#top!yifan

[ms-hells-bells]

one thing i haven't seen many people point out in regards to the chess thing. the levels of master for chess require different ratings for men and women. the women's titles require a full 200 rating points less to reach the next level of mastery.

for casual or lower level players, say 1500 or below, this gap doesn't matter that much. for the most elite players, 200 lower rating is a massive gap. in the highest level tournaments, if someone is against a player that has a rating 200 points higher than them, they are unambiguously recognised as having a significant disadvantage. the only exception is when they are a relatively new player that has rapidly risen in the ranks, and their current rating may not be representative of their current skill level.

the current highest rated female chess player in the world is hou yifan. she actually retired recently to go to university, i believe, but no one is close to surpassing her score of 2628. incredible.

the male players with a rating of 2628 are the 130th best male players in the world.

this means that a man could not even be in the top 100 best male players in the world, meaning near zero income to be made from the sport (anything they'd make from winning regional or national championships would have to go towards paying travel and accommodation), and if he decided to transition to a woman, he would be the best in the world and make great bank, especially with the women's tournament and sponsorship initiatives, and the 'representation' he would be.

in a way, it's even more blatant that running or swimming or any of that. because you can see their ratings stay the same, but a change in pronouns can change them from a master to an international master, or even from an international master to a grandmaster.

[murasaki-cha]

I love it when Duan Jiaxu (only child) is just in the middle of the Sang siblings shenanigans

He's so used to them like his girlfriend and best friend could be throwing furniture at each other while screaming at the top of their lungs and he'd be like "Ah what fine weather we're having today. I should probably stop those two by now."

What's funny is that Duan Jiaxu would actually try to stop them. Wen Yifan on the other hand would see her fiance on the ground, put in a headlock by his sister while he's pulling her hair and just walk out of the room.

[audriel]

hi audriel! Didnt know you had tumblr and had to double-check. I really love your fangrui fics on ao3! I noticed some were taken down? And thank you so much for always posting fangrui pics on discord!! Really appreciate it. Really like how approachable and friendly you are on discord, feels like talking to a friend who you can gush about fandom stuffs with, hope you have a good day ahead!

questions, when did you first started to like qzgs, and what made you do it? What are your top 3 fav chars? Did it ever change? What do you like about them?

hi anon! actually, i made my ao3 and tumblr account almost at the same time, so you're safe! i joined discord pretty recently, that's why i unfortunately lost my chance to use the name audriel there >_<

another fang rui lover! thank you! i'm glad you like them! <333

i'm just so happy that i found people who loves qzgs to gush over together. and to spread all the fang rui love. so thank you for being so kind and welcoming! it took quite a lot of courage for me to finally ask to join the server, and participate actively. it's thanks to everyone in the discord.

are you asking the moon in autumn? it's still there, but only accessible for ao3 users since it's a long fic, and i do have concerns for data scraping for fanfictions. if let's start thinkin' bout it gets long enough, i might end up doing the same. i might only unlock them for few days when there's a new update.

now onto your questions!

i'm pretty sure it's due to the pandemic. since i started to read a lot of korean webtoons/manhwa that's almost always adapted from webnovels, i ended up reading a lot of them during that time (there was not much to do but stay at home after all). however, they were very rarely completed. oh the horror. so i looked for recommendations and there was quan zhi gao shou/the king's avatar on the list. it's highly rated and reviewed, and it's completed! even though it's chinese webnovel and not the genre i usually read (online games, more so professional gaming), so i gave it a try, and boy i'm so very glad i do. i'm hooked.

it has everything i love to read in a story: a smart, powerful protagonist; rich, complex characters and world; and a wonderful storytelling.

the only downside? i'm late to the the fandom. QAQ

i think we all love ye xiu, it's no brainer right? he's perfect but also imperfect at the same time. his strength in character and in his belief is so admirable that i sorely wish i had a fraction of it. but at the same time as a protag, we didn't see much from his perspective. so he's not the character i resonate with the most. definitely top three, but not the top. qiao yifan was my best boi then. i can relate with his struggle the most. and i love seeing him learning and growing under ye xiu's wings. from the transparent tiny herb player to the most stable, reliable happy rookie. i'm so looking forward to the person he'll be in the future.

then there's fang rui. he's overshadowed by huang shaotian at first. huang shaotian is so lively, so distinctive, so difficult to look away from. so at the beginning my top three was qiao yifan, ye xiu and huang shaotian.

only on my reread that fang rui finally caught my eye. at first, he and huang shaotian look so similar and differ greatly with other oh so serious captains and god-level players in that they are bright and lively, and they are open with their emotions. but i end up thinking twice at the latter. huang shaotian is an open book, fang rui is not.

wait, wait are we reading the same novel?

fang rui feels like an open book, because we have seen his own perspective, we've seen his thoughts and emotions. but whenever we've got outsiders' perspective on him, fang rui is always playful even he performs badly. if anything, he acts out, hams it up, just like when he miscommunicated with mo fan or when he lost so badly that he sat in the corner to reflect. when he's troubled, most often he closes up, just like when lin jingyan approached him when tyranny dropped by or when he was so tired after beating xu boyuan.

meanwhile, huang shaotian can put up a public persona like the celebrity he is, but overall he doesn't really bother to hide how he feels, just like when he didn't want to talk after he lost in the finals and when he questioned yu feng after he went to hundred blossoms (even he got the first turn in beating up liu hao lol). in summary, huang shaotian is the real open book. we can count on him for being honest, and also being loyal. while at the same time, he's such an stealthy assassin and deadly opportunist on stage. it makes him such an appealing character and a favorite among the fandom.

but for me, the complexity and contrast of fang rui really caught my eye. that there's more to him that it meets the eye. which is admittedly my favorite type of character. it shows that he has an exceptional emotional intelligence, he understands emotions, his own and others, and he doesn't shy away from it, more so, he owns it. i have admiration for calm and composed characters, but i admire more those who obviously struggling with his emotions but still retain their calm and composure. and that fits fang rui to the t.

because damn, when we put it into context, fang rui has the hardest time in season 10. ye xiu (and qiao yifan) did have a hard time with their previous team, ye xiu can be also said as the reason for excellent era, his beloved team's demise. but the fans and later qiu fei gave him hope for the team to be reborn, then su mucheng joined him in happy, all he needs is to focus on the championship that he's back in the alliance. fang rui?

he has to leave his beloved team and account, then he transforms to a completely different class with a wholly new account, at the huge risk to himself, then he has to fight his former partner/mentor repeatedly until being the one to end lin jingyan's career. the latter feels dramatic, but considering how fang rui's performance is visibly affected by lin jingyan's decline, i'm not surprised if that's how it feels from his perspective. and yet... he gives himself the hardest time when he performs badly in the finals, for not giving his best for happy. he just wanted to return the trust given to him. even though he was exhausted, he still did his best to assure the team. i just... the moment i put things into perspective, i think fall in love right then and there, and there's no coming back from it.

so my current top three: fang rui, qiao yifan, and ye xiu.

i think there's a pattern right there. all three are happy. all three have transformed. all three have left their teams, not by choice. all have suffered rejections and come up victorious.

thank you for the wonderful ask! i don't mind if you have more questions! i enjoy it very much! i can do the same for you if you wish. just let me know!

[infj-zen]

Women in Chess MBTI

Interviews with top women chess players of different MBTI personality types

ENTJ Alexandra Kosteniuk | Hou Yifan | Humpy Koneru

INTJ Ju Wenjun

ESTJ Tania Sachdev | Oliwia Kiolbasa

ISTJ Anna Muzychuk | Aleksandra Goryachkina | Bibisara Assaubayeva

ENTP Zhao Xue | Nana Dzagnidze | Irina Krush | Harika Dronavalli | Polina Shuvalova

INTP Marie Sebag | Zhu Jiner

ESTP Judit Polgar | Zhansaya Abdumalik | Carissa Yip | Divya Deshmukh

ISTP Sara Khadem | Gunay Mammadzada | Vaishali Rameshbabu | Nurgyul Salimova

ENFJ Irina Bulmaga

INFJ Lei Tingjie

ESFJ Jennifer Yu

ISFJ Kateryna Lagno | Mariya Muzychuk | Valentina Gunina

ENFP Tan Zhongyi | Dinara Wagner

INFP Pauline Guichard

ESFP Pia Cramling

ISFP Bella Khotenashvili

[delphiealmond]

Chaos By A Rose Bush

Pairings ᯓ★ Lee Jeno x Park Jisung / Johnny Suh x Na Jaemin / Mark Lee x Na Jaemin / Johnny Suh x Xiaojun / Wong Yukhei x Wu Yifan / Kim Jungwoo x Lee Taemin / Ten Lee x Lee Taeyong

Synopsis ᯓ★ Ten Lee is a simple guy who moved to Korea to fulfill his dream job as a doctor. Lee Taeyong is trying to keep everyone safe as much as he can. Wong Yukhei is trying to take over the world. Neozone is well known for keeping the streets of Seoul, South Korea safe. though the people think otherwise. Neozone creates deals with other mafia groups that try to fight against them, and Neozone is known to take down other mafia groups that try to cross their path. Except for one. Lumidome is China's most wanted Mafia group. They are the most dangerous, with members who are strong, smart, independent and dangerous. They want Korean territory. Will Neozone be able to protect their home from invaders?

Warnings ᯓ★ 18+, Swearing, guns, shooting, Blood

MASTERLIST | Next

CHAPTER ONE (3.6k)

Wong Yukhei looked out at the shimmering stars above Sha Tin District. It was a late night as he stood on his complex balcony. His elbows rested against the railing as he looked among the city lights. It was going to be a long time before he saw Sha Tin District again. He was headed to Seoul in the next few hours. Even though he was infatuated with his position and where they were seated, it didn’t fit with his satisfaction of expanding globally.

Lumidome. One of the highest-ranking mafia groups in China, or even among the top ten in the world. People didn’t understand the position of the mafia. Tested their limits and only found out when it was too late of what they were capable of. They overthrew their rivals in a matter of hours in one single night. Their leader, Yukhei, was known to be cold, stone-faced. He had a temper if someone messed with him the wrong way. A person was lucky enough to see the day light at all if they pissed him off.

“Yifan, reports?”

Yukhei’s voice was emotionless as he turned to face the older man sitting on a red velvet couch, wine glass in hand. Yifan had been with Yukhei since they were in middle school. His demeanor didn’t faze Yifan, he was used to the younger being stone faced. He had promised to follow Yukhei in all his activities. Whether they be bad or good. And he just wound up to be part of the bad.

Yifan swirled the wine in his glass before he took a sip.

“Our position here in China will remain the same. Everything will run as per usual. A jet is ready to take off whenever you seize to be ready, boss. Passing through the Korean border shouldn’t be an issue, and if we leave soon, there’s a chance we could be there before midnight.” He replied professionally. His eyes glanced at the younger’s cold expression.

Yukhei hummed in response with a small nod. He expected nothing more and nothing less from the one he trusted most. He leaned against the railing, his arms crossing over his chest as he eyed the older.

“What’s on your mind?”

Yifan set the glass down on the table in front of the sofa before he leaned back, crossing his leg over his knee.

“What we’ll do once we arrive in Korea.” Yifan replied honestly. There was no need to tell a lie to the younger one whose eyes were glued to him.

“Well, we will do exactly what we did once we arrived here.” Yukhei pushed himself off of the railing and stepped inside. “Take over and rise to power. And with you by my side, it should be easy.” He ran a hand through the others blond locks. An act that Yifan grew accustomed to over the years.

“You will be by my side, right?” He muttered. Yifan gave a soft expression to the younger.

“Always by your side.”

“Good. Because I want you to be with me when I take over the world.” Yifan hummed.

“Who is our next target?”

“Simple. Neozone.”

~~

The sun was just setting as a perfect evening ended in a small little pet shop in the center of Seoul. The glow of the sunlight and the colours of the night settling in glimmered through the store windows as Ten went around, making sure to give the pets food for the evening. With the occasional pet to the puppies and to the kittens, Ten double checked that all animals were set for the night with clean cages, and fresh food.

There weren’t many people coming in around this time, so Ten decided to start closing up shop earlier than usual. He was the only person working the shift at this little pet shop, and before closing he wanted to make sure that he got everything done before heading home for the night.

Being raised in a poor family, Ten learned to never slack off during his tasks, and at the moment he needed all the money he could earn. Ten had moved from Thailand to Seoul to pursue his dream of becoming a general surgeon. Although his mother was against it, he still left home to be taught at the finest universities in Seoul. But as a medical student, his mother didn’t send him money due to his run off, so he had to earn every last penny he could.

He needed a way to fend for himself, as well as pay tuition and rent.

Ten honestly didn’t mind at all though. Aside from his studies and the lack of friends, he needed to find a way to keep his mind occupied otherwise. Working with animals always made him forget about his worries, so he figured that this job would be the best to work as he worked away on his studies. If people at the university told him to “try harder” or “work hard”, it wouldn’t matter to him. Ten’s goal was to make his mother happy, to get her approval of his career choice.

Ever since he moved to Korea, he hadn’t made many friends at all. Perhaps it was because he was a foreigner. Or maybe because he focused too much on class and didn’t bother with socializing. Perhaps it was even because he was too focused on his studies or even his job. But in the end, it didn’t matter what he did with his time besides study and work. He had a goal to reach, and if he could reach it, it would make his world seem better.

He was just about to turn off the OPEN LED lights, when a friendly face got his attention and made him smile.

“Taemin?” At the sight of the older man, Ten opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

“Hey, I-sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to check and make sure that you were okay?”

“oh, thank you. I’m okay, I was just making sure that the pets had fresh clean cages and fresh food to have for the night. Come in.”

So far, Taemin was probably Ten’s only friend in Korea since he arrived. Despite seeing the older man walking home from the windows of the pet shop, or sitting outside with him during his lunch break, Ten grew fond of the olders’ presence. Seeing him and spending time with him, Ten slowly stopped seeing Taemin as a casual visit, and more like an older brother he could count on.

“What are you doing out tonight?”

“Oh, just heading down to the café shop before it closes to get a coffee. I decided to stop in and make sure you were doing well.” Taemin stated, glancing at the clock to check if the café would still be open at this hour.

“I see. I hope you get there in time and get yourself a nice warm drink! It’s getting a bit cold out during nights now.”

Taemin gave a small nod and leaned against the counter of the shop, watching the younger clean up the last little bit of the mess.

“I hope so. But I want to make sure that you get back home safe tonight. It’s not safe during dark hours around here. There are bad people out there and I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Taemin announced, going to the shorter and giving him a small hug.

Ten enjoying getting these small hugs from Taemin. It made it feel as if he wasn’t as alone as he was here in Seoul. He gave him a hug back, before smiling to him.

“Don’t worry. I’m closing up shop now and I’ll head straight back to my apartment. But you be careful out there as well okay?” Ten suggested, putting the broom and dustpan away.

Taemin gave a hum in response with a nod.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be alright,” Taemin headed back to the door and smiled to the younger. “I’ll see you later okay?”

Ten gave a smile back to the older and waved.

“I’ll see you later. Bye!” Taemin gave a small wave back before he left the small little pet shop.

As Ten watched the older walk off towards the café, he realized how late it was getting. The sun was no longer visible, but the colours of the sun set still lingered among the darkening sky. He flipped off the OPEN sign lights and grabbed his bag off the counter in one swift motion.

He grabbed the keys and left the shop, saying a small goodbye to the pets for the night. Locking up, he put the keys in his bag and headed on home. Although the walk through the darkening streets didn’t help his paranoia, what Taemin said earlier started to creep into his mind further. The silence of the walk back to his apartment was eerie as he sped walked his way back.

Once he finally made it back to his apartment, he fumbled with his keys a bit before he finally got inside. Leaning back against the door of the apartment, he closed his eyes and gave out a relieved sigh. He locked the door as soon as he could and placed his bag on the counter top.

The place wasn’t much, small, and not very crowded by furniture, but it was all he needed until he finished University. He could live off of ramen noodles and cheap looking wallpapers until he was able to move into a place more suited to his style.

~~

“Damn it Haechan! Stop it, I swear you're gonna blow our cover!!”

“Geez Mark, okay okay… I was just trying to make the mood a little less stressful.” The blue haired boy pouted, crossing his arms. He was clearly upset from the olders words about the fact of his humming.

“He’s right, Hae… Boss trusted us with this mission, no one else could do the task. That’s what he said.” Jaemin spoke up, reminding him of their situation at hand.

The Dreamies. Aka – the innocent but deadly members from Korea’s largest and deadliest mafia groups, Neozone. Neozone is known as one of the world's largest and toughest mafia groups and is black listed on each police station in the globe. Dreamies were the youngest sub unit of that mafia. Unlike most teens their age, these few were reckless and a physical danger to the streets of Seoul. If you mess with their brothers, their family, they’ll make a mess of you on the side of the street. Wide and open for the world to see.

But these few do have their own restrictions from their boss. Although they were minors, they weren’t allowed to do what some of the older members were able to. No clubbing, no overdosing, and no going out past midnight unless they had Mark or Sehun with them. And most definitely. No. Killing.

“Where’s Taemin? Wasn’t he supposed to be going with us tonight?” A red-haired boy announced from the back of the car, slightly annoyed that their hyung wasn’t present.

“Jeno… He’s with boss tonight, across town. We’re merely waiting for the call-in case they need our help as backup. That’s why we gotta keep an eye out the windows.” At the mere comment, all the boys in the car turned their eyes out of the window in panic of being yelled at.

“Wait… Wait! Where’s Jisung?!” Kai practically screeched, in search around the car for their maknae.

“Relax, he’s just in the trunk.” Sehun responded unfazed.

“Oh, okay. Wait what?!”

“Cool it. He has his phone, and there isn’t much space in here for him anyways. He’s fine.” Mark stifled a laugh behind his hand before he turned his attention back to the windows.

Kai at that very moment wanted to throw hands with Sehun. But he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, running a hand through his white locks.

“Okay.. fine, I guess we just wait then.”

~~

Meanwhile, in the quieter part of Seoul, Taeyong sat in the driver’s seat of his sleek black Mercedes-Benzes. His face was stoic, but his eyes glistened with hostility as he awaited the arrival of their rival.

“Boss, you usually don’t come out here… What’s the change?” Taemin and Taeyong were both sitting in the car for nearly over an hour and both men were becoming impatient. Because of Taeyong’s high rank within Neozone, he was usually never on the field. Most of the dealing jobs belonged to the Dreamies or the BLINKS. But apparently, this job was too risky and dangerous for those members to be out on the prowl.

“Somethings come up Tae. Rivals from China decided to slither their ways into the Korean borders. Someone’s gotta stay.” Taeyong stated, his voice blunt but firm, steady. But it couldn’t help Taemin’s curiosity build up in his chest.

“China?”

Taeyong tilted his head to look at the older member next to him. “Yeah. They’ve already started to wreak havoc in Lotto. Unit 127 is already there with some of our allies, defending that part of the town. These new guys most definitely didn’t come here to play nice.”

“But then why aren’t we there with 127 now?”

“Their leader wants to send us a message. I know it’s risky, but it’s better than having them enter our territory. At this point, we’re not quite sure who we’re dealing with.”

Taemin nodded in understanding. He didn’t want to push Taeyong’s boundaries any further, and especially now wasn’t a time to let their guard down. Despite being in the gang world, Taeyong being younger than him, Taemin saw Taeyong as a younger brother he didn’t get to have growing up. But while in gang speak, Taeyong was his boss.

As another 15 minutes passed the two by, finally a large black Lincoln pulled up from the depths of the darkness around them. Windows tinted all black. If it were anyone else in this position, they wouldn’t have minded the car with any suspicion. But Taeyong knew better than that. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, turning his knuckles white.

Taeyong felt something was wrong in his gut, but the moment a window rolled down and a barrel of a 22-calibre gun appeared in the window, he knew.

“Shit! It’s a tra-!”

Before the younger could even finish his sentence, the first bullet was blown out of the barrel and slammed into the windshield. Not enough to shatter it, but enough to give a message.

Taeyong became furious. He backed the vehicle up as fast as he could, as Taemin beside him loaded his gun.

“I guess that’s our message!”

“I’m calling the Dreamies!” Taemin snapped, the phone already pressed to his ear. “Sehun, get over here now! We’re on the other side of town, close to the university campus!”

As Taemin made the call, Taeyong’s knuckles were white from the tight grip on the steering wheel. He drove wickedly fast, tires screeching around every corner he whipped around. Passing through red lights, just skimming the chances of getting hit.

“Hey! That was a red light!!”

“Damn it Taemin, does it look like I care?! There are no red lights in a damn car chase!” Taeyong fumed. As they continued to speed down the streets of Seoul, going faster by the mile, so was their rival’s bullets. Closer and closer to breaking glass and popping holes in the tires. Taeyong had enough of it and was ready to hit back.

“Take the wheel.”

“What?!” Taemin shouted.

“Jesus-take the damn wheel Taemin!”

Taeyong jumped into the back seat while Taemin moved into the driver’s seat in one fell swoop. But he didn’t dare give a second to forget about his seat belt. The younger surged through the duffel bag stored away in the back seat and loaded a gun. Without a second thought, he leaned out the window, his red fiery hair flaming as fierce as the flames of rage in his eyes. He aimed and shot the driver and must’ve hit for the car swerved as they sped off, hitting a lamppost.

After a few minutes of silence and the hum of the car, Taemin finally broke the silence.

“I think… we lost them.”

“Shit! Look out!!” Neither of the members had time to react, as their rival hit their car head on, forcing the car to stop, crushed against the escalade.

When Taeyong finally deemed back to his senses, he saw three figures exit the escalade, and so he readied his gun and exited his own.

“Sup, assholes.”

“So sorry about that. You must be Taeyong. What my dearest pleasure to finally meet you! It’s such a shame we have to be on terrible terms.” A tall guy with blonde hair stated as a snake-like smile slid across his face.

“what do you want?” Taemin demanded. He stepped out of the car alongside Taeyong. Both of their barrels pointed to the tall blond.

“you’re boss.”

“And why do you want me?” Taeyong’s posture didn’t falter. His stance emanated dominance. If there was anything he valued more than his gang, it was his pride.

“how do I put this… Our leader wants to negotiate… some things with our so-called rivals, and that involves you and your gang Mr. Lee.” The blond stated.

“You’re going to have to go through me first.” Taemin loathed, taking a step forward, his entire body shaking his rage.

“So be it.”

One of the two didn’t hesitate to charge at Taemin as both of them aimed to rip each other apart. Despite Taemin’s height, his opponent was stronger and threw him against the window of the Mercedes, completely smashing it.

Going back to his own opponent, Taeyong turned around just in time to pin the taller one against the door of the Mercedes by the neck. The taller swallowed and smirked down to the shorter.

“oh, kinky.”

Taeyong rolled his eyes and pushed the man onto the ground, foot against his chest and gun aimed at his head. But before he could even pull the trigger, a sharp pain entered his torso. He groaned and dropped the gun, clutching his side which was turning crimson red. His hands clutched his shirt against a deep blade wound as he faltered down to his knees. Taeyong struggled to pull himself back to his feet but was met with stars and a rush of pain. He glanced back behind him to be met with a woman wearing a bandana.

She raised an eyebrow at him and held up a knife which was now covered in blood. She knelt down, wiping the blood off the knife on a bandana from her pocket.

“I like your eyes Mr. Taeyong. They’re beautiful…”

“Seulgri, no.” The blond stated, standing as he dusted off his pants. “Boss wants him alive.”

“I’d listen to your friend,” Taeyong wheezed. “He seems to be the smarter of the two.” Even though he was beginning to bleed out, Taeyong still found the strength to give an evil smirk.

This made Seulgri growl, as the other lady grabbed her gun and walked around the car to join sides with her.

Before either of them could lunge forward at Taeyong, a small car slammed into the three, sending them flying against the road.

“Are we late, boss?”

“Just on time, Mark.” Taeyong groaned, forcing himself up into a sitting position.

Taemin got up off the ground and touched the wound on his forehead. His hand was covered in blood before he noticed Taeyong’s injury was worse.

“oh my god, you’re bleeding!”

“No Shit Sherlock!” Haechan yelled from the back of the car.

“Boss, what do you want us to do?” Sehun then spoke up, even through the situation, his expression remained the same as his voice barely faltered.

“Take the Dreamies back to the zone. Get inside and lock up the building. No one goes in and no one goes out.” Taeyong slurred, feeling himself fall in and out of consciousness. There was no way he would be able to make it to the hospital in time, and never mind being arrested once he arrives.

“but what about you? We can’t just leave you here!”

“Jaemin, there is no time! It’s fine, I know where to go now, get back to the zone and lock up!” At this point, most members forget how aggressive and demanding the soft hearted Taemin could be.

He had already lifted Taeyong. An arm around his waist, keeping Taeyong close to him. He could only think of one place to take him.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“But-“

“Now Jaemin! Go!” Jaemin knew that there wasn’t time to fight with Taemin. He smacked Mark’s arm and Mark sped off.

Taemin gave a small nod before he pulled his attention back to Taeyong, whose eyes were closed as his skin was already turning pale. “Hey no! Open your eyes!” He demanded, worried that if the younger's eyes closed, they would never open again.

Taeyong could barely open his eyes, as he mumbled, “Taemin, I’m dying. You gotta get ou-“

“No! No Taeyong! I’m not leaving you! And you’re not leaving me! You promised me!” The guilt washed over Taeyong. He did promise. Both promised to stick by each other's side through thick and thin.

Taeyong had a family, and that was too much to lose. “Fine.”

After minutes of staggering around the alleyways of Seoul, Taemin turned the corner of run-down apartment buildings. At this point, the older member was practically dragging the younger. He struggled to contain his tears through the hallway, mumbling incoherent words through his quiet sobs.

Taemin finally made it to the last door, and desperately knocked on it. Over and over again. After a brief moment of silence, the door finally opened.

“Help.” 

Notes : Welcome to my creative little mind!! I've had this story under my belt for a few years now, and I really wanted to post this because of my dear bestie @hyuuukais! I hope you guys enjoy the story, I've worked really hard on it and spent a bunch of time on it! It's my baby!! The inspiration for this was literally a collection of nct music videos and I went "oh! I wanna write a mafia story!" and well here we are! It's gonna be a long one, so jump in for the ride! If you wanna be in a taglist for this story, don't be afraid to reply and ask (18+)!

[izzy-ikigai]

So now that FIDE, the entity responsible for international chess, banned trans people from chess for the next 2 years at least and took away titles that trans men got pre-transition...

Are they gonna require trans people to be on hormones to play chess after that? And if so, do they really think that testosterone makes you a better chess player? Or is the chess community just going to continue to flat-out discriminate against every and all trans people like they do with women without any logical reasoning?

Like... Aren't the chess people supposed to be like... Intelligent and logical?

Oh wait, right, most chess GMs are still men and they don't want to lose the status quo after people realise that the differences in Elo literally come down to investing in women like you do with men. Most GMs in the women's right now have not been treated like superstars and don't get that extra 24/7 training when they are kids like their male counterparts do.

Look at Judit Polgar, who won against Fisher, Kasparov and Carlson when they were top players. Or at the current highest Elo player in the women's, Hou Yifan, who "expressed that she doesn’t have much time for chess alongside her education. And she reaffirmed how chess isn’t the top priority in her life."..

Like, bros, you need to calm your tits and fucking stop belittling women when the best woman right now isn't even bothered to take your cute little game seriously.

[blueberry-ash]

I’m actually on break-of-sorts! There’s extra free time in my days, and I can do what I want with it! (Even better—after a couple days spent zombie-ing in front of a video game and tv shows—my brain even kinda wants to do things. How refreshing flsdafjsa;)

So! A fic author interview, which the lovely @lynne-monstr tagged me in half an age ago. :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

327, apparently. God knows how many have been let loose to swim in the sweetly-orphaned seas.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

863,428.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

How Impolite, How Imprudent (The Walking Dead, Beth/Daryl) - 1,108 kudos.

Stripped (Death Note, Near/Mello) - 720 kudos.

let’s embrace the point of no return (Guardian, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan) - 669 kudos.

Hoping's Free (The Walking Dead, Beth/Daryl/Rick) - 639 kudos.

The Married Ones (BBC Sherlock, Sherlock/Watson) - 625 kudos.

Mostly this is just… happening to write for popular ships sometimes, I think, rather than any reflection on the actual stories themselves.

Although, The Walking Dead ones were very much just posted at exactly the right point in time—AKA right when the folks who were gonna be reading Beth-centric stories were turning up to find it…and when there really weren’t many. I remember finding it really fun to write for that ship, in no small amount because it felt exactly like writing for my usual rarer pair stuff… but with bonus readers. XD

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

I always plan to. They make me so happy! Unfortunately, my brain makes replying to comments a whole lot more complicated than it actually is… meaning I put it aside for when I’ll have the energy/capacity… and then my executive dysfunction sneaks in and eats my good intentions for breakfast. ;;

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t really write angsty endings very often. I guess… against the world? Probably? That’s pretty miserable through-and-through, and is definitely lacking my usually compulsive need to find a happy note to end on.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

…everything? XD

Honestly, my first thought was to crib off Lynne’s answer and say a story that goes real sad before it gets happy. But… that just makes me want to say my Reunion Dinner GaoQiao break-up fic (In the space of your leaving), except… I haven’t actually posted the final chapters for that yet. Meaning it’s happy ending is currently hypothetical, and it’s therefore disqualified from this category. 😂

In which case, I guess… maybe Hoping's Free, actually. I wouldn’t have thought of it, except that I was doing the sort-by-kudos thing, which made me look at it again. But it’s probably a better answer for this than my usual fluff, if only because it was written in this almost grimly hopeful tone that was very intentionally at odds with the canon I was writing from (TWD). (And was probably influenced by the fact I was sitting there writing a “pregnant at the end of the world” story whilst hugely pregnant myself, ha.)

7. Do you write crossovers?

As in, non-fusion crossovers? Where you have characters from both things interacting? Not really, to be honest. I used to, a fair bit, although I’m not sure I ever actually posted any of them. I just recently stumbled across some unfinished drafts for some Harry Potter x Bleach stuff, which was honestly fascinating to look at because I would not think of something like that now.

I do still write a bunch of fusion-style crossovers, though. Like, I’m plotting constantly plotting those bastard things. (Seriously, constantly: my poor SO cannot engage with a show or a video game with me without knowing that I’m probably sitting there thinking about where Qiao Yifan would fit into it jadlf;jasdfl.) Unfortunately, it’s just… a lot harder for me to actually finish those stories. Or sometimes, even to start them. They’re definitely one of those cases where I need to get much better at just… dropping my worldbuilding glee into a tumblr post or something, sigh.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Once. So very long ago that I don’t even remember what it was about, just that I had the sweetest group of friends who made it immediately less devastating for my rejection-sensitive ass (thereby saving me from quitting fandom not long after I had discovered it). <3

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

So much smut! Mostly the kind with a whole lotta feelings.

It’s not that I don’t write other things—I write so many other things—but smut comes with this bonus setting for me, where it’s just a hundred times simpler than anything else (especially when compared to anything that tries to grow Real Plot—see Question 7, so help me). And that just makes it wayyy easier to actually, y’know, write. And finish. And edit. And post.

(Not that sex can’t be complicated, or complex, because of course it can! But it’s still easier than so many other forms of human interaction, y’know? Or… maybe it’s just that sex is the perfect chill-switch for my brain, and that’s carried over into how I use it for writing, too? Who knows!)

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. At least, not to my knowledge.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yesss, and it’s always exciting! Translators are the best. ♥!!

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

I’ve planned to! Life got in the way, alas.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

What’s an all-time favourite anything, precious?

Whatever’s bouncing around in my head in the moment, generally. Although, that said, I do keep returning over and over and over to GaoQiao in a way that definitely should give it some kind of special status, so… there’s that. XD

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hey, that’s quitter talk, Question 14. Anyway, everyone knows I’m trapped in a fandom until I’ve had all my WIPs wrung out of me. (That’s how it works, right? Right?)

More seriously, though, I… am not really sure. There are definitely some WIPs I am constantly thinking I should just give up on and post as partly fleshed-out outlines—because I love them, but I’m not sure I have the spoons to genuinely finish them.

Like, uh, haha, y’know—the insane FangWang fairytale-esque thing, the structure of which was very purposefully built off Propp’s functions (the, uh, narrative elements of a folk tale, per Propp’s Morphology of a Folk Tale stuff), because… I’m a raging nerd who re-falls down the folk tale rabbit hole at least once a year…? I do really love that fic, so very much, because there’s so much going on in it (actual witches! changelings and neurodiversity! Lin Jie baggage! FangWang being insufferable and wonderful and full of feelings! fae folk being terrible! fae folk being So Fucking Right! trials being passed! trials being failed! homely cooking, and magical needlework, and grumpy softhearted healers chopping firewood, oh my!) But also… there’s so fucking much going on in it, dear god.

It’s probably my best candidate for being flung up as a dot-point fic, but… I remain swimming in a sea of self-delusion, haha.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think… I really like getting in the guts of things, when it comes to writing about characters as people-in-bodies. (Which… is a sentence I keep re-writing, but it’s not getting any less unhinged any time soon, so it can just stay there as-is.)

I really like that sense of grounding, anyway: of being grounded in skin and bones and body-connected feelings, which is… mildly hilarious considering—therapist noises intensify.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Executive dysfunction.

Uh. Yeah, so, I’m super bad at internalising that grammar exists for Reasons, and that those Reasons are that other people don’t necessarily think or read with the apparently weird rhythm that I do. And that means… y’know… that my own shit needs to confirm to at least a baseline of some kind or else it’ll become kinda unreadable. (I am getting better at it, I think. I am. It’s an endless project. Commas are my own personal hell.)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I do kinda get why people might do this, because baby-me was pretty enamoured with it.

Now that I’m no longer Baby, however—at least, not when it comes to this—it’s not really something I would do. I’m also more likely to politely exit back out of stories that do choose to do it, although that’s mostly because it tends to be one of those markers that says Things about whether or not I’m going to jive with a story. (As a boring-ass adult with too little functional time on her hands.)

(On the other hand, I am deeply into terms of address/honorifics being kept and used. They can provide such a rich dose of information about intimacy, familiarity, and all the rest of it. That said, I tick-tock back and forth like a busted clock on whether I think they should be translated or not.)

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Animorphs, probably, although I didn’t know what a fandom was at that point. My first posted fic was for Stargate Atlantis.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I’m going to find a way to write that sedoretu Gao Yingjie/Fang Shiqian/Wang Jiexi/Qiao Yifan story if it fucking kills me.

(Also this random Gao Yingjie/Qiao Yifan & Su Mucheng/Wang Jiexi partner-swapping thing that’s been living rent-free in my head for literal years, but which has never actually been written down as anything more than a one line note. C’mon, story, get out of my head and onto some damn paper!)

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

We play favourites in this house! Also… I’m just really bad at making those kinds of choices.

But—you know what? Fuck it, in the days this draft has been sitting here, I gotta say, I’ve kept thinking—probably the older the ginger (the spicier it gets). It’s peak rare pair, but I had such a blast writing it, and it’s one of those odd things I actually enjoy re-reading, too. <3

[pausetalk]

PauseTalk Vol. 91

PauseTalk Vol. 91 was held on Wednesday, August 28 at Garden Books, and it was a wonderful session. First off, it was the biggest group we've had so far in Shanghai -- lucky 13 -- which really tends to be the ideal size for this sort of thing (a dozen or so). Kicking off with the topic of abandoned spaces (and the desire to explore them), a lot of the following discussion revolved around what it means to live in a city that undergoes constant change, whether good or bad, and what we can or should do in terms of participating, exploring, and enjoying.

Below, the list of participants:

Dan Li (Game Developer)

Dan Zhu (Business Consultant & Development)

Eliza Flow (Brand & Graphic Designer)

George Hubert (Designer)

Gianmaria Quarta (Architect)

Grace Shen (HR Consulting)

Jan Dornig (Designer)

Jean Snow (Game Developer)

Kevin Richardson (Film Photographer)

Maria Razzhivina (The Dedicated AI Person)

Roger Groenink (Educator)

Ruzov Yegor (Science Teacher)

Yifan Yang (Sustainability)

What's next? Vol. 92 would normally happen in October, but as I'm going to be away for a good chunk of it (on top of the big national holiday at the start of the month), I think it's more likely to happen in November. As for the venue, we'll see, but it could very well return to Bananafish Books. I'll of course share details here when everything is confirmed, and you can also join our WeChat group chat to stay updated (contact me to be added).

[spookysaladchaos]

Global Top 5 Companies Accounted for 86% of total Biodegradable copolyester market (QYResearch, 2021)

According to the new market research report “Global Biodegradable copolyester Market Report 2023-2029”, published by QYResearch, the global Biodegradable copolyester market size is projected to reach USD 2.67 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 18.6% during the forecast period.

Figure.   Global Biodegradable copolyester Market Size (US$ Million), 2018-2029

Figure.   Global Biodegradable copolyester Top 12 Players Ranking and Market Share (Ranking is based on the revenue of 2022, continually updated)

The global key manufacturers of Biodegradable copolyester include Kingfa Sci.& Tech.Co.,Ltd., Xinjiang Lanshan Tunhe Chemical Co., Ltd., Novamont, BASF, JIN HUI ZHAO LONG HIGH TECHNOLNGE CO LTD., Danimer Scientific, Hengli Petrochemical Co.,Ltd., Mitsubishi Chemical, Yifan Pharmaceutical Co.,ltd., SINOPEC YIZHENG CHEMICAL FIBRE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, etc. In 2022, the global top five players had a share approximately 86.0% in terms of revenue.

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For more information, please contact the following e-mail address:

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[numb3reddays]

Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival

(bro the competition was recorded literally in june but kusc is streaming it rn and the episode was from 6 days ago)

Btw I think all of the musicians are really nice, I’m sorry but the music was so good. Like their music really connected to me. They are all really talented and put great time into their work

Seokyoung Hong was like running waters. It moved me to tears; it was amazing. The waves became more intricate and beautiful. I feel like I want my music to be like it. (Btw this dude’s 15 he’s one year older than me) I also want to comment on his voice (I tuned into the radio to hear his voice), ITS AMAZING.

Jan Schulmeister was like a bang to me. It really did portray the beauty of the Cathedral. It was amazing. (This dude is 16) The dude really kept the bass together and it blended nicely with the waves. You can hear it fighting for its life. I feel like the cathedral is fighting and slowly being submerged into the water in the most dramatic and beautiful way imaginable.

Yifan Wu is 14. He kind of sounds like my friend trying to speak mandarin. His little laugh in the recording. He is very poetic tbh. The music is so good! Despite the language barrier, he still connects with the Dallas symphony orchestra. He just brings the music together. It’s so intricate; the trills just add such an amazing addition. The music sounds like falling or being infatuated with something. Something is bringing you down as you gaze into it in awe but lifting you as a out-of-soul experience.

[aishavass]

"The worldwide Chlorfenapyr market research has many advantages for businesses, including providing

[internationalchessday]

Chess for recovering better.

To celebrate the International Chess Day, on 20 July (10:00-12:00 EST), top chess personalities, including the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian, and Hou Yifan, will take part in a high-level virtual event - “Chess for Recovering Better”. 

The event will be attended by the United Nations and government officials, permanent missions to the UN, representatives of civil society, academia, and other relevant stakeholders. It will be broadcast live by the UN, and also at FIDE's Youtube Channel. 

This meeting aims at providing a platform to discuss the unique capabilities leveraged by chess in supporting social cohesion, equality, and inclusion, with a focus on COVID-19 response and recovery efforts for building back better. 

From the concept note of the event: 

"Globally, chess is recognized as a powerful tool for promoting the values of discipline, equality, respect for rules, and mutual understanding. In 2019, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution 74/22 under agenda items “Sport for development and peace” and “Culture of peace”, designating the 20th of July as World Chess Day. 

The resolution acknowledges the important opportunities offered by chess in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, such as strengthening education and health, fostering solidarity and promoting cooperation, gender equality, inclusivity, and peace. 

Throughout history, games and sports have helped humanity to survive times of crisis by reducing anxieties and improving mental health. While the coronavirus outbreak has forced most gaming and sports activities to scale down, chess has demonstrated remarkable resilience, adaptability, and very strong convening power in time of the pandemic. Over the past few months, the overall interest in chess is reported to have doubled, with more players than ever coming together to participate in chess events that are being increasingly held through online platforms." 

[murasaki-cha]

Wen Yifan come get your man, he's about to release all his frustration and pain due to the feelings of betrayal and hurt that he has been experiencing since your fight that caused him to leave the apartment because he felt he wasn't trustworthy enough for you to confide your pain in him, that are about to explote because the cherry on top betrayal of finding out his best friend has secretly been dating his little sister so now he feels like every single person in his life that he deeply cherishes has been keeping him in the dark, causing him to beat the everloving shit out of his best friend and also ruin his and his sister's movie date.

Come get your man girl.

[audriel]

behind the scenes: let's start thinkin' bout it

chapter 1: a wish for more time

in this time travel TKA fic, naturally there's a lot of personal headcanon regarding the future, of what's happening after the end of the webnovel. i'm inclined to be hopeful for Happy's future, not solely based on favoritism, but also the main fact that all of Happy's remaining members have all playoffs experience, both main and reserve team members. With Su Mucheng of the Golden Generation is also the most senior member, this makes Happy has the youngest and yet experienced lineup, which even Samsara cannot boast the same. it makes me think with Happy's environment, theirs is a team that won't have much problem in regeneration. Blue Rain might be the only team that can say the same or even might be better as Happy still needs to be beaten back and blue first in S11.

some personal headcanons hinted in this story:

Fang Rui had a crush on Lin Jingyan. his old partner is his first love

Qiao Yifan and Luo Ji are the last of the original members of Happy. they retire in S18

Su Mucheng is the first to retire following Ye Xiu. she retires in S12 at the age of 27 after preparing Qiao Yifan and the team accordingly

Fang Rui and Bao Rongxing retire in S14, at the age 27 and 28, respectively. Tang Rou, lasting longer than expected due to her professional piano background, retire in S15 at the age of 28. An Wenyi retires next, in S16. Mo Fan retires in S17. and finally, Qiao Yifan and Luo Ji, establishing Happy's tradition of retiring by the age of 28 with Su Mucheng and Fang Rui as the sole exceptions

Su Mucheng is the only captain who stays in Happy after retirement, besides Wei Chen and Bao Rongxing who works in the guild. however, Baozi is often struck by wanderlust so he might suddenly leave Happy, but can be counted on to be found online helping the guild. Mo Fan makes an appearance here and there, no one really knows what he does

An Wenyi continues his education, resuming his previously disrupted plans. Tang Rou inherits family business. both Ye Xiu and Fang Rui find Glory-related jobs, with Ye Xiu based in Beijing while Fang Rui based abroad

Yu Wenzhou holds the record for the longest active player in the League

Tyranny wins S11, Han Wenqing and Zhang Jiale retire. Zhang Xinjie becomes captain, Song Qiying inherits Desert Dust

World Invitationals are held once in two years. So is the International League (the name is undecided), which is basically the professional Glory clubs around the world competing against each other, with the participants are champion and the runner up from domestic league for each country

With this there's international competition every year, and to accommodate the players (and to extend their career lifespan), in S12 there is secondary league for lower ranked teams, leaving the top teams in the primary league with less packed schedule

Happy wins the domestic league in S12 and S14, and the international league in S13 despite only being runner up in domestic league (unknown to public, they're on fire knowing Fang Rui is about to retire)

Fang Rui in some ways are more influential than Ye Xiu to Happy, especially in the later years. Happy's younger generation barely knows their legendary captain and God, but have known and been taught since training camp days by Fang Rui (alongside Wei Chen and Qiao Yifan)

in the wake of Ye Xiu's retirement, Fang Rui is the most capable and experienced in dealing with team and club management. his appointment as vice captain is to mainly to reduce his burden (although everyone agrees Su Mucheng is a better captain, Fang Rui included)

Fang Rui reclaims his old class (and the title of King of Thieves) to add diversity to Happy's tactics. Happy purchased Lin Feng's Thief account from Blue Rain. he is the second pro player to be registered for two account cards after Fang Shiqian

however, like Fang Shiqian (and Ye Xiu), it puts heavy burden on his body, particularly his left hand, trying to keep up with his golden right hand. he quietly has a surgery for it, and change his playstyle, which rely less on his speed and reflexes and more on his mind and experience

Qiao Yifan becomes close to Yu Wenzhou initially due to Fang Rui, but then Yu Wenzhou becomes Captain and later Team leader for World Invitationals when Qiao Yifan joins which leads them to spend a lot of time together, thus the notebook

[infj-zen]

Chess Queens MBTI

Here are a few top women chess players by MBTI

NT

ENTJ Vantika Agrawal, Mobina Alinasab, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Ashritha Eswaran, Hou Yifan, Alina Kashlinskaya, Humpy Koneru, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Priyanka Nutakki, Susan Polgar, Atousa Pourkashiyan, Anna Rudolf, Xie Jun

INTJ Ju Wenjun, Gracy Prasanna

ENTP Xeniya Balabayeva, Nino Batsiashvili, Harika Dronavalli, Nana Dzagnidze, Meruert Kamalidenova, Irina Krush, Megan Lee, Iris Mou, Phiona Mutesi, Mai Narva, Elisabeth Paehtz, Polina Shuvalova, Anna Ushenina, Zhao Xu

INTP Alice Lee, Marie Sebag, Zhu Jiner

ST

ESTJ Arianne Caoili, Anna Cramling Bellon, Jovanka Houska, Oliwia Kiolbasa, Tania Sachdev, Zoey Tang,  Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, Keti Tsatsalashvili, Charlize Van Zyl, Qiyu Zhou

ISTJ Bibisara Assaubayeva, Chloe Gaw, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Teodora Injac, Anna Muzychuk, Dinara Saduakassova, Sahithi Varshini Moogi

ESTP Zhansaya Abdumalik, Rose Atwell, Dina Belenkaya, Alexandra Botez, Dorsa Derakhshani, Divya Deshmukh, Sabina-Francesca Foisor, Judit Polgar, Jennifer Shahade, Machteld Van Foreest, Carissa Yip

ISTP Thalia Cervantes Landeiro, Ding Yixin, Lela Javakhishvili, Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, Gunay Mammadzada, Nazi Paikidze, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Nurgyul Salimova

NF

ENFJ Irina Bulmaga, Yassamin Ehsani, Anne Haast, Tatiana Kosintseva, Rochelle Wu

INFJ Mrudul Dehankar, Lei Tingjie

ENFP Tatev Abrahamyan, Jesse February, Mary Ann Gomes, Bhakti Kulkarni, Shreya Mangalam, Sophie Morris-Suzuki, Sofia Polgar, Eline Roebers, Monika Socko, Irene Sukandar, Dinara Wagner, Tan Zhongyi

INFP Pauline Guichard, Ayaulym Kaldarova, Maria Malicka, Rakshitta Ravi

SF

ESFJ Almira Skripchenko, Jennifer Yu, Yuanling Yuan

ISFJ Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, Valentina Gunina, Mitra Hejazipour, Kateryna Lagno, Mariya Muzychuk, Fiona Steil-Antoni, Batchimeg Tuvshintugs

ESFP Andrea Botez, Pia Cramling, Savitha Shri Baskar

ISFP Sopiko Guramishvili, Bella Khotenashvili, Sophie Milliet, Padmini Rout, Sarayu Velpula, Ruiyang Yan

[delphiealmond]

Chaos By A Rose Bush

Pairings ᯓ★ Lee Jeno x Park Jisung / Johnny Suh x Na Jaemin / Mark Lee x Na Jaemin / Johnny Suh x Xiaojun / Wong Yukhei x Wu Yifan / Kim Jungwoo x Lee Taemin / Ten Lee x Lee Taeyong

Synopsis ᯓ★ Ten Lee is a simple guy who moved to Korea to fulfill his dream job as a doctor. Lee Taeyong is trying to keep everyone safe as much as he can. Wong Yukhei is trying to take over the world. Neozone is well known for keeping the streets of Seoul, South Korea safe. though the people think otherwise. Neozone creates deals with other mafia groups that try to fight against them, and Neozone is known to take down other mafia groups that try to cross their path. Except for one. Lumidome is China's most wanted Mafia group. They are the most dangerous, with members who are strong, smart, independent and dangerous. They want Korean territory. Will Neozone be able to protect their home from invaders?

Warnings ᯓ★ 18+, Swearing, guns, shooting, Blood

MASTERLIST : Previous | Next

CHAPTER TWO (3.6k)

Ten couldn’t sleep.

It became a common occurrence to wake up in the middle of the night, wondering if what he just remembered was either a dream or a past memory. Maybe it was because he was away from home. Homesick. Or maybe it was because he was lonely. A lot of the time, Ten just tossed and turned after reminiscing about what he imagined.

It wasn’t easy to admit to himself that he was lonely. It wasn’t easy trying to admit to himself that he could possibly be depressed. Being alone for so long, and not having family backing him up caused him to wonder if he was really worth the time of the world. But every time a thought like that crossed his mind, he would give life another try. He always did.  

Just as he was falling back to sleep, a loud sudden knock came from his front door. Not only did it startle him awake, but it also made his stomach twist in a way it hasn’t in his life. He was worried, afraid. But once he eased the thought that it could possibly be some drunkards roaming around, it happened again, but louder. Longer. Faster.

Ten groaned and arose from his bed. He turned on the hallway light and thought that whoever it was, waking him up at ungodly hours in the morning, was going to get knocked out.

It wasn’t until he swung open the front door, that time around him felt as if it froze. In front of him was Taemin. But once he took in the messed up, beaten form, he realized that the older wasn’t alone. In his arms, was a boy, passed out stone cold.

“Help.”

Ten took in the bleeding form of the body next to Taemin. He didn’t give a care in the world who this stranger was, but he was with Taemin. And if Taemin came to him, crying for help, he was going to help him no matter what. If there was anything to stop from seeing Taemin crying, he will do it.

“Bring him in.” He said, opening the doorway further for Taemin.

A feature of Ten, is his need to save a life. No matter who it was, or who they were in society. And right now, all that his brain was telling him was that he needed to save this stranger's life. The Thai boy was in doctor mode as he searched his entire apartment for his supplies.

In the meantime, Taemin laid Taeyong on the table top. When Ten came back, Taemin wanted so bad to explain the entire situation to him, but he was afraid that Ten would disregard him as a person. He debated whether he should lie or not. It was a bad habit of living among a gang.

“Chitta-“

“wait in the bathroom. The first aid kit is in the cupboard. Get yourself cleaned up the best you can before I can help you.” Ten didn’t even turn to look to the older. The tone in his voice gave off no chance to argue back, so Taemin did as he was told.

Getting straight to work, he plastered on the gloves before he lifted the stranger’s shirt. He inhaled sharply, viewing the wound of crimson red that impacted the pale skin. The stranger had lost a lot of blood, but luckily he was still alive as Ten felt a low pulse under his two fingers.

With his skilled, trained hands, Ten cleaned up the wound and stitched it closed in a matter of a few hours. A shine of sweat still present as he cleaned up the bandages left on the table.

Ten made his walk to the bathroom and ignored the presence of Taemin who sat against the edge of the bathtub. He washed his hands under warm water. Ten wasn’t angry with him, as a matter of fact, he was worried about what trouble he could have gotten himself into.

He paused and rested against the counter, looking to his hyung in the mirror.

“Are you okay?” He mumbled patiently. It took a few seconds before Taemin finally spoke.

“Y-yes.”

“Good,” Ten turned off the water and from the open first aid kit on the counter, grabbed a fresh pair of gloves. He turned to Taemin and moved his bangs as he began to fix up the older. “Care to tell me what happened?” He whispered under his breath.

Taemin closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.

“I can’t, Ten.” Ten’s hands paused, as he looked at the older.

“What do you mean you can’t? You come to my apartment at 3 in the damn morning, battered and bleeding with a complete stranger hanging on by a thread, and you can’t tell me why or what happened?” He said, starting to put a patch over the olders forehead wound.

“I just can’t. I wish I could, but I fear that you’d hate me afterwards.” Taemin mumbled, a quiver in his voice. Besides Taeyong, Ten was one of the closest things he’d call as blood family. He couldn’t stand losing both of them at the same time.

“I’d hate you even more if you didn’t tell me…” Ten muttered, taking off the gloves. A string of silence filled the space between the two of them as they exchanged quiet looks to each other.

The sound of Taemin’s phone ringing disturbed their silence as he looked down. Ten frowned and crossed his arms.

“Whose that?”

“The Dreamies…” He breathed, his eyes widening in slight worry and fear.

“What? What are you talking about?”

The older member didn’t answer, as he was rushing towards the front door. But Ten was quick on his feet and pulled Taemin’s arm back. He looked at the older with worry and concern written all over his face.

“Ten, I really need to go. I promise I’ll explain it to you later but just… Not right now. I have to go.” The desperate plea in the olders voice made Ten’s grip loosen. He sighed with a small nod, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Fine… But you have to take it slow! You had a head trauma, there’s a possibility that you have a concussion.”

Taemin gave the younger a sad, but small smile before he left the apartment in a hurry. As soon as the older left, Ten heard police sirens echoing the streets of Seoul. He wandered to the window and gazed out.

“Please just be okay…”

~~

Taemin felt absolutely horrible for leaving Ten empty handed like that. He knew that he disturbed Ten’s sleeping, showing up a dishevelled mess with a man that was beyond injured. Like Ten said, hanging on by a thread. He knew he didn’t need to leave Taeyong a message, the younger knew how to get back home to zone, but he was fearful of leaving Ten with Taeyong.

If Ten found out that he just fixed Korea’s most wanted gang leader… Taemin didn’t want to know what would happen. But he knew that Ten wasn’t a snitch. He knew that Ten could be trusted. That’s why he went to him.

But pushing his worries aside and out of his mind, he sped up his pace towards the train station. He knew the sun would be up soon, but he kept his head low. Hidden form searching eyes. There was more risk being out in the daylight to being caught, due to the gang activities that happen throughout the night.

The worry of being caught sparked severe paranoia in his core. Once he entered the train, Taemin noticed how all eyes immediately went to him. He thought that he was being careful, but not obviously with the grey sweater that was stained in blood. But then again, people only see this type of stuff on public transportation anyways.

Taemin marched down the aisle, keeping his head low and tried to ignore all the judgmental looks from the folks on the train.

As long as the awkward silence and the sound of the train on the rails was, it finally stopped at his destination. He sprinted out, as fast as he could straight towards the place he called home.

“Please be okay…”

None of the Dreamies were replying to his texts. Ever since he left Ten’s apartment, his heart throbbed in his ears, filling the space with pure anxiety. A build up in his chest that he couldn’t ignore. He finally rounded the corner into Neozone territory. A place strictly for the gang. Though the place didn’t look like much, just a large old worn down warehouse, the insides were actually decked nicely.

All members lived together, giving it easy access to figure out group activities and whereabouts of each member.

As he headed inside the building, Taemin noted his eerily quiet it was. The only giveaway of someone’s presence was a light seen through floorboards and doorframes. He didn’t bother to call out as he leaned against the wall by the door. He simply just listened to the quiet whispers heard from inside the room.

“We’re so screwed… This is all our fault.” Jisung muttered, closing his eyes in pure worry.

“Hey, listen… They didn’t take much, it wasn’t like the entire building was robbed. Only a  bit of paperwork and money. Just things from the file room.” Jaemin hummed, rubbing the youngers back in an attempt to sooth his worries.

Though Jaemin spoke confidently, Taemin could tell that he was holding it together with every last string. He knew that Jaemin, no, he knew that most of the Dreamies were scared.

Taemin peered into the slightly ajar room, seeing all the Dreamies scattered around the room. What alarmed him was that the members were armed, bats, knives, and long metal pipes covered in blood splotches.

“It doesn’t matter what room they went into… They came here with a purpose.” Mark muttered, gripping a baseball bat. He himself had a few bruises written over his face.

“Came here with a purpose to steal something valuable, they did. And that makes us vulnerable.” Sehun grumbled, the grip on the end of the iron pipe turned his knuckles white. Sehun seemed downright pissed at the situation at hand.

“Well, this wouldn’t have happened if you had just let me finish them off.” Jeno complained, fiddling with a lighter in one hand, and a can of aerosol in the other. Taemin could tell by the rage in Jeno’s eyes, that something went down while he wasn’t present.

But Taemin had enough of hiding away from the boys and opened the door. As expected, every single member gripped their weapon tighter, and got ready to fight until they saw and recognized who it was.

“What happened?”

The silence was deafening, as all what the members heard was the beating of their own heartbeats that gave away their emotions. They all turned to Mark to explain what went down.

“Once we got back here, there was a car sitting out front that wasn’t one of ours. All lights were on too, so we figured we were getting looted since everyone was out, and things were all over the place when we got in. Sehun also said that one of them spoke Chinese, but that wasn’t the weirdest part.” Mark explained. There was a long pause before he turned to Jisung for help.

“They didn’t take anything valuable other than some papers from the file room. It was… as if they already knew what they were looking for and found it.”

“But we didn’t let them leave without a fight. That group was pretty damn feisty.” Haechan stated, a sadistic proud smirk formed against his lips.

“Yeah… There was a blondie who didn’t want to move, so I punched her.” Jeno stated, pretending to punch the air in the same swift motion he apparently hit the girl.

Taemin groaned and sighed, before sitting down.

“So, this group seems to be made of a lot of women.”

“Maybe women are just more powerful than they are here.” Jaemin suggested, his hands fiddling with the brass knuckles on his fingers.

“Hey. Save it, you don’t want the BLINKS to hear you say that do you?” Kai snapped, defending the girls.

“But it doesn’t matter if there’re powerful women or not. They still took the files, but why? For what reason?” Jisung complained, his voice fragile and weak. Besides causing havoc within the city, and dealing with some of the most frightful people, Jisung was in charge of the money count and the files in the file room. The idea of just one missing, turned his stomach and he knew that he was going to be in deep shit with their boss.

“Look… We’ve all been through quite a bit tonight… We need to turn in. Unit 127 will return by daylight, but we have to get some rest. Sleep off the events of today.” Taemin suggested, seeing all the members distraught from pulling an all-nighter with more action within their safe zone than usual. They all looked like they longed for some sleep.

With that said, the young Dreamies were headed off to their rightful rooms. Sehun and Kai lingered in the room, gathering the weapons the boys held in their hands. Even through the shuffling of the two members, Taemin still felt in his gut that something was very wrong.

“What happened with boss?” Kai questioned; his curiosity on where their leader was beginning to swirl like a tornado in his chest.

With a small wave of the hand, Taemin sat down on the couch the Dreamies were sat on.

“He’s fine-“

“And what about you?”

“Me?” Taemin muttered, bringing a hand up to his forehead. He completely forgot about the bandage Ten placed as his fingers brushed against the surgical tape keeping the bandage in place.

“I’m alright. There’s nothing to worry about,” Taemin stood. “You boys go get some rest too. You may be a bit older than the others, but you still need the rest that you’re lacking.”

Sehun and Kai exchanged wary glances between each other before they set the tools, knives, and sports gear on the table. They headed off to their own rooms as Taemin was left alone in the room. Though now, complete silence has started to fill the room he was in, his stomach twisted in a way he recognized way too easily. He didn’t like how the night turned out, what happened and how shaken up the boys were. Things were so very wrong.

~~

Ten had made up the final decision that he would sleep on the couch. Overall, he was a university student, there was no excuse of missing a day or being late. But at the same time, he didn’t want to be far from the stranger in his house. Even if he didn’t have many possessions, there was still a small set of uneasiness roaming his chest. From not knowing the stranger, to also worrying about his well being, he just wanted to make sure the injured didn’t wake up before him and left.

By the time he finally woke up, he checked the clock in his small set living room before seeing he would be 10 minutes late if he slacked off.

Springing to his feet, he rushed between the bathroom and his bedroom to do his regular morning routine faster than he ever has in his life. Due to the lack of time, Ten knew he would later regret not putting a tad of makeup on and his style of clothes. Even with his hatred of life, he knew how to dress well and look good while doing it. He adored dressing nicely and looking the part, but maybe that was why the students in his classes thought he was gay.

Which he would like to believe wasn’t true.

On his way back to the living room, one shoe in hand and one already on his foot, he rammed his hip into the corner of the counter top by the front door. He groaned and let out a string of Thai curse words.

His university campus was just down the road, so it was a small walk if it was a day he didn’t sleep in. Today he understood that he would have to speed walk or even jog half of the way there. Thinking of the idea of being late made him groan, he didn’t want to be faced with embarrassment from the other students. He grabbed his keys off the counter and threw his bag over his shoulder with ease. He was just about to unlock the door when an unfamiliar voice greeted him.

“Morning cutie, off in a hurry huh?”

“Jesus!!” Ten jumped, eyes wide as his keys slipped out of his hand onto the floor. With the rush to get himself ready for school, he completely forgot about the actions from the previous night, and completely forgot about the stranger that he let sleep in his apartment.

The taller man was leaning against the counter elbow resting against the top, with his head tilted slightly to the side. Ten struggled to come back with a response to the handsome man standing in his kitchen, shirtless with a bandage wrapped around his waist.

“I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble. I would assume that Taemin didn’t exactly tell you who I am?” His voice was alluring, gentle as he spoke. As if Ten could be drowned in such a gentle, calm sounding voice. At the sound of the words coming from the tallers mouth, Ten couldn’t trust himself with his own, so he just shook his head in response.

“I’m Taeyong. Lee Taeyong.”

There was a small sense of familiarity to the name, but Ten couldn’t place it in his already racing mind. Due to his own exhaustion and the darkness of the night before, he couldn’t exactly get a good look at the taller. He witnessed an exposed chest but didn’t give time to examine the muscle and was instantly working away on the wound bleeding like a running faucet.

He never got a chance to look at the stranger’s face, but now with the injured standing in front of him, his fiery red hair pushed back, Ten was able to get a good look at him. And damn, he could swear to himself that he’s never seen a face more perfect in his entire life.

“You have a nice face.”

The words left Ten’s mouth without a second thought. He gasped and covered his mouth with his hand, shocked that the words slipped out. At the sound of the injured chuckling, Ten wanted nothing more but to hide away in a cave and never be seen again.

Taeyong took a step forward, forcing Ten’s eyes to follow down the tallers torso.

“I’m glad you like what you see.” When Ten’s eyes scanned back up the olders waist to meet his eyes, there was a smirk present, which sent Ten into a panic he’s only experienced rarely. He eyed the taller whose face still held the smirk against his lips.

“Uh, wait, wait no. That’s-“

“Relax, I’m just playing.”

Ten gave a heavy sigh of relief as a string of awkward silence soon followed. But the space between the two of them turned tense. Taeyong’s smile dropped from his face as he eyed over Ten’s body. Ten was guilty of exactly mimicking the other. If he knew the man, he’d probably risk it all to save him.

“Um,” Ten started, breaking the tension between the two. “My Uni class will start soon, and I really need to get going. You’re free to help yourself to the fridge, but I don’t exactly have anything but cold ramen noodles.” He picked up his keys and unlocked the door as the taller leaned against the wall.

“But.” Ten paused and looked at the other. “if you take anything from my expensive clothes, I swear I will kill you.” Taeyong raised his slit eyebrow in slight amusement.

“Sounds promising. But a broke University student who spends all their money on clothes doesn’t sound like an exact threat.”

“It’s a lifestyle. My lifestyle Taeyong. Take it or leave it.” Taeyong couldn’t help but be more amused at the attitude in Ten’s voice as he spoke his name.

“I hope you see you again.” Ten’s cheeks started to blush, hearing those words from Taeyong’s gentle voice. He couldn’t keep eye contact as he stepped out the front door.

“I’m glad to see you standing and talking. It’s a huge improvement, and as long as you keep yourself relaxed, the wound should heal soon.” Ten muttered, his eyes glued to the floor of the apartment hallway.

Taeyong grabbed Ten’s arm and gripped, forcing the younger to turn his eyes to look at Taeyong’s.

“I didn’t catch your name.”

“Ten. My name is Ten.” He smiled. It was the last thing he spoke to the man before he rushed off to his university classes, hoping that the conversation wasn’t going to make him even more late. He hoped that the entire events of the night and meeting Taeyong was all just a dream by the time he returned home.

“Ten.” Taeyong repeated, looking at the closed door beside him. He smiled at how simple it rolled off his tongue. For a fact, Taeyong knew that he couldn’t let this one slip through his fingers. It’s been too long since he’s talked with someone other than his family, so he knew that he couldn’t let him get away.