#LOOK I HAD TO SCAN 112 PAGES

[missanthropicprinciple]

scrunchy nylon jacket, marithé + françois girbaud

rayon and mohair tank, poleci

rayon and linen skirt, skies are blue

handcrafted bronze gundestrup cauldron cernunnos pendant by vis a vis jewelry, woven necklace made by me

Specific fashion goal achieved! A few weeks ago I was reminded of one of my favorite old magazines from my teen years; the October 1999 issue of YM (Young and Modern). I was just 13 and was cycling around the block. It had been raining a bit and I remember the street was still wet and gravely. As I rounded the bend I saw a magazine sitting in a slumped, tented position on the road near the curb. Someone had evidently dropped it getting in or out of their car. I picked it up. Realizing it was mostly intact, though wet and stuck with pebbles, I held onto it, finished my turn around the block and snuck it into the house and into the chasm of my tiny bedroom. I eventually cut it up, kept one page folded up in my purse for years, and stuck parts of it into a scrapbook. Many years later I bought an unblemished copy for scanning. Also at random more recently, I decided to go on a hunt for some of the pieces in my fave photo shoot. Surprisingly, I found two of them.

The scrunchy nylon jacket from Marithé + François Girbaud was originally priced at $112 and I paid $182. It was a little steep, but it is a vintage late 90s piece, pre-revival of the brand. The seller listed it as being from the 80s but the exact design is from 1999. As much as I wanted the grey color I really love the black edition as it goes great with pretty much everything I own. Machine wash cold, tumble dry low. Wuuuut? So great. I was very lucky to find the unique rayon and mohair tank from Poleci. Original list price was $76 and I only paid $21. It fits me and has a great cut. Really the center of the outfit! Only downside is that it’s dry-clean only.

I wasn’t able to find the $72 skirt from Cubika (incidentally there’s a toy company by the same name) but I found a lovely rayon and linen skirt from Skies are Blue (new with tags). The original price was about $60 and I paid $29. It’s a different cut but I think it actually looks cuter, especially as the top part of the skirt is very similar to the Cubika one so it has the same look and line as the outfit in the magazine. Machine wash cold and tumble dry low which is very convenient.

I couldn’t find the exact $45 necklace from Dogearred so I added one of my own pieces. I bought a handcrafted bronze pendant featuring a replica of the depiction of Cernunnos on the Gundestrup Cauldron by Vis a Vis Jewelry for $90 and I made the woven necklace myself with cotton cord from Maine Thread. I’m not really into the tall boots so I would pair this look with Docs or leather sandals. In the end I paid more than the original look but two of these were 25 year old designer pieces and the pendant is something that I got long before I put this outfit together. Plus my jewelry wasn’t emulating the one in the mag; if I had gotten an actual piece from Dogearred it would have cost me a lot less. All in all, this is exactly what I wanted it to look like. It wasn’t my goal to look the way the model does - the goal was to look like me in that outfit. It works for me in a different kind of way, with my hair and my vibe. I love it.

[snowmanmelting]

Did I someone ask me how to use Artbreeder and I casually went to the web to explain them and I casually decided to mix some faces and I casually found a nice gen for short hair and made backpacker!Anna from the Mardel AU???

Maybe

[tessenpai]

Kono Oto Tomare Chapter 112 Scans and Rough TL

Scans: Kono Oto Tomare! - Chapter 112

Page 1:

Chapter Title: The Land of the Decisive Battle

Side text: Finally, the "National Competition" is upon us!

Text: The miracle that ran. Putting our feelings on the koto.

Page 2:

Side Text: For Takezou, his last summer begins...

Takezou: Well then, I will get going

Takezou's Mom: Aaah, you are not forgetting anything!? You got your nails? Medicine for stomach ache?

Takezou: I'm fine...

Takeru: You look surprisingly calm, brother

Takezou's Mom: Takeru!

Takezou: Well... A lot of things happened to get to this point after all...

Page 3:

Takezou: ---Well then

Takeru: Brother

Takeru: -----

Takeru: ...

Takeru: Break a leg

Page 4:

Takezou's Mom: We will be there to support you the day you perform!!

Suzuka: ---All right, all of your bags have already been checked-in, right?

Page 5:

Chika, Sane and Kota: YEAH!!!

Takinami: We are right on time then. We should be going through security soon.

Sane: Uooo I'm getting kinda nervous!!

Chika: Right! Kinda like an "It's finally here!" feel.

Satowa: The performance is in 3 days, though?

Chika: So what?

Satowa: If you keep this tension up until the performance, you will not be able to handle it.

Chika: I ain't a wimp!

Satowa: Is not a matter of being a wimp...

Chika: That is what you made it sound like-

Someone: Now now, you two.

Takezou, Hiro [thoughts]: Ah. This is so calming.

Takinami: Over there, stop fighting.

Principal: Takinami-sense!

Page 6:

Takinami: Eh. Principal, and the vice-principal as well...

Principal: What a relief, we made it in time.

Takinami: What happened....

Kota: Eh--!!! Why are the sensei's here!?

Vice-Principal: We came to see you off

Vice-Principal: We had an errand around here, anyways!

Kota: The Vice-Principal is a tsundere.

Hiro: Shh!

Principal: A lot happened, so I was worried...

Principal: But seeing the bright faces you are wearing, I am now at ease.

Page 8:

Principal: At the Nationals...

Principal: We will also be going to support you. Please, enjoy your performance with all you have.

Kota: Yes!!!

Page 9:

Vice-Principal: ...Was that the right thing?

Vice-Principal: You meant to tell them that "People around them might still give them a hard time at the National Competition", right?

Principal: That was my intention but... I was naive.

Principal: They surely know that better than us.

Principal: And knowing that, they only look forward

Page 10:

*No Text*

Page 11:

Principal: Those kids are strong.

Satowa: ---So,

Page 12:

Satowa: Where did all that energy from before go...?

Sane: Are you ok, Chika?

Satowa: Kudo, are you not good with planes?

Chika: ...No

Chika: This is the first time I'm in one

Satowa: !

Chika: I don't think I can fly

Satowa: Calm down, the plane is flying, not you.

Satowa: You even were saying "I ain't a wimp!"

Chika: This and that are completely different!

Page 13:

Chika: shit...

Satowa: I- If you are that scared

Satowa: You can grab

Satowa: My slee-

Sfx: grab

Page 14:

Satowa: !?

Satowa: Sle- Sle- Sle- Sleeve!!! My sleeve!!!

Chika: Eh

Chika: Sorry...

Satowa: !

Satowa: a---------

Sfx: grab

Page 15:

Satowa: I- If grabbing my hand makes you feel more at ease...

Satowa: That's ok with me...!

Mittsu: Chika-kun, if you are that scared

Sane: We can also give you our hand, now

Page 16:

Sane: Here, grab

Page 17:

Hiro [thoughts]: Wha- Wha-

Hiro [thoughts]: What was that. So cute. I'm soooo jealous.

Hiro [thoughts]: Can something like that happen?

Hiro: Ku- Kurata, how do you feel about plane---...

Takezou: Eh?

Page 18:

Hiro: Ku... Kurata...

Hiro: Do you like planes...?

Takezou: Yeah, I love them!!!!

Hiro: So- So cute... He is sooo cute.

Hiro [thoughts]: Now that I think about it, he had a poster of a plane in his room. Eh... So cute... I love him...

Atsumu: Looks like the senpais are lively as always!!

Natsu: Yeah, looks like a lot of things are flying away...

Atsumu: Eh? No way, where?

Natsu: ...

Page 19:

Chika: I don't have any money...

Flight Assistant: The refreshments are free of charge

Atsumu: Zzzzzzz Zzzzzzzz

Natsu: He's putting all his weight on me, this guy

Mittsu: Haha Yoshinaga is amazing, he's sleeping like a baby

Mittsu: Sane and Kota are the same, though

Mittsu: Ah, you want some sweets, Momoya?

Natsu: I'm fine

Page 20:

Natsu: ...I was wondering, is Senpai's mom ok now? Her leg, I mean.

Mittsu: Yeah--- She is completely fine now. She was so excited I was gonna be traveling all across the country for the Nationals.

Natsu: That's good to hear.

Mittsu: How was it at your place?

Natsu: Ah---... I told them about Nationals yesterday, so it was a big surprise like you would expect.

Mittsu: What!? Yesterday?!

Natsu: I also blurted out that I know everything about my father's affairs. You had to see the atmosphere after that.

Mittsu: You serious...?

Page 21:

Natsu: I feel a little guilty for dropping such a bomb and running away right after...

Mittsu: I think it's okay. You should allow yourself to be a little spoiled.

Natsu: Eh- Spoiled...

Mittsu: Is just... I prefer to know what you're upset about and what makes you happy, rather than having you hiding behind a stifled smile.

Page 22:

Mittsu: Hey, if by any chance by the time we come back you are still feeling awkward, you can come to my place. We are reaaally noisy tho!

Natsu: Thank you very much.

Mittsu: By the way, how much longer until we arrive at Sapporo?

Natsu: Probably around 50 minutes---

Page 23:

Chika: UuuOOOOOOOOOH We are here, Hokkaido--!!!

Sane: So cool--!!!

Sane: Amazing, the air feels different!!

Satowa: He cheered up as soon as we got here...

Chika: Ah, look at that!!

Sane: Amazing--- There are so many high schools that have come!

Chika: Are they all rivals--?

Page 24:

Satowa: You know that the Cultural Festival isn't only about Japanese music, right?

Chika: I... know that.

Takinami: You guys, get your asses in gear, and let's get going.

Takinami: You will be practicing right away, won't you?

Everyone: That's right!!

Kota: Before going to the hotel, we will be heading to the place we will be practicing, right?

Chika: Yeah, an acquaintance of granny's is lending us their place

Sane: Granny-sama!

Chika(?): By the way, the schools that perform on the first day are rehearsing at the venue today, right?

Sane(?): That's right

Chika: Do we know anyone that performs on the first day?

Sane: Right, If I remember correctly---

Page 25:

Sane: It was Meiryo and Eidai

Page 26:

*No text*

Page 27:

*No text*

Page 28:

Yocchan: Is perfect.

Page 29:

Haru: Sen-chan!!

Haru: Wait up, you are walking way too fast---

Sen-chan: You are the one that's going slow!

Haru: But look, Akari-kun and Sensei are over there...

Sen-chan: Akari you idiot, don't just stop walking!!!

Page 30

Akari: Senpai, let's just take a taxi like normal people---

Sen-chan: Is a 10-minute walk to the venue! Don't say preppy things like that!

Akari: I'm going to get sick before the rehearsal

Sensei: Ha Ha Miya-kun is so energetic

Akari: Uuugh. Is hot--- Is heavy---

Sen-chan: Dammit, the only thing big about the both of you is your stature. Where is your enthusiasm!!

Akari: Senpai is walking around like he is dressed only with enthusiasm. Ahahaha.

Haru: Amazing, Sen-chan

Sen-chan: Dammit.

Akari: Senpai is more tense than usual...

Page 31:

Haru: Well, is no wonder. Nationals have been Sen-chan's objective ever since he was a kid.

Haru: Sen-chan's grandma is also coming to listen to the performance.

Akari: haaa... We better not do a lame performance.

Haru: Hahah right.

Sen-chan: You guys stop chatting and come quickly.

Akari: Don't be so grumpy, senpai.

Sen-chan: Hah!?

Takinami: ---We have arrived

Page 32

Takinami: Japanese Musical Instruments Umetsugu, who will provide us with a place to practice and help us transport our instruments during our stay in Sapporo.

Umetsugu: Oooh-- welcome welcome

Umetsugu: You have traveled a long way! I'm Umetsugu.

Umetsugu: Oh! You must be the man of the hour, Kudo-kun--- I've heard lots of things about you from Granny Nishina! Ahaha you really had it rough, huh---

Chika: Man of the hour...

Umetsugu: Come in, Come in.

Umetsugu: The place ain't as big as granny's, but don't complain about it!

Sane[thoughts]: His energy is through the roof

Takezou: Thanks for receiving us...

Page 33

Chika [thoughts]: ...It kinda looks like Gramp's place.

Chika: Ah, thanks for receivi...

Chika: !

Chika: ...

Umetsugu: Don't worry about it!

Uemtsugu: That's my Pops!

Umetsugu: He is the kind of person to take rumors to heart

Umetsugu: He was completely against accepting you guys in here. Sorry he has such an attitude---

Chika: Eh.

Page 34

Chika: Th... That is...

Takezou: Will we... be ok?

Umetsugu: Is fine, is fine!

Umetsugu: After all, you came here to give it your all, right?

Umetsugu: I cannot believe that granny would bow to me. You all have such beautiful eyes.

Umetsugu: I reaaally want to cheer you on. Ok then, this is the place you will be using to practice.

Page 35

Chika: ! Woaah amazing! There're so many instruments!

Umetsugu: You have to be careful not to hit them. Aaand I would appreciate it if you gave yours to me.

Umetsugu: Well, that being said, I will leave you to it. I will be heading to the shop. Just call me if you need anything.

Takezou(?): Thank you very much!

Takezou: Ok, that said---

Takezou: Get ready, and let's start practicing right away!

San-baka: Yeah!!!

Page 36:

Teacher: Sit down in order and be seated promptly.

Student A: Aaah, is just rehearsal and I'm getting nervous already.

Student B: Stop that!

Student C: Tomoe? What is it?

Tomoe: Tokise is here.

Sutend B: Eh?

Student: Aaah is true!

Student: Why are they here!? Weren't they banned from the competition.

Student: It's weird that they got out after that incident

Student: I don't want to share a hotel with those people.

Student: We will have lunch together

Page 37:

Student: What are you doing? Get in the bus already!

Student: So- Sorry

Student: haaa---... My energy dropped all at once. Why did Himesaka lose to those people.

Student: The performance that was aired on TV wasn't that big of a deal either.

Tomoe: I don't know how they got through the qualifiers this time, but a violent person's performance is not going to be accepted at the national level anyway.

Student: Tomoe...

Tomoe: We are gonna knock them out!

Side text: Himesaka of the West Declaration of War...!!

----Kono Oto Tomare! Continues on the next issue!----

[sailorfailures]

I fell in love with these postcards from the Girl’s Night Out popup cafe the moment I saw them! I knew I had to get my hands on them, and the lovely @blaze-rocket was able to help that happen.

I cannot get over how perfect these postcards are. To me, this is what Sailor Moon is; a testament to the little moments from the series that made us fall in love with the characters, especially how their personal preferences were reflected in their fashion choices. In a world of merch where it’s easy to just slap a random crescent moon on something pink and say “look, it’s Usagi,” the designer responsible for these graphics went the extra mile to take imagery from the show itself that needles its way deep into our nostalgia-cortexes.

How many references do you recognise? Quiz yourself against this comprehensive (image-heavy) list! 👇

The inners’ postcards all reference the eye-catching sign for Game Center Crown, the iconic arcade where Motoki Furuhata worked and the gang would all congregate to play games and share information.

Starting in R they switched to hanging out at Fruits Parlor Crown, a cafe attached to the arcade staffed by Motoki’s sister Unazuki, which the Inners’ postcards all also reference. They would often get brightly-coloured drinks there, but the drinks pictured on these postcards seem to specifically line up with the real drinks available at the Girls Night Out popup cafe.

Sailors Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto’s postcards all reference “Café Étrangère,” which was the name of the cafe they were seen dining at in the Sailor Moon S movie. Even the logo is replicated faithfully from a scene only a few seconds long.

All the girls’ clothes are hanging on coat hangers shaped like Luna/Artemis/Diana.

Ami / Sailor Mercury’s references:

Ami’s casual outfit is an unusual choice since she only wore it a handful of times over the entire series, and half the times she wore it, it was given a different colour scheme with a green jacket instead of the yellow version pictured here.

Her “mini data computer” is her most iconic tool/weapon/accessory, revealed in episode 009, directly after her introduction.

The pink package is how Usagi and the other girls wrapped up her transformation stick and communicator watch as Ami’s going-away present in episode 062.

The ice cream may be a reference to the same episode, as she shared a cone with Chibi-Usa before she left, and returned to the store to protect her friends from the Droid Nihpasu.

The flash cards are a method Ami commonly used to help her study, and are particularly similar to the ones shown in the SuperS short “Ami’s First Love”.

Rei / Sailor Mars’s References:

Rei wore her casual outfit fairly frequently, starting and most notably in the beginning of the Sailor Moon R movie.

The small red o-mamori charm is from Hikawa Shrine, seen frequently but introduced in episode 010.

The paper ofuda ward was used frequently by Rei to fight evil, even before she could transform, but most notably in the attack sequence for “Akuryou, Taisan” (“Foul Spirit, Begone”).

To my knowledge the purple bag isn’t a specific reference, but Rei did throw a similar purse at a Cardian as a makeshift weapon in episode 048 before she got her Guardian memories back.

The gift-wrapped shopping boxes are the exact same ones as carried by Rei in the Sailor Moon Sailor Stars opening sequence before she trips and falls, right down to the patterns on the paper...

... which in itself may be a reference/callback to Rei’s tendency to make Yuuichirou carry her shopping (maybe so she doesn’t trip).

The phoenix-shaped pendant is a reference to episode 183; it’s made of glazed ceramic, crafted by Rei’s cousin Kengo Ibuki, given to her as a child after she convinced him not to smash it even though he his pottery a “failure”.

Makoto / Sailor Jupiter’s References:

Makoto didn’t start wearing her casual outfit until around S, but she wore it frequently after that, especially as she became more confident wearing “feminine” clothing. They even remembered her iconic gold wrist watch worn over her sleeve!

Her uniquely decorated bento bag debuted in episode 026, her introductory episode, along with the rounded green cutlery. The pouch has been featured a few more times since and its design is a mainstay in almost every Sailor Moon canon.

The teal hairtie and the rose-shaped earrings are two of Makoto’s iconic accessories, some of the only non-magical fashion accessories in the entire series to stay the same whether the character is transformed or not (the other being Minako’s infamous red bow). Her earrings also served a dual purpose as makeshift projectile weapons in episode 025.

The blue book is 月夜の天馬 (Tsukiyo no Tenma, “The Moonlit Pegasus”), a novel which was written by Tomoko Takase and introduced in epsode 134. Makoto knew Tomoko from her old middle school, before she transferred, and was the first one to read her first draft after retrieving it from bullies. She encouraged Tomoko to try and get it published. Makoto meets with her again and helps her overcome her writer’s block to finish her sequel, 天馬幻想 (Tenma Gensou, “Pegasus Fantasy”).

Minako / Sailor Venus’s References:

This is one of Minako’s most-worn casual outfits, especially if you consider the additional outfits based off it. Despite its prevalence, she didn’t start wearing it until the beginning of S.

Minako’s red hair ribbon is her most iconic accessory, but did you know why she started wearing it? The Codename: Sailor V prequel manga explains that she started wearing the ribbon instead of her usual red hairtie on the suggestion of her “first crush” Higashi. But when he turns out to be an enemy in disguise, she decides she looks good with a ribbon anyway, and keeps wearing it for her own benefit.

The red mask is a reference to Minako’s role as Sailor V before joining the team as Sailor Venus. Sailor V was known as a mysterious vigilante superhero and a fictional video game character as early as episode 001, but in episode 033 Minako revealed herself to the rest of the Sailor Team, dramatically removing her mask one final time.

Minako was known to be a skilled volleyball player, especially in the manga, and it was especially relevant in episode 100 where she had to delicately return the serve of an energy sphere containing the Pure Heart of her old volleyball crush, Asai.

The sign with Minako’s name can be seen hanging off the front of her bedroom door in episode 192.

[Manga scan courtesy of Miss Dream.]

Usagi / Sailor Moon’s References:

Usagi wore this outfit in the Sailor Moon R movie, making it a memorable choice. Although the movie aired roughly midway through R, Usagi didn’t start to wear this outfit casually again until the S season.

Usagi is shown eating a lot of food, especially sweets, but she seems to have a particular fondness for crepes, snacking on them in several different episodes.

In episode 143 we can see that Usagi is very technologically trendy - for the times. She’s carrying that blue-and-pink pager which she and Mamoru use to contact each other by way of goroawase, that is, deciphering messages based on the different pronunciations of numbers, a precursor to modern texting. Mamoru pages her the numbers 84 51, which could be read as hachi yon go ichi; reading only the first syllables, and substituting go for the related sound ko, Usagi would interpret the message as hayo koi, which sounds a bit like “come quick” - she’s late for their date. Oops!

By the way, pagers were often called “pocket bells” (pokeberu) in Japan, and became so rapidly popular they even found their way into the lyrics of Rashiku Ikimasho, the ending song for the SuperS season; 「泣きたい時には ポケベルならしてよんで、戦士の休息」 [Nakitai toki ni wa POKEBELL narashite yonde, senshi no kyuusoku] “If you feel like crying, send a page thru the Pocket Bell, take a break from [being a] Guardian”

Chibi-Usa / Sailor Chibi Moon’s References:

Chibi-Usa doesn’t technically have a school uniform, but her casual clothes are often styled after sailor suits as a reflection of both her idolisation of the figure of “Sailor Moon” and of her desire to be seen as older and more mature than she appears. She changes “uniforms” every season, and this pinafore outfit is the version she wears in SuperS. She wore the other outfit in the SuperS premiere episode.

The handgun is from episode 060, Chibi-Usa’s introduction to the series and arguably one of the most iconic absurdist scenes in all of Sailor Moon. The gun itself is actually a toy, probably a transformation of the Luna-P sphere, which Chibi-Usa uses to try and threaten Usagi into giving her the Legendary Silver Crystal. When she “shoots” Usagi, the bullet is revealed to be nothing but a suction-cup flower, also pictured. (By the way, if you were wondering, Chibi-Usa’s fake gun is based on a real Colt M1911A1.) She transforms the Luna-P into a toy gun to shoot Sailor Moon again in the Sailor Moon R movie, this time as a way to motivate Usagi to fight.

The Luna-P sphere was a mysterious gadget Chibi-Usa kept with her for the duration of R and parts of S. It’s unknown where it came from, but it could be assumed to have been created from advanced 30th century technology. It was a combination toy and tool which could transform itself into a variety of objects, formulas, and even weapons, though none were shown to be particularly powerful. It could also be used to communicate with Sailor Pluto at the Time-Space Door. When Chibi-Usa was manipulated into becoming Wicked Lady in episode 085, the Luna-P sphere also transformed into an “evil” and much more dangerous version.

The Space-Time Key was a special tool given to her by Sailor Pluto that allowed her to travel between the past and the future, though it was difficult for her to wield effectively.

The sunhat was given to Chibi-Usa by Ikuko, so she treasured it greatly. In episode 112 it got blown away and was retrieved by Hotaru Tomoe, which allowed her to meet Chibi-Usa and marked the beginning of their close friendship.

The blue-and-red package was a gift containing two manga books (”Drop Drop” vol. 1 & 2 by Ukon Katakuri) which Chibi-Usa intended to give to her new friend Hotaru in episode 113.

In episode 127, Chibi-Usa returned home to the future, and the girls all made her some going-away gifts. Ami made her a floppy disk (lol) to help her study, Rei made her a casette tape (double lol) of her music, Makoto packed her a lunch, and Minako made her a photo album of their time together. Usagi hand-sewed Chibi-Usa the rabbit-shaped backpack using a real outfit she used to love when she was a child.

Michiru / Sailor Neptune’s References:

This is a somewhat unusual choice for Michiru’s casual outfit, as she only wore it for two episodes, and that’s only because they made up a two-part story. But perhaps because the episodes were so pivotal - with Haruka and Michiru almost learning Usagi’s true identity - the outfit itself became more memorable.

Not only do they include Michiru’s violin, but they included the lemon she bounced off the instrument as she played to show off her skills in episode 093.

The teacup, teaspoon and saucer are the same set Michiru was seen drinking from at Fruits Parlor Crown in episode 094.

Michiru and Haruka both reference episode 095, where they had to enter a “true love” contest as part of their investigation. The contestants were asked to find their partner’s hand in an anonymous lineup, and Haruka was able to identify Michiru’s hand immediately.

Michiru used Haruka as a model for an illustration in her green sketchbook in episode 106.

Michiru’s Talisman is the Deep Aqua Mirror, revealed in episode 110 and used in her attack Submarine Reflection. She could also use it to receive prophetic visions. Visually, it was based on real-life art nouveau hand mirrors, and symbolically represented the mirror from the Three Sacred Treasures.

Haruka / Sailor Uranus’s References:

Conversely, Haruka wore this outfit a lot. Maybe more than she should’ve.

The teacup and saucer is the same set Haruka was seen drinking from at Fruits Parlor Crown in episode 094.

Haruka’s postcard also references the lovers contest in episode 095 (see above).

The purple scarf is from episode 096; Haruka was wearing it as a necktie when she almost ran into Makoto on her motorcycle. Haruka used the scarf to bandage Makoto’s road rash, which she returned later, though now smitten.

Not only is Haruka’s motorcycle included, they also referenced (one of) her car(s), the 1968 Toyota 2000GT.

Haruka’s Talisman is the Space Sword, revealed in episode 110 and used in her attack Space Sword Blaster. Symbolically it represented the sword from the Three Sacred Treasures.

Setsuna / Sailor Pluto’s References:

Setsuna didn’t have a school uniform, since she wasn’t a student, so she got to double-up on her casual outfits. Her mauve outfit is her most recognisable, wearing it so often it may as well have been her uniform. In fact, she was rarely seen wearing anything else until Sailor Stars, where she started experimenting with other outfits, including the Time Lord-esque suit on the right.

The potted plant is a Tellun, the energy-draining plant created by Tellu in episode 121. Setsuna was investigating it when it attempted to attack her, but she was protected by her Talisman, the Garnet Orb (also pictured, representing the jewel in the Three Sacred Treasures). She then went on to destroy the remaining Tellun plants and defeat Tellu with the help of Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi Moon, and Tuxedo Mask.

The teacup and saucer are the same set Setsuna is seen drinking from at Cafe Etranger in the Sailor Moon S movie.

In episode 182, the girls are discussing the mysterious arrival of Chibi Chibi while eating ice cream on a hot summer’s day. Setsuna appears out of nowhere to confirm their suspicions... carrying that popsicle of her own.

Hotaru / Sailor Saturn’s References:

Hotaru tended to wear the same thing, mostly all-black, but she did occasionally adventure into rich colours like this bottle green two-piece outfit and iconic raspberry beret.

The sunhat belonged to Chibi-Usa; it symbolises the beginning of their friendship, when Hotaru caught it after it blew away in episode 112.

Chibi-Usa gave Hotaru the rabbit backpack in episode 116, using it to pass a note inviting her on a picnic.

Hotaru collects lamps, and the two referenced here are seen in her bedroom, which she keeps dimly lit to manage her pain.

The window might seem random, but it was random in the series, too - it’s one of the curtained window which looks out from Hotaru’s bedroom, and when a Daimon experiment goes terribly wrong in episode 118 and transforms her house into a Bamboozled-like inter-dimensional maze, one window overlooks a vast ocean while the other overlooks a strange jungle.

Hotaru’s weapon as Sailor Saturn is the Silence Glaive. It’s said that she possesses enough power to destroy the world with a single drop of her scythe.

That’s it! You made it! How many references did YOU know? 🌙

[formeandmyfics]

Jugenea Fan Fiction

NEVER FORGET

For being on two different chapters in the book of life, they’re on the same page

(photo credit @ohmygarlands)

1943

Judy watched him.

In the bright sunshine, across from her trailer, Judy sat in the passenger seat of her personal studio golf-cart, waiting for Mickey. As she did so, she became mesmerized at the scene in front of her: Gene roughhousing with a bunch of studio kids. They all laughed and ran around him, even jumping on his back. It made Judy smile.

As she watched him, images of last night took over her mind, as she disappeared into a daydream. Back from filming Girl, Crazy in Palm Springs, it was their first time back together. They ended up spending the night in his trailer, as hers would be too suspicious. She was watched like a hawk. They planned on dinner at her house and catching up but didn't quite make it that far. Judy giggled to herself. Her amusement soon spread into butterflies as her body now remembered last night as well. Ecstasy was the only word that came to mind. Encounters with Gene were always amazing and fully satisfying, fun and sexy, but last night Gene acted somewhat different. Intense.

There he was, in front of her, playing with a bunch of children, like a big kid himself, when last night he kept making her come over and over. He did something beyond explanation to her body. There were times he'd go from devouring her like candy, to scanning his eyes around every part of her like she were a Monet painting, to fucking her so ardently her voice skipped, then tracing her skin with his finger like it was a delicate rose. Judy's cheeks warmed. She tried to focus but again, her mind wandered to early this morning as well.

She sat up in the small day bed at the back of his trailer, her hair tousled, hugging her knees to her bare chest. He hadn't noticed her awake yet as he stood by the small window looking out as he sipped his coffee just in his shorts. The amber glow of the morning sun hit his muscles like shadows, so much definition she could feel still feel them on her finger tips. His arms especially, looking so strong. He handled her so well. God, he looked so damn sexy, and he didn't even know it. She had bit her bottom lip, smiling bashfully. When he turned his head to her, she lowered her face behind her knees, her penetrating eyes only visible, telling him of her thoughts. When he smiled mischievously, that was it. He never did finish that cup of coffee.

"Judy!"

Judy flinched a bit as she was brought back to reality, but smiled wide at a friend walking on by. She waved back and then caught eyes with Gene. He was looking at her indifferently, the kids still playing around him. She kneaded her eyebrows a moment, haven't seen him look at her like that before, when a little boy jumped on the back of his back again interrupting their moment. Gene laughed and ran, the boy going piggy back. Judy didn't know why, but thoughts of Gene's family entered Judy's mind. When she was away, she had kept up with the entertainment section of Hollywood. Gene and Betsy had gone to a lot of parties and premieres together, and looked very happy. There was even a picture of Betsy looking at Gene adoringly as he held his daughter in his arms outside their house. Their marriage had been rocky there for a while, like hers had been with Dave, but it seemed anything but right now. Judy knew one thing: she was in-love with a man who was not willing to leave his family, and here she was, separated, living alone and ready to have fun. They were just not on the same page anymore. She didn't want to distance herself form him, but it was the healthiest thing to do. But, then here he was, her best friend, best lover, making her feel things no one else could again. It was frustrating.

"Why the long face," Mickey asked as he got into the driver's side.

"Just some things on my mind. Let's go."

"Hold on. Gene!"

Judy watched as Gene put his finger up to Mickey signaling a minute.

"What are you doing?"

"I invited Gene to tag along and watch us do the 'Can You Use Me' retakes."

"Why," Judy asked a little anxious now.

"Because he said his recording got re-scheduled. And he was already here. What's the problem?"

"No problem," Judy forced a cheery voice as Gene came strutting over.

"Hop on, buddy," Mickey said and Gene hopped onto the seat behind them, "Here we go."

"Don't you two look cute," Gene teased at their costumes.

"Brooks Brothers," Mickey teased back as they rolled through the lot.

"And yours," Gene asked Judy.

"Chanel," she said monotoned but obviously being sarcastic.

"She wears a lot of pants in this film. I think it's a disgrace."

"Why, because we filmed in 112 degrees," she commented.

"No, 'cause you got a hellava pair of stems on ya, honey. I think you should show 'em, right Gene?"

"You know me, Mick, I'm a leg man, myself. And Judy's got the best pair I've ever seen."

"Can we please stop talking about my legs?"

"Why? What's got into you," Mickey asked a little concerned. He knew she loved her own legs, her greatest asset other than her voice, and found it confusing that she actually sounded annoyed.

"I'm just tired," she said softly, dusting invisible lint off her costume pants.

"I wonder why," Gene said in more of a statement than a question. Mickey didn't detect any difference in Gene's voice but Judy did, and she looked at him slyly over her shoulder.

The disdain of her look at him made Gene's smile quickly go away and he was the one furrowing his brow now.

"So, uh, how was filming in Palm Springs," he asked changing the subject.

"Hot as hell."

"You're the one that wanted to have a filming 'vacation', darling."

"Well, I didn't know it would be the devil's layer. We had sandstorms too."

"Did you really?"

"Yeah, we had to shut production down for a few days. Judy took advantage of that, didn't ya, Judes," he said elbowing her flirtatiously.

"Be quiet, Mickey," Judy warned.

"What, you're single now. This one ran off with her new boyfriend."

Judy quickly looked at Gene, who looked unfazed, and then placed her hand up to her head embarrassed.

"She missed the first day back. You know who was PISSED, but she said it was worth it, if ya know what I mean," he laughed, "Can't blame her. She needs to have some fun again, right Gene?"

"Right," he simply stated.

"I can't speak any differently. When Ava and I started going together, I missed some days, too. Shit happens."

Judy was silent the rest of the ride.

"And CUT! That was amazing, guys. Print that. Judy, honey, Mick, take a break while we set up the camera for a different angle," replacement Director, Norman Tourag, shouted from a distance.

Judy plopped into her director chair and her assistant handed her a glass of water with a straw.

"That's a fun scene," Gene commented as he pulled up his seat next to her.

"You're still here," she giggled before taking a sip of water.

"Nothing better to do. Besides, I like watching you work. It's much easier to do when I don't have to be in the scene."

"What do you think?"

"I think it's fun. You sure look like you're having fun."

"I really am."

They were both silent a long moment when Judy started feeling antsy. There was tension energy between them and she didn't like it.

"Gene, what Mickey said earlier about..."

"Joe," he interjected. She looked over at him wide-eyed and he went on, "I know."

"How do you know?"

"Word travels fast around here...even from Palm Springs." Suddenly, Judy's face looked like she had many questions, but before she could speak, he took her hand, "Let's talk. But not here."

He looked completely calm and unfazed which baffled her,  but also made her relax, "Okay. Um, I'm going to Ciro's with a few friends tonight to see Lena sing."

"What time are you going?"

"10."

"I'm doing pool with some fella's tonight. I'll just meet you at your place after. What time do you think you'll be back?"

"I'll come home around 1:30 or so."

"Sounds good," he said and patted her leg before getting up, "Tell Mick I said bye and thanks for the invite. You look beautiful by the way."

As Judy watched him walk away, she smiled. With just a simple comment like that from him, her confidence boosted ten-fold which she knew would radiate on screen. It always did.

Gene was absolutely content. He was laying in Judy's hammock in her backyard. It softly swayed with the summer evening wind, her rose bushes filled his nostrils as crickets chirped and the water from her small fountain pond added to the ambience. It all reminded him of her. He wanted to stay there forever but knew that couldn't be done.

"There you are," he suddenly heard her voice above him.

"Here I am," he spoke before opening his eyes.

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh, about twenty minutes. Pool ended early. You know how much I love it out here. Thought I'd catch some sleep before you returned."

"Sorry to cut your nap short," she replied as she carefully got onto the hammock with him. He adjusted to accommodate her and she immediately snuggled into his side.

Gene checked his watch, "It's only midnight. Why are you back so early? Weren't having fun?"

"I was...until the Trifecta walked in."

"No," he said shocked.

Everyone involved in the studio system in Hollywood knew the 'Trifecta' referred to the three Presidents of the three most popular studios: Louis B. Mayer, of MGM, Darryl Zanuck of Twentieth Century-Fox and of J. Cowdin of Universal.

"Yeah."

"Since when the hell does Mayer go out to nightclubs?"

Judy nodded, "That's what I was thinking, too."

"And since when the hell do all three of those men get together? They're like sworn enemies."

"Gene, you should have seen everybody. It was hysterical. They practically emptied the joint. Everyone left."

"They probably planned that so all their players would go home to sleep so they're not late to film the next day."

"It was very strange to see them walk in together, all chummy."

"Well, maybe they're planning on taking over the world."

Together, they swayed gently, enjoying each other's warmth and comfort. Gene suddenly regretted that he invited himself over so they could talk, as he was enjoying the silence, but then she spoke.

"Are you angry about me spending time with Joe?"

Oh, she wanted to talk, too.

"Did I give you that reaction?"

"That's not an answer."

Gene opened his eyes to find her head lifted, looking at him nervously.

"No, I'm not angry. I don't have the authority to be."

"What do you mean?"

"We're not exclusive. I'm a married man. You're single. So, you had another summer rendezvous. It is what it is."

"Are you jealous?"

Gene couldn't help but chuckle. He knew she wanted him to be, but she also knew he was, "Of course. I'm very protective of you honey."

"Is that why you were the way you were last night, because you heard about me spending time with another man?"

"No, but the way I was how?"

"Just...intense and almost desperate," judging by his confound expression she went on, "I enjoyed it so much, I don't have to tell you that, but it felt different. It was almost like it was the last time."

Gene just stared at her a moment before licking his bottom lip anxiously as he sat them up.

"That's because it kind of was," he didn't dare look at her, "I mean, in the months we've been apart, Bets and I have been getting along better. It's almost like how we were in New York. And we're enjoying each other with our daughter. I've seen you go and enjoy yourself with another man, as you should. It's your God-given right as a soon-to-be divorced woman. I just thought, you know maybe it was a good time for us to distance ourselves from each other ...um, physically right now."

Judy knew this was a serious conversation, but how nervous he was made her nerves instantly disappear. She actually giggled. Her giggle alerted him though, and he finally looked up at her with wide eyes as if she were about to start a fight.

"You know, darling," she giggled again, "For two people who are in different chapters of life, we're on the same page. Throughout the summer, I saw pictures of you and Betsy out and about in magazines, and with your beautiful baby, and even though we hadn't talked, I knew things were better for you. And I felt happy for you. I actually couldn't believe it. I thought, my marriage ended and now yours is getting better. I should have been jealous. But then Joe came around again, and I've been having a lot of fun with him. It was then that I thought maybe since we are in different circumstances now, that maybe we should focus on our own futures apart...for now at least. I don't really want you to go away."

"I'm not going anywhere. As a friend, and companion, you're it for me baby. And as a lover...well it's never off the table. There's something between us, some type of connection, I can't quite explain, but I know it's a lifetime worth."

Judy smiled and leaned over kissing him, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Last night, I gotta confess, I also wanted to make you never forget how I made you feel."

Judy's eyes reflected off the moonlight as she looked at him impishly as she stood up. She held her hand out for him and he took it, standing up.

"Where are we going?"

"You got your last time last night, now it's my turn."

He stopped yanking her hand abut. She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, her chin raised as she smiled up at him. His crows feet deepened as he smiled wickedly, "What are you going to do?"

"Make you​ never forget how I made you feel."

She raised up on her tippy toes and have him a peck on the lips before walking towards her patio door. Gene stood there a sec, completely transfixed, and aroused, by the sultry voice and implication she used.

Turning around, noticing he wasn't following, she looked at him with raised eyebrow, "Come on, let's go."

When she disappeared through the door, Gene felt his erection harden, and he let out a naughty chuckle before following her inside.

[httpjeon]

❝ blacklisted ❞ kth&jjk ― m.

― summary:

after departing from your dom, you’re assigned to two incredibly powerful men.

taehyung/reader/jungkook | dom/sub!au, CEO!taekook | angst, fluff, smut | 21.4k ↬ content warnings: dom/sub themes, pet names, sir!kink, daddy!kink, threesome, mxm scenes, subspace, praise kink, dirty talk, cunnilingus, pussy slapping, orgasm denial, begging, humiliation, safewords, blowjobs, deepthroating/face-fucking, creampie, intense orgasms(?), multiple orgasms, cum eating, cum sharing, arguments, insecurities, manipulation, reader is a bit impulsive, derogatory language, sexual face-slapping, punishments, dumbification, overstimulation, forced orgasms, aftercare, crying, 69ing, face-sitting, sensitivity kink(?), double penetration

a/n: this is from a fanfic title ask game!

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Eighteen was the coveted age. At that age, you are no longer a child and were to begin a new life in the society as you'd yearned for since being a child.

You awoke on the day of your birthday, filled to the brim with anticipation.

The first place you needed to go with the Role-Assignment Institute, a big building in Seoul you'd only had the pleasure of looking at until today.

It was almost intimidating, walking in. You'd arrived early in the day but there were still so many people packed into the waiting room. For some reason, the nerves only kicked in after you signed in — receiving a number that would be called when it was your turn.

112. That was your number. You kept looking at it, anxiously worrying that you'd read it wrong. Your leg bounced as you kept repeating the number in your head.

It felt like hours before a woman dressed in blue scrubs waltzed in yelling, "Number 112!"

Your knees felt weak as you stood up, handing the number slip to the nurse. She nodded, leading you down a long corridor that reminded you of a hospital. The fluorescent lights bounced off the white walls, causing a glare that made you squint.

"The doctor will be in, in just a moment," The nurse said, standing on her tippy-toes to pull out a clipboard with paper and a pen attached. "In the meantime, please fill out all the information needed on these,"

You sat on the exam table, the crinkling sanitary paper making you cringe at how loud it was. Using your lap as a table, you began looking over the forms. There was a form for basic information; like your name, age, height, and weight along with your social security number. After filling out everything, you moved onto the waiver that gave them permission to test you to find your Assignment. Though it was a safe and very simple procedure, it was still required.

Finally finished, you placed the clipboard to the side and waited, eyes on the door as if urging the doctor to enter.

The door loudly clicked open, a tall man in a white lab coat entered with a beaming smile. He greeted you, taking a seat on a rolling stool in front of the computer — clicking and typing for a moment before turning to you.

"I'm Dr. Kim," He held his hand out for you to shake. "Have you finished filling out the forms?"

"Oh yeah," You handed the clipboard over into his waiting hand.

"Miss _____..." He read your name, eyes scanning the paper for additional information. "Alright, I'll put this in the system, it'll be just a second."

The room was filled with the clicking of the keyboard and you absentmindedly swung your feet on the exam table. Dr. Kim sighed, rolling his chair towards the back of the room to pull out a needle and alcohol wipes.

"Alright, so you know how this works right?" He asked, holding your arm with one hand as he wiped the alcohol over the bend of your elbow.

"You take my blood and test it," You answered swiftly, wincing as he tied a band around your upper arm. The blood cut off, making the rest of your arm feel numb.

"That's right," Dr. Kim smiled, uncapping the needle.

Unable to watch, you closed your eyes and looked away. Several long seconds, a quick pinch, the application of the band-aid and it was over.

The doctor rolled back over to the computer, opening up a cylindrical machine which he popped the vial of your blood into.

"It'll just be a second before the results pop up," He told you as the machine began making a loud vibrating sound.

Two painstakingly long minutes passed before the noise stopped. He made a humming noise, clicking on the computer before turning back to you.

"Well, congratulations," He smiled, standing up to retrieve some papers out of a cabinet behind you. "You're a submissive!"

"Oh cool," You gasped, feeling relief wash over you at his reveal.

"Now, on to the least fun part," He pulled out a small machine that contained a long pen like tool. "This will imprint your status into you skin similar to a tattoo — without the actual tattooing part. It holds information in it, it need only be scanned."

You'd seen the imprints before — your mom and dad both had one. They were a way of identifying if someone was of age among other things.

The branding itself didn't hurt, it was a hot flash of pain but it dissolved within a second. Once he was done the letters 'S-U-B' were inked against your skin. Running your fingers over it, you could feel it was slightly raised.

"These hold information on where to go from here including picking a good matching agency,” He held out the papers. “There's a list on the second page," He flipped it for you.

"W-Who do you recommend?" You asked, realizing you never quite researched the various companies.

"Well," He pulled out a pen. "There are three top companies all located in Seoul that are partnered with this Assignment Institute pecifically. T&J Matching Company, MinHope Matching Agency, and the Kim Namjoon Matching Firm. For you, I'd recommend MinHope — they work very closely with their clients and they're the least intimidating out of them!"

"I'll go with MinHope then!" You smiled, watching as the doctor circled the one you chose.

It took just a few more minutes of Dr. Kim filling in information for you — sending a referral from him to your chosen company.

"Alright," He stood up, holding a little envelope with his signature on the front. "This has all the information you need going forward. Information on sub-to-dom matching and various important things to know, you can look over it when you get a chance."

"Thank you so much," you grinned, tucking it away in your purse.

You bid goodbye to the doctor, stopping by the front desk on your way out to give your payment for the procedure.

Being home filled you with relief, you instantly crashed onto the couch with a big sigh. Your feet hurt from walking and your back hurt from that exam table you sat on for an hour and a half.

Lifting your arm up, you gazed at the little black letters inked into your skin.

"Oh! I should call Mom!" You whispered to yourself, pulling out your phone.

Hearing her happily blabbing on about how happy and proud of you she was had you grinning from ear to ear. You could hear her relay every important detail to your dad, who also gave his congratulations. The conversation fizzled off into telling each other how your days had been going since you'd last seen each other. About an hour into the call, your phone began beeping obnoxiously in your ear.

"I have to go, Mom, I have another call incoming," You told her. "I'll talk to you later, yeah. Love you!"

You hurriedly answered the incoming call, effectively ending the call with your mother.

"Hello?" You asked.

"Good evening, this is Joy with MinHope Matching Agency," Your heart sped up. "We received a referral from Dr. Kim. Would you like to set up your appointment?"

"Yes please!" You smiled, sitting up properly. "When is the soonest I can be seen?"

"Well..." You held your breath and you could hear faint clicking of a computer. "There's an appointment opening with Mr. Jung at 10:15 in the morning. Does that work?"

"That's perfect!" You exclaimed.

Bidding your goodbyes to the woman, you flopped back onto the couch, filled to the brim with so much excitement you weren't sure you'd be able to sleep through the night.

The morning of your appointment came earlier than you expected. You'd had trouble sleeping so you felt a little drowsy getting to the Agency.

"Um hi, I'm ____ I have a 10:15 with Mr. Jung," You said to the lady sitting behind the reception desk. On the wall was a sign that said MinHope Matching Agency, with a glowing white back light. She clicked on her computer for a second before pulling out a badge that said "Visitor".

"Go to floor 8," The lady said. "You can speak to Joy up there at the service desk and she'll tell you where to go,"

You were surprised by the cold attitude of the woman and hurriedly scurried to the elevator. You could feel her eyes on you as you waited for the doors to open. Glancing behind you, you winced when you met her piercing gaze.

"Boy," You gasped, leaning against the back of the elevator once you got in. "What was her problem?"

You watched the numbers go up as you ascended the floor before stopping on the 8th. When you stepped out, you were met with a few faces, waiting to get in as well.

"Excuse me," you breathed, bypassing them easily.

You spotted the large desk, wandering over to it and waited for Joy, as you figured, to finish speaking with someone else.

"Hello!" She beamed."Are you here for an appointment?"

"Um yes," You answered. "10:15 for Mr. Jung."

"Oh right, Miss ____!" She beamed, pulling out a scanning gun. "Please show me your arm,"

With a click of the gun, your sub tattoo was scanned.

"Okay," She stood up. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Mr. Jung's office,"

Her heels clicked on the linoleum floors as you walked behind her through a hallway. Doors were lined up on both sides, some appeared to be conference rooms and other just normal offices. She stopped in front of a large wooden door with a plaque that read Jung Hoseok, CEO.

"Just go on in and he'll start your consultation," Joy bowed before pivoting on her heel and going back the way she came.

Walking into a CEO's office seemed quite daunting. So you timidly gaze three knocks, letting him know you were there before opening the door.

"Come in, come in!" He beamed, a bright heart-shaped smile as he opened the door even more for you.

He was dressed in a nice suit with his hair slicked back. He was really good looking. You followed his urging and took a seat in front of his desk, in a comfortable leather chair.

"I see Joy scanned you for me, that's great," He smiled. "Sometimes she forgets to do that."

He clicked on his computer for several long minutes, typing and reading over whatever came on the screen. He was silent for several minutes, giving you an excellent chance to look at him. His sleeves hid where his brand was so you were unable to see what he was. You wondered if he was matched or not. He was good looking and certainly above the age of 18 but that didn't really mean anything.

"And there we have it!" He grinned, pivoting his screen to show you what was on it.

On the screen was a picture of you, there was a picture of a man who had Lee Daehoon (DOM) underneath.

"This is my match?" You asked, scooting closer to look at him. "He's...handsome,"

"I'm glad you approve!" Hoseok grinned, turning his screen back around to face himself.

"Can I ask...how you make the matches like that?" You asked, watching him click on his computer again.

"Well, we simply scan your imprint and it reveals details about you along with your DNA information which allows up to match you with a Dominant who is basically most compatible! Of course, there are several possible matches but it goes with the best one currently in the system," He easily explained, turning his chair around to grab some papers from his printer.

"That's interesting..." You mumbled, glancing down at your tattoo mesmerized by just how much information could be extracted from it.

"Alright, your first meeting with Mr. Lee is set up, there should be an email for you with the information."

You honestly never thought you'd be in that leather chair again with Jung Hoseok staring blankly at his computer screen searching for a good match. But unfortunately, fate likes to be cruel and ruin good things.

Lee Daehoon...what a jerk.

"I'm sorry about this," Hoseok suddenly said, making you look up. He was already staring at you with indiscernible pity. "I know it's hard when a relationship doesn't work. A lot of people just expect it to and they get disappointed. Of course, sometimes it does work! A lot of the time!" He quickly tried to save what he'd said.

"It's alright," You smiled. "It happens, I know that. I'm just kind of annoyed I wasted 3 years with that jerk..."

Hoseok smiled. "I understand—" He suddenly gasped, sitting up straighter and leaning his face closer to the screen.

"That's bad for your eyes," You joked.

"I don't believe it..." He mumbled.

"What is it?" His behavior had your anxiety piquing.

"Here, take a look," He spun his monitor around for you to see.

You saw your face, as expected, but instead of just one line and one picture there were two. Two photos of men sat beneath yours, showing a match to both of them while they were connected by their own line.

Kim Taehyung (DOM) and Jeon Jungkook (DOM).

"Two Doms?" You leaned closer to the screen in surprise. "How is that possible?"

"Well," Hoseok's brows were furrowed as he turned the screen around to see for himself once again. "It's certainly uncommon but..." He shook his head. "I've never personally seen it."

"D-Does it explain anything? Who are they? How could this even work?" You bombarded the poor man with questions.

"Well actually...I know both of them," He confessed. "We're friends, in fact."

"Seriously? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?" You gasped.

He shrugged. "They're both the CEOs of T&J Matching Company."

Your brain short-circuited at those words. "Pardon?"

"They've been together for a while, I didn't think they'd ever..." He broke off, humming to himself. It took him a second before he sobered up. "No matter! I've got your papers coming out now."

You watched as the papers came out of the printer, waiting for him to grab them. Smiling, he tucked them into a manila company envelope and handed it over to you.

"There's an email waiting for you, you know how this goes," He smiled, escorting you out of his office all the way to the elevator. "By the way...I don't think I ever gave you this but," He pulled out a little white card. "This is my business card if you ever need me."

You bid him goodbye before the elevator doors could close. Just before they did, you caught his smile dropping, replaced with a firm grimace.

What was that about?

On your way home, you read the email that gave the date and location of your first three dates with Taehyung and Jungkook. It also briefly explained the steps to take after the three dates — such as agreeing to match, declining the matching, and requesting more pre-match dates.

The first date was tomorrow at 12:30 — a lunch date.

You spent the rest of the evening planning out a outfit — not sure what style to go with. Then you did lengthy skincare and took a nice, long, hot bath.

Finally, by the time you were in bed, you decided to google the names of your potential matches. You were nearly blinded by how attractive they both were. Clicking on Taehyung's Wikipedia page, you began to read all about him.

'He has publicly been in a relationship with Dominant Jeon Jungkook, since before the creation of their company.' It read.

You were puzzled, having never heard of two Doms being together.

Googling more about their relationship, you saw articles trashing such a relationship and others providing information and statistics on the commonalty of it.

You locked your phone, staring blankly at the wall as your heart beat loudly in your chest.

You entered the restaurant, surprised to learn such a high-class place was your destination. It was a 5-star eatery and you felt immediately out of place when you walked in. Everyone was dressed up and wearing beautiful jewelry while you were wearing a simple summer dress.

"Hello? Do you have a reservation?" The hostess asked, face as blank as her voice.

"Um...I'm here for the MinHope Agency Reservation?" You replied, watching as she looked over something in front of her.

"Right, your dates have arrived," As she rounded the podium, you saw her tattoo on her arm that read DOM. No wonder she was so intimidating.

Your table was located in the far corner of the restaurant, away from everyone else. As you walked up to the table, you noticed the two men sitting there.

"Hello gentlemen," The hostess smiled. "Here's your date."

Both sets of eyes were upon you and as the woman walked away, you felt like you'd just been thrown the feral wolves while covered in meat.

"H-Hi I'm _____," You greeted, smiling sheepishly.

"I'm Taehyung," He had a boxy smile, standing up to pull your chair out for you.

"Thank you, Taehyung," You whispered, sitting down before he pushed you in.

Your eyes drifted to the other man, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were doe-like but they were ice cold as they pierced into you.

"U-Uh this is Jungkook!" Taehyung hurriedly introduced his companion. "He's um...shy?"

It sounded more like a question but you managed to smile anyway. You hoped it wasn't too obviously fake.

You noticed quickly they were both wearing suits. Taehyung's was gray while Jungkook's was black. They both wore rings and expensive-looking watches.

They were definitely CEOs.

"Let's order some appetizers!" Taehyung said, handing you a menu. "What would you like?"

You gazed over the menu, eye twitching at the prices listed beside the items.

"Th-This is too expensive..." You whispered, more to yourself. "I-I can't afford any of this..."

Jungkook scoffed, sitting forward to look over his own menu. "Could have seen that coming..."

"It's alright ____, the Agency will take care of the check!" Taehyung said, easing your apprehension.

"Oh really?" You asked.

When you had been on dates with Daehoon, it had been paid by you and him. Then again, they weren't nearly as lavish as these dates. Perhaps it just depended on the class of people.

"Um...I-I'm not sure what to choose," You squeaked out, feeling your face flush as you felt flustered by the way the date was going. You winced when Jungkook scoffed again.

"It's alright, we'll order something simple. Do you like stuffed mushrooms?" Taehyung asked, peeking at you over your menu.

Lowering it, you smiled and nodded. "I don't mind them!"

"Alright!" Taehyung waved his hand in the air and a waitress came over in a hurry. "We'll have the stuffed mushrooms!"

"Coming right up," She beamed, writing it down on a notepad before vanishing into another room across the way.

You looked at your menu once again, towards what they had ordered; mushrooms stuffed with Pecorino Romano, garlic, and breadcrumbs — ₩112,000. You nearly choked at the price tag but managed to keep it under wraps.

"Have you picked your meal?" Taehyung asked.

Before you could answer, Jungkook spoke up. "I'll have the roasted duck with the orange-bourbon glaze."

"O-Oh that sounds yummy," Taehyung patted Jungkook's shoulder, turning his eyes back to you. "You?"

"Doubt she can even read the damn menu," You winced at the insult, feeling your eyes sting slightly in embarrassment but fought it back.

Looking at the menu again, you quickly decided, "Spicy Thai basil chicken." You forced yourself to ignore the ₩140,000 glaring at you. It was going to be the most expensive food you ever ate.

"Awesome," He grinned and you missed the way he kicked Jungkook under the table, making the younger wince.

You and Taehyung engaged in idle small-talk about your likes and dislikes as you waited for the waitress to return. He would occasionally force Jungkook into it, bringing up his boyfriend's own preferences.

When the waitress returned, Taehyung listed all the meals you ordered. His own had made you balk; stuffed lamb breast with lemon, ricotta, and oregano. You didn't get a chance to look at that price tag before the menus were taken from you but you could only imagine how expensive it was.

Taehyung and Jungkook dissolved into soft chatter about work and you did your best not to listen in, instead gazing around the room to watch the people around you. It was the most awkward you'd felt all evening.

"Here you are; your meals!" A steaming plate of chicken was placed before you and you felt your stomach grumble.

"Looks delicious!" Taehyung groaned, quickly stuffing his mouth with his lamb breast.

Following his lead, you began to eat your own. The way the chicken's seasoning melted on your tongue made you close your eyes in bliss. You chewed the meat, unaware of the way the two men gazed at you.

"You look like a pig," Jungkook snapped, making you freeze. You opened your eyes to find his glaring at you, disgust written all over his face.

"Jungkook!" Taehyung growled, elbowing his ribs angrily.

"Well she does," Jungkook mumbled, taking a bite of his own food. "At least act like you belong here because you're an embarrassment now. Do you know who we are?"

"I-I'm sorry..." You heard Taehyung whisper something angrily to his boyfriend but you toned them out, finishing your food as fast as you could. You felt self-conscious the entire time and were happy when the plate was clean.

The air around the table was tense and unpleasant, the two of them not speaking until the waitress arrived. You felt relieved when she collected the plates.

"Would you like dessert?" She asked.

"Yes please!" Taehyung smiled.

"Not for me..." You made your move, standing up. Both men and the waitress looked at you with wide eyes. "I-I'm just going to go home. Thanks for the dinner..."

Before either of them could say anything, you pulled your coat on and rushed out of the door. You felt your eyes sting but you refused to cry as you began to make your way home from the terrible date.

"______, wait up!" Taehyung called to you and you stopped, looking back at him. "I uhh..." He panted. "I'm sorry for Jungkook. He's just a difficult guy to get along with!"

"If he doesn't like me then it's fine," You shrugged, hands stuffed in your pockets. "He comes before me, I know that."

"It's not that at all, _____," Taehyung sighed, running a hand through his hair. "D-Don't give up yet, okay? Let's just go with our three dates and we can decide at the end, alright?"

You looked past his shoulder to see Jungkook leaning against the wall, scrolling on his phone. Sighing, you turned back to Taehyung and met his eyes.

"Alright, we'll do it."

"You won't regret it!" Taehyung gives you that boxy smile and you can't help but smile alongside him.

Once you arrived home, your phone dinged with a text message.

From: MinHope Matching Agency This is an automated message, please do not respond. Your date has been marked as over. Please fill out the progress tracker linked here. You followed the link and were brought to a short survey.

1. Was your date satisfactory? — Somewhat

2. Did you and your partner(s) get along? — Somewhat

3. Do you plan to go on the next scheduled date? — Yes

A completion page came up thanking you for taking and claiming they would be sending the information of your next date in a few days.

Still feeling dejected by Jungkook's behavior towards you, you curled up in bed intending to sleep.

Thankfully, it was cool out by the time your second date with them came along. The sky was painted purples and reds, casting a comforting glow over the landscape.

As you walked to the designated area for your date, you were glad to see Taehyung and Jungkook already there. Hanging back a bit, you watched as Jungkook grinned at his boyfriend — a cute bunny-like smile you'd not expected him to have. Leaning forward, Taehyung planted a soft kiss against Jungkook's nose.

You smiled at the scene, finding them cute.

However, the moment was broken when you met Jungkook's gaze and all the light disappeared in a second. His lips moved as he muttered something to Taehyung, most likely to let him know you were here because Taehyung was suddenly bouncing up to you happily.

"Hey beautiful! Nice to see you!" He greeted, surprising you by grabbing your hand.

You stumbled a bit over the uneven terrain before you were able to take a seat on the thick blanket laid out on the ground.

"Boy the agency really goes all out, huh?" You asked, making conversation.

Above you there was a canopy set up, glowing with the effect of the white fairy lights strung up. With the sun setting quickly, it became the only real source of light as you all sat together with a large picnic basket in the center.

"MinHope is like...famous for their date setups, you know?" Taehyung nodded, flipping open the box to reveal an assortment of food.

"Oh," You held out your hand as Taehyung put a sandwich in it. "Thank you."

"Is that chicken swiss?" Jungkook asked, leaning a bit closer to you.

"Yeah I think so..." You replied, peeking at the label on it. He didn't provide an answer, merely looking off and picking at the rapper on his own sandwich. "Do you...want it?"

He grunted in response, not speaking up placed his own sandwich down and held his hand out for yours. You met Taehyung's eyes, seeing he was holding back a smile as he watched the trade go down.

By the time you finished all the food, it was dark and the moon hung high in the sky.

"What time is it?" You asked, not feeling like looking at your phone.

"It's 8:42," Taehyung answered, glancing at his watch. "Should you be getting home?"

"Probably," You smiled. “I've got some work to do tomorrow.

"Oh? What do you do?" He asked, taking your hand to help you stand up.

"I'm uhh...a video game programmer," You shrugged, feeling silly compared to their own CEO positions.

"Oh really?!" Taehyung gasped, yanking on Jungkook's arm. "Kook loves video games!"

Jungkook grumbled, tugging himself out of Taehyung's grasp as the older laughed. Through the faint lighting, you could still tell Jungkook's cheeks were turning red.

"How about we walk you home?" Taehyung offered. He squeezed your hand, making you realize he was still holding it. His hand was big and very warm with pretty, lithe.

"That'd be nice..." You smiled, letting him lead you out of the area where your date had been set up. "Do we need to clean that up?"

"The Agency will take care of it," Jungkook replied, hands shoved in his pocket as he trailed behind the two of you.

"That's right, don't worry about it," Taehyung grinned, swinging your hand between the two of you.

Glancing over your shoulder, you saw Jungkook staring off into the street absentmindedly. You wanted to include him but, you knew he didn't feel that close to you just yet.

"My apartment is here," You paused in front of a tall building.

"Really? Here?" Jungkook piped up, slight disgust in his tone.

"I think it's cute," Taehyung quickly added. "A-Anyway, do you want us to walk you in?"

"I-It's fine..." You muttered, giving a slight glare at Jungkook — who was viciously avoiding your gaze, finding a crack in the sidewalk very interesting. "I can do it."

"Hang on," Taehyung reached into his pocket to pull out a slip of paper, shoving it into your hands. "I'll see you later!"

You watched as Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's wrist, tugging him along. Just before they slipped out of view, Jungkook looked over his shoulder back at you. It caused your heart to stutter in your chest.

Sitting on your bed after showering and changing into you pajamas, you looked at the slip of paper Taehyung had given to you.

"His phone number..." You whipped out your own phone, creating a new contact number under his name and shooting him a text.

To: Kim Taehyung [9:18PM] Hey, letting you know it's me, ____!

Almost immediately, three bubbles popped up to indicate he was typing.

From: Kim Taehyung [9:18PM] I'd like to apologize for Jungkook. He can be a little loose lipped with a silver tongue but he really doesn't mean it. He just...doesn't know how to express himself well.

To: Kim Taehyung [9:19PM] It's okay. I don't think he's all that bad after all...

From: Kim Taehyung [9:19PM] I'm glad to hear that. We can't wait for our next date.

You smiled, gazing at the text with your heart pounding heavily. You told him 'me too' before another text came in.

From: MinHope Matching Agency This is an automated message, please do not respond. Your date has been marked as over. Please fill out the progress tracker linked here. You were brought to a similar page to the last survey, only this one contained different questions.

1. Was your date satisfactory? — Yes

2. Do you feel that you and your partner(s) are getting closer? — Yes

3. Are there any complaints you have, this will not be conveyed to your partner(s). — None

You read over Taehyung's texts once again, feeling at ease over his words. Remembering how nice his hand felt in yours, you began to drift off. The last thing you thought of was that you hoped to meet the real Jungkook soon.

You were surprised to see there was a change in your third date's location when you woke up that Saturday.

Instead of an amusement park like it had been, it had been switched to a high-end club and bar. It was notorious for all the rich and famous attending, a very prevalent clientele frequented it as VIP guests. You didn't question it when Taehyung texted you that you would be receiving a package.

However, as you stared down at the Gucci box, it felt like your brain was being fried.

Whipping out your phone, you pulled up your text thread with him.

To: Kim Taehyung [3:57PM] Did you send me this? picture.attachment

From: Kim Taehyung [3:57PM] Oh? It arrived? I'm so glad! Please try it on and send us a photo!

Your cheeks felt hot at the text but got up to do as he asked anyway.

The sleek, black dress fit tightly and very well. It made your breasts look...phenomenal and you instantly felt sexier and more confident. While still running with the feeling, you snapped a few photos in the mirror — keeping your unmade hair and face out of it. The second you hit send, there was a read receipt showing that he saw it. He didn't respond, however, and anxiety quickly set in. You set your phone down, gazing at yourself again, moving side to side to check the fit. The color looked lovely against your skin tone.

Your phone went off, indicating an incoming text message and you pounced on your phone to see.

From: Kim Taehyung [4:13PM]

Wow...you look...incredible.

You couldn't help but beam at the praise, instantly feeling lifted by his words. Before you could reply, another text was coming in.

From: Kim Taehyung [4:14PM]

We'll pick you up at 8. Be ready by then. Can't wait to see you, sweetheart.

You just knew the rest of the day was going to chug by slowly, especially now that you were completely flustered by his us of a pet name.

At 8 on the dot, Taehyung texted you asking what your apartment number was. Mindlessly, you gave him the number; 302.

You were slipping on your heels when the doorbell rang to your apartment. Stumbling to the door, pulling your last shoe on, you tugged the door open only to have a large bouquet of flowers shoved in your face.

"I uhh...hope you're not allergic or anything..." Taehyung smiled, handing them to you.

"Oh they're lovely, Taehyung, thank you..." You brought them up to your nose to inhale the sweet scent. "Let me go put them in some water, come on in. Where's Jungkook?"

"He's still down in front, waiting in the car," Taehyung answered, following you to the kitchen.

He fell silent, watching you fill up a vase with some water for the flowers. Placing them on the kitchen table, you smiled at how they lit up the room.

"You do look lovely, _____," He complimented you, moving closer to take your hand.

"You look...fantastic yourself, Taehyung," You said, looking over his clothes.

He was dressed in black slacks and a tucked in white button-down with the first several buttons undone. The beautiful tan expanse of his tanned chest was utterly tantalizing and you had the urge to run your fingers along his pecs and press kisses to his neck until he moaned. He shining diamond choker he wore only had you squeezing your thighs together in want.

He was so completely and utterly attractive. His voice and touch were addictive. His voice was melodic and had you yearning to hear it more.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked suddenly, pulling you from your lewd daydreams.

"Y-Yeah..." You allowed him to lead you out by the hand, unaware of the way he smirked once out of your direct eyesight.

When Taehyung said Jungkook was waiting in the car, you didn't expect him to mean an actual limo with their own driver.

But that is exactly what you were introduced to.

Their driver's name was Eugene and he was a very kind, older man who opened and closed the door for you.

"Hi Jungkook," You greeted once you took a seat in the limousine.

"Hey," He greeted, scanning you up and down quickly before looking out the window. Though he didn't smile, you were happy to see the warmth in his gaze as he regarded you.

The outside of the club was spectacularly lit up with the longest line of people waiting to get in than you'd ever seen. Eugene opened the door and the three of you piled out easily.

To your surprise, they didn't even have to wait in the line — they just nodded at the security guard and waltzed right in with you in tow.

Inside, there was music blasting and a huge sea of moving bodies on the dance floor. Taehyung quickly took your hand and escorted you, Jungkook leading the way through the dance floor to the back where there were some spiraling stairs. There was a plaque on a stand at the beginning of them that read 'VIP ONLY'. It made you swell with pride that you were entering with these two men — you hoped they felt the same sense of pride being with you.

It was much quieter inside the room — which had been reserved for the three of you.

You finally had the opportunity to look at Jungkook clearly. His look was the complete opposite of Taehyung's. His hair was unkempt and a bit wavy as it hung in his eyes. He wore black jeans, a white t-shirt beneath a leather jacket.

The contrast between the two of them was intoxicating and you quickly downed a shot that was given to you.

The three of you made small talk, you got used to being in an environment. You took a few shots, blushing when they teased you about how you cringed at the taste.

"You're cute, you're already flushed!" Taehyung teased, pinching your cheek.

"I-It's because you're teasing me!" You argued, hiding your face beneath your hands.

Even Jungkook began to laugh the more flustered you became. Finally unable to take it, you jumped to your feet.

"How about we go and dance, yeah?" You grabbed both their hands, pulling them to their feet.

"You two go ahead, I've a phone call to make," Taehyung smiled. He could see the two of you hesitate at the prospect of being alone but he ushered you out.

"A-Are you sure?" Jungkook asked, his stuttering so unlike him.

You realized it was your chance to get closer to Jungkook. If you took charge he was sure to open up more to you; if he wasn't willing to do more, then you would!

"Yeah, let's go Jungkook!" The alcohol in your system gave you the courage to grab his arm, tugging him out the door. "Show me how well you dance!"

It was hot on the dance floor, and you could feel a slight layer of sweat building up the second you were packed in with all the bodies moving around you. Still, as you stood close to Jungkook you were pleased with how nice he smelt. His hand gripped your waist as your bodies moved in sync to the beat playing through the club.

Two songs played before another body finally pressed against you from behind. You were surprised, ready to turn around and tell the person off when you caught sight of Taehyung's piercing eyes.

Pressed between two bodies like you were, you slowly began to lose yourself to the beat and the alcohol flowing through you.

After another song, you pulled away to tell Jungkook something.

"I'm going to get a drink, I'll be back!" He nodded in response, letting you squeeze out from between them to find the public bar just off the dance floor.

You could feel eyes on you as you took a seat on the stool, letting the ice in your drink cool your heated body. Glancing over your shoulder, you expected to see Taehyung and Jungkook. Unfortunately, they seemed to have been sucked into the sea of the crowd.

You turned back around, only to find a man unsettlingly close to your face.

"Um...can I help you?" You asked, frowning and leaning away as you smelt the liquor on his breath.

"That's a cute little get up you got there," He complimented, eyes raking down your body. "You here with someone, baby?"

"Yeah she is, back off," A strong arm grabbed your arm and dragged you away from the scene.

You could see Jungkook's leather-clad shoulders in front of you as he led you back to the VIP lounge you had been in.

Taehyung was already inside, sitting with his legs cross and a glass of sometimes spinning in his hand making the liquid sqirl. His jaw was set as you were escorted inside by Jungkook.

"I knew you'd be dangerous in this little get up, babygirl," He cooed, standing up to tower above you.

Instead of feeling intimidated, you felt yourself gush into your panties at the raw dominance he exuded. Leaning down, his lips just out of reach of yours, he smirked.

"All eyes were on you and fuck if I didn't love that..." He whispered, meeting your eyes — pupils blown wide before he pulled away. "I've called Eugene, let's go..."

Instead of Taehyung taking your hand, Jungkook was the one who did. Your heart raced in your chest as he squeezed your hand — his fingers more callused and rough than Taehyung's. You couldn't help but think of what it would be like having those fingers stuffed inside you. You bit your lip, holding back a whimper; missing the way Taehyung chuckled.

It was silent in the limo, Jungkook's hand still in yours and Taehyung's resting on your bare thigh. You wished he would slide his hand up to fit between your legs — slide those long digits into your panties and feel how wet you were.

"Hey Eugene, stop here please," Taehyung suddenly called, which the driver followed.

Once the limo was pulled over, Taehyung opened the door and the three of you got out. You were near your apartment and you realized they intended to walk you home instead of dropping you off.

Standing in between the two of them, they both held your hands as you began to walk.

"You...really suit that dress," Jungkook complimented you, nearly making you gasp in surprise. Maybe it was the alcohol making him even more loose lipped and open than usual.

"It really does, you picked it well," Taehyung added, beaming from ear to ear.

"You picked it out, Jungkook?" You asked, looking over at him. His ears were flushed as he avoided your gaze. He didn't answer but you still smiled, squeezing his hand. "Thank you. I really love it."

"You do?" He asked, peeking through his bangs at you.

"I really do!" You grinned.

"I'm glad," He breathed, visibly relaxing as you continued your walk.

"Can I ask you guys something?" You asked.

"Sure," Taehyung responded immediately.

"How are two Doms together like you are?" You hoped you wouldn't offend them. It seemed you didn't as Taehyung smiled.

"It just takes a lot of communication and understanding. Kook and I grew up together and our relationship happened more organically than being assigned to one another. We are technically together but it's not completely...legal until a submissive is involved," He explained swiftly.

"I see..." You smiled, squeezing his hand as the three of you stopped in front of your apartment complex. "Well I'm glad I was matched with the two of you!"

"It was a really nice time tonight, _____," Jungkook said. "Don't forget to fill out the tracker tonight, okay? It's really important."

"Will do," You smiled.

The three of you stood together in silence, albeit a little awkward. You met their gazes and slowly released their hands. You really didn't want to go, you wanted the night to continue and you wanted their company to remain.

"_____," Taehyung stopped you from turning your back to them.

When you turned around, you were pulled into a fierce kiss. You immediately relaxed into it, wrapping your arms around his neck the deeper it went. Before it could go on too long, he pulled away.

You were quickly lured into another kiss — with Jungkook. You could taste the alcohol on his lips but you didn't mind. He was rougher than Taehyung, wrapping his hand in your hair as he deepened it.

Pulling away, he smirked. "We'll see you later, kitten."

Flushing, you barely noticed Taehyung kissing your forehead before they both departed. Holding your hand against your chest, you could feel how it was racing.

Finally in the comfort of your apartment, you kicked your heels off. The way your feet ached reminded you that the lovely night wasn't all an alcohol-induced fantasy.

Sitting on your couch, you jumped when your phone went of. Excited in the hopes of seeing Taehyung's name, you sighed when you saw it was just the Agency. But Jungkook's words echoed in your mind; 'Don't forget to fill out the tracker tonight, okay? It's really important.'

From: MinHope Matching Agency This is an automated message, please do not respond. Your date has been marked as over. Please fill out the progress tracker linked here.

As expected, it was a survey.

1. Was your third date satisfactory? — Yes

2. Do you feel that you and your partner(s) need additional dates? — No

3. Can you say that you feel you could be the Dominant/Submissive to your partner(s)? — Yes

After submitting it, you immediately received a phone call from Jung Hoseok. You didn't even have a chance to read the end screen that had popped up.

"H-Hello?" You asked, scrambling to pick up.

"Good evening, Miss. _____. The three of you have all filled out your survey and agreed additional dates were unnecessary," You grinned, happy to hear you all agreed. "So, in that case, I'd like to ask you to come to the building. Please report to my office tomorrow at noon on the dot, if you don't mind."

"I'll be there!" You replied, positively beaming with excitement.

"See you then!" Hoseok chirped before hanging up.

You swiftly entered the office of Jung Hoseok, smiling when you saw Taehyung and Jungkook already sitting there. At Hoseok's motion, you took a seat between the two of them.

"You all agreed extra dates aren't necessary," Hoseok said, folding his hands in his lap. "And from your other feedback, I take it the matching was a success."

The three of you answered with a chorus of 'yes' to which Hoseok positively beamed at. He opened a drawer on his desk, pulling out three papers, handing one to each of you.

"This is a contact...binding the union," He said, wiggling his brows with a grin on his face. "All you need to do is sign and you will be legally matched as Dom-Sub-Dom!"

You bit your lip, your hand was shaking as you signed your name. It wasn't from nerves, however, but excitement.

The three of you handed your papers to Hoseok and he smiled, placing them beside his computer,

"That's all I needed from you today. You have one final date — on the house as celebration," Hoseok said. "I advise you use this final date to make living arrangements and other important things."

To your surprise, your fourth date was at the same restaurant that you'd had your first meeting in. Thankfully, there was none of the awkwardness that was there in the past. Jungkook was grinning and cracking jokes as the three of you shared a dessert.

"We want to be crystal clear transparent with you, _____," Taehyung said, placing his glass of water down. "I won't beat around the bush so I'll just tell you that...we want you to move in with us."

"Alright," You agreed easily, grinning at the two of them. "But I have a condition."

"What is it?" Jungkook asked.

"I also want to keep my apartment," You said.

"Why?" Jungkook and Taehyung asked at the same time. "You'll have all you'll need with us." Taehyung asked.

"I know that, but I just...want a place of my own. For work," You shrugged, picking at the cake on your plate.

"Alright..." Jungkook and Taehyung shared a look, one that your missed. "If that's what you want."

You sighed, dropping your bags on the floor of the master bedroom. It smelled heavenly inside, a sweet mixture of both their scents. The room had a view looking over the city, and with the sun setting it was a heavenly light of orange and reds.

"Welcome home, princess," Jungkook whispered, walking closer to you.

Ever since you had been legally together, they'd opened their Dominant sides to you. You hadn't been able to experience it in the bedroom yet, but the way they would give you nicknames and touch you just exuded power.

"Thank you..." You whispered, feeling yourself grow more antsy the closer he was.

"Eyes up, baby," He gripped your chin, making you look at him. "Thank you what?"

You grew breathless, remembering the title he wanted you to call him by. "Th-Thank you, Sir."

"Good girl," You keened under the praise, your cheeks growing hot. "Let's go see Tae, he's got something for you."

"Y-Yes Sir," You choked out, trying to ignore the way calling him that set your body alight.

He took your hand and escorted you out of the bedroom to the living room. You were shocked to find Taehyung standing in the middle of the room, by the large windows, holding a jewelry box in his hands.

"Come here, babygirl," He beckoned you over with Jungkook in tow. "It took us a lot of time to pick this out and we hope you'll like it."

He held it out for you and with trembling hands, you lifted the lid up to find a choker encrusted with an assortment of jewels, making it glisten and shine in the diminishing sunlight. Your eyes were as wide as saucers as you took the dangling pendant and found two engravings — JJK on one side and KTH on the other.

"I don't know if you did this with your last Dom but," Jungkook took it out of the box, allowing Taehyung to put it down. "It's kind of something we really wanted to do."

"You're collaring me?" You asked, feeling tears prick your eyes as you gazed at them in wonder.

"Of course we are," Taehyung chuckled, lifting your hair from around your neck so Jungkook could hook it onto you. "You're ours and this shows it."

"Thank you..." You choked out, leaning forward to press a kiss to Taehyung's lips before turning around to give the same to Jungkook.

"Our pleasure," Taehyung smiled, moving closer to you once again.

Pressed between both of their bodies, you could help the way your body reacted. Your lips met Taehyung’s again and you whimpered. Jungkook took the opportunity to press his lips against your neck, skimming them over the collar now around your neck. He hands gripped your waist, pulling your shirt up ever so slightly to touch the skin that became exposed. Goosebumps arose across your skin and you gasped into Taehyung's mouth. The elder chuckled, reaching down to where Jungkook's deft fingers explored to tug up the hem of your shirt.

Already, you could feel your mind turning fuzzy, easily falling into your submissive roll to let them mold you how they wanted. Jungkook chuckled as you lifted your arms, allowing Taehyung to pull your shirt off. Left in your bra, you couldn't help but cover your chest as vulnerability set in.

"None of that, kitten," Jungkook growled, ripping your arms away from your chest. "You wanna be a good girl for us right? Let us take care of you?"

"Y-Yes Sir..." You whined, whining when Taehyung leaned down pressing kisses against your chest above the seam of your bra. Gasping, you pushed your chest out to get more of the feeling.

"What a sweet girl," Taehyung cooed, falling to his knees in front of you.

You couldn't help but lace your fingers through his hair. He pressed his lips against your stomach, his tongue sneaking out to leave a wet path all the way from your ribs to the band of your jeans.

You held your breath as Jungkook reached behind you, unclipping your bra and letting it fall away.

"Fuck," He breathed into your ear, eagerly reaching up and cupping them both in his hands. "Such pretty tits, huh Tae?"

"Fuck yeah," Taehyung groaned, quickly undoing the button of your jeans and tugging them down.

You leaned back, using Jungkook as support to help Taehyung pull your jeans off completely. He tossed them away in a heap nearby and without wasting a second, his mouth was on your core. The fabric of your panties impeded feeling his mouth on your fully but as he slid his tongue over your slit and caught your clit, you let out a soft moan.

"What a good girl for us," Jungkook groaned, hands still cupping your breasts. He pinched your nipples, making your back arch as you cried out.

"Sir! P-Please do that again," You whined, unsure if you wanted to watch the way Jungkook worked your breasts or watch the way Taehyung continued to eat you out through your panties.

They were wet and sticking to you perfectly by now — the white now transparent with a mixture of his saliva and your own juices. He groaned suddenly, reaching up and tugging your panties down your legs until you stepped out of them.

Finally naked, he took a minute to look you over.

"You are...absolutely spectacular," He breathed, harshly pulling one of your legs over his shoulder.

"Daddy!" You cried as his tongue slid through your folds. He moaned at the unimpeded taste of your cunt. Circling your entrance, he eagerly tasted everything you had to offer.

You clutched his hair, already beginning to tremble by the time he finally latched onto your swollen clit. You couldn't help but grind your hips down to meet his hot mouth.

His tongue was hot and wet as they slid through your folds. Suddenly, Jungkook reached down and pushed the elders head away. As Taehyung pulled away still licking his lips, his eyes were dark and hazy. Before you could complain, Jungkook placed a well-aimed slap across your vulnerable cunt.

"Fuck!" You shrieked, spasming when he gave you another one. "Sir I—!"

"Watch your mouth and don't be greedy," Jungkook growled.

"S-Sir?" You whimpered, looking up at him with teary eyes.

"You take what Taehyung gives you first of all," Jungkook muttered, soothing his hand over your wet folds where he had hit you to soothe the sting. "And good girls don't say bad words do they?"

"N-No Sir," You sniffled. "I'll be good, I promise."

"I know you will, babygirl," He sighed, nodding to Taehyung to let him resume. "We just want to make you feel good. We don't want to have to punish you."

"Th-Thank you Sir," You whispered, eyes rolling back into your head when Taehyung used two long fingers to spread your folds open for his greedy tongue.

"Don't just thank me. I'm not the one eating your pretty little cunt, am I?" Jungkook chuckled, reaching up to glide his thumbs over your perked nipples.

"Ah, th-thank you Daddy!" You cried, your hips jerking when his tongue swirled around your clit.

"Thank you for what, baby?" Taehyung asked, dark eyes gazing through his bangs.

"Th-Thank you f-for eating my p-pussy..." You breathed, your mouth falling open as you trailed off in a moan. Taehyung's entire mouth enveloped your core, sucking your clit harshly. His moans vibrated against the bud and you broke off into a sob.

You could feel your high building, reaching the point of no return. The more his tongue stimulated you, the higher you rose. All you could think was that you couldn't, shouldn't and wouldn't cum without permission.

You wanted to be a good girl.

"D-Daddy?!" You cried, reaching down to tug at his soft locks.

"What is it?" He asked, pulling away just slightly.

"C-Can I cum?" You panted, eyes unfocused as he continued to lick your sensitive clit.

"Hmm..." He hummed against it, making you sob once again before he pulled away. "I don't know. Kook, what do you think?"

"I don't think she deserves it," Jungkook snapped, reaching up to wrap his hand lightly around your throat. The pressure was a threat, just barely enough to cause any air restriction.

"Mmm, I don't think so either," Taehyung chuckled when you whined in complaint as he pulled away and stood up. "A good girl doesn't get her cunt spanked, huh?"

"But—!" Jungkook's grip around your throat tightened, cutting your argument off.

"Right?" Taehyung hissed, his nose just barely brushing yours.

Your felt your mind go fuzzy, your eyes falling heavy the harder Jungkook squeezed. Just before it felt like your mind was going to go blank, he let go and you gasped for air.

"R-Right Daddy," You coughed, eyes tearing up as you choked out the words.

"Good girl," He smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to your lips.

It was fleeting and you didn't get a chance to return it before he was walking away to walk down the hall in the direction of the bedroom.

"Let's go, babygirl," Jungkook whispered, his warmth leaving your back as he followed after the elder. You watched as he disappeared from view, leaving you alone and naked in the living room with your juices running down your legs from your denied orgasm.

With trembling legs, you stumbled down the hallway into the bedroom. Your heart stuttered in your chest as you found the two of them locked in a soft kiss. Jungkook was sitting on the bed with Taehyung leaning over him, cupping the back of his head to control the kiss.

They had both been stripped of their shirts. Jungkook wore his pair of sweats and Taehyung was in a pair of black boxer-briefs.

"Hmm?" Jungkook pulled away, glancing towards you standing unsteadily in the doorway. "Look at that, Tae. Look how fucked out she already is. It's almost pathetic."

"I think it's cute," Taehyung teased, smirking when you squeezed your thighs together to alleviate the pressure in your core as the stared at your exposed body.

"Come here then, babygirl," Jungkook sighed, scooting up the bed so his back rested against the headboard.

You scrambled onto the bed, crawling up to him on all fours. He chuckled, petting your head softly as he met your teary eyes. The way your bottom lip wobbled indicating how completely under their control you'd become.

"Tell us baby," Jungkook whispered. "Do you remember the safe word?"

"R-Red," You whispered, licking your lips as you stared at his exposed chest.

"Good girl," He cooed, grinning when you keened under the praised immediately. "Sit in my lap. Face Tae."

You did as you were told, your back resting comfortably against his chest. Sitting between his legs, you could feel how hard his cock was beneath you. You shifted, subtly grinding against him.

"Fuck," Jungkook groaned, his head falling onto your shoulder as he gripped your waist to stop your movements almost immediately. "You better behave."

"Y-Yes Sir..." You whispered.

"Spread your legs nice and wide," Taehyung suddenly ordered, still standing at the foot of the bed.

Your breathing picked up as you did as you were told. Resting your weight against Jungkook behind you, you let your legs fall open completely. Both men groaned as your cunt was exposed to both of them fully.

Jungkook reached down, spreading your folds open so your entrance was vulnerable to their greedy eyes. You whined, feeling yourself clench and gush around nothing. You were so wet, absolutely dripping and your clit was throbbing as it begged for attention.

Taehyung finally climbed onto the bed, the mattress dipping beneath his weight.

In the blink of an eye, two long, thick fingers were sheathed as deep as possible into your tight hole. Your back arched as you stared at the ceiling, white danced in your vision. You couldn't make a sound as Taehyung crooked his fingers up to find your g-spot.

Having been denied an orgasm several moments ago, you were already close once again. Taehyung pumped his fingers in and out, scraping against your spot with every movement. You reached down, wrapping your arms beneath your knees to keep yourself open for him.

"Look at that," Jungkook cooed. "What a good girl!"

"Daddy! Please!" You cried, your eyes stinging with tears as you realized you couldn't cum from just this.

"What is it baby?" Taehyung drawled, speeding the pace he pounded his fingers into you.

"Please, please, please..." You sobbed, your legs trembling so hard it was visible to the both of them.

"Can't cum baby?" Jungkook asked, voice dark with laughter. "Need someone to touch your little clit to cum, hm?"

"Yes please!" You whined, tossing your head back to look at him with watery eyes.

Both of them fell silent, the only sounds were your broken cries and the wet sound of Taehyung fingering your pussy. You were wound tight, so close to your release but unable to fall over the edge. It just kept building and building to painful heights before you finally felt a tear trickle down your cheek.

Immediately, Taehyung's fingers were pulled out and you fell limp. You were panting, trembling and sniffling at the second denied orgasm.

You wanted to cum so badly — you needed to cum.

"Fuck, you're such a good girl for us," Taehyung praised, crawling over you to press a kiss to your lips.

You leaned up into the kiss, deepening it as you searched for comfort after the intense orgasm you were just denied.

"We love you so much," Jungkook added, stroking your sweat-slicked hair out of your face.

They both waited for you to catch your breath, making sure that you were willing to go on. When you gave them the go ahead, they both resumed their dominant roles.

"Bet you wanna cum so fuckin' bad huh?" Jungkook asked, as you trembled before the two of them.

"S-So bad, Sir," You whimpered. The way the two of them stood at the foot of the bed watching you made you feel helpless and small. Their eyes were dark with lust and they both wore shit eating smirks that showed you just who was in control.

Your mind felt muddled, riddled with fuzz and it sounded like rushing water in your ears. It felt like you were floating, like the whole world had vanished around you and the only people in existence were you, Jungkook, and Taehyung.

"You've been a good girl," Jungkook licked his lips, hooking his thumbs into the band of his sweats. His cock was exposed for the first time and you let out a needy whimper. He was so hard, the tip a purple-red as it leaked precum from the slit. As he kicked the sweats away, he wrapped his hand around his shaft and slowly began to pump himself. He slathered the precum down his length as lubrication. "Turn over on your stomach."

"Yes Sir," You rolled yourself over on trembling arms and knees so your ass was presented to him.

The bed dipped beside you and you found Taehyung, naked as the two of you, crawling to kneel in front of you.

His cock immediately had your mouth watering. He was long and thick, precum dripping from the tip as he rested it before your lips.

"Oh? You wanna suck my cock, babygirl?" He asked, looking down at you with a smirk.

"Y-Yes please Daddy," You whispered, licking your lips as you imagined the taste of him on your tongue.

"So polite..." He chuckled, swiping the very tip of his cock across your lips before pulling away.

You licked your lips, moaning when you tasted the bitter tang of his precum immediately. You nearly forgot about Jungkook until the blunt, hot head of his cock was prodding at your entrance.

"F-Fu—Sir..." You cut yourself off from cussing, not wanting to be punished for it.

"So tight..." Jungkook growled as he began to sink into you.

Unable to hold your head up, you muffled your long moan into the covers beneath you. He seemed to go on for ages, more and more filling you up until his hips were flush with your highs and his cock was kissing your cervix.

"God...you're taking me so deep..." Jungkook groaned, spreading your cheeks apart to get a look at the way your entrance was stretched to accommodate him.

"C'mon babygirl," Taehyung mumbled, grabbing a fistful of your hair to pull your head up from the covers.

Immediately, you leaned forward to envelop the hot head of his cock in your mouth. Taehyung's reaction was instantaneous, tossing his head back and groaning as you swirled your tongue around the tip to gather all the peaking precum you could.

Behind you, Jungkook began a slow pace — getting you used to being filled like you were once again. You arched your back, eager to have more of him inside you.

You took Taehyung as deep as you could, pushing against your gag-reflex until you choked on him and had to pull back. His hand was still wrapped in your hair, shallowly thrusting his hips against your mouth.

The two of them let out moans and groans of pleasure — getting off on your body. Your eyes were closed, unable to keep them open throught he onslaught of pleasure attacking your body.

Jungkooks cock, thick and hot as it stretched you open nailed your g-spot every time he sunk himself inside you. His large hands gripped your hips, using them as leverage to slam himself as deep as possible. Every time his brushed your cervix, your body tightened up at the pain-pleasure it gave you.

"Relax your throat," Taehyung suddenly ordered, making you open your eyes.

Your vision was doubled through both the fuzz muddling up your mind and the tears that had begun to build from choking around him. Still, you did as you were told, relaxing your throat completely and letting your eyes slide closed again.

"No, keep them open," He growled, tugging your hair roughly until your eyes fluttered open again. It was hard to do as Jungkook continued to fuck you roughly. "Look at me while I fuck your throat."

You mumbled incoherently around him, blinking slowly as you met his eyes. He was smirking, an almost cruel look in his eyes as he slowly began to sink his cock all the way into your throat. You went to pull back as you choked around him, your gag-reflex kicking in, but his grip on your hair had you held in place. You felt your eyes roll in the back of your head when he was fully sheathed in your throat.

"Swallow," He ground out, teeth clenched.

You did was you were told, feeling tears spill past and drip down your cheeks. Taehyung groaned, pulling back slowly only to repeat the process.

Your mind was assaulted by everything you were feeling, Jungkook's cock stretching you open and Taehyung's fat cock stuffed down your throat. You couldn't think of anything beyond being on the bed speared on both men's cocks.

"Fuck, I'm going to cum," Jungkook groaned, his hips beginning to stutter.

Quickly, Taehyung yanked your mouth off his cock, leaving you gasping for air as Jungkook fucked himself into you at an almost brutal pace. The younger reached up, gripping you by the shoulder for leverage as his orgasm began to crest. He sunk himself balls-deep, a flood of his cum filling your spasming cunt. You could feel his cock throbbing inside you with every wave of his orgasm.

"Fuck baby!" He moaned, head tossed back in pleasure.

His body was stiff for several long, drawn out seconds as his cock began to soften. When he pulled out, his cum gushed out as your cunt uncontrollably clenched.

"Oh look at that...you're wasting my cum, kitten," He tsked, watched as his cum stained the bedding.

"Guess the only thing to do is to plug up that gushing cunt huh?" Taehyung chastised.

Before you knew it, the two of them were switching places and you were rolled over onto your back. You realized your arms had been falling asleep. They tingled as you finally pulled your weight off them. The pain was put on the back burner as Taehyung's cock was quickly sheathed in your hot core.

He was thicker and longer than Jungkook, unable to sink completely inside you. There was brief burning as he stretched you more than you had been but your excess arousal mixed with Jungkook cum offered perfect lubricant. Your eyes rolled as you cried out reaching up to grip Jungkook's thick thighs for leverage. He let you, watching with a tired look in his eyes as Taehyung fucked you eagerly for his own orgasm.

"You've been so good, babygirl," Jungkook praised, cupping your bouncing breasts in his warm hands.

"Such a good girl," Taehyung added, his skin slapping against yours loudly. "I think you deserve to cum, yeah?"

"Yes...yes please!" You shrieked, energy renewed with the promise of your long awaited orgasm dangling in front of you.

"Alright, baby, you can cum," Jungkook cooed, sliding his hand from your breasts, past your ribs, down your stomach to rest his digits on your hard clit.

"Taking this fat cock so well," Taehyung growled, voice deeper than you'd ever heard it. "Go ahead and cream on me like a good fucking girl."

Your whole body seemed to lock up as your orgasm reached it's peak. It felt like ages before the first wave truly began to roll over you. Jungkook held your body close to him as you trembled violently through the high. Your eyes were wide but unseeing as Taehyung continued to brutally fuck you through the almost painful orgasm wracking through your sensitive body.

Jungkook's fingers didn't cease dancing over your little bud, even as a sob tore itself through your throat.

Just as it felt like your high was ending, another wave washed over you. Taehyung suddenly froze, bottomed out as deep as he could go, before he came inside you. His cum mixed with Jungkooks, leaking past your entrance to join the already made mess beneath you. Feeling him cum so much inside you, you felt one last gush from your orgasm — wetness raining down on the three of you.

The room fell still, Jungkooks trembling digits falling away from your clit as Taehyung pulled out of you. You were panting, mouth open as your chest heaved from the strongest orgasm you'd ever experienced in your life. It felt like your entire body was weighed down with lead but you felt your cunt clench again when Taehyung scooped up a dollop of escaped cum.

He looked as his fingers for a second before popping them in his mouth. His eyes rolled as he moaned, unable to hold himself back. You could've nearly cried when he suddenly leaned down so his face was at your heat again.

He thankfully kept his licks light, knowing how incredibly sensitive you would be after the orgasm you'd just had. He ate out all the cum he possible could for several seconds.

Then, above your recovering body, he met Jungkook for a sloppy kiss. Shockingly, another wave of arousal flashed through you as you watched them share the cum Taehyung just ate out of you.

You closed your eyes, unable to keep them open anymore as their moaning faded into darkness.

You sat down at a spare table, your laptop open in front of you as you browsed through your emails. With both Jungkook and Taehyung working, you felt a little lonely at the penthouse so you decided to surround yourself with people. Sipping on a drink you'd ordered, you failed to notice the approaching figure coming towards your table.

"Excuse me," You tore your gaze from your laptop screen to meet her eyes. She was tall with short black hair. "Are you _____ by chance?"

"Um yes that's me," You watched as she glanced over her shoulder before taking the empty chair across from you. You followed her gaze, finding nobody where she had been looking. "Can I help you?"

"You're Taehyung and Jungkook's sub right?"

Her words caught you off guard and you couldn't help but stutter. "H-How did you—"

"I have a friend," She said, shaking her head. "That's not what's important. My name is Park Soomin, do you know me?"

"I can't say that I do..." You slowly closed your laptop, realizing you weren't going to be getting anymore done.

Soomin sighed, appearing dejected by the news. "I figured they wouldn't' tell you...but I'd at least expected them to tell you they had another sub before..."

"Wait what? Repeat that again?" You nearly knocked your drink off the table as he leaned closer to her.

"They had an submissive before you," She mumbled, twiddling her thumbs nervous. Once again, she took a glance around the room over her shoulders. "

"And you're telling me...that someone was you?" You scoffed, leaning back with your arms crossed. "You got any proof?"

"Oh! Sure," You held in a sigh, having hoped she'd fail to have any. "Here you go."

She slid a worn, crumpled piece of paper in front of you. You flipped it over, revealing the matching information for when they were together along with the termination. They separated over two years before you matched with them. Typically, the information on separation was kept confidential so you took all the time you had to read what the paper said.

Termination reason: Party revealed to exhibit toxic behavior in relationship.

"What does that mean?" You asked, pointing to the part you had just read.

"That's why I wanted to talk to you," She sighed, taking the paper back and folding it up. "Taehyung and Jungkook aren't what they seem to be!"

"What do you mean?" Your voice was shaky, filled with anxiety of what she would disclose. You'd only been legally together for 6 months, there was obviously a lot you still had to learn about them.

"They like to play with your feelings," She whispered, her own voice beginning to wobble. "They make you fall in love with them and then they just cruelly rip the rug out from under you and laugh when it hurts."

"Th-They haven't done anything to hurt me, though," You argued, knowing just how weak you sounded.

She smiled sympathetically, placing her hand over yours. "They haven't yet. But you have to face it, _____. They've been together all their lives, they're rich and successful. How much room is there for you really?"

"I..." Her words cut you deep, digging up insecurities you didn't even know existed.Tears stung your eyes, they were nearly impossible to hold back and the last thing you wanted to do was cry in the middle of the cafe. "I have to go."

You threw your laptop into your bag, didn't even bother to put your coat on properly before you ran out of the cafe. Belatedly, you realized you didn't throw your drink away. Wiping your eyes, you caught the tears before they actually managed to fall.

"Hey wait!" You heard a shrill cry, followed by loud clicking of heels. Turning around, you were met with Soomin, panting and still holding that sympathetic smile. "Take my number. I know how it feels to be where you are now. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

"Th-Thank you Soomin," You sniffled, tucking the paper in your pocket before turning and heading on your way once again.

By the time you got home, the hurt had ebbed away in quiet anger and humiliation. They had lied to you and just acted like they hadn't hid their past while you had laid it all out for them.

Whipping out your phone, you brought up your group chat with them.

To: Babe-Group [5:19PM] When will you be home?

Immediately there was an answer from Jungkook claiming they were on their way home at that moment. Deciding not to sit there and wait for them, you removed the makeup you'd applied for the day and put your neatly done hair into a messy bun. You sat on the bed, mindlessly playing an Idle-Tap game to pass the time.

Nearly a half hour passed before the door opened and the melodious laughter of your boyfriends filled the space.

"Baby, we're home!" Taehyung called.

As you entered the living room, frown set in place, you realized they had stopped to get some takeout.

"Got your favorite, sweetheart!" Jungkook said, reaching into the bags to pull out Chicken Bulgogi.

For some reason, it was the last straw for the bad day and before you knew it, the tears you'd been fighting off finally trickled down your face. Sniffling loudly, you used your sweater sleeve to wipe your eyes dry only for more to take their place.

"Whoa, hey, what is it?" Taehyung gasped, rushing over to you in hopes to console you.

"Y-You lied to me!" You shrieked, turning your crying into a teary glare.

"What? What are you talking about?" Jungkook asked, rounding the couch to meet you and Taehyung in the hallway.

"Soomin," You spat out her name, watching them like hawks.

As expected, the both of them stiffened with their eyes wide. Mouths open, they shared a look and even with no words said, it gave you exactly what you needed to know.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?!" You cried.

"Baby, we didn't—"

"No! I don't want to hear it!" You snapped, turning your back on them and stomping down the hallway to the bedroom. They followed close behind you, barging into the room after you.

"Just let us explain!" Jungkook growled, obviously growing frustrated with your anger.

"Why? So you can lie to me again?!" You argued. "She told me about you two, you know?"

"What are you talking about?" Taehyung asked, appearing more calm than Jungkook.

"That you like to play around, you're not serious!" You choked out, wiping your running nose with your sleeve. "Th-That you don't think there's any room between the two of you for a sub. A-And I should have known that!"

"_____, you're being ridiculous!" Jungkook snapped.

They both watched helplessly as you began to pack a bag of your clothes.

"You can't leave," Taehyung gasped, moving to grab your bag from your hands.

"I can do what I please! I'm not going to stay here and have you lie to me and play cruel games with my feelings!" You stormed past them, holding in your sobs as you did your best to ignore their efforts to change your mind.

"_____, baby, you've got to believe us that's not what we were doing at all!" Taehyung cried, chasing after you all the way to the door.

"Why won't you listen to us? Give us a minute to explain!" Jungkook added, stopping as you walked out of the door.

"You had your chance to explain everything to me months ago. How am I meant to trust you when you hid it from me?" You scoffed, adjusting your bag on your shoulder. "There had to have been a reason you hid it from me and right now I have every reason to believe what she told me is why. You just wanted to play your stupid games and make a fool of me."

"_____!" They both shouted until you disappeared into the closest elevator.

You crash onto your bed, the sad single person bed you'd left behind for Taehyung and Jungkook. Crying into your pillow seemed so childish but there you were, doing just that. Your phone rang and rang, indicating numerous text messages and phone calls that simply went ignored.

When you woke up in the morning, you unlocked your phone to find tons of notifications. Still feeling the ache of their betrayal weighing heavily on your heart and mind, you dismissed them all and put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode for the day.

Deciding you deserved to treat yourself, you made yourself presentable and headed over to the local ice-cream shop. You sat on the stool with a sigh, reading the menu overhead on the wall.

"What can I get you?" A familiar voice mumbled, sounding entirely unenthused. However, when you made eye-contact with him, his eyes lit up. "______?"

"Daehoon..." You choked. "U-Uh just get me a plain vanilla in a waffle cone, please."

"Sure," He smiled, turning around to begin making your order. "I have to say it's pretty surprising to see you here!"

"Um yeah, ditto," You replied, feeling the relaxation you had been cultivating ebb away into quiet tension.

He seemed unaware of your unenthusiastic response to seeing him as he handed your ice-cream with a smile. "You know, I tried to contact you after we broke up but your number was out of service."

"Yeah I uhh...I changed it," You shrugged, licking your sweet treat.

"I figured," He smiled, leaning on the counter on his elbows in front of you. "I wanted to apologize for the way we ended. I didn't treat you right and I am man enough to admit that to you."

"Um...thanks Daehoon," You sighed, finally meeting his gaze.

"So you're still living around here, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah I...it's a nice place to live," You replied, desperately trying to end the conversation. "You know, I really ought to go. I just came to grab a cone and I should get going. What do I owe you?"

"Oh it's on the house!" He shrugged with a smile.

You sighed, reaching into your wallet and pulling out a ₩5000 and placing it on the table. You figured that ought to cover it before turning and leaving.

As you sat up late that night, going through emails you were behind on, you heard your doorbell ring. Glancing at the time, it read 10:20 PM and you could feel yourself already growing annoyed at having a visitor at that time.

"It's really late—" You froze as you opened the door to a familiar grinning face. "Daehoon. What the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"I-I had a friend tell me you l-live in this building!" You quickly realized he was drunk. He was slurring and swaying where he stood. "I figured if I rang enough doors I wo-would either find you or someone would t-tell me where you w-were."

"Okay but why the hell did you come here?" You snapped, already feeling impatient over this inconvenient encounter.

"Y-You never said i-if you forgive me..." He hiccuped after he finished and you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

"Yes, alright, I forgive you. Now would you please leave?" You begged.

"Alright b-but...one more thing," Before you could register what was happening, he was cupping your cheeks and planting a sloppy kiss on your lips. It took a quick second for your mind to catch up with you and when it did, you violently pulled yourself away and slammed the door in his face without saying anything. You could hear him mumble something on the other side of the door but couldn't hear him nor did you know if he was even talking to you.

Still, you heaved a sigh of relief when you looked through the peephole to find him gone.

When you woke up, the first thing you noticed was your phone lighting up. Realizing it was still on DND, you grabbed it and unlocked it. However, a text notification from an unknown number with a picture attachment.

As you opened it, you shot up straight in bed at what you saw.

It was a picture of you and Daehoon standing in the hallway in front of your apartment. And you were kissing.

To: Unknown [9:47AM] Who is this?

From: Unknown [9:48AM] Guess.

You glared at the phone number as if it would tell you itself who it was. As you looked at the last 4 digits, you realized you recognize the number. Scrambling out of bed, you dug in the bag you'd brought from the penthouse that contained your clothes. Pulling out your favorite pair of jeans, you fished in the front pocket for a piece of paper.

"Ah ha!" You unfolded the slip, looking at the phone number closely. Pulling your phone off the bed where you left it, you opened the text thread again.

To: Unknown [9:51AM] Soomin.

From: Soomin [9:51AM] Bingo! I bet you're wondering what's going on, yeah?

To: Soomin [9:51AM] You could say that again...

From: Soomin [9:52AM] Well, I'll just say that I'll explain what I really want when you meet me at the cafe we first met at noon.

To: Soomin [9:53AM] And if I don't?

From: Soomin [9:53AM] You wouldn't want Tae and Kook to get an eyeful of you locking lips with your ex, would you?

You sighed, realizing now where this was going.

To: Soomin [9:53AM] Alright...I'll be there.

From: Soomin [9:54AM] That's what I thought.

You locked your phone, not bothering to give a final response. You opened your group chat with your doms, not bothering to read the numerous texts they'd sent again. Deciding against telling them, you locked your phone and slumped down on the floor defected, feeling hopeless and anxious as you wanted for noon to roll around.

When you walked in, the once-comforting atmosphere only offered tense anxiety. Soomin sat in the corner, scrolling through her phone when you approached.

"To be honest, I thought you weren't going to show," She beamed, putting her phone away as she offered you a seat.

"I was going to if you hadn't threatened me," You grumbled as you sat. "Now what do you want? Money?"

"Oh no I don't need any money," She waved her hand. "I want them back."

"Pardon?"

"They're meant to be mine and I want them back," Her pleasant tone disappeared. "Break up with them so I can have them instead. That's it. Simple right?"

"Y-You're crazy..." You whispered, sitting back in your seat in pure disbelief. "A scheme like that wouldn't possibly work."

"Well you left them anyway right? You're staying at your old apartment," She shrugged.

"How did—" The pieces suddenly clicked. "Daehoon."

"Bingo!" She giggled. "It's a win-win scenario really. You get out of a toxic relationship and I get them back."

"If they're so toxic why do you want them so badly?" You narrowed your eyes, watching as she froze. Laughing in disbelief, you spat. "It was you who was cited for toxic behavior. Because you're actually insane!"

"And you're a little fool!" She snapped, slamming her hands on the table as she leaned in closer. "You believed everything I told you. You proved you didn't trust them and now they'll never take you back because the biggest key for a relationship like that to work is trust."

"And yet you think they'll take you back?" You scoffed, shaking your head. "You really are crazy."

"Of course they will. I'll make sure of it." She growled.

"Okay so," You stood up, shaking your head. "I've had enough of this. I'm leaving."

"So you'll do it?" She asked.

"Absolutely not," You snapped, turning your back to her.

It was dark out when you were awoken by your doorbell going off over and over again. It was obnoxious to the point you wanted to ignore it but the more they pressed, the longer you realized you couldn't take it that long. So with a big sigh, you heaved yourself out of bed and to the living room. The loud ringing made your temples throb. Finally, you jerked the door open fully ready to chew the person on the other side out. Before you got the chance to open your mouth, you were being knocked out of the way as your boyfriends barrelled inside.

"So you made a huge fucking scene for this bullshit huh?" Jungkook shouted, storming down the hallway towards your bedroom. "Where is he?!"

"What? Where's who?!" You cried, looking at Taehyung who only stared on blankly.

"Your fucking ex," Jungkook snarled as he came back out.

"Daehoon? H-He's not here what the fuck? Why would he be?" You snapped, growing fed up with Jungkook's behavior.

"Oh I don't know," Taehyung finally spoke, unlocking his phone. "Maybe because of this."

Your heart leapt into your throat at the photo of Daehoon kissing you flashed on Taehyung's screen. You could feel your pulse begin to race in panic as you realized exactly what they thought.

"I-It's not what you think..." You stuttered, attempting to defend yourself.

"Oh yeah that's a good one," Jungkook chuckled, shaking his head. "See what we think...is that you made a huge fucking deal about us not telling you about our ex in order to get away from us and come fucking cheat on us!"

"No!" You cried, shaking your head as tears welled up in your eyes.

"Why should we believe you?" Taehyung asked, voice cold as ice. "You didn't trust us. You didn't believe us."

"Why should we believe you?" Jungkook spat.

"B-Because..." You were at a loss for words, looking desperately between their angry eyes as your own filled and stung with tears.

"I'm surprised you're not trying to deny it's you or something," Jungkook chuckled, looking at the picture. "But I guess you can't...you are wearing our collar huh. A lot that meant..."

You broke into soft sobs as his words cut you deep, making your heart ache. Mindlessly, you reached up to touch the very collar you were wearing — clutching the pendant with their initials desperately.

"We'll be filing for match-termination in the morning," Taehyung said, making his way towards the door.

Jungkook followed the older, turning to look over his shoulder at your before leaving, putting a final nail in the coffin. "We're over _____."

As the door slammed shut, you sunk onto the couch in tears. Leaning over, you sobbed into the arm rest. You cried and cried about the situation you found yourself in. It seemed like you were there for hours before the doorbell went off again — just once. You jumped to your feet, hoping with all your heart that Taehyung and Jungkook had come back.

However, when you opened it, all hopes were crushed to dust as Daehoon stood there with a grin.

"You've been crying..." He sighed, moving to step inside. You stopped him with a hand and he paused. "What is it?"

"What are you doing here?" You growled, feeling your hurt over your boyfriend's turn into fury towards your ex.

"Well I made you upset the other night...so, it's only natural that I come here and talk," He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "You know I'm sorry and I'll be better—"

"I know you're part of everything," You snapped.

"Wh-What?" He stuttered, falling stiff.

"Soomin told me you were helping with all of this. Why on earth would I take you back after that?" You were surprised by the coldness in your own voice.

"Sh-She told you?" Daehoon asked, pulling his hands out of his pockets as he lost his cool composure. "That bitch! I should have known she would only be willing to help herself. I should have known she'd use me."

"Just get out Daehoon," You whispered, beginning to shut the door. "Don't contact me again."

That night, you slept sobbing into your pillow.

A notification went off on your phone, indicating a new text message. You could barely gain the energy to reach forward and answer it. The name showed that the manager for your company was texting you — something he rarely did.

From: Manager. Im You've not completed any work in the past week. Our clients are getting impatient on new developments. This job opportunity will vanish before you know it if you don't pick it up.

Sighing, you locked your phone again, unable to find any reason to answer. Before you could put your phone down, you got another text message. The name had your heart shattering as it violently reminded you of what was coming.

Jung Hoseok.

However, as you opened the text, you realized it wasn't anything mentioning your match-termination. Instead, it just read 'fix this'.

You weren't sure what it was but something about those simple two words had you jumping to your feet. Not bothering to really get dressed, you simply threw on your shoes and bolted out of your apartment.

Your feet were screaming in pain by the time you were in front of the penthouse. Fishing into your pocket, you pulled out the key to the front door. As you entered, you could hear their voices drifting from down the hallway. Shutting the door as quietly as possible, you sucked in a deep breath to steel yourself for the confrontation. Feeling your heart pounding heavily, you shuffled your way to the bedroom.

As you peeked into the room, you saw the two of them hugging. Jungkook sat on the bed as Taehyung stood between his legs with his arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Um..." You cleared your throat, startling them into pulling away.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jungkook snarled jumping to his feet.

"I...I just want to talk..." You stepped fully into the room, wrapping your arms around your waist.

"Why would we ever listen to you?" Jungkook snapped, vicious glare fixed on you.

"B-Because...I love you and...I hope you can find it in your heart to listen to me for just a minute?" Your voice became watery as you couldn't hold back the tears welling up in your eyes.

"You're wearing it..." Taehyung whispered, making both you and Jungkook look at him. He walked over to you, reaching up to touch the dangling pendant on your collar. "Say what you need to."

You let out a sigh, feeling even sadder when Taehyung moved away to sit beside Jungkook. The younger didn't argue with Taehyung's decision but he still glared at you.

"You have to believe me...when she told me you kept your ex-sub from me, what else was I supposed to think? She gave me the only reason to believe. I-I was so hurt that you lied to me I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you," You rushed out, wanting to get it out in the open as quickly as possible. "B-But you have to believe me when I tell you I didn't cheat on you with Daehoon. Soomin told me she and Daehoon were working together so she could get you back! He kissed me and I threw him out right away!"

"How did he know where you lived?" Jungkook asked.

"I...I think Soomin found out somehow and told him. He told me that he didn't even know what apartment was mine. Just the building," You replied.

"How did you get in contact with him again?" Taehyung asked, glare softening into a gaze of curiosity.

"I...After we had our fight I was sad so..." You fought a smile. "I went to go get some ice cream and he was working there."

There was a moment of silence, Jungkook and Taehyung sharing a look as the thought your words over. Finally, Taehyung sighed and stood up.

"Alright," You felt yourself relax as he walked over to you. "We'll look into the two of them.

"D-Does this mean you believe me?" You asked, hopeful.

"No way," Jungkook snapped. "Not until there's proof."

"S-So I can't stay here?" You weren't sure why you asked, already knowing the answer.

"We don't fucking want you here," Jungkook growled, standing as well now. Taehyung made no move to stop him as he began to urge you out even as you began to cry. "Just because we're going to look into whatever bullshit you spew doesn't mean we're willing to keep you around."

Standing in the hallway, you let his words sink in. You could feel his glare burning into you and you couldn't stop the sob that tore loose. You turned on your heel and booked it towards the door, eager to escape the heavy, negative energy that filtered around you.

Nighttime rolled around and you sat curled up on the couch watching Disney movies. They gave you an excuse to cry without saying it was because you were hurting.

Three solid knocks pounded on your door and you stood up, not bothering to pause your movie. You didn't bother looking through the peephole, easily opening the door. You were greeted by a splash of red flowers in your face.

"Wha—!" You looked up to find Taehyung nursing a tender smile. "Tae..."

"Let me in?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"O-Oh sure..." You stepped aside to let him in, closing the door as he kicked his shoes off. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," He replied, handing the bouquet of roses to you.

You wandered to the kitchen, fishing in the cabinets to find a vase. "About?"

"I know Jungkook was harsh," He sighed, leaning against the wall as you filled the transparent pink case with water. "You know he didn't mean that. He's just...hurt."

"It's okay," You shrugged, finally placing the roses in the water. You stood back, admiring them. "You didn't come here to apologize on behalf of Jungkook, Tae."

"You're right," He sighed, taking your hand and leading you into the living room. As you both sat down, he scooted closer to you. "I came to tell you that I believe you."

"You do?" Your eyes began to well with tears again, but for the first time in two weeks it was in relief. "Really?"

"Yes," He smiled, reaching up to cup your cheek. "I love you so much and I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm putting my trust in you."

"I-I love you too Taehyung," You sobbed, leaning forward to wrap yourself in his arms. "I won't let you down."

After hugging for several long second, he finally pulled away. Cupping your jaw, he pressed his lips to yours to pull you into a tender kiss.

After hugging for several long seconds, he finally pulled away. Cupping your chin, he pressed his lips to yours to pull you into a tender kiss. It didn't take long for it to deepen, his hand coming around to cup the back of your head. Your hands rested on his chest, standing on your tippy-toes to properly kiss him how you wished.

However, just as you began to lose yourself in his kiss, he tightened his grip in your hair until you whimpered in pain and pulled back.

"You've caused us a lot of heartbreak haven't you babygirl?" His sweet face was gone, replaced by a cold and detached facade.

You whimpered. "Y-Yes Daddy..."

"Are you sorry for what you did?" He asked, looking down at you.

"Y-Yes I'm so sorry, Daddy..." You choked out, wincing when he pulled harder on your hair.

"If you're really sorry, you'll take a punishment like a good girl right?" He asked.

You nodded as much as you could. "Yes, Daddy. I'll be so good. Please punish me, Daddy!"

"On your knees, slut," He growled, almost shoving you to the floor. Resting on your knees, ignoring the way the hard wood dug into you, you looked up at him waiting what he was going to do. "Do you remember your safe word?"

"Red, Daddy," You breathed, voice nothing but a whisper.

"Right."

You nearly pouted when you didn't receive praise before reminding yourself it was a punishment. You kept silent as he began to undo the belt on his slacks, dropping the expensive leather to the floor with a loud clack from the buckle. He unbuttoned them and slid the zipper down, keeping a cold gaze on you the entire time until he pulled his already hard cock from his boxers.

You paused, watching as he wrapped his fist around himself, slowly jerking himself off in front of you.

"Well?" He snapped, making you look away from his beautiful cock.

"Wh-What?" Before you could even register, there was a sharp sting across your cheek followed by a sharp crack. Almost immediately, you felt yourself gush into your panties as you mind became fuzzy.

"Disrespectful little slut," He snarled. "Am I expected to suck my own cock?"

"N-No sir...sorry Daddy," You whispered, licking your lips before scooting closer as you reached for his cock.

"No hands," He sighed before you could touch him. "Use your mouth only."

"Y-Yes sir..." You whispered, opening your mouth wide to take the head of his cock in.

You slowly took more of him in, using as much saliva as you could to make it easier. It dripped down your chin onto your hands that were clenched in your own pajama pants. He fished his hand through your hair again and tilted his head back in a sigh as you took about half of him in. He hit your gag-reflex and you went to move back he stopped you by tugging your hair to put you back in your place.

"You tap out if you need to," He said, dropping the angry glare he had and loosened his grip to stroke your head. "Alright?"

The second you met his eyes and nodded that you understood, the deadly grip was back and his eyes were on fire. Violently, he was yanking your head towards him to force his cock down your throat and past your gag-reflex. You choked immediately, eyes filling with tears. He held you there for a second, groaning as he felt your throat spasm around him with every choke you went through.

As quickly as he did it, he pulled you off again and you gasped for air — a string of spit still connecting your lips with his cock. Before you could gather all your breath, however, his cock was down your throat again.

This time, he used his hips to fuck your mouth — using you to get himself off with no care to how you choked and cried around him. Mindlessly, you reached up to clutch onto his pants tightly. The action made him slow considerably and he carefully watched you. Meeting your eyes, he scoffed, continuing on as if he hadn't stopped to check on you.

"Dirty fucking slut," He snapped. "You're drooling everywhere. You've got it all over me, yourself. You know how much these pants cost, hm? And now they're soaked."

Typically you would apologize, but with the way he was shoving his length in and out of your throat, you were unable to. He was right, though, there was spit dripping down your chin and onto the floor, creating a puddle.

He groaned suddenly, pausing sheathed inside you to feel the way you choked around him. You struggled to get air properly, tears making it impossible to see him clearly. You continued to hold onto his pants for comfort and security as you began to slip further and further away. Noticing the change in your demeanor, how you became more pliant, he pulled out of your throat, making you choke and cough. His grip in your hair relaxed and he ran his fingers through the tangled locks. Though his touch was gentle, he still had those cold eyes.

"Pl-Please punish me more, Daddy," You begged, your throat raw from the brutal fucking.

Taehyung scoffed, backing up a few steps until he dropped himself onto the couch. With one hand, he began to jerk his wet cock off while with the other he began to undo his button-up shirt. With the sleeve of your shirt, you wiped off the excess cum on your lips and chin as you watched him pleasure himself. His head hit the back of the couch, a moan breaking from his lips.

"Even my hand is better than your fucking throat," He scoffed, chuckling at the way you deflated in front of him. "What are you gonna do about that, huh?"

"Wh-Whatever Daddy wants me to," You replied.

He finished unbuttoning his shirt and he paused in his stroking to pull it off and toss it away. Next, he lifted his hips to shove both his pants and boxers off of his legs. Spreading his legs, he used one hand to grip his length and the other to reach between his legs and cup his own balls. He hummed in pleasure, slick sounds from your spit on his cock filling your ears.

You were absolutely soaked, your panties sticking uncomfortably to your core as you sat on your knees before him.

"Stand up," He ordered, which you scrambled to do. You stumbled slightly, your legs had begun to fall asleep. Taehyung chuckled cruelly at your struggle, merely watching you as you swayed on your two feet. "Now strip."

Quick as lightning, you pulled your shirt off — revealing your bare breasts. He commented on the fact you weren't wearing a bra, making you flush as you pushed your pants and panties down until they pooled around your ankles on the floor.

"Look at you, you're actually dripping down your thighs," He teased, making you shift in embarrassment at being caught being so aroused. "You really are a slut."

"Y-Yes Daddy, I'm sorry..." You whispered, slightly shielding yourself by folding your hands in front of yourself.

"You want to be a good girl, right?" He asked.

Your head jerked up immediately and you nodded. "Yes, Daddy! I do!"

"Then come over here and sit on my cock," He let his member go, relaxing into the couch as you stumbled over to him.

You straddled his lap, holding his cock steady as you positioned your aching hole over his tip. You realized you hadn't been prepped, hesitating with his tip resting against your slit. Taehyung regarded you carefully, watching as you struggled to think of what to do. Your mind was racing, thoughts muffled and for a second, you attempted to bring yourself back to the surface. Before you could, however, you were being tugged into Taehyung's chest.

"Daddy!" You cried, eyes rolling back in your head as he sunk three digits into your little hole. It burned, making you writhe, hiding your face in the crook of his neck.

"Stupid little girl," He scoffed, sloppily working his fingers in and out of you. "Can't even figure out how to prep yourself huh? Need me to do everything for you?"

"I-I'm sorry Daddy..." You slurred, feeling you drool onto his skin slightly as he abused your g-spot. "'S just so fuzzy..."

"Mmm, I know baby," He cooed, kissing your shoulder so softly you nearly missed it. In a flash, he was pulling his fingers out of you and forcing you to sit up properly again. "Now sit your little cunt on my cock."

Your breath stuttered out as you did as you were told, your eyes crossing as you bottomed out completely. You froze there, your walls spasming and clenching around his member uncontrollably.

"Suh-So good...Daddy..." You whined. "So deep."

"Already losing it?" He asked, gripping your hips to keep you steady on top of him. "My fat cock is almost too much for you isn't it? Makes you lose your mind. Look at you, you're drooling. Such a stupid slut over cock."

"'M a stupid slut," You repeated, resting your hands on his shoulders for leverage as you eagerly began to bounce on his cock.

You were so wet, you could hear it as you fucked yourself on him. Skin slapped against skin and the sound mingled with your moans. Taehyung groaned every time you sunk down on him, hot pussy enveloping him and squeezing him impossibly tight.

"I-I...Can I cum, Daddy?" You mewled, eyes rolling back in your head as the pleasure began to crest in that oh-so familiar way.

"I guess..." Taehyung sighed, sounding almost bored. "But you won't stop until I cum. I don't care how fucking sensitive you get."

"Th-Thank you Daddy," You cried, freezing atop him as you ground down — grinding your clit against his pelvic bone. It was the push you needed, trembling as you came around him. You stopped to catch your breath, blinking blearily as you attempted to come down.

"I didn't say you could fucking stop," Taehyung growled, slapping your cheek so your head snapped to the side.

"S-Sorry Daddy..." You winced as you began to fuck yourself on him again, feeling sensitive after your orgasm. You were determined to be a good girl though, to get him to forgive you, that you desperately began squeezing your walls deliberately around him to pleasure him more.

"Fuck that's good..." You keened under his barely-there praise.

You angled your hips, finding your g-spot with practiced ease. You whined, tossing your head back as you continued to abuse the spot. Your body was covered in sweat and your hair clung to your skin irritatingly. You could feel another orgasm rising and you eagerly reached down to circle your clit, sending you into another shaking orgasm. You dropped your head onto his shoulder as you rode it out, whining out 'daddy' as you did so.

He ran his fingertips along your back, as he gave you just a second before gripping your hips and cruelly fucking himself up into your still clenching hole.

"Daddy!" You cried, digging your nails into has fragile skin.

"What is it, baby?" He asked, tone nowhere sweet and instead condescending.

"S-Sensitive..." You complained, feeling tears prick your eyes.

He laughed, not slowly down as he continued to fuck you. "I told you I don't care. You're just a toy for me to get off on."

His words had another wave of arousal flashing through you, making you clench tightly around him as you gushed. Taehyung chuckled. "You're creaming all over me, dirty girl."

"Daddy..." You sobbed, wrapping your arms around him as you felt another orgasm coming onto you.

Suddenly, everything rolled and you found yourself on your back with Taehyung pinning your thighs open. He gazed between your legs, watching his own cock force itself inside your tight slit.

"Fuck...you can barely even take me," He breathed, his bangs clinging to his forehead. "But you have to take me, isn't that right? Because good girls take their Daddy's cocks nice and deep until they gush, huh?"

"Yes Daddy," You replied, eyes rolling back in your head as your orgasm crested once again.

This time, Taehyung came with you. His cum flooded your cunt, fucking it out of you as more replaced it. He rode out his orgasm, keeping your thighs pinned as they trembled and attempted to close against the onslaught of overstimulation.

Before long, he was slowing to a stop but kept his cock buried in you. Releasing your thighs, he leaned over you and met you in a tender kiss. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, holding him close.

"You took it so well, babygirl," He whispered, sitting up. Taking you with him, he allowed you to cling to him and hide your face in his shoulder. He laughed softly as you began to sniffle but it wasn't cruel. He ran a gentle hand up and down your back as you began to cry. "What is it baby? Overwhelmed?"

You didn't reply, only nodding your head as you continued to hold onto him. You didn't cry for long, your tears drying up quickly at the help of his comfort.

"You know I love you right?" He asked, voice muffled against your skin.

You sniffled, nodding your head. "I love you too, Daddy."

"Still lost, sweetheart?" He asked, smiling when you nodded. "We'll just sit here until you come out of it. I'm right here."

You sat like that for ages, taking deep comfort in having his arms around you after fearing you would never have him again. You couldn't bring yourself to let him go, needing him to stay with you and whisper sweet nothings and I love you's.

Although Taehyung and you had made up, you still felt the gaping hole that was left by Jungkook’s absence. You laid in bed late at night, staring at pictures of him on your phone. Some were candid and others were selfies with him grinning happily.

You could feel your eyes growing heavy with sleep which was cut short by an incoming phone call. Jungkook's name flashed on the screen and you nearly dropped your phone in your rush to answer it.

"Hello?" You asked, trying to shake away the sleep in your eyes.

"_-_____..." He sobbed, making you sit up so quickly your head spun.

"Kook? You okay?" You asked.

"I...I don't care if you're lying, ____. I miss you so much...I love you so much," He choked out, coughing slightly as he grew more worked up. "Y-You can continue lying to me j-just please come home."

"A-Alright I'll be there in a minute, Kook, alright?" You breathed, waiting for him to murmur his confirmation before hanging up.

You took the opportunity to text Taehyung as you got ready.

To: Taehyung [12:58AM] Where you are?

From: Taehyung [12:58AM] Had to stay late for work. Why?

To: Taehyung [12:59AM] Jungkook called me crying. I'm going to head over there.

From: Taehyung [1:00AM] Alright. Thank you.

You wondered why he was thanking you but disregarded it in favor of throwing your shoes and jacket on.

After calling an Uber, you quickly dashed to the penthouse, anxious and scared of what you would find. Unlocking the door with shaking hands, you walked in to hear Jungkook crying from the bedroom.

"Jungkook!" You cried, rushing to where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"_____," He pulled you into a hug, holding you tightly. "Baby I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay Kook, I forgive you," You whispered, breathing in his comforting scent.

You pulled back, meeting those teary doe-eyes. Unable to stop yourself, you pulled him in for a kiss; gripping the baby hairs at the base of his neck as you did so.

You pulled back, meeting those teary doe-eyes. Unable to stop yourself, you pulled him in for a kiss; gripping the baby hairs at the base of his neck as you did so. His hands coming up to hold your waist, bringing your body closer against his own.

He moaned softly into the kiss, pushing up the hem of your shirt until you pulled it off. He wasted no time in unclipped your bra, eagerly discarding the offending material to cup your breasts. Breaking the kiss, he instead enveloped your nipple in his hot mouth. You gripped his hair as he swirled his tongue around the bud.

His other hand was not idle, he slid it into the band of your pants and into your panties. You gasped, tightening your grip in his hair as two digits found your entrance which was just beginning to leak your arousal. He switched his mouth to the other nipple, leaving the other to harden as the cool air touched it.

Jungkook's experienced digits worked your cunt, forcing you to get wet enough for him to slide two fingers into your entrance. He kept the fingers buried inside, finding your g-spot easily before suddenly pulling out and using the wetness to swirl over your clit until the bud was hardened in full arousal.

You were panting by the time he pulled his fingers out, popping them in his mouth with a moan as his eyes rolled back.

"You taste like euphoria," He whispered, quickly yanking your pants and panties down until you kicked them away. "Get up here."

"Yes Sir," You whispered, doing as you were told.

He smiled fondly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear before stealing another kiss from you. After pulling away, you quickly stripped himself of his clothes. His cock was half-hard and he moaned as you took it in your hand.

"Spit in your hand for me, kitten," He whispered, groaning as you did as you were told.

Using your spit-slicked hand, you began to stroke him slowly. Squeezing from the base to the head, you worked him to full hardness easily. He leaned back on his hands, watching your pretty hand jerk his cock. Precum began to bead at the tip and you couldn't stop yourself from leaning down and catching it on your tongue. Jungkook cursed at the feeling of your tongue circling his tip, dipping into the slit there to taste more of his precum.

"You taste so good, Sir," You whispered, batting your lashes at him.

"Go ahead and suck me off," He gathered your hair in his hand, keeping it out of the way as you swallowed the head of him.

His hips jerked, that part of his cock especially sensitive. You didn't focus too much time there, not wanting him to cum too early. You took him deeper, up to that pesky gag-reflex, pulling back before you could choke on him.

"Good girl," He praised, groaning as you bobbed your head in time to your sucking.

While you were pleasuring him, he decided to return the favor. Bent over his lap as you were, it didn't take much for him to maneuver you into straddling yourself over his face. You felt your cheeks burn hot at the embarrassing position but didn't have time to dwell on it when he was licking a fat stripe across the creaming wetness on your folds.

Your moan vibrated around his cock, making his hips jerk at the stimulation. His lips found your clit, sucking the hard bud into his mouth as you ground down against him. Pulling back slightly on his cock, your swirled your tongue along the head of him which was received with a gasp. You quickly dropped back down, pushing past your reflex until you choked around him. Spit bubbled from around your lips, coating the base of his cock and his skin. Wrapping the had not supporting your weight around the base, you used the spit as lubrication to stroke what you couldn't easily take.

Jungkook's tongue found your entrance, sliding into the clenching hole and moaning at your taste. He swallowed all the delicious juices you had for him, using his thumbs to spread your folds open.

"Pretty cunt," He growled, licking your exposed clit repeatedly until you were trembling. "So sensitive."

He didn't stop supplying tender licks and kisses to the throbbing bud, even as you began to whimper with an impending orgasm. Jungkook could feel his own orgasm rising to surface as he felt your clit throb under his tongue. He pulled back, smirking when you whined at the denied orgasm. Your entire cunt pulsed violently, your entrance clenching around nothing.

You doubled your efforts sucking his cock, taking him even deeper into your throat. Your eyes watered as you coughed but it was worth it to hear the way Jungkook cried out.

Realizing he was going to come soon, he went back to playing with your sensitive clit. You sobbed as he swirled his tongue around the bud, pulling the hood back so it was completely vulnerable to him.

Taking the head of him in your mouth, you used your hand to stroke the rest of his shaft. His whole body froze beneath you, muscles going taut as his cock throbbed rhythmically in your hand. The first splash of cum on your tongue made you jump, taking your by surprise but you quickly swallowed it down ready for more. He continued to cum into your mouth until he finally relaxed, riding out the aftershocks as you swallowed the rest of him down.

Pulling off his cock, you sat up and placed your hands on his chest.

"Pl-Please make me cum, Sir," You begged, still tasting the tang of his cum on your tongue.

Jungkook leaned up just slightly, taking your cunt into his mouth. He licked everywhere he could, suckling upon your clit and sliding his tongue as deep as possible into your entrance. You were trembling, eyes rolling back as you ground your hip — riding his tongue to completion. He moaned against you, teeth just barely catching your clit — finally setting you off.

You whole body trembled as you cried out — the orgasm strong and leaving you breathless. You sobbed out his name, your nails digging into his chest, catching his nipple. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed his cock twitch at that but you were too absorbed in the way he continued to eat your cunt as you rode out your high.

Finally, you couldn't take anymore, and you slumped to the side — falling off of him.

The two of you laid there, cuddled together as you caught your breath after the amazing orgasms you gave each other.

The sound of the door had you both looking up, Taehyung's heavy footsteps pounding down the hallway. He didn't even bother to take his shoes off judging by the sound.

"You were right, _____," Taehyung panted, a boxy grin on his face. "Soomin and Daehoon have been stealing information from various companies for months. They had an entire plot to just break us up."

"What a relief," You breathed. "N-Not the plot b-but you know...that you found out."

"How did you find out?" Jungkook asked.

"They're both blacklisted from being matched," Taehyung placed a paper down, leaning down to kick his shoes off obviously not willing to discuss it any further at the moment. "Now, to celebrate the good news..."

You giggled as he loosened his tie while clamoring onto the bed.

He leaned over you, pressing a kiss to your lips and then to Jungkook's lips.

"Shall we show our babygirl how much we appreciate her?" He asked, making Jungkook grin and nod.

It was almost incredible how much stamina Jungkook had, having just recovered from his orgasm and was already ready to go again. Taehyung leaned back as Jungkook began to gently touch your body — still sensitive from just playing with Jungkook.

The elder stripped his clothes as quickly as he could, making you giggle at the sight.

"I love you so much, baby," Taehyung whispered, kissing your lips quickly. "Think you could take me now?"

"Yes please," You whispered, eagerly spreading your legs.

"Fuck, you're so wet," He whispered, sliding the head of his cock through the mess between your folds. "Did Jungkook make you cum good?"

"So good..." You sighed, eyes fluttering when the head of his cock caught your clit.

He grunted as he began to push into your entrance. There was a slight sting but your walls had relaxed from your orgasm that you had no problem taking him. Your body sagged against the bed as he quickly bottomed out.

Resting his hands on either side of you, he started a slow pace — just enjoying the feeling of having you around him again. Your mouth fell open, thighs beginning to tremble in overstimulation every time he sunk in and dragged across your g-spot. His pelvic bone met your clit every time he sunk inside and you could already feel another orgasm rising.

"I'm gonna cum," You warned, meeting Taehyung's eyes as you held your thighs open for him.

He doubled his pace, the sound of your skin meeting growing louder. He watched you carefully, keeping eye contact as a silent moan tore out of you. You tossed your head back as you came, clenching around him tight as vice.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," He groaned, watching as you came beneath him. "Coming so fuckin' good for me, baby."

"So pretty when you cum," Jungkook whispered in your ear, making you shiver.

You abandoned your grip on your knees to cling to the bedding. Your hands were shaking, your fingers weak from how much strain your muscles were under from being tensed.

"I-I...I want...fuck..." You couldn't get your words out, eyes rolling back in your head as Taehyung continued to fuck you.

Jungkook chuckled, sitting up on his knees and wrapping his hand around his cock. "Look at our dumb little baby. Can't even form a proper sentence."

"F-Fuckin' pathetic really. Such a slut for cock, she doesn't even care that she turns stupid," Taehyung added, their words making you clench pathetically around his cock.

"All she can think about is having a fat cock stuffed in her little cunt," Jungkook cooed, sliding his hand between your legs to find your clit. "Or being able to cum while stuffed full."

"Go ahead baby, cream on my cock again for me," Taehyung ordered, angling his hips up to slam against your already abused g-spot.

Immediately, you were forced into yet another orgasm. You swear, no one could ever make you cum harder than the two of them. You would never be able to go back after this, completely ruined and only able to get off on your two doms.

"There's a good girl!" Jungkook praised, finally abandoning your clit to let the sensitive bud recover.

"Daddy please—" You gasped, reaching up to place your hands on his chest.

"What is it, babygirl?" He asked, finally slowing to a pace that allowed you to catch your breath.

He ground into you, stirring your insides in a way that made you sob. "I-I wan-want you both in...in me."

Taehyung and Jungkook both froze, cocks twitching in interest.

"Can you take us both, kitten?" Jungkook asked, meeting your eyes to make sure it was really what you wanted and not just your fucked-out mind.

"Yes I..." You whined, grinding against Taehyung to ease the painful arousal. "I want you to make me take it. Please, fuck me too, Sir!"

"Dirty slut," Jungkook hissed. "Sit up then.”

Both you and Taehyung moved so you were straddling the elder. Jungkook reached between your thighs, fitting two fingers inside you beside Taehyung's cock. The extra stretch stung but it quickly vanished. Taehyung moaned as you became even tighter than you already were with the addition of fingers.

Jungkook worked up to four fingers, fucking them in and out of you while also stroking Taehyung's length. Your head rested against Taehyung's shoulder, as you moved back against his cock and the digits. Before long, Jungkook removed them, using the juices on them to slick up his own cock.

"Stay still," He snapped, applying a sharp smack to your ass when you eagerly ground backwards in hopes to meet him.

Ever so slowly, with as much care as he could possibly muster, he began to sink into you alongside Taehyung. The feeling of the other man's cock against his own was euphoric and he tossed his head back with a shout.

"You're so so tight," Jungkook sighed, working himself deeper inside you.

He paused with every whimper you made. Whenever you reached back to stop him, he allowed you the time to adjust. Your entrance stung and you knew you'd be sore in the morning but you couldn't bring yourself to care as he finally bottomed out.

You were fuller than you had ever been in your entire life. Before they even had the chance to move, you were coming again. Coming around two cock stuffed inside you was the best yet. Without even having to touch your clit, you were gushing, soaking both you and Taehyung beneath you.

"God," Jungkook breathed. "You really like this, huh?"

"Who knew you'd like being stuffed on both of us? If we'd known this we'd have done it sooner." Taehyung chuckled, making you flush.

You felt like a slut in that moment — in the most exhilarating, arousing way possible.

"Please fuck me," You begged.

Neither man said anything, setting a pace immediately. Taehyung began, shoving his cock deeper inside you in one smooth thrust. Every time he sunk in, Jungkook pulled out and vice versa. They were able to hit every delicious spot inside you like that, making you cry out in pure heaven.

If you could die where you were, you would— coming hard with the two of them brutally fucking you.

"I'm already close..." Taehyung choked out.

"M-Me too," Jungkook sighed, brows furrowed.

"Please don't stop!" You cried, clinging tightly to Taehyung in front of you.

"You know..." Jungkook chuckled, a sadistic noise that had you on edge immediately. "If you like this, maybe we should stuff another hole, hm?"

Before you could question him, you felt his thumb circling your second hole. Your eyes widened, your mouth falling open as he easily pushed the digit past the tight ring of muscle. Even with one finger, you felt even fuller than you already had.

It took no time for you to be coming a final time. You squirted, crying out uncontrollably as the both of them were set off as well. Both of them gushing inside you was incredibly, it leaked past both their lengths to make a mess beneath you.

When you collapsed onto the bed, you could feel your hole clenching around air — stretched open so much that you weren't able to close properly just yet.

Both men collapsed beside you, none of you caring about the fact you had to clean up the mess. All you truly cared about was the way they wrapped you up in their arms, sharing kisses between the three of you.

© httpjeon 2019. do not repost or modify.

[doc-pickles]

things just happened (and so did you)

I started this literally in a manic state at like... midnight when I couldn’t sleep. Then I completed it during a 112 degree heat wave so there’s obviously a lot happening here.

Anywaaaaaays I decided to rewrite 14x08 and 14x09 (Out of Nowhere & 1-800-799-7233) because while these episodes are LITERALLY flawless there’s something that every episode of Grey’s could use and that is babies. 

This will be a two shot with the second half coming sometime later this week (we’ll see how my brain decides to work) but I hope you guys enjoy it! 

xoxo Nina

Jo’s morning isn’t starting off great. First day as Chief Resident and not only does she not have the respect of her coworkers, she’s got a migraine that’s burning itself into her skull. She sent everyone off where they need to be and then barricaded herself in a supply closet. The darkness of the small room bringing her a tiny amount of relief. 

“Jo? You in here?”

Shit. Alex…

Suddenly she remembers that she was supposed to be working on a case with Alex this morning. He mentioned it last night as they’d curled up in bed together but with her hectic morning it had completely slipped her mind.

“Hey,” Jo lifted her hand weakly as Alex finally stepped into her line of sight. “I’m sorry, I totally spaced on our case together. I have a migraine and I’m stressed out beyond belief. This whole Chief Resident thing is taking its toll on me.”

Alex looped his arm around Jo’s shoulder, bringing her into a hug she hadn’t realized she’d needed. A deep breath escaped her and before she could comprehend what was happening, Jo was quietly crying into Alex’s shoulder. He took it in stride, rubbing her back and quietly reminding her to breathe. 

“What’s up with you, this is more than just first day jitters,” Alex pulled back, eyes raking over Jo as one hand came up to brush away the tears that had collected on her cheeks. “Are you okay? Talk to me.”

Jo was about to answer him when the past week played over again in her mind. Her emotions had been all over the place, she hadn’t been able to sleep, and her period was late. All three things she had just chalked up to stress and the price of being a perfectionist. Now though, as she stood crying in a supply closet, Jo thought something else might be amiss. 

“I… I don’t know,” Jo bit back the urge to tell Alex her suspicion, not wanting to unintentionally spook him. “I’m gonna find some pain killers and then I’ll meet you in Frankie's room?”

Accepting her answer easily enough, probably because the plan involved seeing him again so soon, Alex pressed a chaste kiss to Jo’s lips before leaving her be. Once she was alone, she rummaged around the shelves for a moment before coming up with pain killers for her head and two pregnancy tests. She knew Alex would start to wonder about her whereabouts if she didn’t show up soon, but the anxiety of not knowing pushed Jo to run to the restroom first.

Whatever the outcome, you will be fine. You’re Jo Wilson, you’ve got this. 

Jo breezed into Frankie’s room a few minutes later, face flushed as she took in Helm, Alex, and Frankie's mom all staring at her. She waved her hand at them, promptly asking Helm to present the case. She could feel Alex’s gaze on her as Helm talked, but she tried her best to ignore it. 

“Good job Helm, now you can see if mom has any questions,” Jo gestured to Frankie’s mom, who was eyeing Alex appreciatively. “Mrs. Baner? Any questions for us?”

“Not today, just take care of my baby,” she ran a hand through her son's hair, smiling at him before turning to Jo. “He’s the light of my life, I want to make sure you all give him the best care. Do you have children Doctor Wilson?”

Jo’s eyes widened as she stared at the woman with a stunned expression. The question had shocked her, her brain suddenly unsure of how to answer. Her uncharacteristic delay was only made worse when both Alex and Helm turned to her quizzically.

“Um no,” Jo voiced much quieter than normal, her heart beating erratically as her fingers slipped into her lab coat and grasped the two plastic sticks in her pocket. “No, I don’t have children yet. But I can assure you that Doctor Karev and I will take excellent care of Frankie. He’s one of the best peds surgeons so you’re in good hands. If I had kids, I’d want him to take care of them.”

“I have to agree with you Doctor Wilson, we do love having Doctor Karev around,” Mrs. Baner added looking at Alex with that smirk again. Jo could sense Alex gawking at her, this time not trying (but failing) to hide the fact. “Well thank you for stopping by doctors.”

Jo turned and exited the room without a goodbye, hearing Alex wrap up the pleasantries as she began to walk further and further down the hall. Her chest was constricting, a swell of burning nausea rising up her esophagus as she heard Alex calling her name from behind. 

“Jo! Hey,” Alex huffs, finally catching up with her. Resting his strong hand on her shoulder as he steered her into an empty exam room. “You’re acting really weird, you kinda freaked back there. Will you please tell me what’s wrong?”

“I’m fi-”

“You’re not fine, Jo. I know you better than I know myself,” Alex brushed away a stray hair from Jo’s eyes as she fought back the urge to cry. “Babe, I’m worried about you. If it’s just nerves then fine, but I think it’s more than that.”

Not trusting herself to say something coherent, Jo lifted the pregnancy tests from her pocket and placed them in Alex’s hand. She hadn’t removed her own hand from on top of his, but the wide eyed look he gave her told Jo that Alex knew exactly what she’d given him. 

“I haven’t looked at them yet,” Jo could feel the tears welling in her eyes finally spill over as she looked up at Alex. “That’s why I didn’t know how to answer Frankie’s mom. Because I hadn’t looked at the pregnancy tests I just took.”

“Oh,” Alex blinked, his free hand wrapping around Jo’s waist and rubbing her back softly. “Do you… do you want me to look?”

Staring at Alex deeply she finally allowed herself to actually consider the situation. She was, for the first time in her life, finally at a place where a baby wouldn’t be an inconvenience or a problem. She was loved by this amazing man in front of her and she had a job where she was excelling. So really she had no real reason to worry about bringing a child into the world. It was a safe and stable world that she had worked so hard to build.

“You look, I trust you,” Jo lifted her hand from on top of Alex’s and watched his face closely as he turned over both plastic sticks. His expression remained unchanged, eyes moving back up to meet Jo’s. “Well?”

Alex didn’t say anything as he moved his hand from Jo’s back to her stomach, a small grin breaking on his face.  

“Surprise.”

Jo can’t help the combination of tears and laughter that flow out of her as she reached up to kiss Alex sweetly. His hand is still pressed against her abdomen as he’s laughs along with her. 

“I guess that’s one way to celebrate you coming back home,” Jo raised her eyebrows suggestively, hinting at the night that they’d conceived as giggles burst between every few words. “Good surprise right?”

“The best I could’ve asked for,” Alex assured Jo as he kissed her again, a groan escaping from his lips as his pager began to beep. His eyes darted to the device, brows furrowing as he leaned back from Jo. “It’s Frankie, I gotta go. I’ll page you if I need you, okay?” 

Jo nodded, relishing in the feeling of Alex’s fingers trailing over her still flat stomach as he hesitated pulling away from her. 

“Go, sick kids need you,” Jo laughed as she ushered Alex away, squeezing his hand as he finally stepped out the door. “I’ll see you soon.”

-

Soon happens to be ten minutes later, Jo receiving a 911 page from Alex that has her speed walking across the hospital to get to Frankie’s room. Alex and Helm are arguing in the hall, an angry expression on his face as he listens to the fumbling intern. 

“I-I-I don't know what the…,” Jo approaches the duo as Helm stutters out an excuse. “I can’t, I don’t know!”

“What’s happening here?” 

“Frankie’s had a headache for awhile,” Alex sighed as he looked from Helm to Jo. Even pissed off, Alex's eyes immediately went to Jo’s midsection, which made her blush. “Now we’re trying to figure out if he got Vitamin K last night or not.” 

Jo rolled her eyes and grabbed the tablet from Helm, punching in her login as she spoke to the intern. 

“He's asking you what he was given last, something to thin his blood or make it clot?”

“I know that. I-I can't open his chart,” Jo tried her login again as Helm explained to Alex what her issue was, but it failed once again. “The screen is locked.”

Jo peered up at Alex, nodding to confirm what Helm had just relayed. An angry groan sounded from Alex, his fist pounding against the wall as he let out a breath of frustration. 

“Okay Helm, prep Frankie for a CT so we can see if we have an issue. And page Shepherd please,” Helm nodded and ran off, Jo looking for instruction from Alex, who was focused on her. “Can you talk to the nurses and see if any of them gave Frankie his injection? I don’t know what’s happening with the computers, but I don’t wanna take chances here.”

“I’ve got you covered, you go make sure he gets his CT,” Jo moved to walk away, but Alex grabbed at her hand so she was pulled into his embrace. His body was still tense with anger, but his eyes were scanning her with concern. After a few beats she asked, “What’s wrong?”

She knew Alex well enough to know that it wasn’t just Frankie clouding his mind. Jo watched for a change in his expression, but none came. 

“Nothing just… be careful?”

“Now you’re going soft on me,” Jo chuckled as she leaned up and pecked Alex’s lips, pulling away and beginning to walk down the hall. “We’ll be back soon!”

-

Fortunately Frankie’s CT scans were clear, but back in his room he immediately began vomiting from the headache. Alex was worried, but tried not to show it for Frankie and his mom's sake. His mind was running a million miles a minute as he went through everything that had happened since he’d clocked in that morning. The hospital was under a cyber attack – hence being locked out of the system earlier, his patient was quite possibly on the verge of a stroke, and he was going to be a father soon. Alex pushed everything irrelevant to the side however as he sat beside Frankie and pulled the little boy into his side.

“I feel like I'm gonna die,” he bemoaned, his tiny head falling against Alex’s chest in exhaustion.

“What? You're not gonna die.”

“Will you do me a favor?,” Alex looked down to Frankie, who wore a serious expression as he glanced up at Alex. 

“Anything.”

“If I die... will you marry my mom,” Alex laughed at Frankie’s request, but the boy continued talking. “She really likes you. And I know she'll be safe.”

“You're not gonna die,” Alex stated again. He looked around the room, assuring no one else was around, and leaned down to look at Frankie in excitement. “But you wanna know a secret?”

“What?”

“I can’t marry your mom, because I’m gonna have a baby soon,” Frankie’s eyes widened as he processed Alex’s news. It felt good to get the secret out in the open, even to one of his patients. “Yup, I’m having a baby with Doctor Jo.”

“Well… if you can’t marry my mom, I think Doctor Jo is a good choice,” Frankie barely got the words out before he began heaving again, Alex rubbing his back as he leaned over the basin. 

In all honesty he hadn’t been sure at first if he was ready for fatherhood. Of course Alex had been overjoyed that he and Jo had made a new life, but there was a lingering doubt in the back of his mind that any child of his would come out just as screwed up as him. But sitting here now making sure that Frankie made it through the day, Alex was almost certain that he was ready for whatever challenges being a parent would bring.

-

Jo felt like she’d talked to every nurse in the hospital at this point. After going through the grapevine, she’d finally found a solid answer and was racing back to the Pediatric Ward to deliver her news to Alex. For some reason he wasn’t answering his phone and her texts left bouncing back instead of sending. The nausea that had been lingering all day was finally rearing its ugly head, but Jo pushed on, figuring she would have time to vomit after she saved Frankie’s life.

Her feet tapping impatiently on the elevator floor, she checked her phone to see if any of her messages had gone through. With a hand firmly pressed on her stomach, she closed her eyes as she bit back the bile rising in her throat. As the ancient elevators crawled upwards she realized she was still for the first time all day. This only made her even more aware of the escalating physical symptoms threatening to consume her. 

Finally, the elevator beeped as she arrived on the surgical floor. Jo’s eyes flew open and she all but ran from the metal box on her course for Alex and Frankie. She made it about three feet before a solid body blocked her path, finely tailored suit jacket and pressed linen pants coming into her view.

“Hey Brooke.” Jo froze in horror, mouth slightly ajar as her gaze moved upwards to meet the dark green eyes of the man she’d tried so desperately to forget. She took in the face that haunted her nightmares, the one that sent her screaming and crying into Alex’s arms at 2 AM. He looked older, his face worn by time, but still handsome as ever. The signature devilish grin plastered on his face sending an electric shock down her spine. Like a grotesque halloween mask, it was the same face he would give her before pummeling her into the darkness.

Her breath caught in her throat as time seemed to stop around her. She forgot about Alex and Frankie, her baby, everything that had happened today as the world around her shrunk down to her and the man in front of her.

Paul. Paul had found her.

[tabloidtoc]

Entertainment Weekly, January

Just a reminder, you can always ask for something to be scanned in :)

Cover: Entertainer of the Year -- Awkwafina (1 of 6 covers) 

Page 1: Contents, Taika Waititi 

Page 2: Soundbites 

Page 5: Editor’s Note, all of the covers 

Page 6: The Must List -- Margot Robbie on Bombshell 

Page 8: Little Women, Will This Oscar Movie Make Me Cry? Marriage Story, Little Women, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Ford v Ferrari, Pain and Glory, Jojo Rabbit 

Page 10: Tom Hooper: In Defense of Cats 

Page 11: Jagged Little Pill 

Page 12: National Lampoon Radio Hour, The Witcher, Q+A with Henry Cavill 

Page 13: You 

Page 14: Followers by Megan Angelo, Clemency, Harry Styles is “the 21st century’s most intriguing mythmaking pop star”

Page 15: Nick Offerman’s Must List 

Page 17: First Look -- Noah Centineo and Lana Condor in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You 

Page 20: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in Bill & Ted Face the Music

Page 21: John Turturro and Winona Ryder in The Plot Against America 

Page 22: John David Washington and Robert Pattinson in Tenet 

Page 23: Natalie Dormer in Penny Dreadful: City of Angels 

Page 29: Entertainers of the Year 

Page 30: Awkwafina 

Page 33: Phoebe Waller-Bridge by Brett Gelman 

Page 34: Renee Zellweger 

Page 37: Ta-Nehisi Coates by Jacqueline Woodson, Billie Eilish 

Page 40: Regina King 

Page 43: Eddie Murphy by Wesley Snipes, Margaret Atwood 

Page 44: Taika Waititi 

Page 47: Taylor Swift by Brendon Urie 

Page 49: Lil Nas X by Ryan Tedder, Brad Pitt by Quentin Tarantino 

Page 50: Lizzo 

Page 53: Keanu Reeves 

Page 54: The cast of Succession -- Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook 

Page 57: Sterling K. Brown 

Page 58: Best & Worst of 2019 

Page 60: 10 Best Films 

Page 61: Trust Exercise by Susan Choi -- the year’s most divisive literary ending, Great Performances -- Diane Guerrero 

Page 62: How Slave Play shook Broadway’s status quo

Page 63: The Night That Changed TV -- Game of Thrones’ The Long Night 

Page 64: 10 Best Shows 

Page 65: The Literary Sequel Ranking 

Page 66: Hits and misses of series finales -- Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Veep, Game of Thrones 

Page 67: 3 Video Games We Couldn’t Put Down -- Death Stranding, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Untitled Goose Game 

Page 68: Great Performances -- Carmen Maria Machado 

Page 69: 10 Best Albums 

Page 70: Great Performances -- Jharrel Jerome, 3 Podcasts We Couldn’t Turn Down 

Page 71: Six episodes that had us glued to the screen 

Page 72: How Oklahoma! made Broadway history, the book-club bonanza 

Page 74: Actors gave performances that moved, surprised, and enthralled us -- Leonardo DiCaprio, Zhao Shuzhen, Joe Pesci, Adam Driver, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Sandler 

Page 76: 10 Best Books 

Page 77: The honest aging of the male movie star,  the 7 songs you’ll be playing forever 

Page 78: Who will (and should) win Grammy gold 

Page 80: The 2020 Grammys Secret Ballot 

Page 83: News & Reviews -- Aerosmith feeling sweet emotion over their Musicares award, Q+A -- Tanya Tucker 

Page 84: Q+A -- Sam Mendes 

Page 85: 1917 

Page 86: Robert Downey Jr. in Dolittle 

Page 87: Bombshell, Awardist -- Lupita Nyong’o 

Page 88: Paul Walter Hauser in Richard Jewell, Just Mercy 

Page 89: Why 1939 was the best movie year ever 

Page 90: Director Richard Stanley on his comeback 

Page 93: Location -- Los Angeles for Booksmart 

Page 94: TV -- Rob Lowe 

Page 95: Remembering BoJack 

Page 96: The Outsider 

Page 97: You 

Page 99: What to Watch 

Page 104: Music -- Linda Ronstadt and Johnny Cash documentaries 

Page 106: Books -- Winter’s chilliest thrillers 

Page 107: Writer to Watch -- Catherine Steadman 

Page 108: Kiley Reid 

Page 110: Books of my Life -- Isabel Allende 

Page 112: The Bullseye

[fieryrondo]

My first Yuzu photobook! :)

So...I bought my first Yuzuru photobook.

This is kind of a moment for me because I almost never ever ever buy anything fandom-related. But after seeing some of the pictures from this particular book floating around on Tumblr, I finally caved in. I don’t expect this to be a regular thing ok Yuzu? Stop being so damn photogenic so I’ll never be tempted again. 

I ordered via Amazon Japan on Sunday and the book came less than a week later! It’s super easy to order and my experience was very positive. Please note that the free shipping deal only applies to Japanese addresses. Total cost with shipping came out to 3450 yen, or about 32 USD. So not too bad, especially for such a high-quality product.

It came in the package shrinkwrapped and in perfect condition. The only nitpick I have is that the barcode sticker is actually on the cover and I’m going to have the devil of a time trying to peel that off without ruining the cover.

A copy of Yuzu’s handwriting on the cover flap (I have no idea what it says...). I noticed the flap felt heavy so I removed the flap from the book...

...Surprise! a Hidden Yuzuru! This was such a cute moment in Pyeongchang. Look how soft he is holding his Soohorang.

Now, I’m no scanning expert like Pamigena and quite a few of this photos have already been uploaded by other fans so I only did a quick flip-through of some of the pages. Because Yuzuru’s competitive season was so short, most of the photos are from off season. They have photos from Fantasy on Ice 2017, 2017 off-season, Rostelecom Cup, Pyeongchang, Sendai Parade, Continues with Wings (which I...still haven’t seen in its entirety- I’m a bad Yuzu fan ^^). Pyeongchang and CiONTU easily make up 50% of the photobook. I wished Yuzuru had had the opportunity to compete more...

Some nice UA aesthetic photos...

I have no idea what he’s doing in the bottom photo but ugh, he’s cute.

Ngl, the Hug(tm) is 90% of the reason why I ended up buying this photobook...the one on the left is really nice though! I’m so weak for these two. (When will they release a Javi photobook...I would buy)

Notte Stellata!!! <3 <3 <3

I haven’t watched CiONTU so a lot of the CiONTU photos seem new to me, but I love this shot of Yuzu clutching the paper/envelope/card(?) to his chest. He so soft.

And then wow, 112 pages goes by really fast ^^. 

That was so much fun. And in my opinion totally worth the buy. It’s such a nice souvenir of what ended up being an incredibly exciting and emotionally fulfilling season. I got into figure skating mid-season last year but this season was really special to me as a fan because it was the first season I became really invested in so many skaters and got a better sense of what I like in figure skating. 

[fuckprophecys]

jercy au where percy's an art thief and jace is a detective?

I’m doing this for Jason Grace Week day 3, because this has been in my inbox for ages.

Jason didn’t like whoever kept stealing statues and paintings from museums.

He definitely didn’t like that they kept leaving the art on his doorstep with pretty ribbons and sweet messages on them.

“What’s the point of stealing art if you’re just going to return it,” He slapped his notebook shut and put his head in his hands. He could hear Reyna snickering at him.

“I think the perp has a crush on you.”

Jason groaned softly.

“With my luck? It’s a 50 year old drunk who’s looking to get arrested quick.”

Reyna’s snickering got louder

“Or maybe it’s a drug addict who’s sole purpose in life is to taunt detectives.”

“I hate you.”

Jason rolled out of his chair, letting himself fall to the floor. Then he laid down on his back, looking up at the press wood bottom of his desk.

And he stayed like that. For an hour. 

Someone dropped a file on his stomach.

Annabeth’s sick-ridden voice rang in his ears.

“The prints came back, we’ve identified a suspect.” She sounded miserable. 

Jason wiggled out from under his desk and put the file down on the table as he got up.

“You shouldn’t be here, you’re sick.”

Annabeth shook her head. “’M fine. The person we’re-”

“Me, you’re not going.” Annabeth ignored him.

“- looking for is Perseus ‘Percy’ Jackson. Lives on the corner of West 112 and Malcolm X.”

Jason nodded, grabbing the file, but not opening it.

“I’ll go alone.”

“I’m your secondary-”

“You need to get some rest. Now.”

Annabeth grumbled. 

“Fine.”

Jason made his mistake when he didn’t look at the file.

Usually he would never make that mistake, he needed to know what criminal background the suspect had. 

He realized his mistake mid knock on the door number Annabeth scribbled on the sticky note along with his address.

Percy Jackson was a rather average height man, but that was the only thing average about him. His eyes were like looking into all oceans in one glance, green rings around his pupil that dashed out into deep royal blue edges. His skin was ridiculously tan, almost glowing like the sun. He had a couple tattoos - a girl’s name in cursive on his wrist, a wave peaking from behind his shoulder, a geometric black rose on his his hip, half hidden.

He was built like a Greek God.

The smell of a fresh shower lingered in the air, and Jason was painfully aware that he was only wearing a towel.

Percy leaned against the frame of his door, scanning Jason’s physique. “Can… I help you, stranger?”

Jason cleared his throat.

“I’m, uh, looking for Perseus Jackson.”

“Well you found them.” He put his hand on his hip, clicking his tongue.

Jason nodded, spacing out for a moment. Percy seemed to notice this, but didn’t have time to comment.

“I’m here with the NYPD-”

Percy held up his hands. 

“Woah, is this because of the parking ticket? I told the lady I was late because the guy gave me the wrong deadline and-”

“No… no, that’s not… why I’m here.”

Percy blinked.

“Oh.”

Jason licked his lips, a crutch he had for conversations.

“I’m actually here about a case.”

“Shit.”  Percy grumbled. “I’m going to be late for work… can we… maybe do this later, I don’t want to get fired.”

Jason nodded without thinking about what Percy just said, then a door was slammed in his face.

Without saying a word, Jason climbed back down three flights of stairs (because the elevator was broken).

When he sat down in his car, he grabbed Percy’s file and read it out loud.

“Name: Percy Jackson, Address… blah blah blah blah blah…” He skims the page to find where he worked.

Jason’s heart stopped in his chest.

“Shit… Place of Employment: Unemployed.”

He bang his head against the steering wheel and his horn went off.

“Captain, I know I messed up but-” Jason wasn’t sure if Chiron could handle this stress right now.

“It’s  a genuine mistake. you’ve been here for two days, it happens.”

Jason nodded. “Thank you sir-”

“That’s why I’m giving the case to Arellano.”

Jason stopped nodding.

“W…what?”

“I’m taking you off the case and putting you on leave.”

“But-”

Chiron stood up from his chair with the aid of his crutches. He was still recovering from an incident in the field, but he was still much taller than Jason would ever be.

“Go home, get some rest, watch whatever you millennials watch nowadays. But you’re not coming into work for a week.”

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but a stern look from Chiron caused him to decide against speaking. So instead, he left without being dismissed, grabbing his phone off this table, and going straight for his car.

The ride home was busy of him scolding himself of his mistake, losing Percy Jackson, their prime suspect, because he forgot to read a file.

His home was a small apartment, nothing much, nothing important. Just they place he stayed when he had his days off.

Jason slid his key into the door. It didn’t unlock.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

He jammed the key further in, even though it really didn’t budge.

“Oh my god, please, not right now.”

He turned his key back and forth, and the door locked on his.

His eyes went wide and his heart stopped dead again.

“Shit shit shit shit shit-” 

He unlocked his door, letting it swing open, and reached for his gun…

Which he came back empty handed. He cursed his day, and grabbed the potted plant by his door, wondering if it would be good enough for defense.

He closed the door behind him, walking slowly forwards.

“Who’s ever in my house-” Jason didn’t bother correcting his mistake, “you have till the count of 3 to be out of here or I’ll find my gun.”

No reply.

“One…”

Not a single sound.

“Two…”

No movement.

“Three…”

The cold blade of a knife pressed against his throat as he was pushed against a wall, his plant shattered from his hands.

He didn’t fight only because of two brilliant blue-green eyes wildly staring at him.

“Please don’t shoot me,” Percy whispered, “I’m not here to do any harm, I promise.”

Jason held his breath. Percy smelled like spicy cinnamon and sweet vanilla, the kind of candle Jason has here. He had a blue hoodie, but Jason couldn’t read what was on it because Percy was pressing him against the wall.

Jason was also aware of the foot height difference between them, with Percy being the shorter one.

“How did you-”

Percy bit his lip and Jason mouthed ‘oh.’

“I’m… Sorry. I came here to apologize for this mess. I didn’t realise how fucked up it was until I saw you at my door and…” 

Jason realised this was a confession.

“You-”

“Stole the art, yet. Because I had a crush on you in highschool after your dad bragged about you everytime I was arrested, all your achievements and grades and ‘model teen’ shit… and I decided to try and flirt and picked the worst way possible so I’m here to turn myself in.”

Jason’s face went red at this.

“I…”

“It’s fucked up, yeah, I didn’t think the job thing would even get past you. But it did… so I figured something was wrong, and I found your address and…” Percy paused. “Shit… no, that’s fucked up too.”

Percy pulled back, dropping the knife. Jason gently peeled away from the wall, guiding Percy to the living room.

“So you were flirting?”

“In a fucked up way.”

“But… you were flirting.”

Percy glared up at him as he sat on the couch.

“Are you mocking me?”

“No. It was… kinda cute…” He admitted. “Couldn’t keep the gifts.”

“I know.”

Jason hummed softly, sitting on his coffee table.

“You could have just came to me in person.”

“I would die.” Percy whispered. “I’m an unemployed mess with a criminal record for street racing and vandalism, and you’re a top detective with a squeaky clean record and a dad who is so proud of him that people literally admire you without knowing who you are.”

Jason stays quiet, folding his arms together.

“So when are you going to bring me in.”

“I’m not.”

Percy blinked in mild surprise.

“You’re… not?”

“I was taken off the case, they have no real evidence you committed the crimes… unless you sent something telling them.”

Percy just shook his head.

Jason sighed. 

“Maybe not stealing things would be great. And I would lose my perfect record if anyone found out. But they don’t have to, as long as you promise never to steal anything starting… 2 minutes from now.”

Percy paused.

“Two minutes?”

Jason smiled.

“You need time to steal my heart, don’t you?”

[atariaction]

Kevin’s 2018 Post-Mortem

Hello, it's 2019, which means it's time to look back on the computer history efforts that I made last year.

In 2018 I finished managing the Ted Nelson's Junk Mail scan project. Recap: from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, computing pioneer Ted Nelson collected catalogs, flyers, brochures, spec sheets, and sales slicks for products and services in a wide variety of industries. They ended up in the hands of the Internet Archive, and then (temporarily) in my hands, where every scrap was scanned and uploaded to the Internet Archive. In total, there were 17 bankers boxes stuffed with papers, totaling 70,266 sheets scanned. I bought scanners and hard drives, hired and managed the scanner-people (who were paid for their work with funds donated by many generous donors.) That project began in May 2017 and finished in October 2018.

Besides the Ted Nelson project, I scanned a metric ton of microcomputer history, including many dissertations and theses relevant to the Atari 8-bit, Apple II, CP/M, and the Votrax speech chip; user group newsletters; and rare historial documents about Atari computers and software. You can read it all at https://archive.org/details/@savetz

My goal for 2018 was to publish audio interviews with 50 people on the ANTIC podcast. I published exactly 50. This was down from 61 in 2017, but I met my goal and had conversations with wonderful people, many of whom had never been interviewed in the context of their computer history.

In the "big name" department I interviewed sci-fi author Orson Scott Card, who worked for Compute! Books back in the day. Also Bruce Artwick, creator of Flight Simulator II; and Dennis Koble, one of Imagic's co-founders. And Tom Snyder, the man behind Agent USA and Halley Project and Run For the Money and In Search of the Most Amazing Thing and Snooper Troops and and and...

But the most fun was chasing folks down crazy back alleys of computer history. I interviewed several of the kids from Atari's Youth Advisory Board, the group of children that Atari brought in for part market research/part marketing opportunity. I interviewed the creative team behind Bits & Bytes, a 1983 educational musical about computers. I talked with Brooke Alderson, who appeared in Atari TV commercials, and Rawson Stovall, who wrote a syndicated newspaper column about video games when we was just a kid.

(My side-quest to interview as many Atari Program Exchange programmers as possible continued. Of the 159 people who wrote APX software. 92 have been interviewed, 14 are known dead, 7 declined. That's 112 (70.4%) accounted for. The other 47 have proven reallyhard to find. I might squeak out a couple more eventually but I'm afraid we've reached the end of that road.)

Sometimes interviewees had importnat papers to be scanned and software to be digitized.

One of the folks who I interviewed was Hal Segal, who was founder of the Association of Time-Sharing Users, then the Association of Small Computer Users, which combined to become the Association of Computer Users. That's quite a mouthful, but Hal's organizations produced quite a lot of material: binders filled with newsletters, journals, benchmark reports, hardware directories, and literature from other computer companies. He lent it all to me: I scanned it all and uploaded it to Internet Archive — 2,625 pages total. There's information there about models of computers about which virtually nothing else is published online.

I interviewed Greg Gibbons, who was creator of Automated Library II, software for running a school library on an Apple II or Atari computer. He gave me the only remaining copy of the software and manuals, which I digitized and put online.

I interviewed Bob Ertl,who created REWRITE, an Atari word processor for math teachers, for his Master's thesis. The word processor was never published, but at my request, Bob digitized it and made several versions of the software, with source code, available to the world.  

Around the end of August, I was feeling done with interviews. Not exactly burned out, but I definitely needed a break, so I took one. After taking some time to reflect, here's what I'm feeling. I've interviewed more than 350 people since 2013, and have been able to talk with so many of the people that I personally wanted to talk with: the names I knew from being a kid nerd, and the people behind the companies that I admired. I've become friends with some of them. From a personal perspective, this has been incredibly satisfying, and from that perspective, I've talked to most of the people who were on my dream interview list. So while I know there are more stories, more people, more interviews that can be done (and that we're all getting older, so time is running out) my personal goals for interviews have largely been met. And this ismy hobby, after all.

Does this mean I'm done doing interviews? No! But I will continue to focus on talking with that people that interest me personally, and since most of those are done, the interviews will slow down. I'm not going to commit to a certain number of interviews in 2019.

My work will continue in other areas of computer history. There's a particular archiving project happening in 2019 that is really big and reallyimportant for microcomputer history. I'm not ready to talk about it, but hold your breath and cross your fingers.

Also in 2019 I plan to finish writing and publish a mini-book about the 20 Atari computer-related theses and dissertations that I've found. I’m continuing to play all of Infocom’s text adventures with @Carrington for the Eaten By A Grue podcast(14 games left to go.) The project with Rob McMullen to add new levels to my favorite computer game, Jumpman, is still on the back burner but not forgotten.

I’m proud of my computer history interviews and archiving work and am looking forward to another fun, productive year. There’s plenty more to do. Here we go!

[hearthglow]

BOOK: Pagan Gods and Shrines of the Roman Empire

Pagan Gods and Shrines of the Roman Empire. Edited by Martin Henig and Anthony King. Oxford University Committee for Archaeology, Monograph No. 8, 1986.

A collection of articles on localized temples and gods across the Roman Empire, from Britain to Syria. To begin, this volume is considerably heavier on archaeological data than one might expect from name alone. Some articles are nearly entirely excavation details, others are teeming with social/cultural/religious analysis, and most admirably split the difference. This makes the volume less accessible than hoped, though it is a dense and valuable work with considerable coverage. The first 14 articles detail Roman/native religious practice in Britain and Gaul, though they discuss practice in Latium as well: Faunus, the Genius, and Bacchus receive invaluable treatment in their respective chapters. The remaining 9 articles cover Rome, Syria, Egypt, and topics spanning the entire empire.

Rated 5/5 by my girlfriend's puppy, whose teethmarks now mark the corners. She's just trying to learn.

*** - These are the articles I would most highly recommend among the below. Links can be found at the bottom.

Contents:

The Sanctuary of Sulis Minerva at Bath: A brief review. Barry Cunliffe. Pgs. 1-14 Archaeological. Details the digs and findings at the site, including an overview of iconography.  

Roman or Celtic Temples? A case study. Peter D. Horne. Pgs. 15-24 Archaeological and architectural. Challenges Romano-Celtic designations and investigates evidence for "Roman" worship at sites that remained culturally Celtic throughout.  

Cult and Ritual Practices at Argentomagus, Indre, France. Isabelle Fauduet. Pgs. 25-28 Archaeological. Investigates votives found at the site.  

***Religious Cults at Roman Godmanchester. H.J.M. Green. Pgs. 29-56 While the first ten pages are an archaeological account of local temple sites (the Abandinus shrine), the greater portion of the article focuses on investigating interconnections between Celtic deities, Roman deities, and modern folklore in the area. Hercules, Minerva, Diana/Luna, Mercury, Faunus, Venus, and Ceres are discussed.  

What the Britons required from the gods as seen through the pairing of Roman and Celtic deities and the character of votive offerings. Graham Webster. Pgs. 57-64 An overview of Romano-Celtic syncretism as seen through local cults to Mars, Diana, Silvanus, Apollo, Minerva, and Mercury. (Note: Awkwardly outdated - men use magic for sexual gratification, women use it for procreation, ah yes the One True Binary of Life.)  

Jupiter, Taranis and the Solar Wheel. Miranda Green. Pgs. 65-76 Romano-Celtic Jupiter cults and their iconography, with a special focus on appearances of the solar wheel. Green identifies three Jupiter associations: with a thunderer, with a conqueror of chthonic forces, and with a pre-existing solar deity.  

The Goddess Epona: Concepts of sovereignty in a changing landscape. Laura S. Oaks. Pgs. 77-84 Investigates how a Celtic goddess of sovereignty survived in an imperial landscape where kingship had presumably been lost to Rome. Also discusses sovereignty and horses in broader Indo-European contexts.  

The London Hunter-God. Ralph Merrifield. Pgs. 85-92 Identifies and discusses iconography of the unnamed hunter-god, especially its possibly syncretic associations with other deities (Diana, Attis, Mithras, Apollo, Silvanus, and other already syncretized Romano-Celtic gods).  

Faunus at Thetford: An early Latian deity in Late Roman Britain. Catherine Johns. Pgs. 93-104 An overview of Faunus cult, ensuing connections with Pan and Bacchus, and his syncretic appearances in Romano-Celtic religion.  

Words and Meanings: ACCIPE ET VTERE FELIX. Eve Harris. Pgs. 105-112 Pots, pots, and more pots. Were the slogans on pottery meant for funeral contexts or simply for decoration?  

***The Concept of Genius in Roman Britain. Joan P. Alcock. Pgs. 113-134 Beginning with an engaging history of the genii, junones, and lares in Roman religion. It proceeds to evaluate every inscription and sculptural depiction of them found in Britain.  

The Cult of Bacchus in Roman Britain. Valerie J. Hutchinson. Pgs. 135-146 A reevaluation of the copious evidence for Bacchus worship in Britain.  

Christian and Pagan hopes of salvation in Romano-British mosaics. E.W. Black. Pgs. 147-158 Discussion of mosaic iconography.  

Ita intellexit numine inductus tuo: Some personal interpretations of deity in Roman religion. Martin Henig. Pgs. 159-170 Brief survey of how the Roman Empire established new gods/cults, how Roman Britain followed suit, and what Romano-British mosaic iconography has to say about individual's feelings towards the divine.  

Iconography and Context: ab oriente ad occidentem. J.R. Harris. Pgs. 171-178 Ranging from Bes to Kronos, and Jupiter Ammon to Mithras, the article discusses iconographical borrowings throughout the Empire.  

Roman Venus: Public worship and private rites. Pgs. 179-188 Overview of the temples, literature, votives, coins, and statuary devoted to Venus by her worshipers.  

Nero-Helios. Oleg Neverov. Pgs. 189-194 Discussion of Nero's divine iconography, focusing on Helios and Apollo. Primarily invokes artifacts in the Hermitage Museum of Russia.  

The Pantheon: Temple or rotunda? Paul Godfrey and David Hemsoll. Pgs. 195-210 Architectural, archaeological, and political discussion of the purpose of the Pantheon, questioning if it was ever actually used as a religious temple.  

The Cult and Sanctuary of Diana Nemorensis. T.F.C. Blagg. Pgs. 211-220 4-part coverage of the different stages of Diana's temple complex at Nemi, focusing on literary, votive, and archaeological evidence.  

Interpretatio Romana: The Semitic populations of Syria and Mesopotamia. Malcolm A.R. Colledge. Pgs. 221-230 Not focusing solely on Roman interactions, this article looks at the various interpretationes that the local polytheisms accommodated throughout the region's history.  

The Procession-House of the Great Hermaion at Hermopolis Magna. D.M. Bailey. Pgs. 231-238 Archaeological. Investigates a site in Egypt.  

Christians, Jews and Pagans in the Acts of the Apostles. Grahame Soffe. Pgs. 239-256. If you've zero grasp on New Testament stuff (like me, cough), this is not the article for you. It looks into the different receptions the apostles found during their travels and what can be implied about the wider communities of each religious group.  

Pagan Priesthoods in the Later Empire. Alan Wardman. Pgs. 257-262. Investigates survivals and changes in the pagan priesthoods during Late Antiquity, including its secularization, dismantlement, and use as a rallying point for emperors such as Julian.

Snag a used one off Amazon: x Partial scan set: x

[akafuckyou-blog]

AKA Sign On The Dotted Line || Self

a self para in which jessica makes a decision about registering once and for all. 

3:00 PM, and the clock radio began blaring. Cheesy intro music, and then a news anchor started speaking. ‘Good afternoon! We’ll dive right in with the topic on everyone’s mind today: it’s official Registration Day, fol—‘

Jessica crushed the alarm clock with one hand before the end of that sentence.

She groaned, rolling away from the electric carnage. Her head was pounding, but at least her stomach was empty. Nothing in it to throw up. A half-empty bottle and her phone were on the pillow next to her head. She’d fallen asleep drinking and texting Trish. About her stupidest idea, according to her sister.

But she wasn’t sure that was true.

Jessica sighed irritably as she dragged herself out of bed. Grabbed the bottle before walking out of the room, because admitting a problem wasn’t the same thing as doing something about it.

And she had enough to deal with today.

The shower was hot, the scalding water leaving harsh red marks along her skin. But she hardly noticed. She was thinking about the night before, about the long week, month, years she’d had. Last night she’d dreamt of pens and men in suits grabbing at her and capes tightening around her throat until she couldn’t breathe. Natasha’s voice was ringing in her ears. Bruce’s texts. Clint’s. Pietro’s. The word choice over and over and over. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Snart’s bruised face, his bleeding lip. I made my choice, she’d said to him.

And she had.

Whether it was the right one or not, that much remained to be seen.

She left her phone lying on her pillow.

The building was like every other goddamn government skyscraper. Huge, gray, and imposing. More like a monument than a functioning building. She hadn’t expected it to be this quiet. A few people trickled in and out, but not as many as there should’ve been. Some of them were obviously not… entirely human. But most, Christ, most of them looked normal. You could walk by them on the street and have no idea what they were. Like her.

Some of them walked through the doors with their head held high. Proud. Others kept their eyes low to the ground, never looking up. She stood across the street, wondering, how would she look when she walked inside? How would she look when she walked back out?

Responsibility. That word was floating around her brain, too. Like a mantra to replace the street names. Choice, Responsibility, Responsibility, Choice.

Her choices. Her responsibility.

Nyssa had been trying to teach her to think before she acted, but Jessica couldn’t do that. Not today. Today, she had to be herself. Had to plunge in, dart across the street, slam the doors open before she could stop.

The woman at the desk jumped when she slammed the heavy glass doors open. “Can I help you?” she called coolly, flashing a professional smile. A fake one.

The lobby was littered with people. They glanced up at her when she walked in, but most went back to staring at the forms in their laps. Some of them wrote with ease, looked like they were just waiting at a doctor’s office. Others were biting their nails, fidgeting, tapping their pens against the paper. She couldn’t help but scan for a familiar face, for Natasha or Barry – but she only saw strangers.

��Miss?” the receptionist called again. “Can I help you?”

Jessica crossed the room, avoiding the lingering, too-curious stares, and leaned on the desk. “I’m here for the… I need to register,” she said, her voice quieter than she’d expected. Steady, but quiet.

The woman raised a brow, looked her up and down, then turned to her computer. “Name?” she asked, in a voice that was almost bored.

“Jessica. Jessica Jones,” she answered. Her hands tightened around the edge of the desk.

“Species?”

Jessica gave her a long look, but the receptionist kept her eyes on the screen. Leaned back in her chair like this was nothing, like this was a normal occurrence for her. Maybe after today it was.

“Human,” she said finally, resisting the urge to scoff.

The woman’s hands clacked along the keyboard. “You’re not in the system,” she said. “Apart from a few police records. Not the usual ones we expect with –” Her eyes flicked to Jessica, gazed at her over the rim of her glasses. “Your kind.”

Jessica just gaped at her. “Look, lady, I just wanna get this over with, can we –”

“Powers?” the woman asked, cutting her off. Jessica glanced over her shoulder. Most people were minding their own damn business, but some of them were listening. She could tell from how their pens had stilled against their own forms.

“That’s the government’s business,” she said flatly. “Not yours.”

The receptionist laughed lightly. “Oh, honey,” she cooed. The sound grated against Jessica’s skin, like sandpaper soaked in acid. Like a chemical burn. “After you sign these…” she said, leaning over and grabbing a thick stack of paper. “It’s everyone’s business.”

She dropped the papers onto the desk. Jessica’s eyes darted between them and the woman, glaring. She wanted to grab the stack and rip it in half, wanted to grab the desk and throw it across the room, break windows, smash holes into the walls until this woman was begging her to stop –

But she didn’t. Couldn’t.

She had the control here. Right?

She snatched up the papers, ripped a pen from the nearby cup. Knew she should just walk away, get this done, take responsibility for what she was and what she’d done. But the woman’s smug smile was burning into her skin, the way she stared at Jessica left her feeling like she was some exhibit in a zoo, or some sideshow circus act.

“Fuck you,” she snapped, before stalking off. She heard at least one person in the room let out a low chuckle.

The forms were long. Bureaucratic. Complicated.

Christ, she regretted this already.

They wanted specifics. Name, age, height, weight. How old she was when her abilities manifested. How much control she had over them. Did she have an alias or secret identity? Was she part of a team? Had she ever been a vigilante? How much could she lift? How fast could she run? Could she fly? Turn invisible? How had she used her ‘abilities’ in the past?

It went on. And on.

She bullshitted most of it. Didn’t have the answers they’d wanted – knew she was strong, but how strong? Does it goddamn matter? she couldn’t help but think. They wanted her to rate herself on a thousand different scales, answer dozens after dozens of true or false questions. She tried to answer them quickly, because after a while, they started to sound like the conversations she’d had with Kilgrave. I have to know everything about you, he’d whispered that first night.

But question 112 made her pause.

‘Is anyone else aware of your superhuman/enhanced/meta/inhuman abilities? If so, whom? Please provide all relevant information, name, address, relationship, etc.’

Jessica gripped the pen so tightly it snapped in her hand. She reached into her bag to grab another, hand bumping against her flask.

Christ, she wanted a drink. Wanted to rip these forms into shreds, until their bullshit questions had turned into confetti.

But she was here now. She had made her choice.

No, she wrote. Because her choice wouldn’t fuck up anyone else’s life. She wasn’t going to tell them about Trish. Or Bruce. Or Natasha. Or Malcolm, Claire, Luke, Robyn, Hogarth, or even goddamn motherfucking Snart. This wasn’t their problem to deal with. It was hers.

Choice, Responsibility. Responsibility, Choice.

After what felt like hours, with the room waxing and waning around her as people came and went, she was finally done.

She set the stack of forms on the desk. The receptionist picked it up, flicked through it with a glazed look in her eye. Like she was skimming a goddamn magazine. Jessica couldn’t be here anymore, couldn’t look at her, she needed to find the nearest bar and drown herself, because she’d always made a better alcoholic than a hero.

But as she turned to walk away, the receptionist tutted. “You forgot one thing, dear,” she said, her voice sickly sweet. Saccharine. Manipulative. Jessica turned around slowly, her heart pounding, one hand clenched tightly around the strap of her bag.

“What?” she snapped. “Need me to piss in a cup too, or something?”

The woman shook her head, still smiling bemusedly. “Nothing like that,” she assured her. She flipped to the last page, tapped the bottom of the paper. “You just need to sign here,” she said. “One last time. Signature and initials, if you please.”

Jessica swallowed hard. Noted how it wasn’t phrased as a question or a request. But given, like an order.

Birch Street. Higgins Drive, she thought as she strode slowly back to the desk. She grabbed another pen, placed it against the dotted line, but hesitated. Her fingers were frozen.

She remembered everything she’d said about the act. About how it was wrong to force people into feeling guilty for trying to help. To expose them. To rip their secrets away and plaster them in the public, all in the name of some goddamn greater good.

But for a second – it had felt like this was right. Like it mattered if she chose to walk into this building. If she took responsibility.

“Almost done,” the receptionist prompted, tapping the paper again.

Jessica nodded blankly, like she had whenever he gave her another command.

Shit. What had she done?

She signed her name as fast as she could. Tossed the pen aside like it had burned her, then bolted from the building.

[probableclause]

Left to Burn Part 1/15

In the World of Avatar, there were 112 years where the Avatar was not only unknown but absent; leaving humanity to fend for itself. Min, a non-bender who grew up during the early war helps to fill in the gaps left by history and shine a light on the reality of living through an endless war.

Mom, what’s this?” a young girl with sleek hair lifted up a crate of papers, all with delicate handwriting on sturdy paper. Most looked to be letters.

           A woman with greying hair and tired eyes looked up from her work to the young girl, and she put down her quill for a moment, rolled her wrist, and smiled at the girl.

“Writings, things we collected from our trip, your brother is helping me organize them,” This led to a very pronounced huff.

“I still can’t believe you traveled without me,” she pawed over a few of the notes, “You could have just waited until I got back,”

“I know sweetheart, but I didn’t want to put you in danger,” Her mother said patiently and the girl padded to her side and leaned against her mother, scanning the words her mother had written. The fine, drying lines were an advanced style which, mere months ago she wouldn’t have recognized.

“What’s this?” She leaned down, suddenly more interested, and the woman gingerly picked up her pen once more.

“Just some things I don’t want to forget, here pull up a chair, you can read as I write,”

The girl lifted one of the finished pages and frowned.

“Is this a sad story?”

“Parts of it are, yes, but it’s all important,” She told her daughter patiently; she steadied the paper between her the paperweights.

“Why,” the child pestered on and her mother poked the girl’s nose with the dry end of her brush.

“Because if this hadn’t happened, you and your brother wouldn’t be here,” She then read where she had left off, thought for a moment, and continued to write.

“Oh, well thanks mom, you spoiled the ending!”

  I

             You have to understand; I grew up when the Avatar was just a distant memory, a symbol swiftly falling out of modern thought. I was born a few years after his death and would have been around the next avatars’ age but no one knew what exactly happened to him, or her. The previous one however, I learned much about him from those who knew his reign.

           The story of his demise had been well circulated, killed by a volcanic eruption on his home island. He was an average avatar from what my mother told me; a bit preoccupied with the Fire nations wishes of global war. Despite the cause of his death, I, like many others, suspected foul play—The idea the Avatar’s home island just erupted and only a few weeks later Sozin decides to invade Earth Kingdom waters? You don’t need to be a genius to smell the salmon-eel stench of that happenstance.

           So the few memories I have of my early childhood don’t involve that spiritual master in particular. My earliest memories were painted with more orange and yellow than with red and burgundy.

           When I was small, my mother used to take me to trade in the city. In those days, it would be mostly peasants, dirt farmers and wandering merchants looking for a few takers to their wares. We never had much, and what we had we conserved until it broke down, from clothes to farm equipment. The precious little surplus we had, well that’s where the market came in. My mother would carry my brother in a sling on her back and tell me to stay at her side as we pushed trough the crowds, my arms filled with the excess vegetables or bread. These were our bartering chips to the interested takers, few that there were.

            We would walk past the other women with their children selling beans, and rice- we had just enough of our own, and the merchants- we could never afford their luxuries, and the dirt farmers with their grain. In the old days, our destination was always the same, as was the fight to get there.

           Set up in their usual lot were the nomads. Dressed not in greens and greys, but bright oranges, sunny yellows, and rust reds, sometimes with bight sky blue arrows on their temples and arms. They were always smiling as they tried to fairly trade with the cranky women and their screaming babies.  My mother would tell me to watch how they moved, to notice how they looked around at us common folk as equals though they could leap away to their temples like spirits conquering the sky.  She would always be very respectful, bowing even when they told her they were just trying to trade. They sold fruit pies, and they were always the best you’ve ever tasted. I remember begging my plants some nights before market days to grow faster just so we could have something else to trade with, just to taste the pies once more.

           They always accepted vegetables, you see, they were strictly vegetarians and never seemed to shy away from trading their pies for a few more beets, carrots and peas. I remember one woman with dark brown hair cascading into a bun down her back laughing as she took our eggplants and tomatoes in exchange for a fruit pie. She had striking eyes, more brown than grey- an odd trait for an air nomad. She saw me and smiled, not knowing what to do, I hid behind my mother’s skirts. The woman bent and handed me a leechee nut, still smiling at me. I took it and she told me that she had a little boy, perhaps a few years older than me and that he was growing up away from her, she told me seeing other little ones reminded her of his smile. She tucked the eggplants and tomatoes into a basket under their table and winked at me as my mother walked away with our treasure.

           They lived in the sky, just the opposite of the earth benders who would come around on occasion and told us to seek our fates in the land. I always thought they were full of nonsense. The land? The land gave us famine and insects to devour our crops. The land gave some of our people the ability to break and form the rocks of our earth while it left most of us high and dry, seeking sustenance from the nutrient deprived outer skin of the land’s hulking form. Being of the earth meant to be shafted, it meant holding on to everything you were given and making do with what you had.

           The air on the other hand, it was like being spirits among mortals. They could all control the air; they could all depend on the wind to keep them aloft as they sought new heights, new lands, and new futures. They are the people of spirit, grace and freedom. They weren’t stuck to the earth like canyon crawlers clawing through mud.

           I never told my mother how I planned to leave and seek enlightenment in the eastern temple with the women who sold the fruit pies, she would have told me to get my head out of the clouds, but that was precisely the point.

           I decided when I turned sixteen that she couldn’t force me to stay any longer; I would refuse to be just another woman in town with screaming children in the market place. Unfortunately for my daydreams, however, my 16th birthday would come far too late.

           I noticed on market days, the masters- the ones with tattoos- would help the younger girls to create the signature dollop on top of the pie with this grace-filled flick of the wrist. Sometimes I would make mud pies and do the same movement, just silently hoping that some hidden air-bending prowess would reveal itself.  My father was part air nomad, his mother had run away with an earthbender and they two children, and neither were benders. As a result though, my father had grey eyes and lived with the hope that my brother or I would become airbenders. He didn’t live to see my brother fail to airbend so perhaps he died with some unfulfilled hope.

           At the age of ten, my mother sent me into town alone with our basket of kale and rutabagas and I traded a teenage girl for a pie. I looked at her and smiled, she didn’t have her tattoos yet so I knew she wasn’t a master but I watched in awe as she inflated the cream with the spin of her wrist.

           I asked her if she was going to be a master soon and she bashfully replied that she was still a few years off. The line was short so I took my time collecting the pie and watching her as she put away the vegetables. I almost told her my plan but I was still so young and they were still so impressive, I was too shy and I told my self I would always have next time.

           The walk back home was filled with possibilities and I watched the sky as I always did in the old days, waiting for a sky bison to make his way peacefully across the clouds.  I like to imagine that one day, if I were patent, they would glide down on their orange gliders and take me away. I would sit outside after all of my chores were done and wait for a herd to pass by, I would try to see if there were any people like me, a normal citizen just randomly selected to become air nomads and live in the sky. I’m not quite sure what I would have done differently had I known for a fact that I could become an air nomad, perhaps run away?

           Instead, I padded dutifully back to our small cottage, a wooden lodge surrounded by a thicket of trees, to deliver our pie back to my mother. My brother was picking corn in the late summer afternoon sun and waved as soon as he saw me. He ran out to see the pie I got- peach- and to try and steal a dollop of cream.  

“See any bison?” I asked excitedly-it’s our current past time-he smacked his forehead.

“I forgot! I think the piglets are big enough to bring to market though,”

That’s the kind of thing he remembered, his chores. Cho and I shared many things, but priorities were never among them.

When I entered our homestead, mother was looking and fingering though our meager funds. After our father died, we couldn’t use all of our land to it’s full potential, so we were selling it slowly to bigger families.

           She smiled at me when she saw the pie, and insisted we dig into it before dinner. She kissed me on the forehead and took the pie to the kitchen for slicing.

           My mother was always the bravest person I knew, I suppose I tried to follow in her footsteps but, then and even now, I don’t think I ever lived up to her. As she sliced into the pie, she looked out the window and by chance spotted an air bison. She called me over and we watched it as it disappeared into the clouds.

She never told me out right, but I always assumed she wanted to live in the clouds just as much as I did. She spent too much time on the ground though, and her daydreams were too caked with mud to see much more than her small town and my father’s picturesque grey eyes.  

           He had been dead for almost 5 years by the end of that summer and his memory was never particularly revered. There had been a cough; he didn’t make it though the winter. On one morning of the vigil, there was a nock on our door and a weepy looking Air sister came in with a lovely bouquet of white cascading flowers. My mother made tea and the woman told us that our father was her nephew.

My mother and the Elderly sister spoke for a very long time until the sun soaked the horizon in pink. She told us that she would keep our family in her meditations and prayers, and she pulled a small spinner from her vestments and handed it to me as she left, commenting on how I had his eyes

At the table my brother ate with his mouth open and my mother heaped another serving on my plate without me having to ask.

“You need to eat more dear, I swear you never eat enough,”

“I eat plenty,” I complained and continued eating my pie, my brother pointed out of the window.

“There’s one! “

We all looked as a few bison glide past, and my mother released a sigh.

She never told either of us, but I always assumed she liked the pies because they reminded her of dad.

A.N. That’s it for part one, I hope you enjoyed!

[ciathyzareposts]

Planet’s Edge: The Shape of the Universe

This session resulted in a full set of resources, and not much else.

      As I reported a couple weeks ago, my Planet’s Edge adventures were curtailed when my save game got corrupted, resulting in a freeze every time I tried to beam down to a planet. I tried various solutions and couldn’t come up with anything that worked short of starting over. My most recent other save was from a few hours prior, and I had little confidence that it would not also ultimately corrupt. Thus, I started over. But I also hate doing things twice and found it difficult to motivate myself to continue. Along came commenter Klaus, who played up to the point where I left off, making this entry and the one that follows possible. He not only re-did everything, but he left the final save with the party in the courtyard of Alpha Centauri, with organized piles of personal weapons, ammunition, and already-used quest items. So I had really no excuse not to continue with the game. Thanks, Klaus!           

Klaus sure knows how to keep things organized.

           I then did something so useless and boring that it makes simply replaying a few episodes pale in comparison. It requires some explanation. The first thing you need to know is that I got way behind in grading papers. I gave my students a lot of short assignments this semester (three-to-five pages), and they piled up fast because I had to spend so much time converting my material to an online format. Around Wednesday last week, I did the math and realized I had about 170 papers awaiting my grade.

But few things are more mind-numbing than grading one paper after another, so I looked for something I could do in between papers. It had to be something that I could do in a small period of time, maybe 5-10 minutes. That ruled out most conventional RPG playing. In a game like Ultima VII, you want to immerse yourself, not explore Britain one conversation at a time in between comments about how to approve one’s approach to APA referencing. I knew that if I tried to play a regular RPG in five-minute chunks, it would end up turning into hour-long sessions and I wouldn’t get any grading done. 

        The Sheroshu races through the universe between student papers.

          This would have been the perfect time for an RPG in which I needed to grind. Grade a paper, fight a couple of combats, repeat. But I hadn’t even fought my first initial combat in Ultima VII, and Planet’s Edge doesn’t have any leveling. Starting a new game hoping for a reason to grind seemed like a silly idea. However, I was in a curious position with Planet’s Edge. My team had retrieved some ship and weapon plans from their initial expeditions. I was eager to take advantage of some ship upgrades, including the new Sheroshu hull, Mark 7 engines (or anything better than Mark 1), and better weapons. But I lacked the resources to build any of them. A trip to the warehouse informed me that to build the new hull alone, I would need 19 more heavy metals and 1 more soft metal. A Mark 7 engine would cost me a bunch of alien elements for which I hadn’t even found any to identify the symbols. The manual tells you what sectors have various elements, but not always what systems, let alone what planets. I started exploring each sector systematically, looking for each element I needed. If I ran into an “episode,” I explored it if I could, but I otherwise spent my time on resource-acquisition. I soon ran into a few problems:              

Approaching the “episodes” this way doesn’t really work because they’re complicated and doing something now is a good way to screw things up hours later when I engage the episode for “real.” It’s also very unsatisfying to blog about plots half-engaged and episodes half-glimpsed. I ended up throwing away a lot of material.

        I don’t remember where I am or what I’m doing.

      The manual is wrong about some resources being available in some places. Specifically, there are no alien organics in the Ankaq Sector, no alien liquids in the Izar Sector, no rare elements in the Zaurak Sector, and no new elements in the Kornephoros Sector. In a few of these cases, those elements are found on planets in neutral space just outside the sector; other times, they’re just completely wrong.

There are more resource locations than are listed in the manual. The manual just gives one of maybe two or three. This is important because you can’t just keep depleting the same planet for resources. It takes time for them to replenish.

Some of the planets with resources are guarded with orbital platforms and attack ships. You can sometimes bribe these guys to stand down, and of course you can cheat with the “Dump Cargo” trick that a couple of commenters mentioned, but that seems like cheating.

         Now all of this conflated with my need to do something that only takes 5-10 minutes in between papers. I thus hit upon the decision to explore every system in Planet’s Edge and record exactly which planets had resources and “episodes.” Grade a paper, explore a system, log my findings into a spreadsheet, repeat. I can’t begin to stress how boring this process was and how much more boring it would have been if I’d tried to do it as a continuous manner of “play.” Planetary exploration isn’t exciting in this game like in Starflight. I wasn’t fighting any combats because I wanted to keep as much room available for cargo as possible. There wasn’t anything interesting to do between planets. There wasn’t anything interesting to do on planets except the “episodes,” which I was skipping for now.           

I even recorded coordinates, so I could map the galaxy in ArcGIS.

            But I kept it up until the end–I had fewer systems to explore than papers to grade. At the end of the week, this is what I can report about the galaxy in Planet’s Edge:               

The galaxy occupies coordinates from -64 to 64 on two axes. If you fly to the edge, it doesn’t wrap; you just stop moving. Earth is at 0,0. It takes almost 20 minutes to travel the galaxy from corner to corner at ship speed 1 (using the default emulator speed). It takes 3 minutes at ship speed 6.

The galaxy consists of eight sectors, but not every part of the galaxy is covered by a sector. Among those sectors are 112 star systems. The number of star systems per sector ranges from 7 (Algieba) to 14 (Zaurak); the average is 10.4. There are 29 planets in areas of space not covered by a sector.

Each solar system has between 1 and 10 planets; the average is 5.8. There are 645 total planets.

The first planet in order is usually the name of the star and then “Prime.” The others follow with numbers two through ten. So “Subra Prime” is the first planet in the Subra system and “Aldebaran Six” is the sixth planet in that system. There are 20 exceptions to this. Nine of them are in the Sol system, where every planet has its proper name, although for some reason Saturn is fifth and Jupiter is sixth. The other 11 exceptions are scattered throughout the galaxy. For instance, what would be Ascella Two is “Secundus Base.” Kornephoros Three is the “Impremi Homeworld” instead.

Thirty-seven (37) of the planets have “episodes,” between 3 and 6 per sector. No system has more than one episode. Except for Sol, which lies at the conjunction of all sectors, no episode is found on a planet not specifically controlled by a sector.

              One of many interesting scenarios I’m saving for later.

         Thirty-six (36) of the planets have resources. Ten (10) of these have defense platforms and ships that you have to destroy or bribe. However–and this is key–every resource has at least one planet with no defense platform. Identifying these was probably the most valuable outcome of this exercise.

              At some point, I’ll have to figure out how to deal with these defenses.

          Most resources are found on exactly two planets. Alien Gases are found on six (three with defensive capabilities, three without). Alien isotopes, alien metals, and soft metals are each found on three. “New elements” are found only on Nekkar Prime, one of the most remote planets in the galaxy, and they don’t seem to regenerate the way the other elements do.

Aselius is the only system with more than one resource. There are only five systems with both an episode and a resource. Forty-five (45) systems, or 40% of the total, have neither an episode nor a resource and thus have no reason to ever visit them.

There is absolutely no correlation between a planet’s icon and the type of terrain or surface. Sometimes what looks like gas giants are covered in grass; sometimes earthlike blue marbles have a molten surface.

            Looks like a gas giant, has organic plants and trees.

            There are 10 “generic” planet descriptions, each used between 42 and 101 times. Most common is the “unstable volcanic” description; least common the “jelly planet with crystals” description. 

            Eat your heart out, Ahab.

          Planets in the Sol system each have unique descriptions but they still use the generic images from other planets, which creates some confusion.

           This is the image used for planets that have grass plains and rolling hills.

            Thirty-three (33) of the 645 planets, or about 5 percent, are graphically depicted with a moon.

            I did not record the percentage that had rings but let me know if you need that information.

         It’s possible I missed some things. There were times that I got to a system, counted the planets, explored them, and then noticed there were a couple that hadn’t existed when I first arrived. (Sometimes the orbits of the eighth, ninth, and tenth planets take them temporarily off screen.) I checked the map a few times, but it’s even possible I missed an entire star. There were some planets I couldn’t scan (for the episode name) because of guardian ships. I assumed these planets had episodes if they didn’t have resources, but I suppose it’s possible I was wrong about that.           I began these explorations in my old Calypso ship. Eventually, I upgraded to the Sheroshu for greater cargo capacity when I found resources. Once I finally found “new elements,” I built a Mark 7 engine for my Sheroshu because of the “alien problem” below, but it takes up a huge amount of space, so I was back down to a limited cargo capacity. I found out the hard way that more engines don’t mean greater speed, nor do they even mean greater acceleration after a certain point. They do help with the tightness of your maneuvers.

The alien ships in this game couldn’t be more annoying. Every one of them wants a resource bribe before they’ll even talk to you. Some of them demand it. Some of them just insult you, but then they don’t go away, so you get the impression that they’re waiting for a bribe.       Once you initiate communication with a hostile ship–or once it initiates with you–you’re stuck. There’s no way to just disengage and fly off. You have to pay or fight. If you don’t have any cargo, you have to fight. Once in combat, if you can put enough space between you and the alien ship, you can “disengage,” but that just puts you back out on the main screen with the alien ship right on top of you. If you’re not faster than him, you can’t get away. Most of the time, he just immediately threatens or extorts you again. Thus, a lot of encounters involve immediate reloading.            

Ships pursue me across the star field for no reason.

          When I was flying the Calypso with a Mark 2 engine, if an alien ship decided it wanted a piece of me there wasn’t much else I could do. They were usually faster than me. Aliens don’t follow you into solar systems, but they’re waiting for you once you get out, so there’s really no way to “lose” a faster ship.     Thus, I upgraded to a Mark 4 engine initially, which was about as fast as most of the enemy ships I was seeing. A curious thing happens if an alien ship wants to engage you but he can only move just as fast as you: he’ll chase you from one end of the galaxy to another, back and forth, always waiting when you come back out of every star system, never abandoning the chase, for no other reason than to tell you that he doesn’t like you. If you want to avoid such ships, you can’t ever miss a star system on your first approach and have to double-back to it, because he’ll catch you.            

You had to chase me across the entire galaxy just to tell me that?!

          The game’s “auto-navigation” system is perhaps the least helpful of any interface shortcut ever created for an RPG. It only works for systems which you’ve already visited, which makes sense. But the journeys are so short that you can’t really accomplish much while the game is piloting your ship. Worse, the navigation only gets you to the right system, not a specific planet. It shuts off once you enter the system, but it doesn’t stop the ship. So if you’re not paying attention–and the entire purpose of something called “auto-navigation” would be not to have to pay attention–the ship just coasts through the destination system and ends up back on the galaxy map, sailing infinitely in some direction until you return to the computer. Oh, it also sometimes accidentally runs into a random system on the way, at which point the auto-navigation assumes you’re at your destination and shuts off.         

Perusing the systems to which I can auto-navigate.

          At some point during this session, I spent some time in the cloning chambers, “improving” my party. The “body” score for each character (hit points) is enormously variable, from the teens to the 50s, and my previous crew had been pretty weak. I also wanted higher “Astrogation” for my leader and better weapons skills for everyone. Interestingly, you can’t just “re-roll” during the process; you have to actually create a new clone and then see what his statistics are. I have no idea what happens to the poor fellow if you then reject him for a different clone.        

It became clear that the skills are not all independently rolled. Thus, you can’t hold out for 100 in everything. For William, among “Astrogation” and the various ship’s weapons, I always seemed to get one 100, one 85 or 80, one 95 or 90, and one low roll, like 65. Katya always gets something in the 80s, something in the 90s, and one 100 spread out between light, heavy, and hand weapons. Other skills come and go for her. Anyway, I rolled until I had what I liked.         

Creating a better “William.” Don’t ask what happened to the old one.

          When I was done with my galactic explorations, I had a decent collection of raw materials, plus all the information I needed about where I could go for more. But I soon ran into another limitation. I had done such a good job collecting materials that I had outpaced my ability to load the best equipment on my ship. The Sheroshu only has 90 tons of space, and a Mark 7 engine takes up 58 by itself. The best systems for each of the four weapon types take in the 20s. Even downgrading to a Mark 5 engine (with a couple of Mark 2 backups for turning) meant that I could only load two weapons systems. I went with a “quark beam” and a “rack gun,” which lined up with my pilot’s weapon skills.

              Outfitting my new vessel. I need more space.

          I then decided it was time for another chat with those blue aliens about who is and isn’t allowed to visit the “life gallery” on Merak Prime. On the way, I handily trounced a few of those orc-like aliens who wouldn’t stop hassling me for cargo, so I thought that was a good sign. Alas, the three ships guarding that planet destroyed me in about 10 seconds. I couldn’t even destroy one of them. So I guess that’s an adventure for the next class of ship.

             A ship explodes from my cannons.

           If anyone ever needs a comprehensive database on Planet Edge‘s planets and systems, I’ve got it covered. But now that grading is done (heavens, what a lie), I guess it’s time to get back to the game’s plot–after a visit to Britannia.

      Time so far: 35 hours

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/planets-edge-the-shape-of-the-universe/

[kerr5173]

  I was fairly new to Instagram when I decided to see who all these people were who “liked” my products.  I came across the name of GW Mireles and clicked on his profile page. What I saw was pretty amazing. This was a photographer extraordinaire and also an artist.  He chose his subject matter and enhanced it with texture and color. His technique really made me feel what he was seeing. The thing that made it seem almost 3D, was that there is an emotional dimension added with the manipulation of color and texture.  This added the “almost” 3D perception, which make the pictures have the depth and contrast similar to real life, not just photographically but also emotionally. When you capture dimensional emotions, the visual 3rd dimension is replaced by the emotional dimension – additional texture and color in this case, which also serves to create a more internal and personally real dimensional experience.  After being really uplifted by looking at his work, I believe I dropped him a note saying I loved his work. Then I moved on to other things.  

Finding Gil

Since I started this Masterwork Arts website, I am continually looking for more interesting artwork.  It struck me the next day that I should contact this artist and see if I could sell some of his work…but I forgot his name.  I think I searched for him for about a month, then gave up.  

I was lazily scanning the “likers” again and this little avatar icon that was a goofy little caricature of a man seemed familiar.  After clicking on his icon, there was GW Mireles and his beautiful works. The first thing I did was bookmark the InstaGram persona, then the rest is history.  We worked out a satisfactory arrangement and now I am posting some of his work for sale on my website.

But here is the best part: I got my first painting purchase, “Awaiting a Coachride”. I unrolled it from the tube and when I flattened it out I was stunned at the color and quality.  I ordered a premium paper, “Somerset Velvet” and because it was Museum Quality, the vivid colors should stand out. They did and I had to touch the print to see if it was a painting.  It was just beautiful and I am so glad I chose that paper even though it cost more.  The results are worth every penny!

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Latino Paintings

The Latino paintings set in Mexico are also timely as well as beautiful.  I would like to show the viewers what a rich heritage and culture Mexican people have.  This is the joy and beauty of their culture, yet many in the American Culture see Hispanic people as less than human, who should not have any rights to family and/or health or well being should they step foot in America.  We need to be reminded the Hispanic culture is a culture of good people who bring their richness to the United States and we benefit (who doesn’t like Mexican Food?!). We also spend a lot of money to go and vacation in Mexico in order to experience first-hand their rich culture.

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Dimensional Composition

Actually, I am not an artist of the visual nature, but I am a musical artist with a Master’s Degree in Music.  Although my Master’s project was performing a vocal Master’s Recital, I really wanted to make my path as a composer, but they did not offer that at the University.  I decided instead to write some of my own music for the Master’s Recital. What I learned as a composer is that the best works of art have that emotional element. I cannot listen to a piece of music without finding or creating a compelling story while I am listening.  If you don’t have an internal, emotional reaction…if it doesn’t grab you in some way, then you usually will not connect with the music unless it is purely academic , where you can appreciate it intellectually.  

This artwork is like that. Not only a visual response, but also emotional as well, just as with writing music where the music enhances the words in order for the composer’s creation to be expressed in all ways, almost as a complete experience, perhaps as that of the third dimension of musical art.  For me the 3 dimensions of the Arts, regardless of genre, are Spirit (Inspiration), Intellect, and Emotion. I find these elements to be apparent in Mireles’ Art.

Experience the Photographic Art of GW Mireles

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I hope you can feel the sentiment of GW Mireles’ subject matter by looking at these stunning prints as I did (and more yet to come).  The musical entertainers are there for the joy of the Mexican traditions, sharing their talents with others, eloquently expressed in these photographic “paintings”.

It is so exciting to actually see what the other works of art are going to look like.  My stomach flutters when I think about it. I will update you when I receive them and hopefully I have inspired you, or at least piqued your interest about the beautiful Photographic Art of Gilbert Mireles and his digital painting technique. Take a look at this collection on our website and imagine each scene almost coming to life!  I can take you there now. Click ——> Here

  The Inspired Art Work of GW Mireles I was fairly new to Instagram when I decided to see who all these people were who "liked" my products.