trying to talk the crowd down and keep the peace. Michael explained what was happening to her but was quickly pulled away from her by someone else. 

Ebony was tracking someone to the zoo when she ran into the big crowd. Michael tried to explain what was happening to her but she clearly wasn’t buying what he was selling. Michael doesn’t know she’s a hunter but wrote down his Twitter information on a flyer he gave her. He would like to continue to pick her brain but it is only if she follows him or reaches out to him. 

New Links and Pages

Most Wanted Connections - New Tag

Most Wanted Connections Application - New Page 

Monthly Plot Updates - New Navi Section 

Rules Page - Update 02/12/2021

Taken Face Claims - Updated 02/18/2021

Masterlist Update (Missing Ella Greene) - Coming Soon

[saltmageelliexiv]

😡 : Worse role play-related encounter and what advice you would give to others to avoid similar situations?

ROLEPLAY RELATED MUN MEMES

Disclaimer: Due to me not being on FF very long, a majority, if not all, of my answers related to these asks will be from my time on World of Warcraft. And also, any names will either not be mentioned, or will be replaced by a generic name for easier identification.

Okay, to start things off, I was on World of Warcraft Ellie, about.... six months after I made her. Now, back when I first made Ellie, she was just a simple con-woman who was originally hired to work on a pirate crew, before the guild died out and I left to pursue more active folks to roleplay with. Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to complicated scenes like fighting or criminal related things knows that I like to do such scenes in less crowded spaces, as to have a good space to freely emote and to prevent bystanders from coming in and breaking the immersion with OOC chatter, which was unfortunately common in Stormwind.

Now one person, let’s call them “Karen” [don’t ask, I never said I was good with names] asked me if we could do a scene where she tries to mug Ellie and it ends up in a fight. I agreed to it because this person was new, I was bored and went with it. For combat, we went with a roll based combat, and unfortunately for them, I basically got high crits, whereas they rolled consistent 1′s, 2, etc. I didn’t do anything bad during the fight that would have kept them out of roleplay with their character, my emotes basically consisted of them getting a good couple punches, and would have them at least needing to rest for a bit before moving, maybe a fractured rib [Ellie in WoW isn’t that strong in human form; the worst you’d get out of her if she really tried is a broken bone].

After the scene was done, this person proceeded to parade around the city gossiping about me claiming I tried to kill her character without permission, and that I attacked her without asking her permission. Thankfully my reputation didn’t take much of a hit, if at all, but all of this just because they were mad that they lost a fight. And on top of this, I didn’t even know who this person was; she was just some random roleplayer I never met before that day.

My only advice, aside from taking screenshots galore for proof in case you deal with this: lay down the law with communication. Make it clear that if there is a fight to be made, that whatever happens will be discussed with all parties involved, and make sure you all agree on the final outcome. Don’t let people force their ideas onto you out of fear of being gossiped about.

[Thank you @entry-1258 for the ask!]

[coolgirlofrp]

A Guide To Making Your Roleplay More Diverse 

I suppose I should warn you right now that I’m writing this guide off the coattails of a kind of pissy mood (but writing this helped me get it out in a positive way) so I may use some colorful terminology and shits while I get this sorted out. I pride myself on being honest so I just thought you should know. Also, I’ve never written a guide for anything before so like please bear with me here. To explain a bit if you don’t know me, hi my name is Ellie I’m a cis (not het) abled white girl who used to be just like y’all (aka the ones this damn guide is for). I didn’t really consider the consequences of not putting effort into making my roleplay diverse. 

And I don’t just mean those Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Chung muses that manage to get peppered in amongst the sea of young white cis characters. (sidenote I love them both and still want to see them, just not only them) I too once thought “I can’t force people to write a [diverse] muse.” But guess what? I’m here to tell you that while you are 100% right that you can’t force people to write a [diverse] character if they don’t want to, YOU 100% have the ability to make sure your roleplay isn’t geared toward those people but rather the people who *GASP* do want to write characters of color, transgender muses, older muses, body diverse, and/or disabled muses.

If you’re creating/adminning a roleplay it’s your job to let people know that fostering a diverse cast of characters is a top priority. It should ALWAYS be a top priority. If that’s something that is low on the totem pole for you (and you just don’t really care) then you really need to sit down and think about exactly why you don’t care about diversity. And it’s not just because this is supposed to be a “fun activity”, it’s because you think lesser of diverse people and don’t think they deserve to be represented as much as your young cis white fav does. And let’s be real, that’s something you need to adjust deep inside of you and can’t be fixed by this guide. 

But if you actually care about helping promote diversity and want to learn how to better gear your roleplay towards the people who will write these diverse muses then please read on. Because as long as you truly want to do better and actually try, then you’re a winner. I feel like I’m always saying this but at the end of the day we’re all human and we all make mistakes and sometimes we don’t do as well as we’d like, but what matters is our will to do better. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t even have to aim for that bullseye you just gotta fire the damn arrow in the first place and keep trying until you at least hit the target. And then keep trying some more. 

Anyways, let’s get to it.   

STEP #1: Be a freaking leader. 

If you’re going to admin a roleplay you can’t be passive (or worse passive-aggressive). And that means you can’t be the kind of person who just wants to be everyone’s friend and not lay down some laws and make sure people stick to them. It’s just a recipe for disaster. And if you are that kind of person and you still want to create/admin a roleplay then you absolutely need a co-admin who can be a fucking Lion. Because as much as we all want the elusive perfect drama-free roleplay...it’s never gonna happen. And when a mun comes to you with a problem, it is literally your job to fix it. And that’s not gonna work out too well if you’re the type of person who prefers to ignore a problem until it goes away. So either learn how to step up and be a real leader or pass the torch to someone who does. 

STEP #2: So lead by example. 

Basically, it’s your job to create the kind of environment where diverse characters and faceclaims are welcome. if you’re creating a skeleton roleplay where you designate faceclaims or even make faceclaim suggestions then you better damn well make sure you make more characters of color than you do white. Because it’s just statistics people. There are more people of color than there are white people in this world, and it just makes sense. If you’re an OC roleplay make sure you use a lot of faceclaims of color in your most wanted/suggested faceclaims. If you’re a mixture of both skeleton and OC and you have some plot-prominent skeletons make sure a good bit of those important characters are characters of color. 

Then, you can work on gender diversity. Always try to make sure your M/F/NB ratio isn’t hugely out of proportion. (E.G. 26 Females, 18 Males, and 2 Nonbinary). And that brings me to “gender bans”. Oh boi. If you’re using a gender ban to “even out” the ratio between male and female characters while completely ignoring the fact that you only have 1 nonbinary character in play...oh buddy. That’s fucked up. You’re basically telling people that female and male characters are more important. Don’t do that. Simple. Also simple? Making sure to have some binary transgender characters too among those male and female muses because they’re just as important as all the others. They deserve love. GIVE THEM LOVE. If it’s a skeleton roleplay try to make most of your characters’ gender and pronouns “up to player” but also make some skeletons that are at least semi-set (and by that I mean make some of those skeletons specifically nonbinary or transgender).

Next, let’s talk about disabled characters. Obviously, they’re important too. I mean it should be just that simple, right? But sometimes it’s difficult to find that kind of representation in roleplays and it’s usually because most people are a little bit scared to attempt it. Which makes sense. You should never try to write a character who you don’t understand...but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t encourage people to step out of their comfort zones and learn. I suggest having a resource side blog where not only can you reblog gif/icon resources for the muses but also character guides, masterlists, and just various resources on how to develop and write different and diverse characters (disabled muses absolutely included). This will help so much, and not just with potentially disabled characters but all characters. It will help your muns see that you’re truly interested in seeing diverse muses played correctly and respectfully. 

Lastly and most importantly: make sure your own characters are each diverse in some way. Whether it’s their ethnicity or race or their gender or their age or a disability. When you play a diverse muse, you are more likely to get the kind of applicants who love playing and playing with diverse muses. But always, always, do it respectfully and do your research if you don’t have first-hand experience with something about your muse’s ethnicity/race, gender, or their disability. 

STEP #3: Make some rules and stick to them. 

You gotta set some ground rules so people know you mean business. Make sure people understand that you want your roleplay to be diverse and people will flock to it. I promise you. This idea that there aren’t a lot of people out there playing diverse characters is a crock of shit. They’re out there!  They just don’t have a lot of options for roleplays because people like us have a hard time joining roleplays where it’s 90% young cis skinny white characters all with the same “sarcastic” attitude and bland personality. Also, this step ties into both the previous steps. You gotta be a leader and you gotta be willing to lead by example when you make these kinds of rules. Because, at the end of the day, if you don’t, it can do more harm than good. If you’re not sure where to start with rules, I have a couple that you can use that I personally believe will definitely put your roleplay on the path to being a wonderfully diverse group: 

If your mun’s first muse is a white character their second muse must be a character of color. This also applies to the third and fourth characters. If a mun has four characters and only of them is a character of color, there’s something wrong with that because it’s not even realistic. Sorry, not sorry. 

If your mun has two cis gendered characters and is going to apply for a third muse then that third muse must be a transgender character (binary or nonbinary). If your worry here is people playing the character as trans without doing the research just to get their third muse, then that’s where your leadership skills come in and you lay down the law. Don’t let them get away with it just because you’re worried about “drama”. Do the right thing. 99% of the time the people you’re gonna attract are the opposite of that kind of person so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue anyway.

STEP #4: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, ask questions, and continue to learn. 

I touched on this at the tail end of my little beginning part but I just want to reiterate that it’s okay to make mistakes. What’s not okay is ignoring those mistakes and pretending they never happened. Or worse pretending to understand your mistakes and promise to fix them when you’re really just trying to keep it from becoming “drama”. Make mistakes and when people call you out, don’t get defensive. Ask questions. Ask for help. Do the research. LEARN. That’s all any of us are doing anyway. None of us have the complete answers, certainly not me. I’m sure there are things I’m fucking up in this very guide, but the moral is to just keep trying to do it (whatever it is) better. TTFN. <3

[serenaairheart]

Serena Airheart Intro

{ JANINA GAVANKAR. THIRTY NINE. CISFEMALE. SHE/HER } i was out wrestlin’ gators when i saw SERENA AIRHEART. you know they have been in town for TWENTY-THREE YEARS now? they currently work as a MAYOR. i love having them around, they're CHARMING & VISIONARY, but sometimes they can be OUTSPOKEN & SHREWD. well, hope to see them ‘round more!

THE MUN:

Name/Alias: Rach

Age: 20

Pronouns: She/Her

Timezone: EST

Triggers: N/A

THE MUSE:

Serena remembers little else before Marias, having moved to the town as just a mere child. Her immigrant parents had fallen victim to the promises of great opportunity and wealth which lay down South as her father, a humble factory man believed that working in the hogging industry would be their ticket to a better future. Packing up the few things they did own, the Airhearts found themselves at the small, quaint town of Marias. 

As her father began working for the Beaulieu factory, Serena watched as her father worked long hours in unideal conditions to make ends meet. However, the Airhearts would soon discover that the true money was to be made through her mother’s small laundromat business. A brilliant businesswoman, savvier than what met the eye, thanks to Serena’s mother, the Airhearts’ laundromat would become so popular that her father was able to quit his job at the factory altogether and come work at the laundromat full-time. This secured the Airhearts’ position as successful, small business owners, who had moved into Marias’ upper-middle class. 

Graced with her father’s work ethic and her mother’s sharpness, Serena grew into a bright young woman, going on to take over the laundromat’s finances at the mere age of 16. Though Serena thoroughly enjoyed working with her parents, in many ways, the work at the laundromat felt stifling, a waste of the natural charm and savviness Stella had been gifted. She had a desire to bring justice to her community and make changes that would help bring bigger opportunities to more of Marias’s people. 

After much deliberation, her parents agreed that Serena ought to expand her education by attending university and later law school, beyond the confines of Marias. Having enjoyed the privilege of attending school beyond the confines of Marias, Serena quickly realized that she wanted to offer the youth of Marias  the same chance at a better life. When she returned to Marias after a brief stint of working as a tax lawyer in Baton Rouge, with the help of her parents’ savings and the gracious donations of Marias’s residents, she ran a campaign for city council, becoming the youngest person ever elected to a seat on the council, at 28 years old.

After her election, Serena established herself as a vital member of Marias’s political scene, not only as an advocate for the town’s youth, but an outspoken crusader for the people. She’s watched in frustration as the town became a shell of the place she saw it could be, largely blaming an influx of big money as corrupting the power in their town. Strongly believing that running for a higher office was the best way to fight these forces, Stella dedicated herself to running for mayor, losing twice to more established candidates, before eventually securing a position as the town’s mayor, at the age of 35, an office she’s held since.

POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS??:

All the political things-- constituents, rivals, allies, fellow council members, PTA moms; give me EVERYTHING

The regular hook-up-- being mayor is hard okay? my girl needs to blow off steam

Fellow activist-- someone down to crusade alongside serena XD

Colleagues- I would LOVE to have some people who work for serena in any capacity. she’s a fun boss, i promise!

The Ex- they probably broke up because serena is addicted to her job, but maybe those feelings aren’t totally gone

[gimmesumsuga]

Pink Panther (m)

Hybrid AU Pairing: Jin x reader Rating: Explicit  Warnings: Graphic descriptions of sex, oral sex (female receiving), impregnation kink, unprotected sex, dirty talk  Word count: 13K 

Below is the belated birthday fic I wrote for my precious @rbuns!  I hope you like it, bra, and I’m so sorry it’s so late *squishy hugs* <3 <3 

“Oh pants!”

Scrambling to catch the pen that’d leapt out of your hand at the sudden call of your name, your eyes dart across your crowded desk to the red, blinking light of the intercom which had just spoken to you so abruptly.  At least you presume that that’s what it is that’s flashing at you so; it’s a little difficult to tell underneath the stacks of paper that lay so haphazardly around it.  

Pen now safely tucked behind your ear, you actually have to resort to rising up out of your chair in order to find the damned thing, your heart fluttering nervously as you hastily try to remember which button it is that you’re supposed to press to reply.  You jab at the largest one, hoping for the best.

“Y-yes, Mr Kim?”  

You can’t remember the last time your boss communicated with you via anything other than email - apart from perhaps the odd pleasantry as he’s breezed past your desk on his way in and out of the office at each end of the day - so it seems only fair for you to lay the blame for your rustiness with the intercom system solely on his broad shoulders.

“Can you come in here for just a moment, please?”  

“Sure thing!” you agree compliantly, head bobbing up and down to an otherwise empty office, releasing the intercom button only to assault it again a mere split second later with a hastily blurted out, “Sir!” in some poor attempt to claw back any semblance of professionalism.

Honestly, you’d think that after so long working here that you’d know how conduct yourself properly.

Briefly pausing to check your reflection in the little mirror that you keep stashed away in your top drawer for moments such of these you ensure that there are no lingering gloops of mascara in the corner of your eyes, and as you round your desk a moment later, straightening out your skirt, it’s only very narrowly that you manage to avoid snagging your stockings on its pointed, wooden corner.  

You swear you wouldn’t be so much of a bumbling idiot if it weren’t for the fact that your boss, Kim Seokjin, is quite possibly one of the best looking men you’ve ever laid your eyes on.  As someone who’s fairly awkward at the best of times, coming face to face with someone who’d look more at home on the centre spread of a magazine than an office is more than a little problematic, and it’s with a frustrated sigh that you have to turn back halfway when you realise that you’ve left your diary back at your desk, open faced with a half-drunk cup of coffee resting on its pages.  

“Come in!” A voice calls from inside the office immediately after you’d meekly knocked its door, and it’s with a continuing coyness that you push it open and slip inside, shutting it behind you with a gentle ‘click’.  

Seokjin’s office is as dimly lit as it always is whenever you come in here; blinds drawn, no light save the small desk lamp that sits atop his pristinely organised desk and  the faint glow of the laptop computer which illuminates his face.  Your employer doesn’t look up on your arrival but you can tell from the twitch of the rounded ears nestled amongst his pitch black hair that he’s aware of your presence.  

Quietly, you wait for him to finish whatever he’s doing, holding your diary close to your chest and squeezing it as a way to calm your anxiety.  

As a hybrid of one of the most elusive and aggressive big cats of the world, Kim Seokjin has always intimidated you slightly.  You’re not sure where the feeling stems from, as it’s not as if you’ve ever witnessed him acting unpleasantly or unkindly in all the time you’ve worked for him - rather the opposite, in fact.  He’s quite the charmer when it suits him, entertaining clients with his enthusiastic sense of humour and disarming them with his good looks, usually over a lunch or dinner at one of the many fine dining establishments Seokjin so often likes to frequent.  You’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve witnessed him close a business deal before he’s even made a start on his steak; rare, bloody and marbled with thin slivers fat, just the way he likes it.  

But now, sat silently amongst the many potted fauna that decorate and humidify his office, Seokjin’s similarity to the stealthy predator that makes up part of his DNA is all too apparent.  It has you making an unconscious effort not to breathe too loudly; a prey response that comes so naturally that you don’t even realise you’re doing it.  

“Turn the light on, if you like.”  He speaks so suddenly that you almost jump, your eyes darting over to the light switch to the side of you before returning straight to him.  He’s yet to look up from his laptop, his fingers softly tapping on the keys to provide the only sound in the otherwise silent room.  

“It’s alright, Sir, I’m sure I’ll manage.”  The keys fall silent and Seokjin looks up, his eyes immediately finding you from across the room.  You’d think you’d have gotten used to the yellowy green of his irises by now - that they wouldn’t unsettle you so - but they still do.  It’s not so much the colour that stirs a confusing mixture of emotions within you, but more the way they gently glow back at you in the semi-dark; a constant reminder that he’s a creature far more superior and impressive than the simple human-being you are.

“Come and sit, then,” he beckons, gently shutting his laptop with one hand and gently gesturing to the chair opposite him with the other, “You needn’t stand on ceremony.”  Muttering a quiet ‘thank you’, you sink yourself down as delicately as possibly, very aware of the way he’s watching your every move, hands now neatly folded in his lap.  

“You needed something?”  Nervous, you force yourself to look up and meet his eyes across the table and try not to become distracted by the gentle curve of his month.  He has the most impossibly thick, heart-shaped lips, and you know if you start looking at them now you won’t be able to stop.  

“Were you saving that for later?”  Seokjin nods towards you, one of his eyebrows lifting with amusement when you frown, bewildered.  “The egg mayonnaise down the front of your blouse.”  You follow the direction of his eyeline, looking down to see a pale yellow stain several centimetres long descending from the top of your breast right down to where your nipple approximately lies, left there from the lunch you’d eaten at your desk a good number of hours ago.   

Memo to you - next time don’t just check your face before coming in here.  

Embarrassed, you emit a high-pitched titter, your cheeks turning as fuschia pink as your shirt.  

“Always good to have a snack on hand,” you joke lamely, and it’s only knowing that it’ll do no good that keeps you from attempting to brush it off, settling with clenching onto your diary a little bit tighter instead.  

“Very true.”  It’s a relief to see that Seokjin is smiling when you glance back up, rather than looking down his nose at you in judgement.  You smile sheepishly back, feeling glad when he starts speaking again to get you back on track.  “I’m sure you’re already aware the biennial gala is taking place tomorrow evening.”  

Of course you’re aware; you’ve been putting little notifications on his calendar about it for weeks along with helpful facts and figures regarding the company’s latest reported revenue, estimated profits and record low staff turnover.  ‘KS Developments’ has always been a company that prides itself in treating its employees well, and it shows in the numbers.  The cafeteria alone - which is free to every worker - is a good enough reason to stay loyal, nevermind all the various other benefits you can accumulate as time goes by.  

“It’ll be a good opportunity for us to network and impress other potential clients,” Seokjin continues, rising from his chair and walking round to the side of his desk, his eyes looking elsewhere around the room as he speaks.  “Especially certain political officials that aren’t so keen on further pursuing our ambitions for an increase in the availability of social housing.”  

He pauses, sitting himself on the corner of the desk nearest to you, and you try not to stare as his long black tail flicks out of the way to make this possible.  The base of it - which emerges seamlessly from his specially tailored dress pants - is thick and sturdy looking, tapering along its length to end at a significantly slimmer, rounded tip, and the fur with which it’s covered looks just as soft and glossy as the hair which sits atop Seokjin’s head.

Your fingers begin to fidget restlessly around your diary as you wonder what it might feel like to touch, despite knowing how taboo this would be considered in hybrid society.  

Realising he’s waiting for some form of acknowledgement from you you hastily nod, feeling your cheeks begin to flush once more under his gaze.  You hope it isn’t too obvious.  “I understand governor Mun hasn’t exactly been forthcoming lately.”  Seokjin smiles wryly, head cocking slightly to the side.  

“That’s one way of putting it.”  

It never ceases to amaze you that there are still some people out there fighting against long-standing hybrid law and legislation.  It’s been over a decade since hybrids were supposed to have been given as equal rights as their human counterparts, and yet discrimination remains rife within some provinces - particularly the poorer ones - with some hybrids living in wildly overcrowded accommodation just to get by.  

As one of the big names in housing development, CEO Kim Seokjin has been almost solely responsible for driving forward the call for affordable, suitable living for his less fortunate hybrid brethren -  though frequently at the cost of his own profits.  His humanitarianism is just another thing to add to the list of things you admire about him; another thing to make you slightly breathless and blushy in his presence.  

“Anyway,” he continues in the next breath, gently flicking his head to shake his bangs out of his eyes, “The shareholders have expressed a desire for me to take someone as a companion to these sorts of events from this point forward.  They seem to think it’ll make me more ‘approachable’.”  It takes a great effort for you not to laugh as Seokjin adds the inverted commas with his fingers, rolling his eyes and looking decidedly bored by the whole idea.  

You can’t quite understand why the board is suddenly so concerned with whether or not Seokjin has someone trailing along with him to these sorts of things.  He’s always gotten the job done before now and always kept profits high, so what does it matter?  From what little you know Panthers tend to be quite solitary creatures - preferring to be left to their own devices except when absolutely necessary - and now you think on it more that description does indeed seem to fit what you’ve observed of Seokjin.  He very rarely emerges from his office to mingle with the rest of the office, and you’ve never seen him socialising in anything other than a professional capacity.

“So, this is where I need your help.”  He turns his feline eyes on you, looking at you expectantly as you do nothing but blink back, feeling completely lost.  

What exactly is he asking?  Is he expecting you to find him a date?  Surely someone as handsome as him shouldn’t have any trouble finding a willing woman, even if it is short notice.  Why does he need your help to do it?!  

“Uh…” you begin, casting your eyes downward at your diary before glancing back up, wetting your lips, “I’m not sure that’s in my job description-”  A nervous chuckle; you probably shouldn’t have said that. “-But I guess I could ask around the office for you? I know-um-Susy from contracting is newly single, maybe she’ll-”

“You have plans tomorrow night?”  Seokjin interrupts, his otherwise flawlessly smooth forehead wrinkling into a shallow frown.  “I checked your calendar earlier and I didn’t see any prior social engagements listed.”  

You very nearly choke on your saliva.  

“M-me?!”  Your boss laughs merrily, clearly tickled by the look of sheer disbelief written on your face.  You can’t blame him; you must look ridiculous with your eyes almost bugging out of their sockets and egg mayo slopped down your front.  

This has to be some kind of bad joke.

“Are you aware of anyone else who knows the ins and outs of our company’s day to day runnings better than you or I?”  Your mouth flops uselessly for a second, an anxious sweat breaking out of your palms.  

“Well… n-no,” you admit quietly and Seokjin smiles, pleased at having been proven right.  

“Then I think you’ve answered your own question.”  

A beat passes in which you desperately try to get your head around the prospect of Seokjin actively seeking out your company.  Admittedly, it sounds as though you’ve been picked purely for practicality rather than any other less ‘professional’ motivations, but hey, that’s better than nothing, right?    

The man sat before you must mistake your silence for hesitation rather than dumbfoundedness because after a second or two more passes he speaks again, blinking twice in quick succession as he leans slightly toward you.

“Unless, of course, the idea of spending an evening with me is so abhorrent that you refuse.”  His sentence draws to a close with a laugh but you swear this one doesn’t sound quite as natural as the last.  It's a little strained, a little forced, and you notice the end of his tail twitch where its hanging behind his legs, when previously it had rested entirely still.  

Does he really believe there’s a chance you might actually turn him down?

You're not sure what to say.  The idea of it certainly isn't unappealing; hanging off Seokjin’s arm for a night must be many a woman's dream, yourself included.  But what the hell are you going to wear?  And what on earth will everyone say when they see you there with him?  You'd rather people not get the wrong idea and presume that you've slept your way into position you're in - you worked hard and drank a whole lot of coffee in order to climb up to sit at the desk you do now.    

“So, can I count on you?”  Well, when he puts it that way, how could you ever refuse?  

“Sure, why not,” you reply with a light shrug of your shoulders and what you hope is a convincing smile, trying to sound as light and breezy about the whole thing as it’s physically possible to do so whilst your chest feels as though it’s constricting with anxiety at the very same time.  

Seokjin looks pleased, his lips curving into a relaxed smile that’s so attractive you’re sure it must pose some sort of health risk.  

“Excellent.  It’s due to start at seven.”  It’s a good job you already know all the finer details about it seeing as though you’re barely listening - distracted by the way his thumb is rhythmically running back and forth along the edge of his desk.  “Of course, we’ll be arriving fashionably late.”  You look up again at the humour in his voice, caught off guard by the playful twinkle awaiting you in his lemony-lime coloured eyes.  

“So if I get there at, say, half past?”  Seokjin lightly shakes his head as he pushes himself to standing from the desk, taking a moment to straighten out the crease that sitting has left in his waistcoat with a sharp tug on its hem.

“I’ll send a car to come and collect you,” he says as though to do so would be the most ordinary thing in the world, rounding his desk with his tail swaying gently behind him.  He sinks back down into the comfort of his leather chair and re-opens the laptop, and as it quietly whirs back into life you make the most of his momentary distraction to take a good, long look at him.

It should be criminal, really, how good-looking he is.  Seokjin is so perfectly put together that you’d struggle to identify a single flaw even if you were granted all the time in the world in which to stare.  All hybrids seem to be graced with beauty - genetically engineered all those years ago to appear as aesthetically pleasing as possible - but even amongst his kin Seokjin stands out amongst the rest.   

Granted, you might well be a little bit biased, but that’s not something you’ll readily admit out loud.  You’ve kept your crush a well kept secret for months now even from your most well-trusted colleagues, so you’re not about to start spreading it around now.  You’d probably get laughed out of the building for even entertaining the hope that he’d ever look at you in such a way.  

“It might be an idea to refresh yourself on our latest initiatives, just in case.”   Startling, you try not to make it too obvious that your bottom had jumped an inch off your seat, and it’s with a pink tinge of embarrassment on your cheeks that you obligingly nod your head when Seokjin looks back at you.  If he’d noticed your staring then he doesn’t pass comment on it, and for that you’re grateful.  

“I will, Sir.”  He nods back, eyes returning to the glowing screen in front of him in what you presume is an indication of your dismissal.  “Is that everything, Mr Kim?”  

Slowly, Jin lifts his gaze and fixes you in it from across the table, fingers falling still.  Is it just your imagination, the way it seems to slowly rake over you?  

The blush on your cheeks rapidly begins to deepen into red in front of his eyes, and this time Seokjin does indeed appear to notice.  He smirks slightly, placing an elbow on the desk and running a finger and thumb across his full bottom lip as he stares back at you until you’re fighting against the urge to start squirming in your seat.

Does he mean to seem so seductive, or is it just your attraction to him that’s altering your perception and turning his innocent actions into something they’re not intended to be?

Your voice is breathy when you next speak.

“Sir?”  

At the sound of your voice your employer rather abruptly returns his attention to his laptop and begins tapping so rapidly at the keys that for a moment you have to question whether the past five seconds had actually taken place.  The roiling of your blood as it thrumbs through your veins can’t just be a product of your imagination, surely?

“That’ll be all, thank you,” he tells you distractedly, a frown appearing on his face as he reads something that must be displeasing to him.  You hope it isn’t one of your earlier emails - though even when he’s disgruntled you have to admit that Seokjin looks far more handsome than your average man.  “I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then.”  

Pausing on your way to the door with your diary held close to your chest, you turn around to flash him a fleeting smile, surprised when you find him watching you once more.  

“I’ll look forward to it.”  He smiles softly back at you, one ear twitching.  

“So will I.”  

“Coming, coming, coming!”

This can’t be your ride already, can it?  You can’t have been in the shower that long, right?

Hurrying towards your front door in nothing but a too-short towel, a trail of wet hair dripping down your back, you hastily kick aside the empty pizza box that almost trips you up along the way.  It skids across the floor to join another that lays hidden in the shadows under the sofa, and it’s with a cringe that you think to yourself that you really should tidy the place up before one of your neighbours ends up calling environmental control.  

You peep through the spy-hole of your door and feel your body physically sag with relief when it’s a familiar face that greets you on the side.  Well, a familiar chin, anyway. Taehyung is too busy looking up at the ceiling at first for you to really see him properly, but when his sensitive ears pick up the sound of the chain lock sliding out of place his head snaps back to attention, a big, beaming grin on his face.  

“Hi,” he greets cheerfully as you pull the open the door, ensuring that your towel is sufficiently tightened around your bust with your free hand.  Not that Taehyung bats an eyelid at your state of undress when he sees you; the two of you have been friends long enough that you being half-naked isn’t anywhere near anything a new thing.  “I brought you your mail!”  

Enthusiastically, the canine hybrid thrusts several envelopes towards you, and when you receive them with a thank you and a grateful smile Taehyung’s grin grows ever wider, the happy wag of his tail turning into a frantic pounding against the doorframe at the simplest of praise.  

When you'd first moved into this apartment block you never would've guessed you'd end up making such good friends with the hybrids you live amongst.  Even now it’s not very often that hybrids and humans occupy even the same neighbourhood - let alone the same building - but when you'd started working for KS developments and the opportunity had arisen for you to pay so little to live somewhere so spacious, you would've been an idiot to turn it down.  

As far as you're concerned the purpose built scratch pillars about the place simply add to the apartment’s individuality and charm, and you know you could've been faced with far worse customisations to live with if you'd chosen a place on the ground floor.  You’re not sure you could’ve ever adjusted to sleeping underground like Jungkook does in his cosy little burrow downstairs.  He'd invited you down there once, and frankly it'd felt far too much like being buried alive.  

“You going somewhere?” Taehyung asks as you usher him into your living room, discarding the mail on top of the pile steadily growing atop of your coffee table.

“Remember that gala I had to help set up for work?”  You don't need to beckon your friend for him to automatically trail behind when you head towards your bedroom, and as you fling open your closet and start to rake through the disarray inside Taehyung plants his bottom on the end of your bed, watching you with a tilted head and amused smile.  

“The whole mini bruschetta or salmon mousse debacle?  How could I forget?”  Taehyung laughs when you shoot a withering look over your shoulder at him.  

The days you'd spent endlessly stressing over which canapes would better compliment the over-priced prosecco chosen by the shareholders aren't ones you particularly want to recall.  

“Continue.”

“Well for some unknown reason my boss has decided he wants to drag me along to suffer with him.”  Would a pair of jeans and a nice top do, maybe?  You consider the sequined top dangling in front of you for less than a second before shaking your head and skipping past it, delving into the more formal section of your closet where some of the few dresses you own hang.  

“Like a date?”  Tae sounds far too pleased at the idea for your liking, and you roll your eyes at the burgundy monstrosity that's just fallen from it's hanger to crumple on the floor at your feet.  

“As if,” you scoff as you neglect to pick it up.  You, dating Seokjin?  You wish.

“There's bound to be plenty of eligible bachelors there though, right?  Some men with which to mingle?”  

Oh god, why didn’t you think to sort your outfit out sooner when you still had the time?  There’s nothing… literally nothing.  You're doomed.  Doomed, doomed, doomed.  “Stop,” Taehyung suddenly speaks up, gesticulating wildly, “Go back - the lilac.”

“This one?  The turquoise one?” you chuckle as you pull the full length halter neck from the closet, its hem dragging the carpet, and Taehyung huffs at your gently teasing tone.   Being totally colourblind is definitely one of his least favourite canine traits, but you can't deny that he has good taste.  

You’d almost forgotten that you’d ever bought such a beautiful dress as this - although, you’d think that the pain of spending a whole months pay cheque in one fell swipe of your debit card would be something that’d stay with you.   It’s never been worn, either, just brought home and hidden away at the back of your closet after you’d regretfully deemed it far too glamorous for the likes of you yet had been unable to force yourself into taking it back.

“Anyway,” you sigh, smoothing out a crease in the fabric with a brush of your hand, “Why are so obsessed with getting me paired me off?”   You wander off into the bathroom to change and pay no mind to the carefree shrug of Taehyung's shoulders as you go, the volume of your voice rising in order to still be heard.  “Remember that Yoongi guy you set me up with?  The one who hissed at me when I accidently spilt his coffee?”

“Who doesn’t get a little grumpy now and then?!”  Tae shouts from the other side of the door whilst you're wriggling into your underwear - a fancy powder blue set that you save solely for special occasions.  Somehow wearing pretty lingerie always helps you feel just that little bit more confident on the inside, even though no one but you knows you’re wearing it.

“Then there was that hedgehog guy who ended up curling into a ball every time he tried to kiss me...”  

“Joonie’s just shy!”  Yeah, you'd kind of figured that one out for yourself.  Every time it’d happened he wouldn’t come out for at least a good five minutes, and each time he did he’d be a stuttering, blushy mess behind his spectacles.  

“And don't even get me started on Hope.”

“I told you he was a ferret before you agreed to meet him, what did you expect?!”  You emerge from the bathroom with your dress fixed in place save the flapping of your halterneck straps, eyeing Taehyung with one eyebrow raised.  

“I've met rodent hybrids before, Tae, and he was a whole different breed.”  You turn on the spot clasping the soft cotton to your bust, knowing that he'll come to your aid even without your asking.  “He was like… a critter on crack.”  

“Oh c’mon,” Taehyung laughs whilst he ties the straps into a neat bow with his long, delicate fingers, “That’s a little harsh.”  

“Harsh, maybe, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”  Granting him a generous smile, you make your way over to the full length mirror that stands neglected in the corner of your room and take a bracing breath, your good mood slipping the moment you get there.  Truth be told you usually try to avoid looking at yourself wherever possible, and the fine layer of dust covering your mirror’s surface seems to convey the aversion you feel at your own reflection.  

Tonight, however, self-critique seems a necessarily evil, and its with tightly pressed lips that you take in every inch of your appearance, aware that Taehyung is watching you closely.  He knows just as well as anyone how much of a hard time you give yourself over things like this.  

It’s certainly not the worst thing you’ve ever seen yourself in.  It’s unfortunate that the halter straps seem to draw attention to the broadness of your shoulders, but you suppose you should at least be grateful that the length is generous enough to still hang below your ankles.  Part of the reason you tend to shy away from dresses in the first place is that they always seem to be at least 3 inches too short for you; calf length becomes knee length, knee length to thigh length and thigh length to… well… something far too indecent to wear out of the house.  

It’ll do.  It has to.  It’s not like you’ve got anything else.  

“Fine then,” Taehyung announces huffily, interrupting your ongoing mental monologue of self-criticism, “You’re on your own from now on - you can go along tonight and find someone all by yourself, seeing as I’m such a poor matchmaker.”  

You turn from the mirror with a weak smile and a slight quiver of your chin, and when your friend realises how vulnerable you’ve suddenly become his expression instantly softens, puppy ears folding down at the tip in sympathy.  

“Honestly Tae,” you sniff as he takes you in his arms and gives a very gentle, tentative lick of your cheek.  You’ll never forget the way you squealed the first time he’d ever done that, horrified by the wet strip of saliva he’d left upon your face, but now you take it for the comfort that it’s meant to be and lean your head on his, careful to avoid his ears. “I’ll just be glad if I can make it through tonight without facing total humiliation, never mind a date.”

Thankfully, Taehyung has managed to cheer you up a little by the time your ride actually does arrive just a little over half an hour later on.

It’s impossible to stay miserable around your hybrid friend for very long - not when you’ve got such boundless canine energy to contend with - and Taehyung’s dogged insistence in shoving his head in your lap for scratches behind his ears had turned out to be a very good idea despite it having cut into your much needed preparation time.   Turns out that running your fingers through his soft, glossy brown locks is just as relaxing for you as it is for for him, and thanks to that affectionate little interlude between the two of you you’re in a far better state of mind than you were before as you leave your apartment with Taehyung in toe, locking the door behind you.  

His ears pin back a little as he wishes you a forlorn goodbye, but the soft sway of his fluffy tail behind him reassures you that he’ll be fine on his own.  He was for years before your arrival here, after all.  

The smartly dressed man who’d knocked at your door some minutes ago to summon you downstairs is now stood to the side of a gleaming black car parked neatly alongside the curb,  and it’s with a dip of his torso that he opens then holds the rear passenger door in an invitation for you to climb inside. Embarrassed by the formality of it all, you mutter a thank you as you place your bottom on the slippery leather and swing your legs inside, trying not to wrinkle your skirt.  

You’re not used to this kind of treatment.  You’ve always taken buses, not chauffeur driven cars, and being referred to as ‘m’am’ is a bizarre occurrence you’re not likely to feel comfortable about any time soon.  This is all very foreign; the atmospheric lighting, the new car smell.  Even the -

“Oh!”  You immediately want to slap yourself in the face for allowing yourself to sound so surprised when you abruptly become aware of Seokjin’s accompanying presence within the car.  In the dimness of the back seat you’d neglected to notice him sat merely a metre away on your arrival, his body twisted towards you, back pressed against the opposite car door, and it’s with a nervous swallow that you take in the way his long legs are so casually spread, the black material of his dress pants pulling tight across his crotch.  

“Good evening Mr Kim,” you manage to choke out, dragging your wandering eyes upward to his face whilst a blush rages on your own - though it’s hardly an improvement from where you were staring just a moment before.  The unnatural glow that comes from Seokjin’s feline eyes as they travel the length of you up and down leaves you feeling just as flustered - just as exposed under his appraising gaze.

He passes no comment neither positive or negative when they eventually settle on your face, and you can’t decide if that’s a good thing or bad.  Blinking when the engine starts, his full mouth curves into an easy smile whilst the end of his tail taps against the seat that separates the two of you, a distracting ‘thump, thump, thump’ that’s a far more sedate rhythm than the frantic beating of your heart.  

“Just call me Jin tonight, please,” he asks of you once he finally speaks, his voice as smooth and melodic as always. “There’s no need for us to be so formal outside of office walls.”  You nod obligingly, too eagerly, and the inquisitive eyebrow he cocks at you turns his expression into something so roguishly charming that you actually have to look away for just a second in order to collect yourself, turning your face to the window as you order body to calm the hell down.  

He’s just a man, for god’s sake.  Just a good looking, sophisticated, intelligent, altruistic man whose genes are mixed with that of a predator that’s as majestic as it is deadly.  A man that’s sat right across from you smelling like some sort of heaven and oh god you’re so fucking fucked.

“I - uh -”  You desperately grapple for some semblance of conversation, one of your restless hands tucking the hair you’d spent so long curling into gentle waves behind an ear.  “I like your shirt,” you blurt out when he turns his head to face you, currently in the process of retrieving a black, opaque bottle from inside an inconspicuous minibar that’s been built right into the partition that separates the two of you from the driver up front.  “It suits you.”   Sure, you might be grasping at straws, but that doesn’t mean the sentiment of your words is in any way disingenuine.  

There aren’t many men who could pull of a bright pink shirt but Jin is clearly one of them; the colour compliments his smooth, honeyed skin perfectly and turns his otherwise entirely black ensemble into something undeniably eye-catching.  There won’t be a single eye that doesn’t turn his way when he walks into the room tonight, you’re sure of it.  

Pleased by your compliment, Jin smiles as he straightens up and places what you presume must be champagne between his thighs, freeing up both of steady hands to remove the cork with a satisfying ‘pop’.  You jump, and he laughs gleefully.

“Thank you.  It’s one of my favourites,” he tells you whilst the remnants of his amusement are still fresh on his face and in the tone of his voice.  Jin retrieves a glass, too, and slots it into your hand, filling the delicate flute with sweet smelling bubbles before you can refuse.  He serves it with such a flourish that you know it must be something he does often, managing not to spill a drop even when the car momentarily lurches.  

You expect him to pour himself a glass too, but Jin merely places the bottle back in the fridge and then leans back in his seat, seemingly content to watch you take a meagre sip from yours, his hands folded in his lap.  It’s as sweet as it smells, and though you don’t usually enjoy champagne you can certainly make an exception for this one.  It’s delicious.  

“That dress,” Jin begins, and you feel your stomach tense in anticipation of what he’s going to say.  Does he not like it?  Is it not dressy enough?  Too much?  “The colour really brings out your eyes.  Beautiful.”  

“T-Thanks,” you blush, glancing down into your glass as your mind races to work out what exactly it is that your employer is referring to as beautiful; your dress, your eyes… you?  Frankly you’ll take any available option - each is more than you could’ve ever have hoped for.  

“You’re welcome.”  Jin’s gaze follows the delicate flute in your hand as your raise it to your lips and then lets it linger there thereafter for a just a beat too long.

“Are you not having some?”  Jin shakes his head where it’d been slightly tilted to the side,  jet black bangs falling waywardly across his forehead before he smoothes them back into place.

“I prefer to keep a clear head for these sorts of things.”  

“That sounds smart,” you agree, yet you still go ahead take another sip of champagne directly afterward.  You’re not sure you’ll be able to cope with tonight’s inevitable rollercoaster of emotions without some sort of alcoholic lubrication to ease its passing.  

“I’m a smart man,” he smiles humorously, one ear flicking and rotating to the side, and when he notices you watching the movement his smile broadens, expression turning playful.  “A clever cat.”  Trying to withhold your giggling by pressing the back of your hand to your mouth proves an utterly fruitless attempt but Jin doesn’t seem to mind, observing you as they spill forth with a fond look that you entirely miss.  

He says nothing more after that, lapsing into silence for the remainder of the journey once your chuckles die down enough for you to slowly sup your drink, and it takes you by surprise, how comfortable it feels to sit side by side with him like this, employer and employee.  It isn’t until right before you arrive at the venue that Jin makes you very nearly choke on your last mouthful of champagne, his tail vibrating with pleasure when you snort with laughter in response to the impromptu rendition of the ‘pink panther’ theme tune that he hums from between his lips.  It’s embarrassing to have him see you this way; red in the face and shuddering with the force of your amusement, yet when Jin starts to laugh too - a full-bodied, joyous sound that only serves to make your sides ache all the more - you can’t find it within you to care.  

Perhaps you might be in for a better night that you’d first thought.  

For the most part, you prediction proves to be right.  

Sure, there were more stares than you would’ve liked when you’d entered the hall with one of Jin’s warm hands planted squarely in the small of your back, but the reassuring circling of his fingertips through the thin fabric your dress had been enough to push back most of the anxieties that’d plagued you - long enough for you to get your hands on second glass of wine, anyway.  You’re infinitely grateful that you’d followed Jin’s suggestion of reading up on the latest in’s and out’s in of governmental policy in advance.  Having just that little bit of extra knowledge to drop in amongst conversation has saved your ass more times than you can count throughout the duration of the night, and has converted the sceptical looks of those who are far too well-to-do to class as your peers into friendly smiles, firm handshakes and one seemingly sincere invitation to lunch with a gaggle of women you never would’ve dreamed of rubbing shoulders with before.

Not that you’re intending to take them up on their offer, of course, but still.  It’s nice to know you have options.  

With every new person that you meet and somehow manage to charm, you swear that you can see a gleam of something that looks a little bit like pride shining in Jin’s eyes - each little bit of praise or approval they bestow on you seeming as much of a pleasure for him to hear as is it for you.   You dismiss his subtle glances at first, convincing yourself that the warmth you feel in his gaze is simply a figment your imagination, but it seems to keep on happening, and the more it does the easier it is for you to start to believe that each little press of his fingertips to your shoulder or your waist must carry some secret, hidden meaning for just the two of you to share.  

“Where’ve you been hiding this one away, Seokjin?” the primped and polished woman stood to your right to you enquiries during the next lull in conversation, her many rings glinting under the opulent ceiling lights.  She peers at him past the rim of her tipped glass with her round, owl eyes, a sickly sweet smile on her lips, “I’d thought I would’ve heard if you’d have finally found a mate!”   Your face flushes immediately on hearing her presumption, the blood in your veins  burning all the hotter when you take in the way Jin baulks, blinking rapidly.  Clearly you've been misreading him all night if this is how strongly he reacts to her innocent mistake, and it hurts more than you care to admit.  

“Oh, no,” you interject quickly, and all eyes turn from Jin to you, “I'm not - we're not - I'm just his secretary.  No one important.” You catch Jin frowning in your peripheral vision as the woman nods in understanding, serving you a simpering smile.  He must be irritated that she'd even made the presumption in the first place.  How ridiculous of her.

“In that case!”  She steps towards Jin,planting herself right between the two of you and effectively dismissing you from the conversation so abruptly that you find yourself scowling at the back of her stupidly permed head, infuriated by her rudeness.  “Let me introduce you to this darling girl I know.  Her father is one of the up and coming names in interspecies relations and I just know you'd make such a perfect match!”  Before either of you know what's happening the woman is tugging on Jin’s arm to lead him away, nails like talons digging into the fine tailoring.  He twists slightly in her grasp to be able to look back at you, full lips parted in an expression of mild alarm and about to speak when you shrug and smile wryly.  

“I'll catch up with you in a bit,” you assure him, trying to put on a brave face.  It's not as if he's under any obligation to stay right next to you for the entirety of the night, after all, as much as you wish that he would.  Jin nods just once, decisively, his ears turned toward the woman who's starting to look appear ruffled by your boss’ unwillingness to be led away.  

“Don't go far, ok?  I won't be long.”  Obediently, you return his nod, and Jin flashes you a smile before finally turning away and cupping his captors elbow in his palm and leaving with her, disappearing into the crowd and leaving you on your own.  

Scanning the room, the rim of your glass pressed to your bottom lip, you try to discern how best to proceed.  You could try to mingle, maybe chat some more with the party goers you’ve already met so far.  Networking is probably a good idea - the smart move - but without Jin stood beside you as a safety net you can't quite bring yourself to do it.  

Instead, you end up loitering by the buffet table as you so often used to do during the social events of your youth, intent on finding out whether you should have indeed chosen the bruschetta over the salmon mousse as Taehyung had so vehemently insisted you should.  

It's with great pleasure that you discover that your judgement had proven to be correct; the mousse is light, fresh, and not overly fishy.  Still, you suppose the various feline hybrids in the room would enjoy it even it was.  Even more so, perhaps.  

“-that the girl who arrived with Kim Seokjin?”

Your ears prick up whilst you're busy leaning over the impressive spread laid before you, helping yourself to a delicate paper cone full of fries, and realising they must be talking about you, you subtly glance over to see two young women stood together further down the buffet table, one of whom is most definitely looking in your direction.  

“Think so.”  There's a pause, then, and for a second you think they're done before the other pipes up again, bemusement in her tone.

“She's pitching a little out of her league, isn't she?”  You hold back a snort by shoving a fry into your mouth, turning to face away from the women to look about the room but keeping your ears firmly tuned in to the conversation.  

They're not wrong, to be fair; you've thought it yourself a million times, sat at your desk, staring at his office door.  Seokjin is, and always will be, well out of your reach.  

It's just a plain and simple fact, so you can't really begrudge them for thinking the same.  

Your eyes rove the room, searching for him, but wherever your employer is it's somewhere out of your sight.  There's been a good turn out tonight, and you're grateful for it.  The more connections Seokjin makes the louder and more influential his voice will be when it comes to making a difference and pushing for change.  He'll be pleased that so many came.  

“What do you think she is?”  You only just catch the woman's voice over the ambient music this time around, pitched low and conspiratively.  “A giraffe?”  

The corners of your mouth curl in a smile of understanding - they're wondering if you're some sort of hybrid.   How original of them to pick up on your above average height.

“Nah she'd have the funny little horns,” one of them murmurs back, and it's almost as though you can feel her eyes running over your profile, searching for some sort of hint as to what species you might belong to.  

Why the hell did you decide to wear heels tonight?  You should've known it'd probably make you tallest woman in the room, only a bare inch or two smaller than even Jin.  

“Anyway, aren't giraffes pretty skinny?  She's got to be something fatter than that.”

Ouch, now that hurt.  Your guts lurch unpleasantly at the sound on their tittering laughter, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes when you hear the words ‘elephant’ and ‘hippopotamus’ being thrown around.  You discard your half-eaten cone of fries back so abruptly onto the buffet table that they spill, haphazard across the white table cloth, your appetite well and truly destroyed.   Try as you may, you can't fight the shamefaced blush you can feel creeping upward onto your face from the neckline of your dress.  

“Oh god, what if she's not even a hybrid at all?” one woman laughs cruelly, barely even bothering to lower her voice anymore, “What if that's all her?”

God, why did you ever agree to come to this?  Why did you think for even a second that you'd belong anywhere amongst these perfect, pretty half-humans?  How much of an idiot could you have been?  

As the harshness of their snickers permeate your ears, you can take it no longer.  Impulsively, you rip your shoes from your feet to place your soles on the polished parquet flooring and then begin your brisk exit, searching for Jin along the way and all the while fighting back the tears that constantly threaten.  

Every instinct in you tells you just to walk straight out, to flee with your non-existent tail between your legs, but your loyalty to Jin makes you unwilling to leave without at least making your excuses - whatever you end up lying that they are.  

When you finally spot him from across the crowded room, you really wish you hadn't been so bothered.  

He's stood at the bar, deeply engaged in conversation with another hybrid; a female, feline hybrid.  She's stunning - slender as a matchstick with a bone structure that you can only dream of, the tips of her pointed little ears just visible poking through the long brown waves of hair that reaches down to her behind.  From a carefully placed slit in her shimmering golden dress a graceful tail emerges, an appendage that's currently busying itself with playful curling its way around Jin’s, whilst she herself touches and fawns over his arm, batting her eyelashes prettily.  

They look perfectly matched, yellowey eyes fixed upon one another, and all of a sudden you can no long hold back the tears.  She's not over-reaching, she's not aiming too high by flirting with your beloved employer - not like you.  

Why did he invite you here?  What was he hoping to prove?  Was it just some display of hybrid-human solidarity to make him look good?  Perhaps that's why he asked you; you were the most desperate, pathetic looking human to hand.

How cruel he's been tonight, with all his little touches and smiles, all the little looks that'd made your hopes soar so high.  How could he do that; call you beautiful?  Didn't he know how much that would mean?

A sob escapes you involuntarily, and even from across the room you see Jin’s ears swivel in your direction at the sound, his eyes landing on you just as you're pressing a palm to your mouth to keep any further sounds in.  When he sees the tears streaking down your face he immediately frowns, his eyebrows furrowing, and it's with horror that you watch him turn away from the woman he's speaking to with no explanation before he starts to make towards you, parting the bodies that block his path effortlessly.  

What are you supposed to say to him? What excuses are you supposed to give as to why you're a sodden, blubbering mess?  You're insecure, you're hurt, you're jealous.  None of those things are appropriate to say - certainly not to your boss, not to him - so you opt for flight instead of fight, heading towards the exit paying very little mind to the people around you who've begun to stare.

They've had a good laugh at you tonight anyway.  Why not give them one more?

You hear him call your name but your bare feet don't stop, slapping noisily against the floor in your haste, and you've almost reached the exit when suddenly a firm hand takes a hold of your arm and drags you to a halt, spinning you to face them.  

Jin repeats your name again, gentler this time, his eyes full of concern as he assess the state you've gotten yourself in.  

“You're leaving?”  You shrug your shoulders limply and sniff to try keep your nose from running, heels banging against the side of your thigh.  It's too hard to look at him right now; you feel so stupid and ashamed.  “Why’re you so upset?”  Again you decline to reply, nibbling on your bottom lip with your chin hung low until Jin takes a firm hold of it, lifting your gaze with his thumb and forefinger until you have no choice but to look straight into his eyes.  

He regards you for a moment, ears flicking restlessly as he takes in your glassy eyes and miserable expression, and then finally the heels that you hold in one hand, dangling at your side.

“Love,” he says softly, still holding onto your chin, “Put your shoes back on.”  You blink stupidly, taken completely off guard by his use of such a term of endearment.  

“W-what?” Jin glances down at your shoes meaningfully, a small smile curling one corner of his lips.

“Put your shoes.  Back.  On.”  He repeats it slowly, announciating every syllable, and you'd swear he was asking you to take off your clothes by the way your mid-section suddenly fills with heat, your tears ceasing with an alarming suddenness.

You blink, nodding your head as far as his grasp permits before he lets go, allowing you to bed and slip your heels back on foot by foot.  When you straighten again you're instantly three inches taller, yet you feel smaller than ever on the inside as you meet Jin’s eyes and find his expression to be utterly unreadable.  

“Come with me,” he utters after a moment, before turning on the spot and striding off without another word, already certain that you'll follow.  

You do, of course.

You've no idea where he's leading you, but it isn't far.  Back through the entrance hall that's mostly deserted, Jin then silently veers off to the right to a door that lies just beyond the stairs, and as soon as he's pulled it open he's caught onto you by the elbow and dragging you inside so unexpectedly that you almost stumble - right into a line of coats.  

He pulls the door shut behind him, plunging you both into darkness, and you feel your heart rate begin to rise at the uncertainty of the situation you've suddenly found yourself falling into.  You hear his smart, pointed shoes click on the floor as he turns to face you, but that's the only other sound you hear save the growingly laboured nature of your breaths.  

His eyes open, and for a second the only light you see is the glow of them, yellow reflected beautifully back at you until there's the click of a light switch and the space in which he's enclosed the two of you becomes illuminated.  More than a cupboard but not quite a room, if you arms were just a bit longer you could probably touch each side, and in it hangs the various coats, scarves and umbrellas of all the guests elsewhere who'd arrived so suitably dressed for the god-awful weather you've been having.  

“Talk to me,” he commands softly once your eyes have finished darting around the room to fall when they land on him, “Tell me what's happened, and maybe I can help.”

Jin must sense your temporary unease with the situation because he makes no effort to come any closer to you, slipping his hands into his pants pockets as he regards you where you remain braced against the wall of coats, eyeing him.  

“I'm just being stupid.”  Of course, your immediate defence is self-depreciation, as always.

“I don't believe that.”  A small smile appears on Jin's face as he tilts his head slightly.  “Clumsy, maybe.  Messy?  Most definitely.  But stupid?”  A frown replaces the momentary fondness that'd graced his expression.  “Never.”

Your mouth flounders for a moment, totally at a loss for anything you could say that won't serve to embarrass you further, and when you come up with nothing you simply sigh, running your fingers back through your hair.  

“I just…” Another sigh, and when you look up Jin is just watching you expectantly, waiting for you to continue, tail swishing gently behind him.  “Some women were making fun of me.  Two hybrids.  They were trying to work out if I was more elephant or giraffe or if maybe I'm just… just... “  You gesture up and down yourself with a grimace. “This.”

Jin continues to listen quietly whilst you dissolve into a rant, the volume and pitch of your voice rising as you go.  “I already obsess enough about being too broad, too tall.  I'm not petite and pretty like that other girl, nothing like her, and I never will be.”  

Jin remains silent for a moment when you finally run out of words, and god, you wish he’d give you just some kind of clue as to what he’s thinking.  Unfortunately, Jin’s face is as handsome and impassive as always, and as the seconds tick by you start to scold yourself more and more for allowing your mouth to get so carried away.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Jin eventually starts, tongue wetting his bottom lip, “I’d say you sound a little jealous.”  

Are you really so easy to read?  You should’ve known he’d see right through you with those shrewd eyes.

Your mouth opens to reply, but before you can Jin takes a step forward and speaks over you, tilting his head to the side as he looks up and down.  

“Love, you have no reason to be.”  Another step towards you, and this time you take an involuntary step back, sinking back into the coats as you look up at him with trepidation.  Jin approaches you as a predator would stalk its prey, his eyes heavy lidded, long, black tail sweeping slowly from side to side behind him, curled tip gently sweeping the floor.  “I meant it when I told you were beautiful.”  

As Jin comes to stand directly in front of you, looking down the finely sculpted bridge of his nose and into your eyes, it feels as though the very air around you is thickening; so full of tension that it’s difficult to breathe, your chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow little breaths that hitch when he cautiously reaches out to touch you, running the back of one long finger down your cheek.  

“Y-you did?” you ask breathlessly, leaning into the palm that comes to cradle your cheek as he nods, thumb running the width of your bottom lip from one side to the other, “That’s… good to know.”  

‘That’s good to know’?  Really?  Your cheeks flush with embarrassment at your own lameness, but you can’t find the heart to be too hard on yourself.  How is anyone supposed to string a sentence together with someone as handsome and enigmatic as Jin stood right before them, his eyes dark with hunger?  

“And why’s that?” A teasing smirk appears on Jin’s face as he continues to caress you, and you feel your stomach clench with nerves when you realise that he actually wishes for you to answer.  

It’s now or never, you suppose.  

“I… uh…”  It’s too hard to look at him while you say this so you drop your eyes to look at the rounded tips of your patent shoes and take a deep breath, forcing the words past your lips before you have chance to back out.  “I’ve been harbouring a bit of a crush on you… for quite some time.”  Jin softly laughs, pinching the cheek he’s been holding and making the heat blazing in it burn even hotter.

“I know.”  You sharply look up.  “You may be beautiful, and smart, and articulate.”  He pauses, smiling broadly, “Most days.”  Jin’s smile beams all the more brightly when you laugh at yourself, glancing away for just a second before your eyes are inevitably drawn to him again.  “But you’re not the most subtle.”  

“I’m not?”

“You tend to stare.”  You can’t help but laugh at yourself again, embarrassed at how obvious you’ve been but Jin’s tenderness filling you with so much happiness that you’re unable to care. “Not that I can blame you.  Who wouldn’t?”  Jin chuckles at his own narcissism, but you don’t begrudge him for having a healthy ego.  If you were him, you’d be confident too.  He’s gorgeous - too gorgeous for you - no matter what he might say.

Another moment passes, and as the two of you continue to look into each others eyes the playful atmosphere begins to fade, the smiles slipping from your faces.  Jin’s hand descends from your jaw to the column of your throat as he regards you quietly, and when you shiver at the feel of his fingertips grazing your sensitive skin his pupils visibly dilate, his gaze darting downward to fixate on your lips.  

There’s a little voice in the back of your head that keeps nagging at you that this is likely a very bad idea.  If the two of you go down this road there’ll be no turning back - at least not for you - and you know there’s probably a good reason behind the saying that you should never dip your pen in the office ink.  What if things become awkward between the two of you after this?  What if it gets so bad that you lose your job?  

Jin’s nose brushes yours as he leans in to bring your lips into contact, and suddenly all those worries melt away much as your body does against his when he closes any remaining space left between you, curling his free arm around your waist.  

His kiss is tentative at first; a soft, exploratory meeting of your mouths that soon escalates into something harder and more urgent when your fingers find their way into the front of his shirt, twisted in the fabric to pull him even closer.  You eagerly grant his tongue entry at the very first press of the muscle to your lips, and Jin devours you like a man that’s been starving for the taste of you, pressing your harder amongst the coats when you moan into him, his body flush to yours.  

A brush of something unfamiliar against your leg startles you, jerking you out of the kiss you'd been enjoying so much to look down in alarm as Jin huffs a breathy chuckle against your temple.  All it is is his tail, gently brushing up and down the only part of you it's flexible enough to reach, and it's with a smile that you watch as the end of it curls possessively around your ankle, disappearing under the long hem of your dress.  

He flashes you a charming smile, but before you have time to smile back Jin is planting his mouth over yours and hiding it beneath his own.  A roaming hand slides down from where it'd rested on your throat to drift tantalisingly over the swell of your breast, and when your body tellingly presses forward into his palm, Jin begins to knead and grope and squeeze through the fabric, fixing your bottom lip between his teeth when they part in a breathy moan.  

Pleased by how eagerly your body responds to him, Jin's other hand takes a firm and generous handful of your behind, squeezing it so hard as his hips surge forward into yours that if you weren't so distracted by the movement of his pelvis that you might've gasped in pain.  

Disentangling yourself from his wicked tongue, you try to cling onto the thin sliver of sanity you have left that's telling you that this is hardly the time or the place for Jin to be tugging on the fabric of your skirt, bunching it his fist, raising the hem off the ground higher and higher.  The withholding of your lips does nothing to deter him; if not your mouth then he still has plenty of other places to kiss.  Greedily, he presses his lips to every inch of skin he can find, lapping up the taste of you.  

“M-mr Kim,” you plea, releasing handfuls of pink shirt to place your palms flat against his firm chest.  If you were more resolute in your will you'd try to push him back, but as it is it's hard enough to keep yourself from grabbing onto him further, your head tipping back against the wall as the tip of his tongue dips into the shallow dent at the base of your neck.  “Jin…”

“Hmm?” he muses curiously, nose nuzzling into you whilst his mouth travels across the tops of your breasts, his eyes closed.  

“We-we-" The sudden feel of his erection pressing into your lower abdomen momentarily stalls your thoughts. “Not here.  We shouldn't.”  His eyelids peel back to look up at you before he slowly straightens back to full height, still holding onto the bunches of your dress.  He hooks it up higher as he speaks to you, a dark, lustful look in his eyes as he purrs your name.  

“You've waited long enough for someone to show you how beautiful you are,” he tells you, leaning forward to press his forehead on yours.  By now he's gathered your dress up in a ball of creases to sit where his hand is rested at your hip, exposing the length of your legs to the eyes he runs over you, and when they linger at the tops of your thighs you know he's visually devouring the patch of slick that's darkened the baby blue of your underwear to navy.  “I won't wait a second longer.”

Your last ounce of resolve vanishes as you watch him trace his bottom lip with his tongue.  Hands trembling, you slide both of them into the back of his dark tresses, and when he feels your fingernails dragging at his scalp Jin seizes your mouth with a feral growl.  

“Take these off for me,” he orders lowly, words smothered by your lips as his free hand snaps at the waistband of your underwear.  You do as he says, tugging at them with one hand as you wriggle to encourage the sodden material down your legs, and Jin smiles into your kiss when he feels you wobble in your heels, stepping out of your underwear one foot at a time.  

“The door,” you murmur, and Jin grunts in response.  When he'd first tugged you in here you'd noticed it didn't have a lock, and whilst you were glad of it to begin with, now you're rather wishing it did.  “S-someone could walk in…”

His movements coloured rough and urgent with desire, Jin plucks you by the hips from amongst the coats and turns you around on the spot before then walking you briskly backward until your back slams into contact with the door, your tongues tangled together throughout.  He pushes his groin against yours with a circle of his hips, showing complete disregard to the likely smear your dripping arousal may leave on his smart suit pants, and when your fingers inadvertently find the roots of his ears in amongst his hair, scratching behind them, he wrenches his mouth from yours to let out a stilted, needful moan that has your core clenching with unadulterated desire.

He wrenches your fingers from his hair with his one unoccupied hand and pins your wrist to the door, palms flat, the dangerous look in his eyes making you simultaneously do the same with the other even without his command.  

“You better not move, then.”  You nod, breath bated as he steps back ever so slightly and then abruptly sinks to his knees at your feet, his gaze fixing hungrily on the glistening sheen that covers the tops of your thighs.  “Open up for me, love.”  Swallowing back the nerves that are turning your stomach topsy-turvy, you gingerly shift your feet further apart, encouraged by the firm hand Jin has placed against your inner thigh, gradually sliding upward to the spot you're aching for him most.  “That's a good girl.”

You blush profusely at his praise, biting your lip as you watch the way he so thoroughly examines your core before sliding an exploratory finger through your folds, collecting up all your sweet nectar and then depositing it straight into his mouth.

You're transfixed, panting with excitement as you watch him lick up every drip, more kitten than panther, his tail shuddering with pleasure at the flavour of you coating his tongue.  

“You're just as delicious as I thought,” he muses up at you before delving between your legs with no prior warning, yearning for a better taste, his fabric filled fist keeping your hip pressed firmly to the door as you let out a high-pitched yelp, body jolting.  

His pouty lips locate your clitoris with startling accuracy, his nose pressed to the mound of your pubis as they wrap around the hard little nub and he begins to suck fiercely at it, flicking with the tip of his tongue till your hips are twisting uselessly under the press of his hand, your head thrown back against the door, fingers twitching with the want to tangle in his hair and drag him even further in.  

“Oh god,” you moan through clenching teeth, your pelvis rocking forward, pleasure flooding through your core and making your legs begin to quake.  The sinful noises he's making between your legs, the way in which he eats from you as though you're his very first and last meal; it's all too much, and when he presses a finger inside your velvety walls they contract greedily around the intrusion, craving more and more and more.  

He pumps it in and out of you, waiting till you're mewling and whimpering before adding to the stretch with a second probing finger, his tongue lapping messily at your clit. When he begins to curl those two fingers inside you - seeking out the rough bundle of nerves that have you crying out on its discovery - it takes barely any time for him to bring you to your high.  

Pleasure wrecking your body is a series of shudders and shakes, you release your orgasm onto his face, a fresh gush of wetness coating his lips and his chin so that they shine when he tilts them up to look at you, smiling with satisfaction.

Jin wipes his mouth as he rises to his feet, and you can only watch with rapidly rising and falling chest as the gorgeous man in front of you slowly removes his jacket.  With no sense of urgency at all he turns to hang it nearly amongst the other coats, and when he turns back towards you he's in the process of rolling up each of his sleeves to reveal strong, caramel coloured forearms.  

“You’re so pretty when you cum,”  he tells softly you as he comes back towards you, a very obvious bulge to the crotch of his pants that he briefly runs his palm across, his dark bangs hanging in front of his eyes.  “But I bet you'll look even prettier doing it on my cock.”  

Jin’s words make you groan past your bitten lips, a fresh wave of want washing over you regardless of your freshly fucked out state.  You want him, you want more, and you want it now.  

Unable to keep your hands to yourself for any longer, you make a grab for his shirt.  Hastily, you untuck it from his pants whilst Jin smiles on, amused by the needy way in which you grab and pull at him.  He lets you unbutton almost all of his shirt, too, enough to let it hang open for you to begin to placing sloppy, open-mouthed kisses across his flawlessly smooth chest whilst your hands are tugging at his belt.  

“So eager for me, aren't you love?” he chuckles, running a hand through your hair, but you're long past the point of blushing now.  You wipe the smirk of his face with a hard and passionate kiss as your hand sneaks under the waistband of both his boxers and his pants, swelling with pride at the way he grunts out a moan into your kiss when you wrap your palm around the girthy length you find hidden inside.

You stroke him keenly within the confines of his boxers, pre-cum smearing on your fingers as he once again slams you back against the door with a renewed fervour.

God forbid anyone be standing right outside; they'd easily be able to discern what was going on.  

“You want it that bad, huh?” he hisses when you squeeze him firmly, rolling your hips against his.  “Fuck.”  Jin snatches your hand out of his boxers with his sharply uttered curse and then grabs a hold of your thigh, hooking it up and over his hip before shoving his pants and boxers down around his thighs, cock releasing to press directly against your mound whilst you grab at the magnificently wide breadth of his shoulders for support.  

It's hot and it's heavy and it's so close to being inside that you're practically burning with the need for it, grinding yourself against him and mewling like some sort of cat yourself.  

“You'll get it, love, don't you worry.”  Jin releases your thigh knowing that you'll willingly keep it in place despite however it may ache, looking down as he takes his cock between thumb and forefinger to guide it between your legs, your core contracting with excitement when you feel the swollen head begin to nudge its way inside.  

“O-oh fuck!” you curse at the momentary burn of the stretch as he breaches you with the entirety of his length with one strong, upward thrust, smacking into your cervix and then pausing there with a minute rocking of his hips whilst you both become accustomed to the intensity of having Jin's cock nestled so deeply inside you. “Oh god, Jin, fuck, you feel…”  At a loss for words, your head flops forward to rest on his, both of your brows already covered in a thin coating of sweat.  The kiss that Jin plants onto your lips is strangely chaste, yet the voice he speaks in following it most definitely is not; hoarse and full of barely contained desire.  

“I haven't even gotten started yet, love.”  Grabbing at your thigh and hitching it as high as he can, Jin slides out of you all the way to the tip and then thrusts back inside with a grunt of exertion and a banging of the door, and when you call out his name, fingernails digging into his shoulders, he does it again, and again, spearing you on his cock with a pace that gradually gains more and more speed til he's fucking into you so savagely that it's all you can do to hold on and try not to break apart.  

“Do you know many times I've imagined sitting you on my lap in my office chair and having you bounce up and down on my cock? Or bending you over my desk and making you cum so hard you're begging me to stop?” Jin grunts through clenched teeth as he takes you like the half-animal he is, the feline points of his canines visible between his parted lips.  

Not expecting a reply from you save the strangled moan you so willingly give, he continues,

“Do you really think I would chose a fucking house cat over you?  You think I'd want someone like her carrying my legacy, my kittens?  I would break her, my love - not like you.”  

Convinced you've slipped into some sort of delirious fever dream, you let your eyes slip closed and Jin's words wash over you from where you've tucked your head at the curve of his neck, whimpering with pleasure as he enters you again and again, aiming for your g-spot and finding it almost every single time thanks to the angling of the position in which he holds you flush against him.  

“She could never take my cock like this, love - fuck - not like you.”  Jin lets go of your dress and it tumbles to hang around where you're joined, darkening with the juices of your lovemaking as his thumb makes contact with your clit, rubbing it in circles.  Your blood aflame, your flushed skin prickling with ecstasy, you cry out for him, smothering it against his throat.  

He's breathing hard now, struggling to keep up such a pace yet never does he falter.  

“She could never nurture my young so beautifully as you.”  Your pussy clenches hard around Jin’s cock at the thought of him wanting to claim you so completely as to impregnate you and fill you full of his seed, and when Jin feels he groans loudly, somehow growing even harder inside, stretching you even further.

“Fuck, you’d look so good all swollen up with my litter.  Say the word, love, and I’ll breed you over and over and over.” He punctuates each word with a sharp thrust of his hips, rubbing even harder at your clit, and as he clamps his teeth into your neck in a savage bite of your flesh you very nearly lose your mind, dangling over the precipice of your orgasm and longing to fall.  

“Oh god, Jin, please!  Please do it, please!” you beg of him, grabbing with one hand at the back of his hair and tugging so hard that Jin detaches himself from your neck with a near-roar, his tail lashing wildly behind him.

“Yeah?  You want me to cum in you?  Want me to fill you full of my kittens?”

“Please, please!”  It's an empty threat, though Jin might not know it.  Your birth control would make pregnancy a near impossibility but the thought of it turns you on regardless, and as you continue to beg and plead for Jin to fill you full of his seed it seems to be doing the same for him.  

“Cum for me again, love, cum with me,” he grunts as his rhythm becomes increasingly unsteady, sweat beading down his brow, “Milk it out of my cock - show me how much you want it.”

A well-aimed flick of his thumb against your clit and one more thrust inside, and you're cumming so hard that there's white flashing behind your eyes.  You call out Jin's name as your core clenches around him over and over again to bring him to his undoing, and it's your name he groans out too as he spills out every drop of his essence inside of you, his head nestled in the space between your breasts.  You can feel it leaking out, spilling down the inside of your thighs even as it keeps on coming pulse after pulse, Jin’s ears quivering as his whole body does the same, and you too are shaking as you cling to him, trying to catch your breath.  

“Are you alright, love?” he asks softly as he stands to full height, placing your foot back on the floor as he very gently eases himself out of you.  Body aching all over, you limply nod your head, still too high to properly formulate coherent reply.  

Your dress falls immediately back into place as Jin steps back, and if it weren't for your swollen lips, the stains maring its front, and the glaringly obvious bite mark at the base of your neck, you might've actually been able to conceal what the two of you have been up to.  Not that you particularly care; you'll happily wear his mark like a badge of honour, so smitten are you with the man who's stood in front of you carefully buttoning up his shirt, smiling.  

“Satisfied?”  Again, you nod, grieving the loss of the sight of his chest as its hidden away and Jin chuckles, tail flicking happily as he shucks his jacket back on, too, leaving his shirt untucked.  Walking back over to you, he tenderly brushes your cheek with his thumb, briefly glancing at the mark on your neck he's left behind.  “And do you believe me now, when I say that you're beautiful?”  

Your lips twitch into a playful smile that Jin returns, and when you press your lips to his in a kiss that lingers you almost swear you can feel him purr, chest rumbling with contentedness.  

“Will you take me home and try to convince me again if I say no?”