#Heeey Studio

[thewindowofthesummerhouse]

Heeey Studio

[fionacreates]

Heeey!

I'm Fiona, and I'm an illustrator and comics artist/writer. I've worked for folks such as Disney, Tapas and Mad Cave Studios as well as working on my ongoing comics project, Ladies of the Knight. (Also found at @ladiesoftheknight)

Portfolio - http://fionacreates.net

Comic - http://LadiesoftheKnightcomic.com

Instagram @fiona_creates

Mastodon - mastodon.art@fionacreates

Blue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/fionacreates.bsky.social

Twitter - @fiona_creates

Normally it's #portfolioday on the birdsite so I'm making a post on here instead, maybe it'll work maybe it won't but I get to share some art anyway!

[blaxcunicorn]

One-shot

Heeey! I just wrote something random as I felt a bit inspired after reading Just kids by Patti Smith. I have been busy with my exams which is why I've been gone for so long but we back!

Content: fem!reader, NSFW warning, Rockstar Eren before fame, friends to lovers, poverty

You hissed as you cut your pinky finger on a thorn while making a flower bouquet for a customer. You sucked it up and gave the sweet lady her bouquet with a smile. “It’s perfect, thank you. My daughter is going to love it.” She smiled. Her smile warmed your heart. Being a florist wasn’t the most fulfilling job, but making people like her smile motivates you. Well, that and putting food on the table. You grew up in the city's poorer side, so there weren’t many opportunities for you after high school. The florist job was the best thing you could find, it isn’t all bad, the owner has been nothing but kind to you. You heard the doorbell ring as Mrs Johnson came walking into the shop with bags that smelled like heaven. She and her husband owned the bakery next to the shop, and they would always bring you the leftovers of the day. “Here, my love, it’s not that much, but hopefully, it is enough for a day.” She smiled gently. You opened the bag; it was a sandwich, a croissant, and a whole loaf of bread. “This is more than enough, thank you.” You said gratefully, setting the store ready for closure. 

You walked into your tired apartment building, greeting the tired landlord who was seated at his usual desk spot. He gave you a sad smile as you stood outside your brown door with an eviction note taped on it. They were increasing the rent, and you were already struggling to meet the current increase of the last one. You had to sell your bed in order to afford last month’s payment. You opened the door to your small yellow-walled studio. You put the bakery bag on the counter, grab the sandwich, and cut it in half, leaving the other piece on the plate. As you sat down with your sandwich, you noticed a pair of pants with holes on the left knee on the table. You shook your head and pulled out your sewing equipment. As you almost finished stitching the pants, you heard the familiar sound of the heavy steps of construction boots.

Eren entered the room, greeting you with a warm grin. “Man, I’m exhausted, Gold, but how was your day?” He asked, putting his yellow helmet on the counter. He has called you Gold since childhood, which you never entirely understood. You and Eren grew up as neighbours in the very same building. You lived in another apartment with your grandmother, and Eren lived with his parents. Life dealt the two of you shitty cards, and Eren’s mother was killed in a robbery gone wrong when you were only five years old. His father passed away from a heart attack when he was fifteen, and he had to drop out of school to find a job. Your grandmother didn’t have the financial means to help him, but she would cook him meals as often as possible. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long, as she passed away when you were sixteen. Eren offered you to move in with him so that you didn’t have to drop out like him. Mrs Johnson, who was your grandmother’s friend, helped you get a part-time job as a florist. You managed to finish high school, and well here you are. 

“Hello, Gold. Are you okay?” He asked, looking concerned. You jump a little as you had zoned out, I mean, how could you not? The construction job had made Eren quite built, he literally looked like a Greek God. “I’m fine, sorry. Just a little tired, that’s all.” You smiled while finishing the pants throwing it at Eren. “Thanks, you’re the best!” He grinned, caught it, and grabbed the other half of the sandwich. His smile disappeared the moment he came closer. He held your hand and stroked your finger with his thumb. “Don’t worry, I just cut myself a bit at work”, you smile, trying to ease the tension. Eren doesn't respond, his eyes are focused on the scar. “I will provide you a life where you don't have to take jobs that will leave you scars” he muttered. “Huh?” You said, looking confused. “Nothing..Hey, I brought a surprise!” He grinned, pulling out two bottles of cheap white wine. “What are we celebrating?” You smile, folding his pants. “The guys and I finished fixing the van! We are leaving for LA  by the end of next week!” He said excitedly, pulling out two plastic cups. You swallowed hard but tried to put on a smile for him, although your eyes were stinging. 

Eren learned how to play guitar from Armin’s grandfather at the age of fifteen. He owned an instrument shop and noticed that a couple of kids were interested in the instruments. It was first Connie who came in looking at the drums. Armin’s grandfather sat the bold boy down and taught him how to play the instrument. The second time Connie came, he brought his friend Jean. Jean was mesmerised by the beautiful black and white bass. Which after a few weeks, it became his best friend (after Connie, ofc!).

 Lastly, we have Eren, he was on his way home from work when he saw Armin’s grandfather struggle with some boxes. He offered to help, which the elderly man accepted. One of the boxes contained a black electric guitar. Armin’s grandfather offered Eren to try it out as he saw his green eyes glow at the sight of it. Weeks later, he introduced the three boys to his grandson Armin who could play both keyboard and guitar. The boys quickly became friends and started playing together in the evenings. Armin’s grandfather believed that it was better for the boys to be distracted from the crimes in the city, and what better distraction than music? The elderly man passed away four years later. From there on, the boys knew that they wanted to start a band and make it out of the city. They found an abandoned van that they spent a year fixing with the help of Jean’s mechanic background. The plan was to use the van to drive to LA and sleep in it if they couldn't afford a Motel. Now it being done meant that Eren would soon leave to follow his dreams. 

You took the cup, he offered you, “Cheers to you for making it in LA!” You said, smiling. “Cheers for the two of us making it in LA!” The Chestnut-haired man said, correcting you. “Us? As in..” 

“Would you think that I would leave you behind in this shitty city?” Eren asked, looking at you like you had stated something silly like the moon was made out of cheese. “Yeah, I mean…ehm”, you played with your fingers. The guys always referred to you as their fifth member. You weren't a direct member of the band, but you had sewed them a few pieces to wear when they’d do free bar performances. “I could never leave you behind, it’s you and me against the world. Like it always has been.” He grins, toasting his wine before downing it in one go. It warmed your heart to know that Eren would never forget about you. After finishing the bottles, the two of you are pretty drunk. “Eren, could you please play something for me?” You ask, batting your eyelashes.

You look so damn cute drunk. How could he say no? “Sure, what song?.” He says, picking up his guitar. “This Charming Man!” You say excitedly. You danced to Eren’s angelic voice, “Ah, a jumped-up pantry boy who never knew his place!” You shout, and Eren gets up and dances with you. One day, I will write you a song that will make you dance like that, he thought to himself.  The two of you danced like you had no care in the world, as putting food on the table was not an issue, as you weren’t surrounded by crime and death. 

The two of you lie in bed, dizzy and out of breath but happy. You turn your bodies to face each other. “Eren, did you mean it when you said that it was the two of us against the world?” You ask for reinsurance. “Of course I did, I can’t imagine any other woman by my side but you.” The alcohol in his system was exposing him. You smiled while massage his ear lobe. “Is that so?” You whispered, dying of happiness on the inside. He doesn’t respond but looks at you like a lovesick crackhead. Your cheek burned, and you turned your head to face the cracking roof in embarrassment. 

Eren cupped your cheeks, forcing you to face him again. You leaned into the warmth of his rough hands. “What am I to you, Eren?” Your lips were almost touching, and the smell of wine filled your nose. He leans in and kisses you passionately. His lips were a big contrast to his hands. You felt a needy heat growing between your legs, it seemed like Eren was reading your mind as he slid his two fingers under your dress. “Already wet for me?” He whispered. “Yes,” you whined.

 Eren removed your dress and underwear, and you hissed in the chilly air. Eren doesn’t break eye contact with your as he spreads your legs and gives your cunt a long lick from the bottom of your vulgar, covering his tongue with your sweet juices. “God, Gold…you…taste…so…good”, he whispered, diving into your cunt. “Ah, Eren” you moan. You were confident that your neighbour Eric on the other side of the wall heard you.

 All Eren cared about right now was to make you cum, to release you from all the stress from your everyday life. "'I’m gonna cum," you whimpered, realising all over his mouth. “Good girl”, he whispered, kissing you, letting you taste yourself. “Eren, can you please fuck me?” you asked pathetically. He flipped you on your stomach. He leaned over and growled in your ear, “You don’t have to ask me twice. Get on all fours,” and kissed your back. You did what he demanded, feeling shivers all over your body.

 Eren collected cum from your vagina and smeared it all over his veiny cock. He gripped tight around your hips and hissed as he was entering you. Eren pumped slowly back and forth, the air was filled with your moans as your pussy was getting used to Eren’s colossal size. “Fuck”, he moaned as he started speeding up, digging his finger further into your flesh. “Gold, fuck me back. Fuck your cock back, it’s all yours”, he growled. Being the obedient woman you were, you threw your ass back. “Harder” he demanded, spanking you. “Ah, fuck Eren”, you moaned as your arms gave up on you and collapsed on the bed. That didn’t stop Eren as he lifted your hips and placed his cock inside of you. “Fuck, your pussy feels good. Keeping this from me for six years,” he groaned, continuing fucking you. Your face was on the pillow, which was a good thing as you were a moaning mess. 

Your eyes teared up as you felt your second climax blossoming. Eren could tell as you clenched around him, “Give it to me, give it to me.” He growled, feeling you squirt all over him. “Gold, I’m not finished. Take this cock.” He demanded, filling the air with your whimpers and the sound of your skin slapping. You used the last energy to get on all fours again, fucking him back “Ah, fuck! You want me to get all out, too, all this fucking frustration. Fuck it all into you.” He groaned. “Yes”, you moaned, throwing your ass back. His thrusts became rigid and slow as he was filling you up. 

Eren collapsed on the bed next to you while catching his breath. He kissed your forehead before you went to the toilet to pee. You walked out to see Eren comfy in bed. You lay down beside him, and he wrapped his arms around you. “Eren, you never answered my question, " you said, turning to face him. I’m in love with you, silly. Always has been, and always will be.” He said, yawing.

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] Event | Top of the Blue Sky | Episode 1

Banri: …

Misumi: Huh? Kumon, look, Banri’s over there~.

Banri: (Hm? That voice…)

Kumon: You’re right! I wonder if he’s on his way back from school.

Kumon: HEEEY, BANRI!

Banri: Damn, you don’t gotta yell so loudly. What do you want?

Misumi: Me and Kumon were just about to do a street act~. Do you wanna join us, Banri?

Banri: Sure, why not? You got a theme?

Kumon: The theme is delinquents!

Banri: Delinquents?

Kumon: Yeah. They recently dropped a spinoff manga of the crazy popular “Yankee Star” manga.

Kumon: It’s super interesting, so I wanna be a delinquent too!

Banri: Gotcha. I mean, can’t say I haven’t been interested in that manga too.

Kumon: Really!? Then I guess I’ve got no choice but to lend it to you next, Banri!

Banri: The hell do you mean you don’t got a choice? 

Misumi: I’ve been really into doing delinquent etudes lately too. I’ve been doing them with a leaf in my mouth like this~.

Banri: Nah, you know there ain’t too many of that kinda delinquent nowadays, right?

Misumi: Huh, really? I got it from a manga I borrowed from Azami~.

Banri: That’s prolly ‘cause it’s an over-the-top delinquent manga from ages ago.

Kumon: It makes sense that you’d know a lot about delinquents, Banri. You’re just like a real delinquent!

Banri: …Hey, the fuck you mean I’m like a delinquent?

Kumon: Because it’s true. I mean that as a compliment now!

Banri: “...Quit fuckin’ with me. Today’s the day, I’m gonna wipe that damn smirk off your face.”

Kumon: !

Kumon: “That’s my line, bastard!”

*Kumon throws a punch and Banri dodges*

Banri: “Hah!”

*Banri swings back*

Misumi: “Hey, hey, it ain’t fair that just the two of ya get to get along like that. Count me in. Hyah!”

*Misumi kicks and Banri and Kumon dodge*

Kumon: “A flying kick!?” 

Banri: “Goddamn, he’s for real.”

Passerby A: Huh, is that a fight?

Passerby B: No, it’s a street act! But wow, that’s impressive…!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Applause*

Banri & Kumon: Thank you so much!

Misumi: Thanks for watching, everyone~!

Kumon: That street act was so much fun!

Misumi: Yeah! It was really, really fun~. Thanks for joining us, Banri!

Banri: No problem. I mean, I usually have fun with it too.

???: Excuse me…

Banri: Hm?

???: You’re part of MANKAI Company, right?

Banri: Yeah. You know us?

???: Of course, I’ve even come to see your plays before. I’ve always been supporting you.

Kumon: Thanks, we’re glad to hear that!

???: Likewise. I just came to hand out flyers, but I ended up being lucky enough to see something so incredible like that.

???: Right. Can I give you one of these flyers? It’s an announcement for a newly opened rehearsal studio.

Banri: Ah, sure thing.

Misumi: There’s so many triangle patterns on this flyer! They’re very wonderful triangles~.

???: Haha, seems like all the work I put into designing it was worth it. Well then, I’ll be going now.

Banri: “Rehearsal Studio Blue Sky is Now Open!” huh? Seems like it’s pretty close by.

Kumon: I wonder if that guy just now is a staff member there or something.

Banri: Prolly. I’ll let Director-chan know about it in case we’ve ever got an opportunity to use it.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Door opens*

Kumon & Misumi: We’re home~!

Izumi: Ah, welcome back, guys.

Banri: Perfect timin’. Director-chan, you ever heard of Blue Sky? Seems like it’s a new rehearsal studio in the area.

Izumi: Blue Sky, you mean the place that’s facing backlash on social media right now…?

Troupe Members: Huh, backlash?

[ Next Part ⇢ ]

[zu-is-here]

HEEEY Zu !

May I have a question ? About this comic of yours :

How old are Dream and Cross in this story ? I dunno if u already mentioned it somewherrrrrreee...

* flips pages in your tumblr like a book *

but if u didnt, im curious !

And also I CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO CONTINUEEEE i love it smmmmmmm

* kisses *

Hii Ashy!╰(*´︶`*)╯

You can find their ages here, but don't take them (or anything else in Studio AU) as canon (*´∇｀*) Just so you approximately know that in this story, Dream is in his early 20s, while Cross is in his late 30s ♪

I'm really glad to hear it, thank you so much for your support! (〃ω〃)♡

[jae-bummer]

A Kiss for Everyone

Request: Can I have 18 and 5..? With Svt Minghao? And the members invites themselves to the date..? And it’s cute and funny? If you do it! Thank you sm I love you😭🫶

Prompts:

5) "I don't think I've ever seen anyone screw something up that fast before."

18) Going for a day out with your bias when somehow all of the other group members invite themselves.

Pairing: Seventeen The8 x reader

Genre: Fluff

.

Tucking the rolled yoga mat under your arm, you readjusted your stance, and stared out the window of the studio. Butterflies nosedived in your abdomen, making it nearly impossible to stand still. You took a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, trying to remember the small tricks Hao had given you to calm yourself down. It was awfully ironic that you were using them now, when he was the reason that you needed to find peace.

It wasn't that you were panicked at the thought of your first date, just anxious about all of the ways it could go wrong. Hao was thoroughly invested in both meditation and fitness, so suggesting a yoga class seemed like the perfect way to marry two of his interests. You weren't sure if he had ever been before, but you assumed it would be something he was good at.

You on the other hand? Maybe not so much.

"I knew I should have paid extra for the baby goats," you muttered, running a hand through your hair. At least if you had done goat yoga, you could play off any mistakes as excitement for being around so many small and furry things.

You checked the time on your phone again before worrying your lip. Only a few minutes until class started and you still hadn't seen Minghao coming from either end of the street. Just as you were about to shoot him a text, you saw his thin frame bobbing down the sidewalk.

Putting on your best smile, you moved toward the door and opened it as he strolled in. Grinning at you in return, he pulled you into a quick hug before letting go. "Sorry I was late, the guys-"

"It's okay," you nodded, immediately wanting to absolve him of any worry. He looked great today (but then again, when did he not?) Dressed in a simple tank top and sweatpants, it was difficult to even maintain focus. He was just that beautiful.

"Jeonghan slept in," he chuckled. "And it started this whole chain reaction of things going wrong. Everyone should be right behind me though."

"Everyone?" you croaked, furrowing your brows. Surely, he didn't mean...

The small bell above the entryway chimed as familiar voices began to flood the small space. You blinked up at Minghao, trying to tamper down the shock flooding your system. "I-I didn't reserve their spots."

"What?" Hao asked, now his turn to grow confused as his friends began to filter in. Their small talk was equivalent to a roar as you felt your body growing hot with embarrassment.

Coming to a stop beside you, Mingyu draped a long arm around your neck. "Heeey."

DK shuffled over as well, trying to assess the looks on both you and Hao's faces. "Y/N?"

"I...I thought today was going to be just us," you admitted, feeling foolish. You couldn't even chance a glance toward the two other men who had inserted themselves in your conversation. It was mortifying.

Minghao's eyes grew wide as he looked from you and then back to all the members.

DK let out a nervous laugh as he patted Hao across the back. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone screw something up that fast before."

"We can leave," Mingyu blurted, unwinding himself from your body.

"No, no," you said quickly, shaking your head. Plastering on what positivity you could, you began to nod instead. "Let me double check and make sure there's enough spots for everyone."

Wandering over to the counter you had checked in at, you could feel your face grow flush before you even started speaking. "Sorry, um...the class that's about to start? You wouldn't happen to have twelve additional spots, would you?"

The girl behind the counter blanched before taking a moment to respond. "I could look?"

"Thank you," you said quietly, glancing over your shoulder. You couldn't help but feel awkward as you watched several of the members surround Minghao, shoving him in the shoulders as the pointed vehemently toward you. Just great, now they all knew you had expected this to be a date.

"Actually," the studio receptionist hummed, getting your attention again. "It looks like we have another class starting in a few minutes that has room for you all. Do you want me to switch you over to that one?"

"Sure, that would be great," you sighed in relief. Placing your elbows on the counter, you dropped your face into your hands and tried to focus on your breathing again.

"Okay," the girl continued. "That's going to be ₩621,981.50."

Lifting your face, you tried not to cringe. While that wasn't the largest amount of money you had ever spent, it was still more than you had expected to pay today.

"I got it," Hao said quietly as his body joined yours at the counter. Looking up, you found him avoiding eye contact and gnawing at the skin on the side of his thumb.

"No, really," you tried, trying to salvage any chance at normality. "I invited you guys out here, let me pay."

"No, Y/N," he asserted. "You invited me. Then I was the one who went and fumbled the situation. Badly."

Sliding his card across the counter, he moved to face you. Leaning against the edge of the tabletop, he looked at you directly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," you grimaced. It was hard to meet his eyes. "I should have told you I expected it...that I wanted it to be..."

"A date?" he finished, lifting a brow.

"A date," you repeated numbly. How horrifying was it that you had to admit it out loud?

After a moment of silence, Hao cleared his throat. "It can still be a date."

"You don't have to humor me," you groaned, still avoiding eye contact.

"Y/N," he murmured. "Please look at me."

Moodily acquiescing, your eyes found his.

"If I had realized this was meant to be something special for just the two of us," he said slowly. "You know I would have been more than okay with that, right?"

"I just thought..."

"Looking back, you did everything right," he said, nodding encouragingly. "I was the one who obviously thought there was no universe in which you would actually want to go on a date with me."

"What?"

"I'm weird, Y/N," he chuckled. "Good looking, but weird."

"Hao," you choked out on a laugh. "At least you're self-aware?"

Breaking into a wide smile, he reached up to rub his hand along your arm. "I'll make this up to you. I promise."

Inhaling deeply, you gave a short nod. It was hard to maintain your cool when he finally set the record straight. He did want to go on a date, he just didn't realize that you had wanted that as well.

Bringing you into his side for a quick hug, his hands lingered on your lower back when you pulled away again. Cutting your eyes toward him, you tried not to spontaneously combust as he licked his lips.

"Sir?" the girl behind the counter asked, waving Hao's card in the air. "You can move to Studio 3 now."

.

"Oh my god, it's fucking goats," Vernon called over his shoulder, stumbling into the room first.

Minghao looked toward you, an alarmed expression clear on his face.

"They're babies!" Dino gasped, surging forward to cuddle one of the small goats roaming the room.

"What happens if they poop?" Seungkwan muttered, side eying the members closest to him. "Specifically, on us?"

"A little goat poop never hurt anyone," Seungcheol chuckled, somehow already holding a goat and allowing it to lick his chin.

"Did you originally book us for this?" Minghao whispered, his breath hot on your ear.

Trying to ignore the shiver caused by his proximity, you shrugged. "Nope, I didn't spring for goat yoga...but apparently you did."

"Perfect," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I did not foresee any of the events today coming to fruition."

Sliding his fingers between yours, he gave them a small squeeze. Motioning to the room with his free hand, he grimaced. "Thank you for dealing with...all of this."

You looked out at the boys who had joined you today, settling themselves on their chosen yoga mats. Their wide smiles and laughter were enough to turn your mood from disappointment to something significantly warmer. Seeing them this happy made your heart feel like it could burst.

"While both the goats and the guys were a surprise," you nodded. "It's definitely become a welcome one."

"Oh?" Hao smirked. "Sooo I don't have to make it up to you after all?"

"Now I never said that," you giggled.

"Fine," he said, giving a dramatic eye roll. "I guess I was looking forward to making it up to you anyway."

..

"This is the best date I've ever been on," DK cried. Laying on his back and covered by baby goats, you thought he would simply explode from happiness.

"More like the best day of my life!" Jun chimed from beside him, a goat chewing lazily on the ends of his hair.

"At least you made them happy," Minghao chuckled, pushing his shoulder into yours. After what was an extremely interesting session, you had both ended up on the same yoga mat, leaning against each other as you watched the interactions around you.

Petting absent-mindedly at the small goat that had settled into your lap, you smiled at him. "And I didn't make you happy?"

"Of course, you did," he smiled. "You're really good at it too." Bending toward you, he pressed a light kiss to your temple.

"Don't kiss our date!" Jeonghan gasped, pointing an accusing finger at Minghao. "If you kiss Y/N, we all kiss Y/N!"

Nodding vehemently, Hoshi sprang to his feet as he began to circle the pair of you. This startled the goat you had been holding, causing him to spring away from you and jump roughly onto Dino's stomach.

"I promise you," Minghao said, wrapping his arms protectively around you. "If your lips even get near Y/N, you will fear my wrath."

"Wrath?" Wonwoo chuckled. "Someone needs more goat yoga."

"No more goat yoga," Woozi said definitively from his spot in the corner. "Next time, can't we just...get a meal? Do as the mentally sound people do?"

"That's asking a lot," Joshua grinned, aggressively petting a goat that had taken up residence on Mingyu's chest.

"No next times," Minghao sighed into the top of your head, still not letting you go. "I have a date to take you on first."

"What do you mean?" you teased, looking up at him through your lashes. "This is a date. And honestly, it's going to be hard to top."

[warden-melli]

Heeey ✌️

They should have let us mix and match, and pose npc’s in the photo studio 😭

[gwunc4nlover]

Heeey!!!

I’m gonna leave the introduction of the story for you guys to have an update and the first look

I’m still trying to have an account on ao3 but already have a fanfiction.net one.

This is not finished! Be free to comment whatever you feel of this introduction! I’ll be really happy to answer questions and follow suggestions.

Pleaseee tell me if you like it or not! It’ll help me a lot.

I’ll leave it below for you guys to read.

The real us

No one's POV

As they were setting the camera and the lights to the proper angle in their house studio, a much older Gwen and Duncan were preparing theirselves mentally for everything that was going to happen after the release of this video. The video in question was much more than a video, it was almost a documentary of their lives till this point in time. They weren't sure it's going to be the best or the worst decision, but it was already taken.

After their Total Drama contract ended, the worst they could get from that crew was diffamation and gaslighting. All of their actor friends, who worked with them, had already been informed of the upcoming publication of the video and, of course they weren't going to be exposed as such.

[zaccrimart]

Hi!!! I went to redownload your Apollo Liner brush and it’s been deleted 🥺 will you be re uploading it at all? It’s the exact feel and texture I’ve been after for years!

Heeey, i've tried to reupload it...but it wont on clip studio asset. But :3 here you go, its on my google drive

[toujokaname]

Game master / Episode 3

Author: Akira

Characters: Rinne, HiMERU, Niki, Aira, Tatsumi, Hiiro, Mayoi, Kohaku

"Well then, Rinrin, HiMERU would like to make a few clarifications."

← Previous ✧ Directory ✧ Next →

[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: Inside Studio Bus

Rinne: .........

HiMERU: —Amagi.

Rinne: Hm? What's up, Merumeru? You're looking kinda pale, got car sickness or something?

HiMERU: You're one to talk. Are you feeling okay?

Rinne: Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry, I ain't gonna pull any embarrassing stunts like before, so rest easy.

Anyway, since this Matrix thing's a collab with ALKALOID—

Instead of "Amagi," call me "Rinrin" to avoid confusion with Otouto-kun ♪

HiMERU: Well then, Rinrin, HiMERU would like to make a few clarifications.

He's been having trouble with the internet connection since earlier, so research is proving difficult—

Niki: Ahaha. "Merumeru" and "Rinrin," are you guys pandas or something? [1]

AkanP's been driving you nuts, but you're finally back to your regular self, aren't you, HiMERU-kun? Unmoved by whatever happens~♪

HiMERU: Maybe Nikiniki should stick to eating his meal instead of spouting nonsense?

Niki: How come my nickname's longer than my original name?!

HiMERU: Merumeru is also longer than Himeru. Anyway, let's disregard the animal noises and focus on confirming the necessary details.

Niki: Rinne-kuuun! HiMERU-kun's treatment of me's getting rougher and rougher!

Rinne: Doesn't that mean his affection level's rising?

—More importantly. What is it you want to ask of me, oh Great Detective?

HiMERU: It's about this person called AkanP.

Because HiMERU is of that nature, he always performs preliminary investigations to the best of his ability on relevant parties.

However, there is a non-negligible discrepancy between the data we have gathered and the AkanP who has been in contact with us—

Rinne: Ah, that's alright, just play dumb and pretend you didn't notice.

HiMERU: On what grounds can you confidently state that "it's alright"?

Rinne: I'm saying it's alright, so it's alright. Is that not good enough for you?

HiMERU: ...Should anything occur, are you prepared to assume complete responsibility?

As he's stated numerous times, HiMERU prioritizes HiMERU above all else.

If the situation turns dire, HiMERU will abandon you all and run away, understood?

Rinne: Have you ever said that and actually made a run for it, HiMERU?

...Thanks. You're actually a kind, good guy.

HiMERU: Hah? It's just gross getting praised by you.

Rinne: Nah, I just figure it must be hard, living like that.

You should take a page from Niki's book and take it easy. See, when I look at this guy, all my worries disappear ♪

Niki: *Munch munch munch...*

Huh? What's up, Rinne-kun? Wait, all the burgers I bought on the drive-thru are mine, got it?!

Rinne: Ain't nobody stealing them from ya.

Rinne: Nah, nothing bad will happen to you guys from now on.

Even if it's a lie, it's the duty of a monarch (leader) to say so, right?

HiMERU: ...?

Rinne: See? While we're wasting time talking nonsense, I spotted it.

—That nostalgic old haunt.

Location: Secluded Village

Several hours later. Near the entrance of the Amagi Village (colloquially).

Aira: *Inhale*... *Exhale*... Ahh, the air's so fresh ♪

Tatsumi: Well, we are in the mountains, surrounded by nature. It's healing.

But personally, I'm rather disappointed that I wasn't allowed to drive even once...

Aira: Because if Tattsun-senpai drove, people would die.

Hiiro: I like Tatsumi-senpai's driving because it's fun ♪

Aira: I don't wanna risk my life for just a little excitement and thrills...

Mayoi: Yes... Our goal is just to move from one place to another; we're not seeking to indulge in thrill rides.

Tatsumi: Such cruel words...

Hiiro-san is the only one who accepts me. Pat, pat ♪

Hiiro: But like most people, I don't want to die either, okay? 

Kohaku: Heeey~♪ ALKALOID, we were all headin' over together, but you ended up arrivin' strangely late, huh?

Aira: Kohakucchi~♪ Did you beat us here?

Kohaku: Yeah, they showed us to this big mansion they called our lodgings.

Since it reminded me of my family home, I felt like I was just droppin' by for a visit.

Aira: Really, it's pretty much your standard countryside view so far... There are some weird rocks and patterns here and there, though.

Aren't there blatantly ominous statues of evil gods or mysterious bodies impaled on stakes or anything like that?

Hiiro: Even if you ask "aren't there?" I'd just be at a loss.

Besides, technically, this area is still out of range from our hometown—

Kohaku: Whoa. Hiiro-han, what's with your brother callin' you over? Looks like he's sayin', "bring Otouto-kun here before he starts speaking out of turn"?

Hiiro-han, what's that about?

Hiiro: Hmm... I wonder? Is Nii-san up to some mischief again?

Kohaku: Dunno, but Rabu-han and company, y'all must be beat from your long trip. Come with and I'll show ya where to stay ♪

Aira: Kohakucchi's so lively... Or rather, everyone's got too much stamina.

Kohaku: We just got a different way of trainin', koh koh koh ♪

And besides, we made it here without any trouble, so we arrived early and got a solid rest.

Aira: Yeah, we got stuck in a tunnel 'cause of some collapse accident or something...

Thanks to that, we wasted a bunch of time, and it just added to my anxiety.

Kohaku: Mhm. Since there's no showdown today, let's take it easy and rest. We've got comfy beds, baths, and a lavish feast waitin' for us.

Fufu. Even though it's weird for me to say it—Welcome to the Amagi Village ♪

[ ☆ ]

Many pandas have names similar to this. From what I've read, the repetition is to create an affectionate nickname. Cute.

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[rikeijo]

Today's translation #519

Yuri!!! on STAGE event pamphlet, Hino Satoshi's comment

>I had fun as both a cast member and a viewer

Emil makes an appearance in the second part of the story, so I have watched the first episode as it aired on TV, before I played my role. I went to the recording studio after I'd experienced the passion and the voice acting of this show as a viewer, so I could enjoy it as both a cast member and as a fan. When I was first asked to take the role, I couldn't even imagine how it was going to turn out - animating ice skating - but when I watched it on air, I was stunned by the beauty of it.

>After recording

Emil is a character that actively enjoys all sports, not just figure skating and I felt that he is having a lot of fun when he's skating in the show. That's why I wonder what kind of skating he would show to us if he gave all that he has to get the first place. Of course, it's not that he doesn't want to get the first place now, but I'd like to see how he would be like if he were focusing only on skating - that's what I thought after the recording of the last episode was over.

>His affection towards Michele and Sara

One of the things that left a strong impression on me is the affection that Emil has for Michele and Sara, I think? I think that he can still just shout "Heeey!" even if he gets ignored, shows that he's just a good person. And I was very worried when Makkachin got that manju stuck in her throat (laugh).

>Message for the fans

Thank you for coming to today's event. Let's have fun together and make good memories!

[gnabnahc317cb97]

A History of Pain Part 1

Bang Chan x Female reader

Word count: 7.6K

Synopsis: You've come back to Korea to stay and start living with your adopted brother Minho and his friends, one of which, Chan, you can't help but be drawn to despite your brother's warnings to both of you. When people from your childhood and the things that happened to you keep coming up, you're forced to face things from your past and present. Will you be okay or will the time bomb that is your history finally blow up in your face?

Warnings for this series: This story will have elements of death and flashbacks to abuse (mental, physical and sexual) throughout. It will not be explicit or overly detailed, but it will be a vital part of the plot. If that is a topic that can be triggering or make you uncomfortable, I would suggest skipping this series! There will also be strong language/cursing, adult content, and sexual themes throughout but not in every part so I will be adding warnings for each part accordingly. If I ever miss something that should be in the warnings, PLEASE let me know and I will add it! This is and Idol AU so while they are in a group together it is not Stray Kids, hence no Jeongin and Seungmin and even though a company is mentioned it is not JYP. Just for clarification these are characters and not ment to portray the actual people in any way.

Pt. 1 Warnings: Not much in this one really, suggestive but nothing explicit, night terrors depicted, mentions of nudity. I think that's all. Again let me know if I missed anything!

You weaved your way through the Incheon International airport scanning the faces in the crowd looking for your big brother, who was supposed to be picking you up after your eighteen-hour flight. What you found instead was a stuffy looking chauffeur holding a sign with your name on it. You walked up to the man and pointed at the sign. 

“I’m Lee Y/N.” He looked at you funny and continued to scan the people behind you. You rolled your eyes. You had dealt with things like this your whole life, ever since the Lee’s had adopted you. Your family was Korean and you, very obviously weren’t. You sighed. 

“Minho sent you I assume...” When you mentioned your brother’s name the driver seemed to realize you were in fact telling the truth about who you were. 

“Yes, ma’am. I am to take you to the dorm where he will escort you to your parent’s house.” You nodded, tossed your book bag at him and slid your suitcase over. 

“Whatever you say Jeeves. I’m beat let’s go!” He let out an exasperated sigh and lead you towards the exit. When you were settled in the car you pulled out your phone to call your brother and bitch him out for not at least warning you he wasn’t able to get you. It rang twice and he answered.

"Heeey Minhooo, landed safely. You forget to mention something?" Minho face palmed himself.

"I'm sorry! It’s been a while since you’ve been home. Things have gotten a little crazy. I had to send a company car. I’m so so sorry I meant to tell you I’ve just been so busy with work I forgot." It had been a long time since you’d been there.

You had missed Minho and your parents so much but you had been attending university in America and it wasn’t always easy to get back home. You knew Minho and his rap group had been doing well but when you were in your bubble in America following Korean hip hop groups, even your brother's, wasn’t on the top of your priority list. Whenever you spoke to Minho he was more concerned about how your schooling was going, if you were okay, and updating you on the parents and the cats. Not his career. You wanted to give him a little grief but you were too tired. 

"It’s okay Min, don’t worry about it." You slunk down in your seat, giving in this time.

"Look I’m still at the studio right now. I’ll have to take you to mom and dad’s tomorrow so when you get to the dorm just take the guest room and make yourself at home okay? The guys are gone for the weekend. I’ll let you know when I’m leaving and I’ll take you to dinner to make up for it." The promise of dinner perked you back up, especially if your brother was paying.

"Okay, sounds good. Love you." Minho hummed.

"Hmmmm... ew." And you groaned.

"God you’re such an ass." He laughed.

"Love you too." You gave him a hum this time.

"Mmhmm that’s better. See you later." You hung up and looked out the window as you neared your destination.

When you got to the dorm the driver carried your bags up and put them by the door. 

“Will there be anything else ma’am?” You shook your head. 

“That will be all Jeeves thanks a million!” He shook his head and left. You typed in the key code Minho had given you and went in, dragging your bags behind you. It was a nice place but very clearly lived in by men. There was more weight equipment than furniture in the living room and nothing in the form of pictures or art on the walls. One thing they did have on the wall was a giant tv and video games piled up underneath of course. Off the living room there was a hall. You went down it and investigated. You opened every door trying to get your bearings and figure out where everything was. The first door you opened had a bed a dresser and more weights than the damn living room did. The next room was just a bed, a dresser, and a night stand. There were a few framed pictures and a book on the night stand. Minimal, clean. You didn’t even have to look twice to know it was Minho’s room. The room next to your brother’s looked like a clothes bomb went off in it. Jisung was the only one of the guys you had ever met and from the things your brother had told you about him this was almost definitely his room. The next room had a bed and a desk and a dresser but not much else, similar to Minho’s. Minimal and clean. There was a computer and lot of DJ equipment on the desk and a big set of noise cancelling headphones. You pulled that door closed and opened the one across the hall from it. A bed, a dresser, a night stand, and nothing else. This was clearly the guest room. You sat your stuff down and finished exploring.  

Right at the very end of the hall was the bathroom. You cringed at the idea of a bunch of men sharing one bathroom but when you peeked in you were pleasantly surprised to see that it was rather big with a nice tub and you found it remarkably clean, although, with Minho living there perhaps it shouldn’t have been so surprising. He was a bit of a neat freak at times. You quickly peeked in the other two rooms across the hall. One practically looked like an art studio with a bed and the other had probably the most gaming equipment you’d ever seen per square foot. 

Once you were acquainted with the place you decided to take advantage of that huge tub you saw and take a hot bath. You were exhausted and stunk after that flight and Minho had told you to make yourself at home. You dipped into his room and rummaged through his dresser looking for your favorite t-shirt of his.

You looked down at his night stand and saw the pictures he had set up. One of your parents, you and Minho from the last Christmas you were able to visit, another of Soonie, Doongie, and Dori all wearing top hats and bow ties, and then one of you and Minho the day you were officially adopted. You both had your arms wrapped around each other. You with a giant smile on your face, Minho and his permanent grimace. You picked it up and looked at it smiling remembering this day because it was the day you found out you had a REAL big brother and you were so happy. You fought off the tears of the memory, put the picture back, grabbed the t-shirt, and went to dig out some sweat pants and your travel toiletries.

You ran the bath almost hotter than you could stand it, added some bubble bath you nosed around under the sink for and lit a couple of candles that you had found under there as well. You climbed in and drew the curtain mostly closed. You leaned back in the tub soaking in the warmth of, not only the water but the candle light. You were just drifting into a quiet relaxation, finally, after that shitty eighteen-hour flight when suddenly that peace went out the metaphorical door with the opening of the literal door.

You were a bit startled to see standing there, absolutely bewildered, a guy probably around your brother’s age. Cute, broad shoulders, a mess of curls and confusion. Luckily you weren’t an idiot. Even though it was just supposed to be you and Minho you had pulled the curtain most of the way closed for just this reason, so now there was no way the man standing there could see your nude body even if you were fully submerged in bubbles. The curtain was open only enough for you to see out of as you laid there. The man stood there speechless. 

“Can I help you?” You finally asked as he just looked at you blankly, his mouth agape. He shook his head and quickly looked away realizing he was staring at you while you were naked in a bathtub. 

“I-I-I…” His ears turned bright red and he stammered until he finally cleared his throat. 

“What are you doing?” You quirked your eyebrow at him. 

“Well, I WAS relaxing in the tub…” The guy shook his head still keeping his eyes directed anywhere but you. 

“No, I mean who are you?!” You sighed heavily. 

“Who are you? You walked in on me?” He couldn’t help but finally look at you again. Your eyes locking, an incredulous expression plastered on his face. 

“Yea in MY bathroom!” You shrugged. 

“Fair enough but to be fair to me, it’s also my brother’s bathroom.” God had Minho not even bothered to warn them you would be here JUST in case? You suddenly fought back the urge to giggle when you saw curly had the confused face again.  

“I think you must have the wrong place because I know all my friend’s sisters.” You shrugged your shoulders again.  

“Well clearly you don’t because my brother lives here and I’ve never met you in my life.” Curly man shook his head. 

“No sorry it’s just not possible, no one I live with is American.” This. Again. You shook your head sarcastically in reply. 

“My brother is Korean. I’m adopted.” His face fell a little when you said that. 

“Oh...” You could hear the pity in the two-letter word. You waved him off. 

“Spare me. That was the easiest part of my life. Look sorry, I’m not sure why my brother never told you about me but I assure you he does in fact live here.” You were starting to get irritated with this guy questioning you.  

“How are you SO certain your brother lives here?!” He was clearly losing his patience as well. You were good at wearing that down in people, though it wasn’t always intentional. 

“Because JERK! He had a car drop me off here, I used the code to get into the place, and I’ve already been in his room and saw all his stuff. I snatched a shirt I bought him for Christmas, saw pictures of OUR family. THAT’S how I know. Now if you don’t mind I just got off an airplane that I was in for almost an entire day and it’s hard to relax when there’s a strange man watching me in the tub!” His eyes quickly flew away as if he’d just realized again that he shouldn’t be looking at you, even if the curtain kept you from being exposed. You were taking a mental note, two strikes now, you needed to give Minho a piece of your mind when he got home.  

“Look I’m sorry. I-I... didn’t realize... I’ll leave you to finish. Sorry.” His whole face was red now. He left quickly and you felt a little bad for being so difficult. You could have just said your brother was Minho. It wasn’t his fault any more than it was yours that Minho failed to mention you would be there let alone existed and he seemed like he genuinely meant his apology once he’d realized his mistake. You sighed, blew out the candles and pulled the plug to drain the water. You got out and started drying off and getting dressed.

When you walked out you took your dirty clothes and towel into your room and realized the door to the room across from yours was cracked. You heard soft r&b music coming from it and someone singing. You walked over peeking in. Your eyes went wide and your heart rate picked up a little. Mr. curly man had his back to you, his shirt off, the muscles of his back flexed and relaxed with every movement he made as he folded clothes and sang along to the song that you now realized was Dive In by Trey Songz. His voice was pretty.

You bit your lip as he bent down, unable to stop yourself from checking out his ass in the basketball shorts he was wearing. God he was REALLY cute and the way he was singing that song made you feel things. You didn’t know what to think, you usually didn’t give two shits about guys, relationships, or sex but there was something about him that struck a chord with you.

He turned and you quickly ducked back so that he wouldn’t see you spying. You waited a couple of minutes, then tapped the door frame and pushed the door open a little more. He stopped singing and turned towards you. The front of him looked even better than the back and then you noticed him holding a pair of black briefs he’d been folding. Now your ears were burning red. You cleared your throat looking at the underwear in his hands. When you did he snatched the underwear behind his back, hiding them out of your sight. 

“Ahem... Uh... hey. Um... I just wanted to say sorry. I didn’t mean to be such a pain in the ass. I’m just tired and grumpy from the flight and I was caught off guard, I didn’t think anyone else was going to be here. My name is Lee Y/N, I’m Minho’s little sister.” The man’s jaw dropped.  

“MINHO HAS A LITTLE SISTER?!” You would have laughed at his reaction if you weren’t so irritated that your brother had not disclosed this information to everyone and you were unsure as to why.  

“I’m Chan... er... uh, or Chris. Sorry I didn’t mean to shout it’s just he’s never mentioned you before. Wow Minho’s little sister.” You shrugged your shoulders. 

“I’m not sure why he hasn’t, he has pictures of us in his room.” The gorgeous man, who you now knew was... Chan or Chris? He looked shocked again. 

“That’s you?! Oh! I always wondered who that was in those photos! Lee Know is kind of private about his family life so I never asked. I just kind of assumed you were and old classmate or maybe an ex-girlfriend since he never talked about it.” You smiled at him. 

“Nope. Sister. Either way, I’m sorry for the confusion and for being rude to you Chan.” He scoffed and flashed a bright smile back at you. 

“No, you weren’t really. Also knowing that you grew up with Lee Know your reaction makes so much sense now.” He laughed and his dimples popped out. You couldn’t help but smile back. He was cute and sweet; you felt your face getting red.

Thankfully before you could complete the transformation into a tomato you heard the man of the hour come walking into the dorm. You went out into the living room, shirtless Chan following closely behind. When Minho saw him there, he got a very serious look on his face. 

“What are you doing here Chan?” Chan scoffed. 

“I live here Minho.” Minho shook his head. 

“No, I mean everyone was supposed to be gone this weekend.” Chan nodded. 

“Yea, everyone but me is. I had work I was hoping to do with a little peace and quiet.” Minho eyed shirtless Chan up and down suspiciously. 

“What were you doing back there with my sister?” Chan’s eyes went wide and his ears got red. His mouth opened ready to defend himself of any wrong doing but you immediately interrupted Minho’s line of questioning. You were tired, confused, pissed, hurt.  

“He was finding out you had one asshole.” Minho looked at you and quiet, angry, tears had started welling in your eyes. You stormed off to what was your room for the time being and slammed the door closed. Minho hadn’t made you cry very many times in your life but every time he ever had he felt so guilty. You had been sad enough for an entire lifetime already and he had promised to always protect you. He ran his hand down his face, sighed, and turned towards Chan again. 

“Ugh. SHIT! I wish you would’ve told me you were going to be here.” Chan shook his head at Minho. 

“Why wouldn’t you just mention that you have a sister Minho?!” Minho pushed his fingers into his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“She’s dealt with a lot in her past and I wanted to protect her from this part of my life for as long as possible. You know how these people get Chan. All I need is for the wrong person to get the wrong idea and then the next thing you know she’s being accused of dating one of us or fucking all of us and then her life story is plastered all over the paper. I don’t need anyone digging into her life and dredging up old shit.” Chan huffed a heavy breath out. 

“But not even us man? You couldn’t even tell us?” Minho shook his head. 

“No. She was far away at school and happy that’s all I cared about. No one asked so I just didn’t say. Jisungie figured it out a couple years ago when she was back for Christmas, I made him swear not to tell anyone. Chan I just wanted to try and keep her as far from all of this as possible, that’s why I never told you guys.” Chan understood a thing or two about being protective. He had a little sister too and God knows she’s had to deal with her own share of what this life brought with it but Chan also knew that he wouldn’t always be able to shield her from it and neither could Minho with you. 

“Look you go smooth things over with your sister and I’ll order take out for dinner.” Minho nodded  

“Okay, yea. Maybe put on a shirt too.” Chan laughed and Minho shot him a glare. 

“God calm down I’ll put a shirt on.” Chan started to make the call for dinner as your brother headed towards your room. Minho tapped on the door and cracked it open looking in. 

“Y/N?” You didn’t reply to him, you just sniffled laying on the bed curled up with your back to the door. Minho walked over and sat on the edge of the bed trying to figure out what to say. Before he could say anything though you spoke. 

“Are you ashamed that I’m your sister?” All of Minho’s breath left his body and his eyes went wide. He turned towards you, grabbed your shoulder, and made you look at him. 

“HEY NO! No no, that’s not what this is about Y/N. You just... things are different here now because of my job and it can be hard on our families and friends. It’s not fair but it’s how it is. I just didn’t want you hurt getting caught up in gossip or lies. I just wanted to protect you.” You sat up and hugged your brother glad to know that he wasn’t embarrassed by you, that he was only doing what he always did, trying to protect you. At first Minho sat there just letting you hug him but eventually he put his arms around you, hugging you back. 

“Well, however different things are here now, I’m just gonna have to get used to it Min.” Minho pulled away looking at you confused. 

“What do you mean?” You had something you had been keeping secret also and it was time to spill the beans.  

“I’m back for good Minho. I’m moving back to Korea.” He didn’t understand. 

“Wait... how? You didn’t finish your degree in 4 years.” You shook your head and chewed your lip. 

“No. I didn’t. Look Min there’s a lot to talk about concerning America and school and I’m exhausted from the flight. Can we talk about it tomorrow?” Minho wanted to press you but decided after he had kind of kept your existence secret from the guys the least he could do was let you rest before hounding you about school. 

“Okay. But we ARE talking about this tomorrow!” He put out his pinky and you wrapped yours around it and nodded. 

“Alright come on Chan’s ordering dinner.” You all settled in the living room, Chan now wearing a shirt, and watched a movie while you waited for the food to show up. Minho fought the urge to interrogate you about school and moving home and Chan fought the urge to steal glances at you any time he was certain Minho wasn’t looking.

As soon as he’d seen you earlier he had immediately wondered why there was a gorgeous woman in his tub. He was sure you had noticed him turning red, his skin was on fire almost as soon as he saw you. It’s why he’d taken his shirt off when he’d gone into his room, trying to cool down. Then suddenly you were in his doorway. Your brother’s shirt swallowed you but you looked cute and comfy and Chan was standing there shirtless with his underwear in his hands like an idiot. He was embarrassed as hell when he realized but you had been gracious and acted like you hadn’t seen anything which Chan had been thankful for. Then you said you were Minho’s sister and his brain exploded.

Now he was sitting there with both of you trying not to stare at you and totally failing. When there was a knock at the door Chan sprung up quickly to answer it. 

“Food’s here!” Chan went to get it while you and Minho went to sit at the table in the kitchen. When Chan was back with the food he found Minho sitting at one end of the table and you sitting to the side of him. There was a seat next to you and then one on the other side of Minho across from you. Chan really wanted to sit next to you but he also didn’t have a death wish so he sat across from you, next to Minho, and started passing out food. Chan handed you your food. 

“I wasn’t sure what you like or would want so I got you jajangmyeon like me, I hope that’s okay.” You smiled at him brightly. 

“That’s perfect, I’m bad at spice and I haven’t had it in FOREVER!” You quickly opened the dish and Chan smiled ear to ear, happy to know he’d made a good choice for you.  

“I don’t do spicey either! Well, I try some times, usually when your brother encourages it but it never ends well.” Chan laughed. You all ate and conversated a while, talking about your flight, what it was like growing up with Minho, how things were going for the guys who’s names you were trying to remember. 

“So let me see, I think I have it. Felix, Jisung, who I know, well I have met, Changbin, Chan... Chan... I’m missing one.” Minho laughed. 

“Hyunjin.” You snapped your fingers. 

“Shit! Hyunjin!” You all laughed. 

“Once you meet Hyunjin I’m sure you’ll never forget him again.” Minho stopped laughing and glared at Chan. You continued laughing. 

“What does that mean?” Minho shifted in his seat very much so disliking the direction this converstation seemed to be going. He didn’t want you to think of his friends like that and he CERTAINLY didn’t want them thinking of you like that. Chan elaborated. 

“Most women tend to remember Hyunjin once they’ve seen him. Hyunjin is... cute.” Chan giggled. It was adorable how he laughed like that sometimes. Like a kid at a sleep over trying to stay quiet. 

“Oh? Is he as cute as you are?” Chan turned beet red and he almost choked on his food while your brother immediately cleared his throat. 

“AHEHEHEM! Okay! Y/N I’ll clean up here! Why don’t you go get some sleep since your exhausted from your flight. Yea?” You rolled your eyes at your brother. You were tired though and now full, so you decided it probably was time for bed. You walked over and poked the tip of Minho’s nose. 

“Goodnight grump. Love you.” He made a disgusted face but still made you hug him before he’d let you leave. You walked over and gave Chan a hug from behind. He froze. His arms at his sides and his eyes on Minho who was staring daggers at him. 

“Goodnight Channie. Thanks for the dinner.” You smiled at him and he cleared the lump from his throat. 

“Oh uh... you're welcome. Goodnight Y/N.” You headed through the living room towards your room. Once Minho heard your door click he pointed at Chan. 

“Don’t.” Chan’s eyes went wide. 

“Don’t what?!” Minho rolled his eyes. 

“I’m not blind. Seriously don’t Chan. She’s been through enough.” Chan shook his head. 

“Nonono Lee Know you’ve got it all wrong...” He had it 100% right. 

“It’s not like that!” It definitely was. You gave him butterflies and goosebumps and made his head feel all swimmy but the fact that Minho was your brother, one, terrified him, and two, meant that he had to be respectful and treat you as if you were his own sister. 

“Whatever you say Chan. She’s never been interested boyfriends or dating anyway but just remember this conversation and don’t feel bad because as soon as the rest of the guys are home we’ll be having the exact same talk. She is off limits, out of bounds. Understood?” Chan nodded nervously. Minho cleared the table and headed to bed and Chan went to finish some work in his room. When he got to his door he turned and looked at yours and smiled, then went into his room and shut the door. He put on his headphones and started working feeling more inspired than ever.  

In the middle of the night, after Chan had called it quits on the track he was working on and finally went to bed, he was woken up by a blood curdling scream. His eyes shot open and he leapt from his bed to try to locate the source, forgetting that you were there until he made it to the hall and Minho was already running past him and into your room.

Chan followed him in thinking you were being attacked or something but when he got in there you were alone and thrashing on the bed screaming. Pleas for help falling in between ear-piercing screams. Minho wrapped his arms around you so you wouldn’t hurt yourself, got close to your ear and started whispering something. 

“You’re home, you’re safe, I’m here, it’s okay, wake up Y/N, wake up.” You stopped screaming and convulsing and started calming down. Minho kept whispering. 

“Wake up Y/N, wake up.” Your eyes fluttered open and you found yourself in a bear hug by Minho, a worried expression on his face and you saw Chan standing there totally shell shocked. You didn’t remember anything but you knew what had happened without your brother telling you. You’d had another night terror. It was always overwhelming after having one, whether you remembered it or not. You started to cry and Minho just held you and hugged you tightly. 

“It’s okay. You’re alright.” Minho looked over his shoulder at Chan. 

“Chan.” He stood there his heart still pounding out of his chest.  

“Chan!” Chan snapped out of it and looked at Minho. 

“Will you grab some water for her please?” Chan nodded and headed straight to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water for you from the fridge. He stopped for a second to take a couple of deep breaths and get a hold of himself. Chan had never seen anything like that before. It was like you were possessed or something. When Chan got back to your room you and Minho were both sitting up in your bed and Minho had managed to calm you down for the most part. Chan walked up to the side of your bed and handed you the bottle of water. You took it and gave him a small smile. 

“Thank you Chan.” Your voice was quiet and you wouldn’t look him in the eye. You were embarrassed he’d seen you like that. You couldn’t control it but still, it was embarrassing. You took a drink of the water Chan brought you and your brother pushed a bit of hair out of your eyes. 

“I thought you weren’t having these anymore?” He questioned you now that you were calm. You shook your head. 

“I haven’t been. I think it was just exhaustion from the flight Min, really. I’m okay now.” Minho pressed his lips together not fully believing you. 

“Really Minho, I am, I’m okay.” He nodded and gave you a kiss on the forehead. Chan had never seen Minho treat any human like the way he was with you. Tender, gentle. An animal sure, people no. He was caring but in other ways except with you apparently, which Chan was taking note of.  

“Okay, if you can’t fall back asleep promise you’ll come wake me up.” You agreed and Minho got up to head back to his own bed in his own room and Chan followed. 

“Thanks again for the water Chan.” He turned back and gave you a half smile that made one of his dimples pop out again.  

“No problem Y/N, sleep well.” He pulled your door closed heading back to his own room as well. Minho stopped him. 

“When I say she’s been through a lot this is the kind of stuff I’m talking about Chan. Okay? Stuff she still has night terrors about. She had a HARD life before she came to live with our family. You get what I’m saying?” Chan shook his head and Minho headed to his room.

The rest of the night was peaceful but Chan only half slept, keeping and ear out for you just in case. Minho woke up first in the morning and started coffee and breakfast. You came stumbling out when you smelled the bacon. You drug yourself into the kitchen like a zombie. You had slept okay the rest of the night but jet lag was still kicking your ass. 

“Before you even think about speaking to me you better have caffeine.” Your brother scoffed. 

“Yes your highness, the royal coffee is ready.” You put your finger to your lips. 

“Shhhh shh shh, no words just point me in the direction of the coffee.” Minho laughed. He walked up behind you placing his hands on your shoulders and turning you a little to the left where you saw the coffee pot. 

“Ahhh black gold.” You brother shook his head and went back to cooking. 

“That’s oil.” You grabbed a mug. 

“Maybe to you. This is worth more than any petrol to me.” He laughed and set a plate of food on the table. 

“Eat up, we gotta go see the parents.” You sat down with your coffee and started to eat the breakfast Minho made you. 

“You’ve gotten really good at cooking Min.” He smiled at you and gave you a little bow. 

“Looks like the coffee is working already. Maybe it is more valuable than petrol.” You flipped your brother off as Chan came into the kitchen and you suddenly wished you had made a trip to the bathroom to wash up a bit before coming out there. You were certain you looked like death. Chan looked adorable of course. His curls were even messier than they had been the night before and his eyes were puffy and half closed. He looked like he was sleep walking but then he spoke to you. 

“Good morning.” His voice was deep and sleepy it made you wonder if he would sound like that if you had woken up next to him. What?! You needed to keep those thoughts out of your brain. You shook your head and smiled at him. 

“Good morning Chan.” He smiled back and his eyes actually did close. He was so cute sleepy like that. Minho put another plate down on the table. 

“Eat up Chan.” Chan opened his eyes again. His smile got bigger and he groaned, another sound your imagination didn’t need to go running wild with either. 

“Ughh! Yes! Thanks Minho! I have to go to yoga soon and I was just gonna grab some fruit or something.” Yoga? Is life testing you with yet another thing you were trying to not let your imagination run away with. Chan stretching, bending, sweating... 

“Y/N???” Your brother had said something. 

“What?” He sat down at the table with his own plate. 

“I asked you if you’ve talked to mom or dad since you got in.” You shook your head answering but also trying to get the residual thoughts of Chan doing yoga out of your head. 

“Yea I called mom on the car ride here yesterday and let her know I landed safe and that you said we’d be coming over today.” Minho nonchalantly looked at his plate. 

“Do they know you’re moving back?” Chan’s ears perked a little. You were moving back? Meaning you’d be around more? 

“You’re just gonna jump right into that huh?” Minho nodded and you sighed. 

“Okay Min don’t freak out but... I got kicked out of school and before you ask because of poor grades and my attendance.” Minho held back the urge to immediately go in to lecture mode and let you finish. You hadn’t mentioned this on any of the calls the two of you had. 

“This last semester at school I had a lot of... issues.” Your brother’s eyes narrowed and you continued. 

“Okay well you know the one person I was NEVER supposed to see?” Minho’s face stiffened. Oh, he knew. 

“Well, I found him.” His jaw dropped; he couldn’t help his reaction. He shouted 

“YOU FOUND YOUR DAD!?” Chan suddenly felt like he was in the middle of something that was a very private family thing and it was. Minho cut the topic of converstation off quickly. 

“We’ll be discussing this on the way to mom and dads.” He spoke through gritted teeth and you sunk down in your chair pushing what was left of your breakfast around your plate. You knew Minho would be pissed. You all finished breakfast in relative awkward silence, then Chan left for his yoga class and you got ready to go to your mom and dad’s with Minho. You were about ten minutes into the tense drive to your parent’s place in Gimpo when Minho finally broke the silence. 

“So, how did you fall behind so much and why didn’t you tell me what was happening? I’m here trying to protect you from these people dragging your past up and you’re running around America doing it yourself!” You looked out the window at the passing scenery. 

“I honestly didn’t realize it was getting so out of hand Min. I just... I was convinced I needed to find George and confront him. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but it ended up being even harder than I had expected and I fell behind on classes and assignments, missed tests. I was so caught up in trying to find him and prove something that I fucked up Min. I knew if I told you I was looking for him you’d try and talk me out of it and I knew if I told you about school you’d be disappointed. I know you’re disappointed in me Minho.” You kept looking out the window not wanting to see the look on your brother’s face. He sighed. 

“I’m not disappointed in you Y/N. I just... I wish you would’ve told me what was actually going on. So you did find him though, right?” You shook your head. 

“Yea. I did.” Minho waited for you to continue but you didn’t. 

“And? What happened?” You shrugged and looked a little defeated. 

“I immediately realized falling behind was pointless just like looking for him had been. He was high as a kite. Nothing changed there I guess. He didn’t even realize who I was. I just left. Didn’t bother trying to explain. He always hated me anyway, I don’t know why I was so convinced I had to confront him like it would’ve made some kind of difference.” Minho’s jaw ticked. He absolutely hated your biological dad. He’d only met him twice when you both were younger, before your adoption had been finalized and he still had SOME rights to see you. Minho remembered each time as clear as day and neither left him with particularly fond memories of your father. 

“Is after you saw him when your night terrors started again?” You shook your head yes. 

“God damn it Y/N you said you weren’t having them! Why aren’t you telling me things! You used to tell me everything!” You sat there quietly for a bit with no answer to give, no good answer.

“Min, are you gonna make me tell mom and dad about finding George?” He let out a breath as he considered your question. 

“How are you going to explain school?”  He quizzed.

“I’m just gonna say I had issues and fell behind. It’s the truth technically.” Minho definitely didn’t like hiding things from your parents but this was actually one of the instances he figured, maybe it was best if they didn’t know. 

“As long as you tell them about school and moving back, I won’t mention George. Deal?” You nodded in agreement, smiling at your brother.

Surprisingly enough when you broke the news to your parents about school and moving back during dinner, they took it fairly well. That would probably have been a very different outcome had Minho made you tell your parents about finding your birth father also. You were grateful that he had agreed to not tell your parents. Your mother, always a worrier when it came to you, only wanted to know one thing. 

“Where will you be living sweetheart? You know you’re always welcome to your room here.” You grabbed your mom’s hand and gave it a squeeze smiling at her. 

“Well about that. While I appreciate the offer mom, I was going to ask Minho if he thought I could stay with him until I got a job and a place of my own? I already failed at school and had to move home I don’t think I can to move back in with my parents on top of all that.” Minho’s eyes got big and he hacked on the bite of food he had in his mouth. 

“Well... I don’t know... I live with five other guys Y/N I don’t know if that’s app-” Your mom cut Minho off, pish poshing him. 

“Every one of those boys is an absolute sweet heart and a gentleman Minho. I think as long as they didn’t mind it would be fine. Don’t you?” Minho got that look on his face, the one he gets whenever he knows you’re probably about to get your way, the one that makes him look like an irritated kitty cat. 

“Pleeaaasssee Min Min? Will you ask them? I promise to help around the dorm and I’ll find a job and my own place asap!” He let out a heavy sigh knowing he couldn’t say no to you now. Not in front of your mom, not when you called him Min Min. 

“I'll ASK! But if they say no...” You shook your head. 

“Then I’ll just have to suck it up and stay with mom and dad whether I want to or not.” After spending the day with your parents, having dinner, and you and Minho doing the dishes, you both got loaded up with plenty of left overs and in the car to head back to the dorm. 

“You think I don’t know you pulled that at dinner, knowing mom would take your side?” You looked at your brother feigning innocence. 

“I- Min. Mom is the one that aske-” He scoffed. 

“Cut the shit Y/N.” You smirked. 

“Okay so I had a feeling mom would bring that up and maybe I knew that she would probably take my side but I really meant what I said about not wanting to have to move back with the parents after everything else. It's too much Minho.” Your brother was thrilled to have you staying with him. It’s not like he didn’t want you around, it was the five other men that lived with him that made him uneasy about the arrangement. 

“You have to promise me something Y/N. One thing.” You looked at your brother waiting for what he was going to ask for in return. 

“Don’t try anything funny with any of the guys.” Your face started to burn it was so red. You and Minho never talked about stuff like that.

“MINHO!” He shooed his hand at you to shoosh you. 

“I mean it! If you want to stay you have to promise that you’re not gonna try and date any of them, I mean it Y/N, I’m serious. It will just end with you getting hurt.” You threw up your hands. 

“Minho I don’t even date-” He shook his head. 

“I don’t care, promise or you’re not staying, I’ll turn around and take you back to mom and dad’s right now.” He hit the turn signal to get off the highway. 

‘’Okay okay! Jeeze I promise I won’t date any of your friends. Christ!” You sat in silence in the car for a bit before you broke the awkward silence again. 

“I really will help around the place and find work. I’m not sure where yet but...” Minho sighed. 

“Well, I might be able to help with that too. It won’t be anything fancy but I can probably get you in a temp position at the company. If a full-time position opens, I could put in a word. You bounced in your seat. 

“If I wasn’t absolutely certain you would crash us into the river, I’d hug you.” Minho cocked his eyebrow at you. 

“Bold of you to assume I won’t do it for even considering it.” When you pulled up to the parking lot of the dorm Minho’s text notification went off. He pulled out his phone, looked at it and sighed. 

“What’s up?” He quickly text the person back and put it back in his pocket. 

“It’s Hannie. He’s back in town but he’s stranded at the company so I gotta go get him. Do you want to come?” You were still fighting jet lag and it had been a long day with your parents. You really didn’t want to. 

“I’ll just head up to bed Min. Tell Jisung I said hi and that I’ll see him tomorrow.” You kissed your palm and half smacked your brother in the face a little harder than necessary before quickly getting out of the car. 

“Love you!” You ran towards the doors to the building and Minho rolled his eyes and took off to meet Jisung.

It was already pretty late when you were getting in. Most of the dorm lights were off. You navigated through the living room in the dark as best you could, you managed not to hurt yourself at least. Once you got to the hall you could see a little. Chan’s door was closed but you could see the light was on through the crack at the bottom and heard more of the same kind of soft r&b from the day before. You went over and tapped on it lightly and waited to hear if Chan replied. If he was asleep or working with his headphones on you wouldn’t bother him.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened and there was Chan, fresh out of the shower, water still dripping down the lines of his body, his wet curls clumping together and sticking to his forehead. He had one end of a towel scrunched up in one hand, drying his hair and another end of the towel gripped in his other hand drying his midsection. The rest of the towel happened to drape and keep you from seeing EVERYTHING but only barely and his ass was out for the world. 

“OHFUCK! Sorry! I... Uh... didn’t see anything!” You closed your eyes and covered them with your hands as you screamed the apology. Chan almost dropped the towel and then wrapped it around himself. 

“OH FUCK! FUCK! No Uh I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were back! I uh... I’m covered now.” You opened your eyes again and you both moved, you away from his door, him towards it, tandem movements, almost like dancing. He pushed his hair away from his face and gave you a nervous smile and those damn dimples popped out again. He was equal parts sexy and adorable and he swung wildly back and forth between the two. He walked out dripping wet, firm and naked and then blushed and those dimples showed up and he was the cutest guy you’d ever seen.  

“I’m really really sorry Chan!” He was still gripping the towel around him to make sure he was covered but it hung low and you couldn’t help but notice the curve of his hip leading to what was hiding under the towel now. 

“No seriously it’s totally my fault, I knew you were staying with us I should have been more careful. I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” You shook your head. 

“No, it’s fine. You didn’t.” You both stood there in awkward silence for a minute, completely red faces. 

“I’m... gonna... go get dressed now. Uh can you do me a favor and not tell your brother about this?” Chan opened his door and started backing into his room. 

“RIGHT! Yea no, tell him about what? You know?” Chan let out a sigh of relief 

“Thanks Y/N, uh, goodnight.” He smiled at you. 

“Goodnight Chan.” He closed his door and you went into your room across the hall and shut yours. You leaned against it trying to catch your breath. The way Chan made you feel just the few times you had been around him; no one had ever made you feel like that before and now this? But you had JUST promised your brother. 

“Fuck.”

Please do not repost or translate any of my works. My blog and stories are NSFW and 18+ ONLY! Minors, ageless, and blank blogs will be blocked!

[expirisims]

Another Glorious Summer Day on the Island

Jill is first up and making waffles for the household. I can see the sun shining out the kitchen window, it looks to be another glorious summer day!

In other news...ANOTHER of Angela's roommates!!?? Geeze Korey! I should have named you Don!

I never get bored of taking scenery shots in the Sims 3! What better place for a teenager to spend the day than the beach! I just wish there were more teens in the population for Jill to chill on the sand with, who knows, maybe someone will show up.

In the meantime, that water looks inviting! And yes, I ditched the hoodie swimwear top :)

Joe has other plans and opted for a day at the Art Museum instead.

Looks like Tom is taking a break from working out and Nan is still busy cleaning up. Now we know where Joe gets it from!

Heeey! Someone finally showed up at the beach! A tourist, but it's still someone! And I was sure I swapped out that chair for a lifeguard one...hmmm...I'll have to hop into edit mode at some point.

Yay! More sims! That's Garth Reeves in the water...not sure who's sunning under the umbrella...maybe that tourist?

It's getting late, but Jill isn't quite ready to go home. Hey, she's only got a few days of summer break left!

Umm...telling ghost stories to nobody outside of the laundromat/dance studio/dojo...ooookay...

That's more like it! Waaay back when I initially purchased the dance studio it was specifically so Jill could become a ballerina...and then this family wound up stashed in my old library forever instead!

Haha! Just a random peek on what other sims are out and about while Jill continues to dance down at the laundromat. Looks like Marley Williams is having a blast at Arnies! It's not even a dance club!

Father and son bonding time and then it's off to bed!

[jules-has-notes]

Get Back Up Again — VoicePlay music video

Most people will never undertake an arduous journey to save an entire community. But whether the task is large or small, everyone needs a little pep talk now and then. VoicePlay took this energetic anthem of self-motivation, added some extra harmonies, and put their own entertaining spin on it. Give it a listen and let them lift your mood.

Details:

title: Get Back Up Again

original performer: Anna Kendrick as Princess Poppy in Trolls (2016)

written by: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

arranged by: Layne Stein

release date: 10 May 2018

My favorite bits:

recreating the Dreamworks fanfare with their adorable animated avatars sitting on the VP logo, particularly the harmonized ♫ "Ta-da!" ♫

Earl's vulnerable tone on his opening lines

the peppy major harmonies for ♫ "It's gonna be a fantastic day." ♫

that quick little bell chord on ♫ "gonna sing" ♫

✨ glitter farts ✨ as part of the group percussion line

the back row's little plucked guitar line behind Geoff's lead

the exaggerated auto-tune on J.None's solo riff, in keeping with the movie character

those subtle bass slides Geoff does underneath

Eli's clear, cheerful tone for his lead section

Earl and J doing little shoulder bounces to go with their stacatto harmony line

♫ "I'm really really really gonna be OKAY!" ♫ "Heeey." ♫

Layne's deep ingressive "Yeah!" transitioning out of the bridge

Eli's nervous ♫ "The bergens are coming" ♫ counterpoint

the camera shake timed to Earl and Layne's ♫ "knock knock" ♫

"Hug time!" "Hug time!" "Hug time is my favorite!"

Earl's silly "Hello!" with the spider in the outro

that sneaky snippet of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" as a coda during the end screen

Trivia:

The guys' animated troll avatars were drawn by artist Leon King. Both the art and VoicePlay's wardrobe were inspired by the characters in the original movie.

The stuffed worm that Geoff holds is named Mr. Dinkles, and is the beloved pet of Biggie. On the few occasions in the Trolls movies when he says anything other than "mew", he speaks in a surprisingly bassy voice.

That final excerpt from "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (an orchestral piece about trolls from Norse mythology) was included in the movie as a repeated motif in "Hair Up". Layne eventually created a full a cappella version of "Mountain King" for VoicePlay four years later.

This video was filmed at Studio One in Orlando, a new location for the group.

In addition to her usual role as production manager, Kathy Castellucci is also credited as "puppet master", with assistance from Hayley Cohen, Rek Dunn, and Nick Perez. Those plush bugs don't fly on their own, after all.

The YouTube description goof for this video is a simple, "Shhhhh… Candace Bergens…"

Layne's rhythmic stomping and accompanying antics during on-set rehearsals made J.None crack up.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

Layne posted a snippet of his editing process on Instagram while the guys were on the road as a teaser for the full video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Layne Stein (@laynestein)

They even made a dedicated teaser clip for this one. (Check out those lucious chords!)

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A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

This track was later included on VoicePlay's "Citrus" album, which compiled most of the songs they recorded from 2017-19. Because the individual songs had already been made available digitally, that album is exclusively a physical item that can only be purchased at live shows or through their website.

[youjustgotxfiled]

Hey, everybody! I've finally gotten around to starting to upload my own works on this hellsite! :D

This one's dedicated to all the Amphibia and Sashannarcy fans out there, as well as to everyone who deals with trauma, CPTSD, anxiety, depression, and other mental & emotional conditions and disorders, as well as to everyone in the LGBTQ community at large. You are ALL warriors who deserve the best out of life.

This piece was written between May and November of 2022, but is only being uploaded here now because a) I wanted to run it through beta readers to feel confident enough to post it, and b) I wanted to make sure my AO3 and DeviantArt accounts got their uploads going first.

If you like what you see here, feel free to like, reblog, and share with everyone! Any and all engagement helps me out a ton (especially the reblogs XD).

Story for Chapter 1 below the cut for those unable to access the link above.

************************************************************************

You are invited to: THE BEST FAMILY DINNER EVER!

You’d recognize that script anywhere. The kind of writing that can come from just one colleague of yours: the inimitable Marcy.

You’ve known each other for a fair bit now; ever since Marcy moved back to Los Angeles and took a job in your studio three years ago, you’ve have been quite the talk of the town as perhaps the two lone people ever to have gotten more than five words out of each other in any given conversation. Not that either of you mind too much—being both introverts and nerds helps you be that much more attuned to each other’s needs and interests, to say nothing of the ease with which each’s rapt attention to the ramblings of the other helps block out the surrounding office gawking and gossip. After all, both of you are very much used to it by this point in your lives. 

Still, this invitation comes as a surprise. For one thing, Marcy is not one to talk about her private life or after-work plans much, and neither are you. For another, one of the few things she has revealed is that she’s married to a pair of women, and not just any pair: they’re Anne and Sasha Boonchuy-Plantar, famed heroes and defenders of Earth from the attempted “Frogvasion” over ten years ago. Though you haven’t said as much to Marcy, you’re filled with all sorts of weird emotions at the mention of their names. Excitement, fear, curiosity, and longing all collide within you, TV and social-media images and sounds of that day—of THEM, at their most fierce and intimidating—bouncing around in your mind, leaving much more space than is comfortable to wonder how much of it carries over, then or now, into their private lives.

How similar it makes them to…well, them.

No, you think. Your hands are beginning to tremble, your breathing becoming tougher to do. Not them. PLEASE not them. Not right now.

You put the invitation card down on your desk, gripping your hands against the front edge to steady them and not tip off any snooping passers-by. For a long moment, you close your eyes, trying to steady your breathing, hoping the serrated pattern it takes on when you get like this isn’t loud enough for anyone to hear it. After a shake of your head for good measure, you open your eyes again. 

“Heeey!”

You jump in your seat, and it’s all you can do not to scream. At least your hands have stopped trembling. You can’t say the same for your breathing, however. 

“Oh my frog, I’m SO sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” Marcy says as you turn your head to see her standing next to you. Her hands are covering her mouth, and her brows are furrowed upward. Uh oh. Better make a quick cover.

“No worries, Marcy! I was, uh…just kinda tunneling on this frame, is all,” you reply. You throw in a sheepish laugh and grin for good measure, hoping to God—excuse you, FROG—that she buys it. “You know how I get with that sort of thing.”

“Oh, yeah! I’m the same way when I get SUPER-invested in something,” says Marcy. She flaps her hands to accentuate her words, a trait you find makes you smile. For a moment, you wonder if Anne and Sasha react the same way about it, too, though the chill coming up your spine and settling in your stomach at the mere thought of them prompt you to shove the question aside and turn your attention back to the still-chatting Marcy. 

“—so she was thinking that we should sub it out for roast beef sandwiches, but of COURSE Anne wanted something a little more special than that, so—”

“Marcy,” you say. She quiets right away, noting the tension and uncertainty you’re failing so hard to hide in your voice. “Do…” The names seem a bit too difficult for you to spit out, so you opt for the next best descriptor. “Do your wives know you’re planning all this?”

“Of course they do,” Marcy replies. She tilts her head with a confused look. “I’ve been begging for them to put this together with me for at LEAST the last two weeks. I can’t even BEGIN to tell you how many work stories of our convos I’ve shared with them just to get them to let their guard down and be a LITTLE curious about you.”

Let their guard down. Sounds…possessive. That doesn’t bode well. The icy feeling in your stomach begins to swirl. Out of sight—you hope—your grip on the edges of your desk tightens, even as you flash another smile. “Heh, yeah. Probably should have figured that. Sorry for the stupid question, Mar.”

“Oh, no! I don’t think it’s stupid at all,” says Marcy. She looks down for a second, her beautiful smile fading a bit. “Frog knows I’ve hurt them enough with trying to plan stuff behind their backs.”

It’s your turn to shoot Marcy a perplexed look. Hurt? Behind their backs? Whatever in the multiverse could she be referring to? You look down towards the ground for a moment, wheels turning at an even higher speed in your mind. You look back up at Marcy. “Are…are you okay with telling me more about that?”

Marcy emits a sad grin, shaking her head. “No. Not right now, anyway. That stuff’s…pretty private between the three of us.” She looks back up at you. “You ARE super-nice and considerate, though. Maybe one day. When I’m ready. When all three of us are ready.”

When all three of us are ready? Now that’s curious phrasing if you’ve ever heard it. Your pulse begins to quicken, as does your breathing. Your trembling hands are becoming a bit more pronounced, too. Does your possessiveness reading have legs? Maybe accepting this invitation isn’t such a good idea…

You squeeze your eyes shut, gritting your teeth. You exhale in a huff. You’re not letting this fear overtake you again. Not ever again—you let them control you enough as it was then, and you have no intention of ever letting them win. This is YOUR life to live now, dammit!

Right?

You reopen your eyes and shoot an even more exaggerated grin at Marcy than before. It’s crucial that she not see your panic right now. “Fair enough. Perhaps tonight’s dinner will be a start, then.”

Marcy’s eyes widen. She begins to jump, hands flapping a million miles a minute. “EEEEE!” She squeals, all toothy smiles. “I’m SO excited for you to come over! Oh, I can’t WAIT for you to meet the other girls! This’ll be the best guest-dinner EVER!”

************************************************************************

You arrive right on time at six o’clock, though more so because you had trouble finding the right address than out of any sense of precision or punctuality. After all, the directions are but one of several thoughts racing through your mind.

At length, you reach the bottom of the steps leading up to what appears to be a modest suburban house like most others here in Long Beach—small front porch, two stories with a couple of windows apiece, sloping up at the top where the attic might well be. 

You close your eyes, taking one more deep breath. You look down at yourself—not dressed the fanciest in the world, but presentable enough, in your opinion. Plus, you made a point to comb your hair and shower before heading out. Outside, you’re about as good as you’re going to get.

The question, of course, is inside. 

You’ve been running through several scenarios in your mind—or rather, your mind has been running them through you. It’s never been your best friend for most of your life to begin with, but you and it have been on extra bad terms with each other since they tore you to pieces all those years ago. Fear and suspicion have lived so long in your head that they now color your perception of every person who tries to touch you, and these three are no exception. 

First off, Marcy. She’s sweet and all, if a little on the airheaded side of things in spite of her clear exceptional intelligence. Despite your mutual talents for talking each other’s ears off, however, most of your convos never turn to your personal lives, in part because she seems to…well, never want to talk about it. She always tends to look down, or in directions other than your gaze. Like she’s far off from that moment and into one from the distant past. One with a lot of secrets.

Too many secrets.

What do they contain? Do you want to know? Is it something that can hurt you if you don’t? How long do you let her play this out before demanding she come clean? And are you willing to lose her as a friend because of it, like you have so many others--?

You shake your head in a violent motion. You’d better get this show on the road before you change your mind.

You pull out your phone, pulling Marcy’s contact info up. “I’m here!” you text. You add a smiley face for good measure.

A minute passes. Two. You start to wonder if maybe you’ve got the wrong house, after all.

Ding!

“Be ready in five! Just need to finish the main course lol,” Marcy replies. For a moment, you’re confused as to why they don’t just let you in and make you wait in the living room or something. Then comes the second ding! “Still trying to clear the last of the smoke from the oven. Wouldn’t want you to die from carbon-dioxide poisoning before the loves even get to meet you,” she adds, throwing in a sweating-smile emoji for punctuation.

You begin to smile and sweat at the same time, too, though not for the same reasons she is right now. Loves, she called them. And they might be possessive. Which means getting too close to any of them, too quick—but to Marcy in particular—equals a high chance of getting eaten alive by them. In any case, you need to sit down and get your thoughts a hair more together. Strategy was key for a successful night here, after all.

You take a quick glance at the porch, and notice that there’s a swinging chair hanging from the right-hand side of the eaves. Three, maybe four people wide. Perfect. You waste no time in marching up the steps and making yourself comfortable, taking care to keep your toes dug into the wood of the porch floor so that you’re not swinging all over the place. Once you’re settled, the thoughts catch up to you again.

Strategy, comes the first offering from your subconscious. A fitting word for this situation. One an ex-military leader like Sasha would appreciate.

Sasha. Right. The blonde double-sword warrior whose severing of the interdimensional demon’s cord—umbilical? medical? The public debate still raged—was now perhaps the second-most iconic news image in recent memory, of course to Anne—

A full-body shiver strikes you. Not now. Not right this second. And why are you feeling so cold as you’re sweating, anyway? Isn’t it 75 and sunny? You squeeze your eyes shut a moment, then reopen them, determined to keep them on the porch floor for now. Okay. Time to focus.

Determination, your brain titters. And focus, too. I wonder how many more appropriate words we can add to the vocabulary list of Sasha descriptors before we—

“Shut. Up,” you growl. Frog, you wish you could just grab the jokers that liked to snatch the microphone for your thoughts and crucify them against the wall, sometimes. You can dream, can’t you?

Dreams, your mind responds. You’ve been having all SORTS of dreams about Sasha, haven’t you?

Much as you hate to admit it, you have. And many of them haven’t been pleasant.

Ever since the footage of that fateful day was uploaded for all to see and meme, you’ve developed a nasty habit of rewatching it over and over along with millions of others. It’s become a bad combination with your memories of them, but Sasha’s clips, though brief compared to Anne’s, are anything but merciful in how they’ve impacted your psyche. For starters, they helped you develop a deep fear and suspicion of anyone with combat training, in particular those teenaged or older with any kind of military background. For another, one of the few things Marcy has deigned to mention about her wives is that Sasha, like them, seems to have a chronic short fuse even outside of battle, and you know all too well the various kinds of body discoloring that can result from someone with a loose emotional grip. All well and bad, to be sure. But that’s not even the worst part.

The worst part is the dreams.

It’s enough of a struggle to get to sleep these days anyway, has been for years. But once sleep comes…the horrors are often indescribable. Them, seeming to save the day and the city from the invasion—and then continuing to kill, and kill, and kill, until you’re the last Angelino standing, begging for mercy and a second chance that will never come. Sasha and them, together, tying you up and forcing you to watch their plans for a dictatorial new world order come into fruition, with your eyes being taped open to deprive you of sleep for good measure. Sasha alone this time, in your house that you bought with your own money, stalking you, beating you with a cup, and then her fists, and then her boots, because it’s just so fun to torture you for being so weak and helpless and not wanting to learn how to fight like she does, then taking the sword from her beltline and tearing your heart out with it, with watching you lose consciousness and your life being so funny to see that she just keeps laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing and—

Ding!

“Jesus!” you shout. Your toes lose their grip on the porch floor, and you’re quite certain at least a couple of the neighbors heard you. As you wait for the swing to run its course, you look down. Your upper body is now soaked in sweat. Great. Just great. At least you can use the weather as an excuse, you hope.

The swing comes back to center position, and your breathing has returned to a manageable level. You waste no time checking out the text that startled you from your poisonous reverie.

“Gonna be another 5 before we’re ready, love! SO SO sorry to keep you waiting outside,” it reads, punctuated by a frown. “Smoke alarms going off ALL over the house now, so now we’re trying to keep the food, furniture, AND you from getting soaked. Try and enjoy the sun! Will text again when we’re all done.”

Smoke alarms? You scrunch your face. Then, you hear the faint, shrieking beeps coming from inside, the detector in the living room behind you losing its mind as you felt like you were not a few moments ago. Perhaps that was why you didn’t catch it the first time. And as for poor Marcy…well, she’s confided to you about being a walking disaster before, but this? This is another level. You wonder if these are the kinds of pratfalls Sasha and Anne have to deal with every day. And what their limits are for tolerating it.

More to the point, you wonder about Anne’s limits for tolerating it.

For tolerating you.

Unlike Sasha’s limited footage, Anne’s is so extensive that breakdowns of her fight with the mad King Andrias are plentiful on social media. What that’s meant for you is plentiful opportunities for every punch, kick, shot, and word between the two of them to be burned into your mind. Bad enough that every moment of combat itself raises their specter in your mind, and that the additional sounds of shattered windows, wrecked cars and buildings, and ear-piercing screaming churn your stomach. Even these things, however, pale in comparison to how Anne powers up—and how it all ends.

First, the power-up. By some grace of the multiverse’s cosmic forces, she had—has? —the ability to go from regular, brown-skinned Thai to a glaring, snarling, blue-haired demigod of immense power. The aura itself is intimidating enough, but the changing of her eyes from brown to icy blue is unnerving. And that voice. Oh frog, that voice—a voice at once hers and that of a power far beyond comprehension, one even angels and demons alike would tremble from in fear. Her power in this state is (was?) nothing to sneeze at, either—she could fly, summon swords, dismantle enormous missiles, knock the block off of dozens of robots, take insane physical punishment. All primo nightmare fuel for someone prone to conflating, extrapolating, and associating. But even this—even this—doesn’t stack up to the real reason you can’t sleep at night anymore.

The way the fight ends.

For all the damage and punishment the two dealt Los Angeles and each other up to this point, it was at least comprehensible thanks to its striking similarity to that of a superhero showdown in a Marvel or DC film. Even when Anne, demonic voice and all, began to tear down the leviathan about his inability to open his heart or follow his true feelings, it felt, cruel as it was, familiar enough. Precedent, after all, bred familiarity and minimized shock value, the key ingredient to creating trauma. Which made what happened next all the more insane.

There were two occasions in the fight where Anne lost her grip on her powers. The first time, she’d been clocked enough by the king’s fists and missiles to make a mini-crater in the helipad of a nearby hospital, where she appeared to be down for the count—that was, before some FBI agents on the scene had the bright idea of using enormous loudspeakers to play one of her favorite songs, a move that brought her and her powers back and is now the reason you still struggle to listen to K-Pop on the radio anymore. The second time, however, was where things began to defy description.

Alongside Anne and Sasha, there were dozens of the aforementioned FBI agents, some military, and a host of creatures—from the other dimension, it was presumed—battling all manner of robots and perverted animals on the street level. Among them was a small family of what appeared to be anthropomorphic frogs, from which the event itself would get its name. One of the more well-known images from the day was when they began a strange, hypnotic dance that would end up subduing a pair of mutated herons responsible for much of the early damage. It was one of these smaller frogs—Sprig, you seem to remember Anne calling him in the fight footage—that stepped in as a meat shield when Anne seemed to just lose her glow all at once, leaving her on the physical brink and ripe for a finishing blow from the titan. A single slingshot to the dome to get his attention. Then…the speech.

There are internet denizens who can quote the whole thing chapter and verse, but you’ve never been one of them. Something about the necessity of change, feelings repressed, and following one’s heart when the moment comes, all coming from the soul of someone once near and dear to the king long since lost to time and regret. All you know is that the letter Sprig read to Andrias appeared to have moved him to tears, to the point where he began to wail about the accruement of his sins being too high to overcome and pounding the roof of the building they were both on. And yet…Anne didn’t care.

She just. Didn’t. Care.

No matter that her enemy had seen the light, no matter that his subsequent redressing himself into the armor he’d been using the whole time looked involuntary, no matter that she seemed ready to hear him out for a second before his re-armoring appeared to be all it took to convince her otherwise.

She kept trying to power herself back up. To rear back for one last blow. A couple of snaps of the fingers. A spark. Then all blue again, circling back around, picking up speed as she—from what you remember of the footage available—aimed straight for the frog’s heart. The king himself, frozen for a moment, then waiting until the last possible second before disarming himself again, eyes closed, arms spread wide, embracing the inevitable—a gesture that even the most hardened of war veterans would give pause over, reflexes permitting.

Anne did not give pause. 

She killed him.

Oh, everyone debates whether the king died from the blow, citing deceptive camera angles and trajectories and combat philosophy. But you know.

You know better.

You can’t speak for creatures from other universes, but you know for a fact that not a single one of Earth’s would have survived a direct shot like that. And that the king, torn limb from limb, never moved much again. And that Anne, smiling and triumphant over her deed, took one last look at him, went up to the floating castle for something (someone?), and came back to drag his body up to it before the castle vanished into the portal from whence it came. 

All of this, burned into your memory. And that blow. That last blow, that image seared into the brains of everyone who lived through that day but yours in particular—THAT’S what keeps you up at night. What wakes you up, shaking, crying, sweating, hyperventilating. 

Because she could do it to you.

“GAAAAAH!” you scream, yanking yourself out of your daymare. As your feet kick out and the swing begins to go again, it turns out you are, in fact, hyperventilating, and your heart rate is an easy two-and-a-half beats per minute. You look around for something, anything that will get it under control before you pass out. 

You check your pockets. Nothing. And you didn’t bother bringing a bag with you. Dammit.

You cock your head in every direction you can, discovering that your scream somehow didn’t bring a single curious neighbor out to inspect the unholy noise. Nor did anyone from the Boonchuy-Plantar house come to check you out. Yet.

Okay. Time for a last resort.

You cup your hands together as tight as you can, then thrust them onto your nose and mouth. Out, in. Out, in. Easy now. Slow it down. Not so high and low, now.

Out, in. Out, in.

On this goes for about two minutes. The breathing stabilizes to something resembling normal, as does your pulse. You’re shaking again, but that will be easy enough to hide. So will the tears that are now intermixed with the sweat flowing from your hair. What won’t, however, is the icy feeling in the back your head, or the slowness with which your body now moves. Whatever. You can figure that out as you go tonight.

Ding!

You jump again, almost dropping your phone as you pull it back out of your pocket. Stabilizing the bottom of the phone against your chest, you see another text from Marcy.

“All done! Ready when you are! Just ring the doorbell and I’ll come let you in,” it reads. Below the message, a second one that came in just as you were reading the first: “SO sorry again about making you wait. Hopefully you didn’t get too bad of a sunburn!” A sweating-smile emoji punctuates the text.

You have to smile at that one. You, a native Angelino, getting sunburned? One might as well be worried about a Republican becoming governor of the state any time soon. Letting out a small snort, you find yourself a bit more relaxed. Good. You’re going to need your happy face on for this one.

You stand up, legs still wobbling a bit. You limp your way over to the door and use the doorframe to straighten yourself. One last exhale, and a straightening of your top. 

Then, you ring the doorbell.

[shadowknight]

heeey got a new youtube banner/icon that me and angel work together on!

youtube if you wanna check that out. but it doesn't have much ¯\_(ツ)_/¯