#* | 002. in another world perhaps

[theladysunami]

I have had another idea for a type of Bingqiu fanfiction that could be both angsty and loads of fun!

SVSSS's Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan transmigrate into PIDW as a late story Bingge and either a random wife, a still living antagonist, or a newly minted version of his old self, respectively.

Bingmei is horrified to find himself back in a shitty world full of wives he doesn't care for. Plus this is after Bingge merged the realms, so there are boatloads of consequences resulting from both that and all the other nonsense Bingge got up to (possibly including a bunch of young children with his various wives). He wants nothing more then to leave and go back to his own world, with his own beloved husband, but this voice in his head calling itself 'the System' won't let him.

The System reassures Binghe that to avoid a "second catastrophic protagonist breakdown," User 002, formerly cast as "Shen Qingqiu," has been brought along as well. (Quizzing the System reveals the first "catastrophic protagonist breakdown" is why Binghe was brought here. The previous "Luo Binghe instance" was apparently "too unstable" and "had to be replaced"). Unfortunately the System is much less helpful when it comes to informing Luo Binghe who his Shizun happens to be now.

Shenanigans ensue as Luo Binghe first works to track down his beloved (not knowing what skin he happens to be wearing now) and then works with him to bring some kind of stability to the horrifically mangled world they now live in.

There are so many ways things could play out with just this scenario!

One could write a story focused on just Luo Binghe tracking down Shen Yuan's current self, and the inevitable reveal that this transmigration thing happened to Shen Yuan once before, or the story could be about both that and the two of them stepping up and putting the world back together after someone else went and wrecked it.

The information on PIDW we have is vague enough that all sorts of options exist in terms of worldbuilding and emphasis on that end too:

The story could be a political intrigue where all sorts of complicated political maneuverings are required to materially improve people's situations and return some amount of self sufficiency after decades (or perhaps centuries) of Bingge's tyrannical rule.

It could be about the environmental changes of the merged realms, the various species that are either struggling or thriving, the changes people need to make to deal with this 'new normal', and so forth.

It could also be about the personal struggles of the wives, the "villains," the children, and so forth that Bingge left behind. How to work with them, help them heal and/or move on, etc.

One could also go the silly route and lean in on the absolute absurdity of the entire situation. The pure confusion at Luo Binghe's sudden complete change of character, and the seemingly random person he only now decided to crown as empress.

If anyone has their own thoughts and ideas on a "Bingmei permanently replaces Bingge in the world of PIDW, and his Shizun is brought along" type scenario, I'd love to hear about them!

[amourdivine]

𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃 🦢 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐙𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐒?

Hello! Since I wanted to cross this to Instagram, I wrote a sweet and short reading on how you'll be able to recognize your FS. I really hope this resonates! Feedback is always appreciated; If you liked this reading, please consider booking a paid reading or tipping me at @ amourdivinetarot@gmail.com! xo. ♡

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none of the images are mine unless stated otherwise.

how to choose your pile.  take deep breaths for a few minutes & look at each and every one of the piles separately. which pile sparks a feeling inside you? which pile gives you a strong memory or calls out to you the most? take your time and feel free to come back to it later.

♡ ♡ ♡     pick a card masterlist & information.

disclaimer. this is a general reading for entertainment purposes. tarot is a divination tool & is not a substitute for medical and professional advice, nor is it meant to be taken as such. i do not take responsibility for any choice(s) made by you or others regarding my readings.

amourdivine. 2021 - 2023 © do not copy, redistribute or edit my content.

PILE 001.

three of wands • three of cups • eight of pentacles

Before being a good anything, this person is a good friend. You'll recognize them by their hardworking nature, their cooperation and team working skills. It's likely you'll meet them during a work travel or another kind of formal situation - perhaps on a group travel for a college project or some other kind of professional setting. Your FS will be extremely skilled and knowledgeable, but humble about it. You may end up collaborating with this person on something significant here, perhaps a business or a project together. I feel like they're very prim & proper, they'll never cross boundaries and will always be respectful of everyone's beliefs, religion and backgrounds. You'll recognize them by their patience, their independent, wise and practical nature.

Planets and signs: Earth energy, mainly Capricorn and Taurus.

♡ ♡ ♡ if you enjoyed this reading, please consider tipping me via paypal @ amourdivinetarot@gmail.com!

PILE 002.

two of swords • the empress • the hermit.

So much Venus and Libra here. This person is a people pleaser, not in a terrible way, but they want to be discerning, okay. They want to be fair and diplomatic. Your FS is thoughtful - you'll recognize them by how much they always want to do the right thing, to the point where it becomes borderline unhealthy and perfectionist. They want to make sure they make the best decisions for everyone in their lives. Your FS takes everyone's feelings into account because they care deeply about their family and loved ones. You'll recognize them for their big heart, their sensitive, introspective and gentle nature. They may be an overthinker as well, because your FS is terrified of hurting someone or doing the wrong thing by themselves or someone else. They're beautiful in all aspects.

Planets and signs: Earth and Air, mainly Libra and Virgo.

♡ ♡ ♡ if you enjoyed this reading, please consider tipping me via paypal @ amourdivinetarot@gmail.com!

PILE 003.

the star • three of swords • seven of swords.

Your FS is resilient, hopeful and cunning. You'll recognize them by their ability to outsmart the people who don't mean well, by their silver tongue and sharp wit. They have an uncanny ability to get past the heartbreaks and difficult moments in their life. This person has been through it, they've seen many things and they did not let the world get to them. While they may seem smug, your FS is confident in themselves to get through anything in life. They're hopeful, but they're not passive about their hope. They don't sit around and wait for things to improve - no, this person improves their own life and crafts their own destiny. Magician card energy. You'll recognize them by their stubbornness, their desire to fight for better things and their unique sense of humor.

Planets and signs: All air signs, mainly Aquarius and Gemini.

♡ ♡ ♡ if you enjoyed this reading, please consider tipping me via paypal @ amourdivinetarot@gmail.com!

PILE 004.

page of swords • eight of pentacles • justice.

Your FS is a curious, busy and hardworking person. You'll recognize them by how many questions about life they have - they're a truth seeker. They could work in the legal or justice system. This person may be a bookworm and likes asking the hard, philosophical questions. They're not afraid of harsh truths and confronting the people who have done something wrong. Your FS may strongly believe in karma, or perhaps they have a very strong ethic and moral code. You'll recognize them by how passionate, eager and restless they seem for something greater than what the world can offer. A larger-than-life personality. Someone honest, curious, non-judgmental and principled.

Planets and signs: mainly Libra and Gemini, with a feel of Sagittarius.

♡ ♡ ♡ if you enjoyed this reading, please consider tipping me via paypal @ amourdivinetarot@gmail.com!

amourdivine. © do not copy, redistribute or edit my content.

[happyanderes]

⚠︎Letter⚠︎

☎︎002-001

Stalker x reader

⚠︎Warnings: Yandere, stalking, drug usage(movie chloroform)

This is an oldie, so no drawings of the guy:>

Unless someone wants to see it

Word count:1.6k

If you’re reading this letter, I hope you read it to the end. 

You have the right to know everything written in here.

The first time I met you was exactly three months ago, it was a fraction of a second. you walked past me with hurried steps, I was deep in thought.

At that moment, a question that popped in my head.

Can someone know everything about a person when the other doesn’t?

……Only one way to find out. 

It was an experiment, and I chose you to be my participant.

To be honest, it could’ve been anyone walking there, you were just unlucky, I guess.

So I took the plan into action and turn around to follow you home. The first thing I learned about you was that you walk really fast, as if you’re in a hurry. 

But I was faster, you were relaxed, I can hear the little tune you were humming along with the music from your earphones. You liked that song a lot back then, but it changed to another lately, right?

Anyways, you were in your little world, I didn’t even have to hide the sound of my footsteps. Well, nobody is prepared for a stalker, not even me, perhaps.

I learned so much about you just that night, you would play with the straps on your bag, twist your fingers in them. Did you notice that little habit? It looks like you want your hand to be held.

And the way you breathe was quite adorable, sometimes you take deeper breaths as if you forgot to breathe.

You were a complete stranger to me, not my type, even.

But those little details were quite intriguing, so I continued on with my “research”.

Can someone know everything about a person when the other doesn’t?

For the first two weeks, I followed you through you going between work and home, at 8:30 sharp, but you often leave late, looking tired, were you being picked on? I later knew that it was in fact, true. Poor you, but it’ll get better, I’ll make sure of that.

By following you, I learned quite a lot, your favorite foods in the convenience store, how you would get all excited when you see a stray cat, or someone walking a dog. 

But that wasn’t enough, I can see you have a mask on when you’re outside, always smiling, always so composed.

So, I did what I have to, I broke in your house. It was so easy, who hides their spare keys in somewhere so obvious? So I took it and had someone make a copy, they didn’t suspect a thing, even laughed and told me to be careful with my keys, after all, who would know they’d encounter a stalker in real life? It’s amusing.

I haven’t felt such emotions in a long time, the fear of being caught, the excitement of sneaking around, the interesting feeling when I think about how nobody suspected me.

Strangely, I didn’t feel guilt, I mean, never had. 

(Click)

Anyways, I went in your apartment, it was way smaller than what I’ve expected, and quite messy, must I add. But it holds a certain charm to it, how you really are is so obvious just by seeing this room, I find it cute, how your pajamas are lying on the bed, how you forgot to leave the cap of your toothpaste on. Always, you go to work in a hurry and come home so late, do you have time for anything?

The first day was a little dangerous, I was so into the photo albums and the trinkets you collect in your room I almost forgot the time, I went past you when you were on the ground floor, but you didn’t seem to notice me, you looked so tired, no matter how much make up you put on it couldn’t hide those dark circles.

I felt bad for you, but I can’t help out yet, the experiment will last for three months.

Can someone know everything about a person when the other doesn’t?

After that, I often visit your house, in fact, I visit every day when you were not there. I would go in, look at all your things, then leave before sun down.

It was when I tried to go in your computer and faced a password did I realize that I don’t know your name yet. 

So I went through all your stuff, finding some mail and your passport, found your password, your name and your birthday isn’t a good combination, by the way, someone bad might figure it out.

It’s too late for that, apparently.

The stuff you have in there is just, so interesting.

First of all, you should block that guy who’s keep messaging you instead of dragging it on! Why are you giving him hope? He’s disturbing you and that alone is enough for him to die a thousand times.

Next, interesting taste in fictions. We might make a good couple.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think about it too much at the time, the need to do an experiment was replaced by the excitement rather than attachment or emotions towards you, of course, I felt attached to you, but it wasn’t strong……not yet.

Then after a month or so, I went through everything I could find, including your computer, I even read all the manga and stuff to get to know you more……and I hate to admit it, but it wasn’t half bad, some had nice plots.

But at some point, I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing you, so I went back to stalking you. I’ve gone a little rusty, but same as always, you didn’t feel it, it was a little frustrating to be honest, I don’t want you to notice me in this experiment, but at the same time I wanted you to turn your head around and use those beautiful eyes to look at me, to notice me, to show all those emotions and little details to me. I must have gone crazy……if I wasn’t at the start. 

We are only halfway through the experiment, and I’ve known so, so, so much about you, all those adorable little quirks, the real side of you, you became so beautiful in my eyes when I started stalking you again, for a moment, I thought you were an angel, not the biblical accurate ones you’ve seen in fictions, the ones people think about.

It was then I realized, I have fallen, not that deep yet, but…... 

If I stopped the experiment could we still be strangers back then? 

Can we?

No, it was too late for that……

Just following you wasn’t enough anymore, just going through your albums isn’t enough anymore, just looking through every post you made on social media isn’t enough anymore.

I have to……no, need to touch you.

It was the biggest risk I’ve taken by far, It would be the end if I was caught.

But it was so tempting, to touch your hair, your face…..to hold your hand and kiss your nose. 

I enjoy petting your hair a lot, whenever I touch them, I can’t get my hand off it it, and how comfortable you look when I pet you even when you’re sleeping. 

And the way your nose would scrunch up whenever I kiss you, as if it tickles you is just so cute.

That was just so adorable I couldn’t help but kiss you again and again, in your forehead, your eyelids, your cheeks, and your lips. They were soft, but a little dry.

It became routine, everyday when you’re fast asleep I would go in your house and just look at you, if I was feeling bold I’d touch you some more.

But it’s not enough, it’ll never be enough.

I haven’t slept well ever since I met you that day, I was making notes, or planning things, you never leave my head, every second of my life was surrounded by you, but the fact that you don’t know me was driving me crazy, you did all of this unconsciously.

By the time I realized, it’s only a week until this experiment ends. I learned about anything I could possibly learn about you, the way you talk to the people you like, the way you talk to the people you dislike, the little habit you have when you’re tense, I fell madly in love with you.

But there’s one thing I don’t know about you.

What would you do when you talk to me?

What face would you make when you see me?

Some stranger who knows all about you?

I think I have an inkling.

I can predict what you do easily, it’s amusing.

Anyways, I took a little time off from you and got some……supplies, I’ll put it that way. I’ve decorated our new place in the way you like, I hope you would appreciate it. I should be in your house by now, remember to take a deep breath.

I’ll come and get you in……

5

                  4

                                           3

                                               2

1

(Suddenly, you feel someone breathing on your neck)

(when did the door click open? )

“Ah ah ah, don’t run.”

(An arm was wrapped around your waist)

”The experiment was successful, I know aAaaLlll about you.”

(A cloth covered your mouth and your nose, you try to struggle, but it’s getting dizzy.)

“But it’s time for you to know about me. After all, it’s only fair for you to know all about me when I know you so well.”

(Your consciousness is fading, you tried to attack the person behind you, but you don’t have any strength anymore.)

“Can’t wait to have those pretty eyes looking at me.”

(You lose conscious)

[theoperativeif]

The Imperial Ball (Future update)

The upcoming Imperial Ball will be an excellent place to start reintroducing decisions made throughout the story. The way a lot of the decisions, both large and small play through the operative will pop up. Especially some that you maybe even forgot making yourself...From your background heavily influencing how nearly every character at the ball treats you, to some characters showing up who could be dead or alive based on the playthrough.

To take a small character and your impact on them. Imperator Crasus can either be sent away in disgrace for being drunk while on duty or face a gruesome end during the Palace flashback. His death or life of atonement for what he sees as a personal failure has been going on through these years and will play a role in the ball.

Of course also the ball will be experienced in different ways based on your selection of partners to attend it with you, both platonically and romantically... ;) Will you watch as Roads enters the political scene after a long journey for justice? Or Liana as she tries to make her way through the world as a simple soldier thrust into the public eye? Or maybe Designate Six wrestling with both their relationship with you as well as their very identity? And plenty more.... (Psst Ari romancers have some interesting effects too...)

All the political players will be watching you with interest at the event. Best mingle and possible make some moves to gain their approval. With you befriend the Burdin brothers with their secluded sector of space and their private military complex? Or perhaps the discreet Jinsei family who prefer to watch behind the scenes? A combination of what you have done up to this point as well as what you choose to do after will affect their relationship with you as well as whichever of the two factions you find yourself leaning towards...

Another fun thing the ball will introduce is how your characters military actions have affected the universe as a whole. Both for your allies in the Imperial Armed Forces and the Commonwealth... A diplomatic envoy has arrived and is invited to the event, with a member of the Six Swords in tow. This will be our first true glimpse at Commonwealth politics in the world of the Operative and I am excited to see you all explore it and make your mark in it as 002!

[v4mpps]

Hii ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ Could you perhaps write a Zero two(darling in the franxx) x reader 🥺🙏🙏

Sure! <3

Zero-Two x GN!Reader

Headcanons + short fanfiction

Zero Two loves PDA, and in general - showering you with attention and love,

She can be possessive of you, while you try and talk to another person, but you don't really mind,

She's MADLY in love with you !

She would give you the world, once you start dating her it's like dating a goddess,

She's very sweet and caring, she also can be a little meanie just to tease you

She loves watching you and your cute reactions,

She would sneak on you while you're eating, and take your food when you're not paying attention to it,

She then proceeds to be that sweet little innocent angel, not knowing what she did - a sneaky little bastard,

The flowers still bloom, even when you're not with me...

Spring. Flowers are blooming, trees are growing leaves, and overall everything is waking up from winter. 002 was alongside her beloved darling. She cherished every moment with them. Unfortunately it all could end in a few months. 002 was preparing for war, she needed to be ready for the worst, she knew she probably won't come back from the war. It was painful to know that it could be the last time, she'd be spending with her darling.

- Zero Two? You're awfully quiet today, did something happen? Was it me?

- Oh don't mind me darling! I'm just... So happy to be with you here and now...

- You usually aren't so sentimental, I can tell something happened

002 sighted and laid her head down on your shoulder. She was sweet but something was off. You could tell that she wasn't so energetic as always. That bothered you. She didn't steal your food today, she even gave you some of hers! You knew she had something to say, it wasn't normal.

- Love, tell me please - You cupped her face with your palms, which she melted into. - I know when something bothers you

- I was chosen to go on a mission. I don't think I'm going to come back...

- Oh surely you are! You're the best warrior the world has seen! There's no way something will happen to you! - You said enthusiasticly.

- See those flowers?

- Yes?

- I will love you as long as those flowers bloom each spring. No matter where I will be. They will always be blooming for you.

- I love you too...

You hugged her. The hug could be your last one. She got up and went back to the lab. Smiling and waving to you...

...

She didn't come back.

And yet the flowers, still bloomed every spring.

She kept her promise.

She still loved you.

Thank you for reading. You didn't specify which trope you wanted, so I kinda relied on my imagination T_T

Hope you liked it kind stranger ♪⁠ヽ⁠(⁠･⁠ˇ⁠∀⁠ˇ⁠･⁠ゞ⁠)

[quaissants]

WRITERS’ TAG GAME !

i don’t think i’ve ever done this before so thank you bubba @stealanity 💕

recommend 5 or more of your own works that you would rec to someone asking what they should read first & explain a little bit about the work. these can be the most popular, the ones you think are underrated, or your own favorites! then tag five other writers!

tagging @dearhee @end-hyphen @sunlightwoo @sunflwryu @thelargefrye for this !

also! two things: i’m adding works that i’ve written on my precious main because those are still so precious to me. also, most of what i’ve written throughout my two years are drabbles so i’m gonna go ahead and pick more than five:

take me home … kim hongjoong

this one took me a few months to figure out.. i remember getting it as a request, and i just had no idea what to do with it. but then i thought of deja vu joong, specifically the rain part and i went that’s it! and the rest is history

a poem called you … jeong yunho

writing a hotel del luna au fic is something that was on my writer’s bucket list. which is why when i planned the purpose series, i knew. tbh i think it only took me 2-3 nights to complete this one? and while it’s not as popular as the others on this list, i do adore it

in a world of their own … lee heeseung

my second work on kurosism 🥺 again, wasn’t very popular (still isn’t which is sad) but i love the domesticity of this drabble. unless i am being completely dumb, this was the product of reading 23/11 several times until i pretty much can recall the events of the story

002 … park sunghoon

from second on my previous to second on my current, this one is just. okay this was another spiral after i was roaming facebook and found this sound from friends. i don’t even know why i love it so much? i just really do, especially the last line

hyacinths … jung jaehyun

hands down the most underrated drabble of mine. this one was sorta poetic, something that could be a distant relative to lang leav’s poetry. the first line had been sitting in my notebook for over a few months so to make something from it just made me feel so good

the last word … tbz

…where do i even begin with this one. first off, i wanna say sorry to this series for discontinuing it )): i swear i loved making the three episodes, especially eric’s, but it’s hard to write something so long when the fandom you’re writing it for is slowly diminishing (i do plan on bringing it back though, but for another fandom..)

pretty in pink … choi chanhee

what’s this? a fluffy drabble from mona? what a rarity (NOT!) i actually do have several fluff drabbles but this one is my favorite from all of them because it’s the short but sweet, beautiful, tickle the stomach in your butterflies kind of read. to no one’s surprise, this was a spiral after seeing a certain pic of chanhee’s 😊😊

best friend … ji changmin

okay i am very sure that this is one of my most rec’ed and i do understand why. perhaps it’s the relatability of this one that makes it hurt even more.. even though i haven’t been in this situation before- honestly i’m not even sure how i managed to write this one but hey, it’s a good read if you wanna get your heart broken some more

safe and sound … choi yeonjun

alice in borderland x kpop idols? yes. my mind really is a weird place, and something that backs up my belief is that after watching the second? episode of aib, i began having thoughts. actually, i am pretty sure i wrote an idea for a prequel to this so who knows, maybe i’ll do it…

binibini | choi yeonjun

isayaw mo akooo ahem this one was dedicated to matty so 🤭 it’s probably one of my shortest works to date, but it still does pack a punch. for extra pain, i suggest you listen to this before or after reading it

paalam … txt

the thing is, headcanons are something i’ve only done once before (and even then, the format was different) so i was really not sure how this was gonna go. but given what i was going through during this time, writing this piece became sort of a catharsis for me. and while i have yet to fully let go so i can heal, at least there’s a work out there where my muses get that

[tvdramas]

✽  —  [  she/they/he, genderfluid, 28  ]  —  this season on barbosa rules, the crew will be following [ castle rookie ], the wonderful [ yejide nwodo ] ! they are visiting the chateau from [ paris, france ], after a long year in the [ professional athlete (archery) ] business. rumor has it, they [ sabotaged their brother’s career ] . the staff knows them to be [ envious & aloof ] , but they make up for it by being [ challenging & decisive ] .

001. STATISTICS …

GENERAL DETAILS.

FULL NAME: yejide nwodo. NICKNAME(S): n/a. AGE:   twenty8. DATE OF BIRTH:   february 9th, 1996. PLACE OF BIRTH: paris, france. CURRENT LOCATION:  persephonē fortress. GENDER:  genderfluid. PRONOUNS:  she/he/they, no preference. ORIENTATION:  bisexual. OCCUPATION:  olympic archer. MISC:  n/a.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, ETC.

HEIGHT:  5'6. TATTOOS:   none. PIERCINGS: earlobes. CLOTHING STYLE:   generally comfortable clothing, though obviously very expensive.

HEALTH.

ALLERGIES:   peanuts. SLEEPING HABITS:   poor. SOCIABILITY:  4/10, introverted friend. DRINKING / SMOKING / DRUGS: socially / no / yes. MISC: chronic pain in shoulder and arm

PERSONALITY.

TRAITS:  challenging, decisive, sarcastic, aloof, envious. LIKES:  winter, romcoms, neat notetaking. DISLIKES:  stupid questions, taking calls without a text beforehand, waking up early. FEARS:  failure. HABITS:  narrowing eyebrows, rolling eyes, tapping fingers. HOBBIES:  running, reading. 

FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS, ETC.

MOTHER: fatima, former model. FATHER:  dami, chief of surgery. SIGNIFICANT OTHER: none. BEST FRIEND:  tba. EXES:  none. SIBLING(S): seye. CHILDREN: none. PET(S):  none.

002. BIOGRAPHY / HEADCANONS …

[  trigger warnings:  addiction (opioids), chronic pain.  ]

in the winter, fatima nwodo gives birth to twins. there's a snow storm outside, but she's comforted by the fact that she's introducing a baby boy and girl into the world in the same luxury hospital that her husband is chief of surgery at. seye and yejide. honor and mother's mirror. 

the twins are expected to be great, because why wouldn't the children of a former model and exemplary surgeon be stellar? and it's not like it's hard. forget being fed by a silver spoon, they're given everything they could ever want before they know they know they want it.

they're placed in every sport and activity that can be conceived, though the one that sticks the most with them is archery. at eight years old, they take to a bow and arrow like ducks to water. while close as younger children, this shared sport drives a wedge between the two almost immediately.

it's like everyone's constantly at odds with yejide. or maybe yejide is at odds with everyone else. either way, she's getting the cold shoulder from seye and fatima at any given time. why? her father, dami, has no clue. after work, he'll look at yejide over his reading glasses as he skims the paper and simply shrug as fatima throws another scathing remark yejide's way.

yejide learns to live with it, because the alternative is confrontation, and that's simply unheard of in the nwodo family, where everyone is expected to bottle shit up and never let it out. anger escapes only when she has a bow and arrow in her hands, and a target seventy meters away. nock, draw, aim, release. nock, draw, aim, release. nock, draw, aim, release.

it becomes a mantra, a saving grace, mumbled under her breath when she needs to relax her mind.

she's practicing more than seye, taking it more seriously. she sees the pride in dami's eyes, the envy in seye's, the pity in fatima's.

fatima wants her to consider education and modelling, perhaps even acting. yejide says no repeatedly, to fatima's distaste. of course she isn't deprioritizing education, but modelling? she has her father's face, his demeanor, his rumbling laugh, and none of the grace that her mother hoards for herself.

seye, ever the one to please his mother, decides that archery and modelling go hand in hand. he gets a contract with an agency and is distracted enough by this new endeavor that yejide surpasses his archery skills with ease.

the first injury is mid-competition. she's removed from the roster entirely and spends the remaining time on bedrest per her father's instruction. seye wins his category and she's left with nothing to show for the years of effort she put into getting this far. none of the medals compare to what she could have won from the archery world cup.

when seye comes home, yejide is in indescribable pain. dami only gives her over the counter painkillers. but seye, bless his soul, finds fatima's not-so-secret collection of opioids and slips her the bottle. there's just enough to get yejide through the worst of the injury, and she's back in business shortly. she follows her father's instructions of physical therapy when she's able, recovering well.

the 2016 olympics roll around and the twins qualify to be on the france team. they excel, because of course they do, and are on every major news outlet that's tracking the olympics. more medals join the growing collection the twins have in their family home, and for a few months, they're able to put aside their differences.

the 2020 olympics go similarly, with the twins placing in every category they participate in. more medals added to the collection, more magazines with their faces plastered on the front. yejide is in college, balancing her archery career with a slow going education in kinesiology and biology.

seye doesn't follow her, more interested in brand deals and showing off his achievements. fatima adores her son.

august 2023, berlin. archery world cup. she graduated two years ago with her dual bachelor's. she's taking a break before attending school for her doctorate's in physical therapy to pursue archery for as long as she can before it takes a toll on her body. apparently, now's when it happens.

yejide tears her rotator cuff bad enough that it requires intensive and immediate surgery. it's a career ending injury. seye doesn't show up at the hospital; he's busy winning, busy qualifying for the 2024 olympics. fatima doesn't show either. dami visits when he can, occupied with holding together a hospital and balancing his responsibilities.

she recovers at the family estate, but it's less recovery, more learning to live with constant, unending pain. the bottle of prescription painkillers runs out embarrassingly fast, and she digs through dami's office to find his prescription pad. she pockets it, practices his signature a couple times, and is on her way.

the day she learns that for some odd reason, seye has withdrawn his name from participation in the 2024 olympics, she finds a way to get out before any rumors start spreading. greece might not be far enough away from home, but it's the only place she can think of even if she'll still be in the public eye.

she's given an out, an escape from the estate, a reason to not be face-to-face with her stagnant career and her brother's despair. she blocks his number, her mom's number (not that fatima will be calling), and hesitates over her dad's. for now, she leaves it unblocked. it's easier to appear innocent when she leaves a line of communication open. now it's about surviving. picking up the pieces and taping them back together again. nock, draw, aim, release.

003. CONNECTION GUIDE …

PLATONIC yejide keeps her circle small on purpose. whether she genuinely feels companionship with everyone in the circle is unknown, but at least for one or two people she feels strongly enough to be protective. still, she keeps secrets from them and will not hesitate to spill their secrets if needed. ROMANTIC all of yejide relationships have been short as she's not the commitment type. as soon as things start getting a little deep, she's getting on a life boat and leaving. more likely to use relationships as a way to get at her perceived rivals and succeed in class. ANTAGONISTIC absolutely the type of person with on-show enemies. whether they be set up by the producers for drama or not, she probably doesn't like them anyway. she'll do what it takes to be better than anyone else without qualms, even if that means digging into their life and exposing what should be hidden.

[someotherdog]

🎰 hehehe me too

send 🎰 for five random pairings:

001. jamila & jeannie — either they're bitchy best friends or they're constantly fighting lol. i guess jeannie would be pursuing college after her failed figure skating career? maybe her dad made it a condition for her to go to school if she was going to live in his house. they're a senior or already working on their phd and jeannie would be starting out as a freshman so i'm thinking maybe there's a local legend at their college kinda like mothman and jeannie is dared to go into the woods thinking she'll be totally safe? and then she's attacked and mila, folklore extraordinaire, interviews her about it or WAIT FORGET ALL THAT BC I JUST REMEMBERED THE MOVIE URBAN LEGEND!! jeannie is alicia witt and mila is j*red l*to omg 002. joey & mokhtar — okay my mind immediately goes to southbound ofc. i'm going to assume mokhtar got stuck in boot hill by accident? he was just driving back to la or vegas or somewhere when he got onto the southbound highway after getting gas and then getting lost on how to get back onto the real highway. so he's just hanging around boot hill with no idea what to do with himself, so he's constantly going to the turquoise star for a cup of coffee and some hash browns! if margie isn't his waitress, then it's joey, and maybe he writes her a lil poem on a napkin one day and she treasures it even if she's not romantically interested in him bc it's just nice for someone to notice her when she's spent most of her adult life taking care of her siblings/sister's kids. #shamelessvibes 003. selena & barbie — hmm so they're already in necropolis together? so in that verse, i'd say they're probably friendly but not besties by any means. i think they hang together in crowds whenever they're something going down in the casino OR barbie tries to talk shit abt azucena bc she hates rich people to selena and at first selena is like haha yeah she sucks but then she's like well she's technically my sister so don't talk abt her like that?? but for something normal verse, maybe selena got into some sort of lobos/cucuys drama out in vegas, fell in love with a gangster or mc member (bill perhaps? 👀) and moved out to encantadora, needed a roommate and found barbie! so they're friendly roommates who go out to the bar together sometimes but barbie's very guarded bc of her parents and also she's constantly dealing with dan's shit lol so they're not as close as they could be 004. leticia & gael — she's desperate for love and he's a hot-and-cold player douchebag lmfao. i can see him getting involved with leticia without knowing anything about her past and he's so used to schmoozing with people in the casino that he's probably not too concerned about what happened to her, so she likes that he doesn't make a big fuss about it. he would def give her lots of love and compliments so she can overlook him texting other girls behind his back i think. sorry girl lol. i believe they met at the gym tbh! 005. clementine & jesse/frank — alright so i'm cheating on this one but! i have a reason for this, bc the first muse that came up on my side, jesse, i can't see him in any sort of normal verse where he'd run into clementine as they're on opposite coasts and live in totally different worlds. however!! i absolutely see it in an apocalyptic scenario, where it's after the compound falls and it's just jesse left, and clementine stumbles along and she's been robbed by raiders or something and/or hurt pretty bad and she needs a place to stay. then he'd be incredibly gruff and grumpy while she's a bartender/hairdresser that can talk to anybody, so i'm imagining some comedy here. bc i could only see them interacting in an apocalyptic scenario, i did another just for some normal verse fun, and i got frank which is perfect bc she's on the run!! and he's a private investigator!!! so obvs he's on her trail and it either leads to boot hill (which gets him stuck there and either rick is already the sheriff there or that's what makes rick move to boot hill) or some other shanty town where clem easily outsmarts him but he's hot on her heels.

[romanadvora]

The Chase

season 002 : story 016 : episodes 072-077

22 MAY - 26 JUN 1965 || 03 - 04 JUN 2023

I really love the opening to this story; we've got a nice slice of life inside the TARDIS with the Doctor tinkering away at the TSV, Ian chilling out reading a [rather far-fetched] story, Barbara making a dress for Vicki… once again some lovely comfort Who. Everyone getting excited for the Visualiser is really fun.

I find Ian & Barbara's familiarity with the Beatles (especially Ticket to Ride) pretty funny since their second album came out on the 22nd of November 1963, when Ian & Barbara presumably left London earlier that week (23rd November wasn't a school day).

Vicki and Ian getting a lot of time together is easily one of my favourite parts of the serial; the two of them running off up the dune becoming silhouettes is one of my favourite shots of the show so far, and the pair just wandering around and Vicki telling stories of her childhood is so personal and a really intimate scene, you really feel the bond the two have.

The same can be said for the Doctor and Barbara sunbathing when Barbara starts complaining about not the Doctor's singing, but the *other* awful noise. 

The Dalek rising out of the sand has absolutely got to be a callback to the Dalek rising out the Thames right?

Gosh this whole tangent with the Aridians just… isn't it. "We have been told by the Dalek's we have ½ a day to hand you over to the Daleks- our elders are now discussing whether they will do this"... 10 minutes later… "our elders have decided to hand you over to the Daleks".

The Mire Beasts attacking allows the Doctor, Barbara & Vicki to reasonably escape, and it's nice to see Ian already up and planning an attack on the Daleks- Ian asking for Barbara's cardigan again and the continuity of her complaining, "not again" was a nice little touch.

Ian jumping up yelling "yoo-hoo, Dalek!" is yet another iconic Chesterton moment.

First appearance of the Time Vortex in Flight Through Eternity?

Vicki mentioning NYC as an ancient historical city, destroyed in the Dalek invasion, is a really nice seasonal continuity.

Episode three is quite minimal, but the connection to real-life history and explaining real mysteries with sci-fi excuses is a creative choice I really like; the abandonment of the Mary Celeste here, or the disappearance of Agatha Christie in Unicorn and the Wasp.

And it's fun to see Peter Purves being an Alabaman country boy ahead of his debut as 25th century astronaut, Steven Taylor.

Really not a fan of the whole haunted house episode because of how goofy the Daleks get as opposed to their typical sinister and manipulative selves- and the Doctor's theory of the mansion being some a physical manifestation of human nightmare would fix the plot holes of Frankenstein's Monster & Dracula surviving extermination. That being said, the Doctor figuring out they're in an artificial environment because everything is so typically scary is a creative element.

While the cliffhanger of the Daleks making a robot Doctor clone is cool and threatening, it's defeated like halfway through the next episode so you don't really feel a continuous anxiety that the Doctor could be an imposter. Showing the Doctor double next to Vicki and Barbara while Ian is unintentionally fighting the real Doctor was a good use of dramatic irony though. And the reveal being done with the robot calling Vicki "Susan" continues with the established continuity of having met the Daleks earlier; perhaps the memory scan where "the young girl" is Susan was done during the invasion of Earth…

The last episode is where this really picks up, as you’ve got this wonderful futuristic Mechanoid city above the trees, and some great world-building via newly introduced astronaut Steven Taylor. Him explaining how the Mechanoids were initially Human inventions to aid in the colonisation of Mechanus, and why he’s marooned on this planet due to an all-out war between Earth and an.. unnamed[?] enemy makes the world feel quite grounded. 

The Dalek / Mechanoid battle is also really well done, not just with great tracking shots and use of lighting, but how the rapid cuts, angles, and superimposed flames on the picture make the whole sequence really fast paced and somewhat hard to keep track of; generally good for a chaotic and bloody fight. 

Vicki being deathly afraid of heights add to the danger of their rooftop escape from the burning city, and Maureen really sells the performance in my opinion.

Now. The end is here. The Daleks and Mechanoids have destroyed themselves, leaving the travellers free not just to leave in the TARDIS, but see the Dalek’s timeship too. Ian’s imitation of a Dalek is a fun calmer after a rather hectic finale, and their departure is really well done. It can be frustrating that the Doctor is so mad at them, and it does *kind of* feel unexpected on Ian and Barbara’s front. Although with moments like Ian being knighted, the downtime scenes of everyone dancing to the Beatles in the TARDIS, and the slower more intimate moments like Ian and Vicki running up the dunes… you can really feel that their time is at an end. I love Ian’s passion for wanting the simple things in life; a drink at the pub, walking in the park, wanting to belong somewhere (other than the rather nebulous and fluctuating address of the TARDIS, 76 Totters Lane*). It’s the time of exit that could only work back in the 60s because of how random all their adventures were; not like now when you can deliberately go to any point in time or space, down to the specifics of “in time for tea”. I do also like how it’s then Vicki who convinces the Doctor to get over his anger-veiled sadness and let them do this thing; you see the connection between the pair, how Vicki really has taken the role of the granddaughter in the Doctor’s life, and how she can appeal to him when no one else is able to get through. 

The montage of Ian and Barbara back in London 1965! is just really heartwarming, and them bursting with laughter when a ticketer asks if they’ve been on the Moon because they’re so out of touch feels so personal and close. Vicki and the Doctor watching them on the TSV is not only a good narrative choice by tying it back to the serial’s beginning, but it also allows for both parties to have their goodbyes of sorts. The Doctor staring off into the middle distance saying “I will miss them” seems really simple, but that’s not a bad thing, because it is that simple. They’ve been together for two years and the Doctor has grown considerably since meeting them, and he got so upset with the prospect of them leaving that he started shouting at them about how stupid their idea was. Not exactly a… healthy… response. But powerful? Absolutely. 

Because of those great first and finale episodes, even though the story got a bit too meandering in the middle, and lost sight of the Daleks’ menace for a bit too long, it’s still a great send off for two of my favourite companions.

I will miss them. 

★★★★☆

[cephalololopod]

002 - Brador? :]

(Link to prompts)

002 | Give me a character & I will tell you

How I feel about this character: 

I adore Brador! I know I don't get to talk often about characters from this series other than the dynamic duo, but he really, truly delights me. He's a holy terror and completely unashamed of it. And yet there's so many things inferred about him below just that!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: 

I firmly believe that he and Laurence had a thing going on pre-beasthood, and that is my main ship for him. However, I do enjoy the idea of Djruador. He deserves some happiness after all the pain and suffering (and Djura does too).

My non-romantic OTP for this character: 

I would never call whatever he and Simon have going on as romantic, so I would put that here, haha. But their dynamic is deeply interesting to me, how they are opposites of one another. I am always curious to learn more.

Other than that, I really want to see him get friends. He needs friends, rather desperately.

My unpopular opinion about this character: 

I'm not sure I have an unpopular opinion of Brador?

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I wish he would have gotten a little but more out from under the Church’s thumb. He lived to his old age, which is pretty incredible seeing his line of work and weapon. And yet, he's locked away, either voluntarily or not. He never strayed, despite all the awful things he personally saw.

my OTP:

Currently, it's Brador and Laurence.

my cross over ship:

I'm not sure I have one, yet, but he certainly would have a lot of fun in other worlds, that's for sure. Perhaps monster hunter or even elden ring. Just let him run around to his heart's content.

a headcanon fact:

I think the reason he is so loyal to the Church and especially Laurence is because Laurence personally scraped him off the streets, possibly even in Old Yharnam. He was taken care of for the first time in his life, then, so he returned the favor by protecting what protected him.

[harmonyckrs]

Phase 1, Day 11 of the Strangetown Takeover: The Fate of Patient 001

THE PREVIOUS DAY

Cassandra: Darren. There was something I was thinking of bringing up to the Strangetown Council. I think we need to relocate Patient 001.

Darren: Any reason?

Cassandra: Time and time again, he has chosen that he is more than willing to hurt other patients even at the expense of the patients he's not even fighting.

Darren: Really!

Cassandra: One time, he and Patient 004 blocked the door of the bathroom, trapping Patients 006 and 009 inside of it. The two were stuck making awkward chit-chat about the identity of someone named "Jen" while waiting for the path to be cleared.

Darren: Even in the bathroom?

Cassandra: Yes. I do think it may be for the best. If not for him, then for the sake of the other patients.

Report: There was another fire that happened while Patient 006 was at work, as per Dr. Harper's request. Patients 001 and 007 almost died, but were rescued by Patient 009. Both proceeded to pass out afterwards from exhaustion, and died the minute they woke up.

I am unsure if a fire alarm should be put to a vote. We have already lost three people, one of which was my mother. I don't know why this needs to be voted on anymore.

But in brighter news, Patient 002 was able to save Patient 007. Perhaps a good thing, too! Patient 007 appears to be well-liked and brings up asylum morale.

If something were to happen to any of the current patients that would result in them no longer being present at the asylum, Dr. Vu has requested that Patient 005 undergo "alien experimentation" to "ensure order in the timeline." When I told Father about it, he laughed and said it was Strangetown terminology. Apparently aliens are so frequent that people from Strangetown are used to their presences. Fascinating!

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

Harper: Stupid Cassandra and her stupid assistant taking everything from me despite everything I've done for Dr. Vu...OW! Who the heck are you?

Mortimer: I know what you've done!

Harper: I didn't do anything wrong! I'm just following orders! Everything that she's asked for is for the greater good of Strangetown!

Mortimer: What does this have to do with spying on people through the telescope?

Harper: ...Oh.

Mortimer: Damn kids these days.

I'm not quite as versed in the alternate timelines as my siblings are, but I do know a thing or two from stuff that Aktu used to tell me before he decided to change sides.

In some of them, I had a kid. Sometimes it was an alien, sometimes it was a planned child with the woman I hooked up with at the club all those years ago but never bothered to pursue a relationship with because I was scared of fumbling it.

I wonder how those versions of me would feel about what I've done - snatching a baby away from a man who was already on the brink of losing his mind.

She can say that she's happier without him, and that world domination was "obviously the correct choice out of the two." But Lazlo will always be her favorite, no matter how hard she tries to convince us otherwise.

Despite everything, I will always be second to Dr. Vu, if at all. And I'm not sure if that's a position worth fighting for anymore.

THE NEXT DAY

[perfect-homemade-chili]

362 “Nobility of Character.”

Our last entry raises the obvious dilemma… but, oh esteemed narrator, wherefore be lumberjack blood so noble to invigorateth the spirit like chili? And I should say: how would I know? There are few if any lumberjacks alive today. Now there are many who pose as lumbermen but, as the great modern philosopher Spongebob once prescribed: “It is not the beard outside, but the beard inside, that counts.” Luckily, being the esteemed historian that I am, I can say with confidence the answer to such heavy ponderances have long been answered by the greatest moral reformers of all time: Confucius and Plato, founding fathers of civilization of the East and West, respectively. True aristocracy, as they both agree, is neither hereditary nor French: it is nobility of character—

I’d like to inject a bit of whimsical folklore to add some flavor: the Argentinian fabulist Borges once wrote the following in his Book of Imaginary Beings—“…The Lamed Wufniks. There are on earth, and always were, thirty-six righteous men whose mission is to justify the world before God. They are the Lamed Wufniks. They do not know each-other and are very poor. If a man comes to the knowledge that he is a Lamed Wufnik, he immediately dies and someone else, perhaps in another part of the world, takes his place. Lamed Wufniks are, without knowing it, the secret pillars of the universe. Were it not for them, God would annihilate the whole of mankind. Unawares, they are our saviors…”

It need not be said he was refering to Lumberjacks, as often is the case that historical names give evidence to some long forgotten fact, and what could ‘Lamed Wufnik’ mean other than those who ‘nicked the wolves?’ Okay jk, it is Jewish—still. In food-blog terms, if I am turtle-soup, then I postulate the existence of legendary men who are chili-paste made of broiled phoenix and fried Cerberus. No—maybe ghost peppers and turmeric, because a saint made of flesh is an oxymoron. Point is, they are not men—they are moral colossuses (colossi?) who by virtue of their purity and integrity, uphold the pillar-beams of the sun and guard the shadowy gates of Hades. It is easy to find examples of great personalities. All great nations and structures, after all, were once founded on the shared dreams of just a few good men—the founding fathers of the US, the architects of the information age, the Roman proconsul, early Hebrew prophets, the development team of Chrono Trigger. Individual personalities are mere specks in the dessert of time (I know what I said). Are we not all enchanted by the elegant austerity of a Marcus Aurelius, the spiritual beauty of a Baldwin IV (the leper king), the humble nobility of a Lincoln, the farsighted pragmatism of a Lee Kuan Yew? Yet every statesmen (…okay, benevolent dictator, in some instances) of the highest caliber could only exist within a framework that allowed for their expression—in Buddhist terms—it is impossible to recognize greatness unless we have greatness in ourselves, and every society finds at last expression and organization only that which is fitting to its own karma. None of these leaders could be exemplary without the underpinnings of silent hands to whom these leaders themselves worshipped—lumberjacks.

—drink#002—virgin singapore sling. Speaking of Lee Kuan Yew, I remembering having a refreshing non-alcoholic Singapore Sling a few times on an asian airline, maybe Cathay…? that I particularly enjoyed. I think the recipe included sparkling water, rosewater, lime, grenadine?—probably not. Ginger beer? I’ve never really cared for the taste of liquor but lately I’ve found some fantastic zero-proof bottles (Ritual Zero Proof) that, when mixed with ginger ale or a light soda, really bring out the exquisite profile of some of these drinks—smoke, cinnamon, oak, caramel, pepper of whiskey, for example.

[sourkive]

002 : PLAY PRETEND.

Starring: Lee Bohyung.

Featuring: Park Chiwon.

Summary: Bohyung keeps a secret.

Word Count: 1k.

CW: There's just smut from the very beginning. They play with the idea of exhibitionism but nobody can actually see them. Bohyung has feelings for somebody else.

Bohyung’s skin is burning so hot, he’s shocked it doesn’t sizzle when his forearm presses against the cool glass of the hotel window. The room is so high that he’s on top of the world, and below is a beautiful view: one that Bohyung may have appreciated, were his mind currently able to function.

His voice is ragged, choking out moans that twist at the end, pitching up in ways his low voice isn’t used to. It cracks and breaks, and he would be humiliated if anybody else was bringing those noises out of him. But this was Chiwon, and Chiwon had heard much worse from Bohyung’s mouth. Bohyung has always prided himself on being a pillar of stability, stoic until the end, graceful and dignified. But what always took him off guard about Chiwon- and perhaps it shouldn’t, since Bohyung had accumulated so much experience with him over the years, was that he was really big. Really big. Bohyung didn’t want to investigate this aspect of his personality too deeply, but there was something about feeling like he was one too-hard thrust away from being split in two that just undid him; and Chiwon had long since intuited that. 

“I've been thinking about this all week,” Chiwon grunts out, his hips snapping roughly against Bohyung’s ass, the sound of skin on skin filling the room almost as loudly as Bohyung’s broken cries. Bohyung wants to reply, and wants to tell Chiwon that he has, too, but words don’t come to him. Chiwon is so deep inside of him, fucking him up against the hotel room window. He’s going hard and fast, like he always does, and when Bohyung’s knees finally quit wobbling and just buckle, a strong arm wraps tightly around his waist, pulling his back flush against Chiwon’s body and keeping him on his feet. 

“Look down.” Chiwon mutters in his ear. He takes a step forward, pushing Bohyung’s body with him, until he’s pressed flush against the cool glass, his chest flattening against the surface. He whimpers a little, not fully registering the instruction until a large hand strikes his ass. it’s not too hard; but it stings just enough to send a jolt of interest through Bohyung’s body. 

Bohyung trusts Chiwon. he’s trusted him ever since they gave one another their first kisses as trainees, wrapping their fingers together and hearing the fireworks go off in the empty dance studio after hours. Things had gotten quiet after Bohyung left HMT, with no proximity to one another it was easy for the chemistry to fizzle out. But then, a few months ago, Chiwon had debuted again, and they’d locked eyes at Music Bank and found themselves doing this again, phone calls, late night car dates, booking hotel rooms in their home city just to fuck in. When he was younger, Bohyung thought he would be in love with Chiwon forever. 

“Look down.” Chiwon repeats, and Bohyung does this time. The room is too high up to see anybody on the ground; which was the only reason they could risk something like this, but realism didn’t matter. It was fantasy, and it’s no less hot when Chiwon leans in, talking in Bohyung’s ear in a low, dark voice, so different to his usual jovial manner. “The whole city’s down there, baby. So easy for them to look up and see what a little whore you are.” 

Nobody can see them. Bohyung knows that, but his whines still grow sharper, a hand curling around the top of Chiwon’s forearm. Chiwon takes no pity even as tears fall from Bohyung’s eyes, just pushes him tighter against the window, pounding him with unrelenting force and pace. And there has always been so much in Bohyung’s head, a constant tornado of anxiety and good posture and perfecting the mask of the boy next door. Chiwon understood better than anybody that sometimes, Bohyung just needed to be slapped around and called a dirty slut; and Bohyung once thought he might be in love, but now he’s really just here for the rough sex and giant cock. 

“i’m gonna-” Bohyung doesn’t have to finish the sentence, just the start of it has Chiwon going faster, losing a little rhythm but hitting the sweet spot with every thrust. It’s a final stretch, and shortly after Bohyung’s orgasm whitens the edges of his vision and rings his ears so loud he can’t even hear the cry he feels his throat vibrate with, Chiwon is burying his face in Bohyung’s shoulder and groaning deeply and brokenly in turn.

They give themselves a minute or two, Bohyung feels Chiwon kiss along the span of his shoulders before slowly, carefully pulling out. Bohyung mourns the fullness, hand steadying him on Chiwon’s bicep as he hobbles to the bed, collapsing face first with a ragged sigh.

“I was gonna clean you up.” Chiwon says with a laugh. “But now you’ve just spread it all over the bedsheet.”

“Window too.” Bohyung says with a groan, tucking his arms underneath his head. There's a pause, presumably as Chiwon looks to the dirtied pane, and then he groans. 

“How do we clean that up?” he asks.

Bohyung shrugs. “You wanted to fuck against the window, your problem.” He says with a small laugh. Rolling onto his back, he stretches out his arms. “You can clean up later, hyung. Hold me for a bit.”

Chiwon falls into Bohyung’s open arms with an eager grin. He takes Bohyung’s face in his hands, and presses a kiss to his nose, and he stares down at him with all the affection in the world.

Bohyung could have everything, if he’d let himself truly have Chiwon. 

But that’s what makes him not want him. What Bohyung wants is truly unattainable. And maybe he’s an asshole, but if he could, he’d trade Chiwon in in a heartbeat for someone else. Someone in particular, who Bohyung really isn’t supposed to be attracted to. One who’d never see him the way Chiwon does, never fuck him or love him or trust him the way Chiwon does. Bohyung thinks maybe that’s why it’s what he wants. 

“How come it’s always so good?” Bohyung asks with a lopsided grin, and Chiwon gives him a shy smile as if he wasn’t just slapping his ass and unabashedly roping Bohyung into his voyeurism kink. 

“Cause I love you.” Chiwon says. Because he says it all the time. Even though they’d never really been together. Chiwon told Bohyung he loved him after their first kiss, and he never rescinded it, not even all these years later. 

Bohyung doesn’t respond verbally. He responds the way he always does, kissing the part of Chiwon’s neck that he really likes to be kissed, wrapping his legs tight around his waist and rolling their hips together. And in record time, a large hand wraps around his throat and pushes his head down back onto the pillow, and Chiwon has that dark look in his eyes again.

“Already?” He asks with a smirk. “You really are a whore.”

Bohyung up looks at Chiwon with an arch expression and a nod. And he’s able to purge that other face from his mind for a while.

[dreamdeprive]

tag drop. ( part one. )

[natsumi-no-hotaru]

There and back again: a megane-ko’s adventure

Part 3: In memoriam of a bygone winter

AKA. A more-than-1-year anniversary post. 

This is for you, 002. 

[Previously: Part 2 - in which I couldn’t stop ogling at My Lady’s legs and made known my Zhongguang Manifesto. But content-wise, this is more a continuation of my GI experience in Part 1.]

Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember... But where are those who share the memory?

Nostalgia is perhaps an unusual mood to indulge in at the beginning of the year, when it’s the norm to look forward and not backward. But at some parts of the world like mine, where the lunar calendar still holds considerable importance, the Gregorian New Year heralds the end of another zodiac year, reminding all to wrap up unfinished work for a fresh start.

If you are not a first-timer to my tumblr, you may be aware that I have recently taken even more of my sweet time with posting, all the more so on GI. So in a way, part 3 is a challenge for myself - can I finish it before the Year of the Tiger arrives? 

... Yeah, given my track record, you know where to place the bet. To put in gacha terms, I don’t think you’re gonna win the 50:50. 

Self-defeating thoughts aside, it is high time to deliver on the promise made since Part 1 - to recount my adventure with the Samaritan in the snow. 

To briefly recap, winter 2020 was a time of equal turbulence and excitement for me. Overloaded by work at the office, I sought escape in GI, accompanied by my coworkers, A-senpai (who has long quit the game by the time I was writing this post) and L-kun (who has now become Y-kun). After much fumbling and failing, not to mention the self-inflicted hurdle in the form of an inferiority complex, I finally arrived at a place of mental equilibrium, where I could enjoy GI without being wracked by hyper-competitiveness and torn by the stigma of spending money on game. It was tough weathering the mid-game - the period from Adventure Rank (AR) 35 to 44 - when the world level (difficulty of mob and bosses) went up much faster than the pace of investment into my characters, and the 5-star artifact drop rate was pretty dismal. Yet, it was an unforgettable time, filled with lovely moments of camaraderie, hours of joint exploration, and merry, nail-biting co-op trips for artifact grinding or event bosses. The struggle was so much fun because I never lacked for good company. 

The next leg of my journey took me to Dragonspine, a then-newly released region with wintry aesthetics and mountainous setting perfectly made for a Christmas adventure. Dragonspine was also very special for it was the first area with adverse environmental effect. The arctic climes were not just for show - you would start to feel the chills settling in as soon as you step away from a heat source, and once the Sheer Cold bar is full, your HP will steadily drop unless you have a way to keep yourself warm. This made exploration of Dragonspine particularly challenging, especially when you may be waylaid by mobs in locations without close access to a fire or a brazier, and your Pyro characters may not be very strong or properly invested. Given such conditions and my noob skills, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that my exploration progress in Dragonspine was well, quite modest in the early weeks of this region’s release.

One beautiful day, taking a break from Dragonspine’s chills, I went to a pond in Mondo to catch frogs for Dustproof Potion (enhances Geo damage). Suddenly, my therapeutic routine was disturbed by a request to enter my world (aka. co-op mode). Normally, whenever someone wants to visit your world, a message will appear asking if you wish to welcome this person or not. Unbeknownst to me, the co-op settings were changed to welcoming all visitors automatically, without the inquiry message. Out of nowhere, a Diluc appeared. With no more prompting than my casual “hi”, the stranger asked if they could pick some of my Windwheel Asters. I had no need for those flowers so I told them to feel free and take as many as he needed. Normally, I would pay some attention as to where the stranger teleported to and what else they might be doing. But it was my chill time and I have not caught all the frogs yet. 

Fifteen minutes or so passed and I was just about to forget about the stranger’s presence in my world, if not for a message cropping up on the left, something along the line of “I’m done. What are you up to?” Unsatisfied that I was more or less up to not much usefulness, he asked if I finished exploring Dragonspine and, upon my reply to the negative, immediately proceeded to drag my ass off to said freezing and inhospitable place offered a helping hand to speed things up. It was not everyday that a thankful and courteous fellow traveler made such an offer so I took them up on it and teleported to the Frost-bearing Tree. 

Thus our joint exploration began along the meandering path up the snow-capped mountains. Helpful Stranger™ quickly set themself to work - getting rid of ice-shield hilichurls and Frostarm Lawachurls that barred our way or guarded treasure chests (or “boxes”, as the stranger liked to shorten), lighting the torches and braziers on the way to keep the Sheer Cold at bay, and pointing out the locations of Crimson Agate (items to level up the Frost-bearing Tree and earn its rewards), all the while keeping up a steady stream of solicitous questions about my progress in the game. It was lovely to talk to Stranger - they were baffled about my decision to skip commissions to stay at AR 35 (”but why not get free primogems?”), but most understanding about my frustration over artifact grinding (”you will get better artifacts after AR 40″) and super encouraging when I talked about my wish to be a Ningguang main (”your Ningguang will get stronger”). We totally bonded over being absolute simps for the dragon-tattooed lady - “no need for reactions!” and could not stop singing praises of Ningguang to save our lives (not that we were in any danger with a very capable Diluc). 

Time flew by when one was on a mission and soon enough it was approaching midnight. Yet Helpful Stranger™ was only more fired up, pushing forward and taking the lead in the spirit of Caesar - they came, they saw, they conquered and kicked ass. Often enough, my horrid navigational skills would slow me down; hardly did I arrive at the scene of action only to find the fight already over and Diluc was jumping up and down near a chest or a Crimson Agate, as if to mark the spot with an X. We traversed the desolate landscape, combing through the columns and ruins at the Entombed City, dropping down the Starglow Cavern to solve the Fire Seelie puzzles, and frantically searching for Scarlet Quartz while scaling frozen ridges. What still impressed on me, a year later, was how patient  Stranger was, no matter how often I fell down from slippery ledges, how long it took for me to clear the time trials we came across (or not clear at all). Helpful Stranger™ was nothing but sincere and and supportive, constantly telling me that it was fine, that they were not going anywhere, that they were still waiting for me to slowpoke my way to get here. I’m sure that if I were to play with them in person, there would likely be exaggerated eyerolls or the occasional bursts of laughter at my various failings, but even then, not an unkind word would be uttered. They would still believe that I could do it, be it battling a Ruin Grader or solving a Seelie puzzle --- well, at least let me have a couple of turns at it, before jumping in to incinerate all with a sizzling Phoenix. 

Three hours have passed since we travelled together and the second hour of the morning had struck. It was time for Helpful Stranger™ to leave, cos it was quite late and their phone was close to out of battery. We bid a swift but fond farewell, eagerly looking forward to the next time we join forces to conquer all. One Ningguang lover, added to the friend list!

The heady excitement of the late night spilled into the next day, as I told my colleagues of my encounter with this super nice person who helped me explore Dragonspine for three hours straight, with only some Windwheel Asters for compensation. Y-kun was quite impressed, especially at the luck that Helpful Stranger™ had to have pulled Diluc as a F2P, and agreed that we would try calling on him for extra firepower, literally, during our co-op artifact domain runs. In high spirits, I called them my Samaritan, or Sama for short. The title grew on me and became the way I referred to them from then on.  

My next outings with Sama took us back to Minlin and Lisha, where plenty of treasure chests awaited discovery (”go for a walk with me. I’ll get you free primogems.”) Along the way, we talked a bit more about ourselves and our Travelers’ namesakes. Sama turned out to be a Filipino boy in university, currently dating a girl, and raising a cat (or cats?). His Traveler’s namesake is a reference to the anime Darling in the Franxx, a big favorite of his. He asked if my Traveler’s name (Altair) came from Assassin’s Creed, to which I said nope (Shoukoku no Altair is a bit obscure for most people, huh?). Sometimes, we would share brief snippets of our lives - the food we ate (”do you eat chicken with adobo?”) or the kind of day we had. But more often than not, the topics of our conversations would return to our progress in GI, our luck with gacha pulls (”are you luckier because you put in money?”), whales (”I wish I had that much money!”), and my laggy gaming experience (”try to switch to xyz settings”). 

Sama’s generous spirit and all-time readiness to lend a helping hand quickly endeared him to me and I truly looked forward to introducing him to Y-kun in game, and to us three playing in co-op. Such an opportunity soon came to us in the form of Hypostatic Symphony, a series of combat challenges against elemental cube bosses with greater variety of attacks than those found in the overworld. Suffice to say that this event exceeded my abilities and was far too draining for Y-kun to go solo. Of course, it would be simple enough to do the challenge in easy mode to get primogems, the most valuable reward, and skip hard mode which gave useful but farm-able stuff like Mora, talent books and crystals. But somehow neither of us was willing to settle for the minimum and I couldn’t, for the life of me, say exactly what drove us to go the extra mile.

And so, the long-awaited moment arrived at last: Sama was introduced to Y-kun, also known as “the guy with Ganyu”, and off we went to conquer the Hypostasis challenges. It took us a while to put together the right team and strategy for taking down those pesky cubes, and for me to remember the cubes’ attack patterns and mechanics. I recall us taking all sorts of buffs from food items and potions, even running out of ingredients (lizard tails for cryo buff) to make them, and still struggling to survive and deal sufficient damage at critical moments. For me, the worst of them was the Anemo Hypostasis. My abysmal coordination and laggy laptop prevented me from gliding properly to collect all the anemo particles to prevent the cube from healing itself. What ended up happening was Sama and Y-kun taking on collection duty, instead of dealing damage, and me well... making sure to stay alive. The less painful one was the Geo Hypostasis, in which I was marginally more useful in using Zhongli and Noelle to break the basalt columns. 

But the harder it was, the more rewarding victory became. We had so much fun throughout the whole 7 challenges - having each other’s back, healing, picking up the slack, being bait (dat me), coming up with the most optimal strategies for our handful of usable characters. Having me as part of the team sometimes hindered more than helped, but both Y-kun and Sama did not mind it at all. Their patience and tenacity pulled us through, and we each ended up with more than 14000 points for the entire event, enough to get all the primos, talent and experience books, and best of all - the event namecard to commemorate our success. The moment of claiming those rewards is certainly one of my most exhilarating GI experiences to date. 

After the Hypostatic Symphony, the three of us teamed up often for domain runs, mostly Clear Pool for the Noblesse Oblige set (when the exchange mechanism of Artifact Strongbox had yet to exist), Domain of Guyun for Archaic Petra and Retracing Bolide (way back when these were the only sets available to Zhongli) and Midsummer Courtyard for Thundering Fury (goodness, the drop rate was abysmal but again, not much choice in artifacts for Fischl back then). If memory serves me well, we often suffered casualties in Clear Pool, because of the three Abyss Mages ganging up and none of us had a well invested Anemo character to swirl. Our usual strategy was to split up the Mages, with us taking care of one Mage each, or to divide the team in half, with 2 persons tackling the Pyro Mage first and then coming back together for the other two. Y-kun would often use Childe, Sama sticking to his trusty Diluc and I would bring Zhongli and Qiqi or just Kaeya/Xingqiu, depending on whose world we visited for co-op. Soon enough, the time spent on each domain run started to drop with practice and improved teamwork. Artifact farming, for a while, felt less like chores and more like fun, relaxing times with some occasional mishaps (poor Sama, sometime I didn’t heal him in time lol).

Once our daily resins were all spent, we would run around in the open world (often mine), having so much fun from chasing each other, gliding to pretty spots, gathering materials and beating up world bosses. Genshin felt much more novel back in those days, when the lack of time, not space for exploration, was the issue. The continent of Teyvat was much smaller than what has been unveiled to date, but I enjoyed myself greatly, especially the excellent company. And how could I not, when there was always a companion who would jump over to help out, regardless of whether he had already used up his resins or not, and be so generous with his time in tagging along my exploration of the open world?

And so these tender days passed by and the Lunar New Year of 2021 came, bringing with it the first Lantern Rite celebration of GI. The festive atmosphere was truly a welcoming change of pace, immersive and heartwarming. Making the Xiao lanterns, spreading the joy of Lantern Rite to faraway corners of Liyue, and persuading Xiao to join in the release of the giant Mingxiao lantern (shaped like a Qilin, the illuminated beast of Ganyu’s heritage) were all the things that I greatly enjoyed and still fondly recalled. And no Lantern Rite is complete without a few runs of Theater Mechanicus. This rendition of the tower defense is special not only because it was the first time, but also the only time that I solely played it in co-op mode. 

I did not expect to enjoy it so much, given my general disinterest in the more strategic side of gaming. Reluctance was my initial reaction and I felt quite lost in trying to tackle this challenge on my own. But Sama came to the rescue, as per my request to team up, and I soon had a change of heart. There was this sense of exhilaration in following Sama’s directions on where to place this and that tower or a Geo construct, the way one would a commander in battle, and seeing how well it all turned out. At some point, I even called Sama “general” and he was inordinately pleased about it. It felt great to entrust him with leading us to victory and just do my part (and laugh a little at his occasional miscalculations). One stage after another, we cleared them all without breaking a sweat. 

It was also around this time that Sama’s misperception about my gender was cleared up. Honestly speaking, I would have liked him to continue calling me “bro” for a little longer because being mistaken for another gender was actually pretty fun. The cat was out of the bag during one of our three-person co-op sessions. Most of the details have escaped me but in short, Y-kun saw Sama addressing me by “dude” or some similar form of masculine address, found it to be quite hilarious and decided to rectify Sama’s mistake via in-game private messaging. I was not wholly on board with the revelation but from Y-kun’s report, Sama was a real good sport over it. He was very surprised (to the point of even asking Y-kun if I was a male but preferred to be addressed as a female) but not unpleasantly so. Upon Y-kun’s explanation that I hid my gender to avoid being treated differently, Sama simply sought to reassure Y-kun of his respect for gamers, regardless of their gender. Female gamers were pretty cool to him, as his girlfriend was one too. 

And so our gaming routine continued, with no substantive change in how Sama interacted with me. While I was no longer a “bro”, I was given a new term of endearment - “Ningbabe”, which, admittedly, was quite sweet. It really felt good, seeing it in the chat. I even jokingly told him to not go behind his girlfriend’s back when he first called me that, and got another sweet reply (of a different kind) - “Nah, I would never do that to my girl”. I really enjoyed how comfortable it was to speak my mind with Sama, because he faced my queries straight on, no flinchin’. 

Spring went by leisurely in Genshin, in spite of the tumultuous drama engulfing my life back then (of which A-senpai’s departure from GI was part of the fallout). As if to evoke the guardian Archon of the city himself, the Windblume festival came like a breath of fresh air, relieving me of my woes and wrath (for a while) with a storyline starring all my old Mondo favorites: Venti, Kaeya, and Razor. And of course, this was also when I finally got the drunk bard, the “clickbait” that drew me to GI from the very beginning. 

Then came version 1.5, featuring the second act of Zhongli’s Historia Antigua quest. The Traveler came face-to-face with Azhdaha, an old dragon pal of Morax, who sought to break free from the seal placed on him for breach of contract. It was a beautiful continuation of Sal Flore (the first act), further driving home the message of irreversible erosion by time, be it a primordial bond of friendship or your very own self. The ironic mirroring of loss between game and life cuts deep, considering how good we (senpai, Y-kun, and I) had it in January and how rapidly things fell apart. 

Nonetheless, a haven from the suffocation of workplace drama was what GI meant to me, with solace and rejuvenation to be derived from designing your Traveler’s own realm, aka. the Serenitea Pot. Upon arrival, you would be taken to the wide open space of your choice - be it an isle surrounded by clear azure waters, mountain peaks adorned with rushing waterfalls, or a retreat in the clouds a la Laputa, and treated to views of endless horizon and perpetually beautiful weather. It was approaching summer and I was yearning desperately for holidays at the beach, so naturally, I went for the Cool Isle realm layout. Feasting my eyes on the sands, sun and sea, I turned around to find a delightful mansion in the style of Dawn Winery, complete with a spacious verandah, wooden pillars, balconies, red brick roof and spires. A soothing calmness took over me and construction work began in my little corner of Teyvat. 

This new feature also enabled me to spend more time with my friend, Sama. As I reached higher AR and made more informed investments on characters, farming artifacts and world bosses became much easier, and later down the line, even faster on my own. Such independence was liberating on one hand, but on the other, it reduced the opportunities for Sama to hang out in my world. For a while, the Serenitea Pot mechanism gave the co-op mode a new sense of relevance. Friends dropping by your Pot can help shorten the time in crafting all furnishings by 4 hours, or in case of Y-kun, help out and use Diluc to burn down the lawn and grass around my mansion. This provides an excellent incentive to visiting each other’s Pot, considering that all furnishings normally would take up 12 hours++ to craft. The faster and the more you craft, the more realm currency you would obtain, which in turn allows you to buy more goodies for construction or valuable items for character investment. 

At the beginning, Sama was pretty reluctant to show me his Serenitea realm, claiming that it was not ready or not good enough. So I gave him a tour of my pot first, albeit still in its early stage. My idea was to re-create a sort of old-timey and quaint country-home vibe, with the mansion encircled by tall golden and amber-leaved trees, gardens, fountains, flowers, benches and tea-tables, where you can relax and enjoy the sun setting over the water. Charming little cottages would dot the isle and the adjacent shoreline, complete with grapevines, hay bales, wine barrels, wooden carts and stone wells. Scant be the furnishings and decorations that I managed to put up, Sama still very much enjoyed the arrangement. We had a lovely time catching up and indulging in the simple pleasures: running, gliding and taking in the views that the island has to offer. 

After much prodding, Sama also invited me to his realm. Decked out in the Floating Abode style, his space is less of an escapist hangout and more where you can be far from the madding crowd in your mind. Sama lacked a clear direction of what to do with his realm but he did not give himself enough credit for these small lovely ideas for indoor decor. One of them was to place wooden round tables and chairs along the hallway outside the rooms on the 2nd floor, especially where light shines through windows and cast shade on the furniture. 

This nifty detail ended up inspiring me to turn my mansion into a cross between college library and cozy book cafe. Tall gleaming wood shelves, stands and cabinets, filled with books and decoration trinkets, are placed in close vicinity with comfy sofa sets and seating arrangements, and together they give off this feeling of lived-in tranquility that is incredibly comforting. Add in the cute doggies and kitties frolicking around the house, and there you have it, the perfect summer getaway for me. 

After the Serenitea Pot, our next spot of fun was to be found at the Golden Apple Archipelago, a limited-time area to keep impatient travelers in their seat and drum up hype for the then-upcoming release of Inazuma, also another set of islands. After having only Liyue, Mondo and the tiny Dragonspine to explore for so long, the new summer-themed area brought a brief moment of freshness to the game. As Sama said, exploring the Archipelago felt like playing GI anew. Travelling from shore to shore on a little vessel, discovering the islands one by one and tinkling with new puzzle mechanisms gave one a taste of that sorely-missed exhilaration and thrill, as if time was rewound to when the Traveler woke up on the beach of Mondo and made his first steps in this brave new world. 

Despite this excellent filler (and other quests and events), there’s no denying that the exasperating wait across several patches for the next big update (aka. Inazuma) took a toll on most players, especially those who had long finished all exploration and reached a high AR early on. Since patch 1.4, there was nothing else to do but farming artifacts when you have gone through the crumbs of new content doled out. So it was no surprise that Sama started showing up less and less, and every time I logged in, only the status of “online 1 day ago” on his namecard gave me any indication that he was still around. This state of affairs saddened me but I brushed it aside, believing that it was only temporary; certainly, patch 2.0 would certainly alleviate his fatigue of GI and rekindle his excitement, like in the cases of me and Y-kun. Little did I know that my time with Sama was running out, engrossed as I was by the contentious release of Raiden Shogun, the new Archon quest, and Yoimiya’s melodious Kansai-ben twang.

Exploring Inazuma and farming handguards with Y-kun

As summer drew to an end, Sama shared with me the reason for his decreasing online presence. As a new graduate, real life (read: new job) had him very much occupied and left him with little time to explore Inazuma. These days, he logged in only out of routine and a longing for that sense of belonging again. Our chats, brief and far in between, often took a nostalgic turn as we reminisced about the good old days. I told him of how awed I still was by how he ended up helping me explore Dragonspine for 3 hours straight in exchange for just a few windwheel asters. Apparently, the flowers were to ascend Bennett, whom he just got that day, so in his own words, I gotta “say thanks to Benny”.   

Not only time but also technology was not on Sama’s side. With every new patch, GI took up more space on one’s device, adding to an formidable size for a game supposedly playable on a phone. And Sama’s phone, though recently bought, couldn’t keep up with the pace of GI’s expansion. There was a question that needed answering, and even though he had made up his mind for a while before telling me, it was not as simple as to just quit. Once in September, he even asked if I could take over his account because he did not like leaving it to collect dust. He truly wanted someone to keep playing it, and at that point, was seriously thinking about entrusting it to me. I did not take the offer because I was hoping against hope that he would just take a break for some months and return if he had the account still. 

Things did not turn out that way and after roughly a month of Sama’s absence, the parting of ways came on a fine autumn weekend. 

It was a small blessing that both Y-kun and I were available to log in then. While waiting for Y-kun, I took Sama to Watatsumi Island, where he had yet to open on his map. It felt pretty good, showing him the view from the Sangonomiya Shrine next to Sama’s Kokomi, the "lovely lady” he got with what’s left of his primos. 

Together, the three of us had one last hurrah, roaming around and having a real blast over taking out overworld and weekly bosses for old time’s sake.

Our last pictures taken, farewell was said and all good times must end. 

After the boss fights, Sama asked us to log off first, because he wanted to stay a little longer by himself. Later on, I got his last message. 

There’s no helping the inevitable but I am thankful that we got to give him a proper send-off. Y-kun said that he must have felt pretty proud of me, cos I am his living legacy. I felt quite embarrassed and also incredibly humbled by those words. Indeed, I have come a long way from being bogged by self-doubt and assorted mental baggage, and can now face challenges head-on. But, for such transformation to be possible and so enjoyable, it is in no small part thanks to Sama and Y-kun.

My story of Sama may have come to an end but my journey in Teyvat still goes on, with new encounters to be had and new friends made. His departure taught me to be bolder in accepting people’s requests to join my world and sending my requests to others. Earlier this year, close to the end of the Lantern Rite, a player named Luna asked for permission to visit my world. Out of some whim, I clicked yes and was in for the biggest surprise ever. They did not come over for some resources or materials, but to make a strange request - to follow them to a hill in the surroundings of Wangshu Inn, sit on a boulder and wait. 

And voila, fireworks! They cleverly set up the firework launcher behind a bush at lower elevation, took position and then started to play Twinkle twinkle little star in accompaniment. The suspense, the lights and music together bowled me over, all the more so since this was a complete stranger, who only wished to be a messenger of joy. I could hardly believe my eyes and ears - it felt more like the stuff of dream and fantasy than reality!  

The display was short but sweet, and I thanked them profusely for it and the kind wishes that followed. I did not want the moment to end too soon so I suggested that we both put up our firework launchers and set them off at the same time. After all, the seats were made for two. 

It took us a second try to coordinate the settings so that our fireworks would explode and end at the same time. 

Oh what a night!  

Inspired by this well-meaning stranger’s impromptu gift, I was super motivated to make it the “gift that keeps giving” and pass on the exuberance running through my veins. Luckily, some one on my list was online - an affable player named Liliana, another ardent fan of Ningguang (and collector of kickass ladies like Yae and Yelan) I met while looking for a world to get some Cecilia. And so I came over to their world, asked for a few minutes of their time and put on the firework show, albeit without music accompaniment. 

It was super gratifying to see that Liliana enjoyed the gift so much, and at that moment, all was all right with the world, as strangers and newly-made friends shared in the festivity and did something unconditionally nice for each other.

Every now and then, a bittersweet yearning would rise in me for those long past days, when there was no goodbye to be had. But not all is lost - Y-kun is still playing with me, for which I’m very grateful and much comforted. New doors will lead to new people, if I choose to be adventurous and welcoming. Like the stories of Inazuma, though filled with tragedy, pain and loss, there is hope and healing at the end; perhaps I will also find worthwhile connections so long as I continue on this journey.   

I shall stop my rambling here. Again, sorry for taking so long with it, Y-kun!!! After this, I will stop writing about GI for a while to return to Chihayafuru season 3. It’s something I’ve been dying to do, especially since I’ve got such an enthusiastic cheerleader (thanks @comfysocksfirst​)! 

To all who have read any of my megane-ko adventure posts: thank you so so so much, even if you’re only hear to see the pictures. To those who have read all 3 parts: you are amazing!!!! *gives out tricolor dango*

Until next time. Altair, out. 

[leon-classfirst]

Change the World -Free Will-

An upcoming Fanfiction based on Final Fantasy Type-0 & Agito and its novels. Sequel to the previous fanfic Change the World -Written Fate- ⬇️

Arecia's Journal #002

-Naghi Minatsuchi-

"Failed-main-project #002. Mysterious, talented in espionage. Has an ability to blend his personality as accordingly."

"After what happened recently... this boy would not stop amusing me."

-Fuuka Isuka-

"Side-project #033. Intelligent, unpredictable (perhaps). I foresee great future in this young lady. No surprise if she will be in Class First-One in near future."

"Side note: She eventually did. But, she had recently lost someone important to her. Alas, what's in it for her?"

-Ryoutarou Akubi-

"Side-project #011. Strong-willed. Well-mannered (at times?)."

"I am quite surprised myself I could get my hands on someone of nobility, and a First-One cadet at that."

"This boy... he is... hindering 'his' efforts to become close with her."

"So his 'rival' died... I was just about to be amused by those two's rivalry."

-Mako Ashikaga-

"Side-project #029. Agile. Cold-blooded yet honorable(?)"

"Another nobility? And sister to the Dominion's top Legion commander? I am feeling lucky recently..."

"Behind that calm and cute face, a foul mouth is hiding behind it."

-R&#n Sπ÷{}\mirai-

"Failed-main-project #001. Dangerous yet useful. Very volatile. Could utilize ph&$#oma (?)."

"Who is this man? I never saw him in any of the @+&-¢£us cycles."

"No matter. He is interesting as it is. I shall use him."

-------------Tempus Finis Awaits-------------

"A $4# d{¢£h indeed for this young man..."