#a journal entry and an email?

[buildoblivion]

really REALLY loving the creepypasta/ something awful vibes in the chester statements so far 👀👀👀👀

[uncertainturquoise]

this is only the first day (of my first round) of dracula daily but i just wanted to say how much i love the fact that the internet gets together to read a nearly 130 year-old novel for months on end, i love to see the memes already, and i love that we can still connect, in some ways, to the literature of our past as a community. so happy to be on this journey together!

[ljubimaya]

Well, ig that's it then

[manicpanicpixienightmare]

I’m in prison and the prison is ME

[kay9leo]

Journal Entry: 1

The nightmare before Thanksgiving break and finals

ME: *MENTALLY FLIPS TABLES BECAUSE WHY. WHY DID I PICK THIS LIFE?

ME (When I get my paycheck): Oh, so that's why I work and absorbs everyone's anxiety like a sponge

[thoughtportal]

This is a developing news story and may be updated as more information is obtained. If you value such information, please support this Substack.

On Dec. 1, a woman immolated herself with a Palestinian flag outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.

Now, according to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, the woman — referred to in their report as “Jane Doe” — is alive and “in stable condition” at Grady Memorial Hospital, where she has been since the immolation.

After repeated requests for her name, the department stated to this reporter in an email that it “does not disclose the identities of victims”. Repeated inquiries to Grady, which is a public hospital, went unanswered. The hospital houses the Walter L. Ingram Burn Center.

“Jane Doe” is 27.

When asked if they had made any comment to tell the public that she was still alive this entire time, the official at Atlanta Fire Rescue Department said they “shared the last updated with local media via email on 12/21/23. The release stated: ‘The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition. The security guard, who attempted to assist the burn victim, has been released from the hospital.’” Several internet searches on that quote produce no results. This would also indicate that "Jane Doe" went from critical to stable condition without public notice. 

Aaron Bushnell immolated himself at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, explaining “I will no longer be complicit in genocide” and shouting “Free Palestine!” repeatedly as he burned alive. So, his case — unlike many other self-immolations including Gregory Levey, Raymond Moules, Timothy T. Brown, Malachi Ritscher and others — has received some attention. Thus, “Jane Doe” being ignored fits with the usual pattern. Bushnell is the exception — probably because he livestreamed it. See “Ignoring Immolators Lulls the Society to Sleep.”

As Bushnell was burning himself alive, an officer pointed a gun at him, barking orders as if he constituted a threat. A security guard, Michael Harris, sustained injuries working to rescue “Jane Doe” — but there were similarities, where she was actually viewed as a potential threat.

At one point, the police report for “Jane Doe” refers to it as being a case of “arson”.

Much of the media coverage and general discussion of her self-immolation in December focused on if she had done damage. The Atlanta Police Chief said: “We believe this building remains safe, and we do not see any threat here.” The Israeli government released a statement: “It is tragic to see the hate and incitement toward Israel expressed in such a horrific way.”

Police records indicate that they obtained a search warrant and entered an apartment they believed to be associated with “Jane Doe” — initially using a drone:

The drone was able to relay information as to the layout and the belongings inside. After it was deemed "safe" entry was made with bomb technicians. While clearing the apartment no improvised explosive devices were located.

The police report also noted:

During the search a Quran was found in the bedroom along with a [sic] Arabic dictionary and a Hebrew dictionary. The bedroom bookshelf contained books related to fiction and fantasy. A "Drug use for grown ups" book was on the bookshelf as well. Two journals were seized from the bedroom. A thumbdrive was seized from the bedroom as well. A laptop computer was seized from the kitchen counter. A copy of the search warrant was left in the living room of the apartment. The front door [of] the apartment was secured before law enforcement left the premises.

When pressed for more information in compliance with an Open Records Request under Georgia law, Atlanta Fire Rescue Department claimed: “There is an ongoing and active investigation for the incident in question, which is why the only releasable information has been shared via the incident report. Investigative documentation is not available for release until the investigation is closed.”

[xtrablak674]

INTERIM PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Employee TREVOR BROWN

Title INTERACTIVE PROJECT COORDINATOR

Date of Hire 3.30.98

Date of Evaluation 7 21.98

Supervisor Amy Van Aarle

1. Taking into consideration the individual's time in this position, indicate your overall appraisal of performance to date.

Good ( X ) Satisfactory ( )Unsatisfactory ()

Comments:

Trevor has made a large contribution to the growth of the Interactive Services department at kb&p. In a very short time he has become a key member of the team • he keeps information flowing and work moving in the interactive department. Trevor has injected sense of fiscal responsibility into the department, enabling us to grow and increase our profitability.

2. To date, what do you assess to be his/her strengths?

Trevor is very organized, pro-active and self motivated, all contributing to his success in his new position at kb&p. Trevor recognizes problem areas, troubleshoots them, and implements solutions. Trevor's initiative and dedication are nothing short of extraordinary. He has the ability to teach himself new processes and technologies that help him immensely in his job tasks.

His organization and thoroughness have taken the process of trafficking and tracking work to the next level. He has the ability to see holes in a process and make it more efficient and effective. He demands much from others around him • Trevor sets standards and holds others to them.

Trevor has begun to master the trafficking process and has set out to improve these processes even further. Recently he's been instrumental in developing a more detailed and thorough format for the Client sign-off/pickup sites. This will help to streamline the process of trafficking and help to troubleshoot any discrepancies in the creative rotations from the beginning of the production process, rather than the end.

This will help to keep the jobs on schedule and improve the overall turnaround times.

3. To date, what do you assess to be the areas in which improvement could be shown?

Trevor is a highly entertaining and fun person to be around, but he must learn to moderate the fun loving side of his personality in professional situations. He is very intelligent and demonstrates his smarts via a sharp wit. Trevor must recognize that this acerbic wit can alienate people in the workplace who do not appreciate the humor or cannot compete in the wit arena.

Trevor must discuss his workplace frustrations with his supervisor, and make sure that he irons out any potential conflicts and not fester and slow down the flow of work, or workplace relationships.

Trevor's approach to communicating is often too aggressive, and could even be called rough at times. Some of this comes from the fact that Trevor takes his work very seriously. Although an aggressive approach often sets fast results, it is not always conducive to building healthy working relationships in a client based business. If people get the feeling that they are being accused of doing a bad job, they react defensively. and often partially close the lines of communication. fearing further reprimands.

Often a little understanding, a little commiseration. (even it have to grit your teeth while you do it goes a long way towards achieving the desired result ) - a healthy process and open lines of communication. If Trevor adopts a more polished approach to his communications, his ability to get things done and accomplish his goals could start to produce even better results.

Trevor must become more restrained in his e-mail communications. instead using the phone diplomatically it he is angry with someone, and generally putting more effort into the quality of his e-mail communications. By the amount of grammatical errors in his e-mails at times, it seems that Trevor writes these e-mails quickly and while in the midst of emotion. Trevor has demonstrated that he is capable of a very high quality of written communication in many of his e-mails. However, sometimes he is sloppy in his communications.

The problem with e-mail is that it is fast, impossible to un-send, permanent, and open to be forwarded to any number of people.

When Trevor communicates to the sites that we run advertising on, he is representing kb&p to people who one day may be clients. His communications must always reflect that. In the next section, We've outlined some concrete ways that Trevor can use to improve his e-mail communications.

Trevor's enthusiasm and candor can definitely be used to his, and the department's, advance. Using his natural communication and organizational skills in combination with a more refined approach.

Trevor could soon see even better results. This refinement includes communications with agency employees, outside vendors. Web sites and client contacts. both through e-mail and phone contact.

4. What specifically are you planning to do, and recommend the employee do. to help develop in his her present position?

Trevor is in a position to progress and grow dramatically along with the rapidly growing Interactive Services department. His initiative and natural talents have made him a key asset to the department, and we would like to see him continue to grow wit us.

Trevor can continue to move forward by applying himself in the same fashion that he's already been doing. With his organizational skills and attention to detail. Trevor can and must continue to refine processes for the department and make them more efficient, especially as we add on more clients. Trevor must continue to pay attention to matters financial, keeping an eye on our bottom line and exploring areas of growth and profitability. Trevor must take the initiative to learn from those around him so that he eventually can take on more and more responsibility in this area.

Trevor must pay close attention to the way he communicates with others. For the next few weeks, each time Trevor writes a lengthy e mail, he should stop and sit on it for some time before sending it. After re reading the e-mail and re-evaluating the content, he should bring the e-mail to his supervisor and ask for an objective opinion about the content and delivery of the email. That way. Trevor can begin to recognize the strengths and weaknesses in his communications. and begin to improve them.

After doing this for a while, we recommend that Trevor continue to write and then sit on his e-mails, evaluating them before sending them. This is a great way to vent frustrations while leaving the door open to revise the delivery if circumstances change. People often write e-mails that are never sent, preferring on reflection to delete them or simply call the intended recipient. The writing of the e-mail, however, lets one understand and refine what it is that one is trying to say. This technique could work well for Trevor as well.

5. Growth Path

Trevor possesses the raw talent and a level of business competence to command a post more senior than the one he currently fills. With a moderation of his sometimes appropriate attitude towards others in the workplace. Trevor will rise to an executive position.

We will consider leaving the position of Interactive Business/Project Manager unfilled and evaluate Trevor's performance and suitability for this spot over the course of the next 3 months.

- - - -

Reflecting on this performance review twenty-five years later its amazing how much truth I find in Ms. Van Aarle's words. Albeit we had a very complex relationship I find all of her words here to ring true to exactly who I was at this time. The thing I can acknowledge now is that this was my first office job, my first time using e-mail professionally and being in a lot of the situations I was put in, I was given the grace to grow because of everything I was bringing to the table and I deeply appreciate all of this at a place which for all intensive purposes was my first corporate job.

My emotions were extremely volatile and everything she said about e-mail wasn't conducive to me slowing and cooling down before responding to correspondence. Curiously nowadays I barely touch e-mail even in a work setting. When I see a misunderstanding I just get up and go visit and talk with the person and clear up everything.

I have said repeatedly to folks give me a note, give me some feedback I will make revisions. This performance review I got a quarter of a decade ago still applies to everything I do. I will never send an angry email. If I am feeling emotional I will step-away and come back later to respond, if I respond at all.

The insight into my personality is so fun to see in writing these descriptors: dedicated, efficient, organized, thorough, highly entertaining, fun, intelligent, sharp wit, acerbic, aggressive, passionate, rough, and enthusiastic. Its still unfathomable to me that I have trouble finding work because most of these words still apply and all the things she suggested have been polished and refined. But not all jobs want you to be yourself and many aren't able to see what you bring to the table and really don't want to.

[Photo by Marlene Saunders]

[see-arcane]

Our good friend Jonathan Harker is getting ready to leave for his business trip, Mina Murray is picking out a new journal, Lucy Westenra is charming a gaggle of smitten suitors, Abraham van Helsing is wrapping up his lectures, and Castle Dracula is prepping the guest room for a very long stay.

Which must mean that Dracula Season is here again!

 ‘Dracula Season’ being a catchall term for the voracious reading, memeing, writing, illustrating, analyzing, and general fun-having that’s ensued since Matt Kirkland’s project, Dracula Daily, caught on with us back in 2022. The Substack had already been running before then, but it sparked a conflagration as time went on and readers old and new to Bram Stoker’s Dracula—the actual novel, not Coppola’s fanfiction—devoured it in a way that scratched an itch none of us knew we had. Stoker wrote the book in epistolary fashion, clumping sections together as needed for the pacing without perfect adherence to chronological order. Matt went ahead and put all the events in order and proceeded to set up a lovely chain of emails that delivered entries on those correlating dates.

This style of organization and pacing turned out to not only make the virtual book club that much easier to engage with, but left space in-between to stew on the story and relate with the characters themselves. Every day of waiting in the book feels weightier when you have to pace and sweat and worry in tandem with poor Jonathan trapped in the castle or Lucy wasting away or Mina running out the clock before she loses the fight for her own humanity. And while we sat with the story or the lulls between Dracula Seasons, some of us found ourselves craving more of that ghastly gothic horror goodness to the point that we figured:

“Well. Why don’t I make something?”

And then we did! Tons of creative works have been churned out in the wake of Dracula Daily’s high. I figured that while we’ve still got a bit of time to wait for May 3rd, we should check out all this new stuff in the meantime. (Plus a handful of neat stuff that just clicks with the Dracula itch overall.)

So, in the interest of Dracula Season pregaming, let’s take a look at…

FICTION

Blood of My Blood – A recent addition to the Dracula Bad Ending AU pile, and definitely one of the most harrowing and addictive group-produced narratives I’ve ever come across, Blood of My Blood is the dramatically gothic currently-WIP work of @ibrithir-was-here and @animate-mush’s devious design. Give or take a heap of other fascinated folks (hello!) adding ideas to put more Horror into the Horrors that our cast has to face. The premise:

The Transylvanian climax went fatally sour and the Harkers were forced to shelter with Dracula himself, including their half-vampire son, Quincey. Cut to two decades later, and Quincey finds himself out in modern London, smitten with Lu, adopted daughter of Arthur and Jack, and diving into certain bloodstained old documents that detail the real history of how his parents came to live in the castle. Said revelations coming not a moment too soon, as a storm is coming for him straight from the Carpathians…

Dracula Daily Sketch Collection – An array of illustrations that captures every entry beat by beat, the Dracula Daily Sketch Collection by Georgia Cook, alias @georgiacooked was dished out over the course of the last Dracula Season. Some of the most fun character designs out there.

Fanfiction Spotlight: BlueCatWriter – With a whopping 99 works devoted to the novel Dracula (so far, the number may have gone up since I blinked), @bluecatwriter is one of the most prolific and talented fanfiction scribblers out there. Romances, nightmares, and overlaps between the two seem to crop up the most, give or take a crossover. Seems fitting that those blue paw prints have contributed to BoMB too.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlefolk – An ongoing comic in which all your favorite characters from the Classics section get together and tackle some perils ranging from the mundane to the monstrous. Started by the amazing @mayhemchicken and posted on @lxgentlefolkcomic, this series is a love letter to beloved Victorian era lit, with a spotlight on the two couples leading the League. Namely, the Harkers, ala Dracula, and the Nortons, ala Sherlock Holmes,’ “A Scandal in Bohemia.” Mina and Irene are the driving investigative and steering forces here, and still deeply in love with their likewise-infatuated husbands, just like in their canons! What a concept! Alan.

Without spoiling the full character list, just know there are going to be a ton of familiar faces roaming around before you finish reading the first arc. Said arc having conveniently wrapped up just a few days ago! Give the comic and its bonus silliness a look if you’re in the mood for a new comfort-adventure epic.

Re: Dracula – Probably the most well-known and incredible thing to come out of the initial Dracula Daily wave. This podcast is a full audio drama that follows the same format as the Substack, with episodes coming out in time with the entries themselves. And it has an unfairly cool soundtrack. They have a Tumblr with @re-dracula, a site and a Patreon to check out before the series kicks up again on May 3rd. (Also, keep an eye out for their next work, an audio drama in the same style with Carmilla.)

The Soldier and the Solicitor – Another treat from @ibrithir-was-here, this one involves a bit of time travel trouble. Quincey Harker has stumbled out of World War I and into the same dark forest where his father once fled for his life…then runs into the man himself, on that same night. Jonathan Harker, young and starved and lost, who has no choice but to trust this stranger while the Weird Sisters are at his heels…despite said stranger having no shadow. It’s a tasty emotional trek, already complete on Tumblr, but now it’s turning into a Webtoon. While Ibrithir is juggling a number of other stories, she’ll be redrawing spruced up versions of the comic and adding a few new scenes as things unfold.

Substack Stack – You know what’s better than one emailed-out public domain book club? A mountain of them. Just. So, so many of them. You’ll see that a lot of these are finished, but some are still ticking along. Either way, they’re all great picks if you’re craving some more old school lit to fill the void between undead emails.

Frankenstein Weekly – Frankenstein

Jekyll and Hyde Weekly – The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Voyage of the Nautilus – Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Letters from Watson – Sherlock Holmes

The Invisible Mail – The Invisible Man

Letters from Bunny – E.W. Hornung’s short stories of the eponymous Bunny and Raffles

Letters Regarding Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster short stories, including the novel, Right Ho, Jeeves

…

……

………

…The Beetle Weekly – The Beetle (NOTE: Do Not Read This.)

The Vampyres – A novella I finally wrenched through the gears of self-publication as of March this year. Starring a petite but powerful paranormal cast, The Vampyres, centers on an unscrupulous undead fellow who finds that the revenants of the world are being mowed down by an entity known only as ‘Quinn Morse.’ Between trying to save his neck and figure out where the shadowy bastard came from, the Vampyre in question crosses paths with a new paramour and handy human shield in the form of a grieving Good Samaritan. He’s even polite enough to invite the Vampyre into his home while he’s in dire straits! Surely this will end well. All the info is available here and a little author site is over here.

What Manner of Man – This is the one made for everyone who started out hoping there’d be a real love story with our good friend Jonathan Harker and the Count when he was at his most charismatic. Where that sea of wonders dried up into a mire of horror, What Manner of Man by @stjohnstarling keeps things firmly on the romantic tracks. This Substack stars the letter-writing priest Father Victor E. Ardelian as he finds himself meeting with one enigmatic Lord Alistair Vane. It isn’t long before interest turns into intrigue and intrigue into undead intimacies.

The entire novel has been completed—along with multiple epilogues in the author’s Patreon, allowing readers to choose for themselves just how the uncanny romance plays out in the end—and the Substack now has a number of other gothic goodies piling up in the meantime.  

NONFICTION

Dracula Daily: A Unique Reading Experience: This one comes courtesy of @realwomenofgaming. It’s a short and sweet piece that amounts to a fun snapshot of the entire Dracula Daily ride. A cozy couple-minute read.

‘Dracula Daily’ is the One Substack You Need a Subscription To: Features my favorite Matt Kirkland interview. @mattkirkland, if you’re still floating around on here, thank you for dispatching our vampire newsletter again this year.

Dracula Daily is Tumblr’s hottest new book club: Alright, the ‘new’ part is worn out by now, but this one is still a delightful article to swing back around to. Two years on, this Polygon piece is a time capsule of those early months when people outside our bookworm bubble realized we were all happily receiving letters from our favorite classic gothic horror blorbos.  

“How Mina Murray Became Dracula’s Girlfriend” – Princess Weekes, if you ever read this, thank you, thank you, thank you. I am sending oceans of love and millions of rewatches to your video essay. If you haven’t seen it yet, “How Mina Murray Became Dracula’s Girlfriend” is one of the most refreshing and well-made breakdowns of both the title subject and numerous other issues that have proliferated in the public view of Dracula’s cast and plot as adaptations endlessly warp or outright bastardize the actual novel. An incredibly cathartic watch.  

Literary play gone viral: delight, intertextuality, and challenges to normative interpretations through the digital serialization of Dracula: A mouthful of a title for an even more elaborate article about the Dracula Daily phenomenon. This one is a full-on study that analyzes just what happened within the big bloodsucker book club surge and how its ‘wandering reading practices’ enriched the experience for participants.

 “The Undying Undead: An analysis of the Dracula Daily community for a theory of online community formation and interaction” – We have a thesis on here! Look at that! @sirangelothebestest’s MA thesis used our vampiric book club as the bones for a massive brick of an academic piece that definitely deserves a look.

…And I think I’ll go ahead and cap things here.

This isn’t everything I got recommended, but if I had squashed all of it in here, I think folks’ eyes would start to fall out of their head. I hope you can find something cool to comb through here. Or, if there’s something great I overlooked, tack it onto the list! We’ve got just two weeks to go until we’re off with Mr. Harker. Let’s enjoy our respite before those castle doors close behind us.

[susiephone]

wtf is dracula daily?

i’ve seen a couple people ask this question on my posts about it, so i thought i’d go ahead and clear it up here!

ok so, the classic horror novel “dracula” is an epistolary novel - that means it’s told via letters, diary entries, ship logs, and news articles. (technically the term “epistolary novel” refers to works told solely through letters or emails, but many have expanded it to mean any work that is told via in-universe documents, hence why diaries and logs often get included as well. “frankenstein” is another classic example; the whole framing device is robert walton is recounting the story he heard from victor to his sister via letter. a modern example would be “several people are typing,” which is told via slack messages, or “the perks of being a wallflower,” which is told via letters from charlie to his anonymous pen pal, which is functionally more like you’re reading his diary.)

because of the nature of the narrative, we actually know the exact day nearly everything in dracula happens - the letters, news articles, diary entries, etc. are all dated.

“dracula daily” is a substack project where the novel is broken up into parts, with people who are subscribed to the project getting emails every day something in dracula happens - for example, the novel opens with jonathan harker’s journal entry on may 3, so on may 3, subscribers are emailed that entry. the action of dracula takes place from may 3 - november 6, plus an epilogue set some years later. the project started in 2021 (i think), but fucking BLEW UP in 2022, and they’re doing it again this year! lots of us are very excited - especially people like me who fell behind last time.

why not just read the book?

valid! due to some parts of dracula being told out of chronological order, dracula daily does reorder some things. for example, the first section of dracula is told entirely from jonathan harker’s pov, then the second section switches the pov to mina murray. their sections have some overlap in the timeline, so dracula daily jumps back and forth between their perspectives.

if you want to read the book as bram stoker intended, dracula daily may not be for you. but for a lot of people (myself included!), it breaks up a very long text into easily digestible chunks (....mostly. there is one entry that is 10k words), and the fact that it’s a big project means there are a lot of people reading along with you.

i think there’s also something valuable about experience the slow revelation of wtf is going on along with the characters. the book which you might otherwise get through in a few days is stretched out into months of suspense and agony as you wait for the other shoe to drop, and it’s great.

plus, the whiplash between “jonathan harker’s neverending horror” vs “lucy is basically on the bachelorette” that you get in dracula daily is very very funny.

how do i sign up?

right here! and if you sign up and fall behind in the emails, no worries - the dracula daily website posts past entries so you can catch up.

what if i prefer audiobooks?

have i got great news for you!

like i mentioned before, i couldn’t keep up with the emails last year. part of it is that it is much easier for me to focus on an audiobook or keep up with a podcast than it is for me to sit down and read, especially with longer entries.

this year, there is going to be a podcast titled “re: dracula” that was inspired by dracula daily. every episode will be a dracula daily entry, with a full voice cast! (seriously, if you listen to british podcasts, you will recognize some of these names. the magnus archives and wooden overcoats girlies are WINNING.) you can find that here.

there is also a podcast called “cryptic canticles” that has an already-completed audiodrama of dracula that i’m told is also extremely good, and was also broken up by date. you can find that here.

why do i keep hearing about paprika/the boyfriend squad/lizard fashion/cowboys?

you’ll see.

oh god am i gonna hear about this nerd shit for the rest of the year

yes. sorry.

[lemonade4wanda]

Isolation

Part two of the craving you series (part 1)

Dark! Wanda Maximoff x reader

Minors dni!! Masterlist°•☆

Summary - you settle into your new job while Wanda undos your life

Warnings - manipulation, dark Wanda, obsessive Wanda, unhealthy obsession, breaking and entering, theft, bribery, catnapping, Wanda calls herself mommy, not proofread again srry

Words - 1.8k

A/n - this took me ages to write srry, I still think part one is better tbh

When you first got the job as Wanda's personal assistant you expected it to be strange like the meeting you'd had in her office prior, the one in which she'd has you begging on your knees. Much to your surprise however Wanda was more professional than ever, keeping to herself and only talking about work matters. Little did you know this was because she was too busy eyeing you up to make conversation.The job itself wasn't much too difficult either perhaps even easier than your original job and for the same wage. Your days consisted of planning phone calls, picking up mail, getting her lunch and coffees, taking notes in meetings, arranging taxis, responding to emails and then collapsing in to bed with your darling cats.

Wanda watched on eagerly as you slipped into a blissful false sense of security over the weeks working. Enjoying every second especially since she got to gaze at you every second of the day. The way you did your hair each morning, how you rolled around your wheeled chair had you been sat too long, the same pen you always fiddled with in meetings, how your nose scrunched when your were confused, the cuteness of your little yawns when you were tired. It was all the little quirks she hadn't got to see in you before that she grew to love now.

Her obsession love for you only grew the more time you'd spent with her. Your little smiles and nervous way of talking had her fighting back blush. Wanda was always ever so excited for you to go out on some pointless errand so she could take a look in your bag, one time even being lucky enough to find your treasured journal. Her favourite page, which she took photos of so she could re read it anytime, read as; 'my boss Wanda has been more kind than I could ever wish for, with giving me a new job instead of just throwing me out onto the streets. I wish she could know how grateful I am to still be employed as she could have easily had rid of me. I've always had such a good gut feeling about her as a boss and it's finally been proved correct.

I'd never admit this aloud as I don't think it's appropriate for work but I think Wanda is possibly one of the most pretty women I've ever met, she always has a radiant smile when she looks at me joined with such cute freckles.' Oh if only you knew how Wanda swooned when she read that entry.

Slowly though this new found closeness was not enough for Wanda, she felt as if your gratefulness was dwindling and the time you spent together was hardly enough for what she craved. For what she needed.

Wanda needed a new way to make you come to her to make you rely on her. She needed something you loved, she just had to think of what. That's when she figured it out, she was watching you through her computer one night as you lay in bed peacefully sleeping beside your cats. She knew how much you loved them, how lost you'd be without them.

Her plan was simple, tell you she was going out for lunch with a friend when really she was heading over to your flat to take Marlo and Nixie. Arriving at your flat she saw the front door unlocked and tutted to herself, how silly you really were lucky she was looking out for you or someone could have just waltzed right into your home. Stepping through the front door she was overwhelmed with a euphoric feeling of being surrounded by you and your things. Briefly forgetting about the cats she went around your room, going through your wardrobe, admiring your jewellery and lying down in your bed. But all that wasn't enough for Wanda she wanted a little souvenir from her trip and that's exactly what she got. Going back into your wardrobe she carefully went through your underwear drawers deciding to take a matching red lacey set with rhinestoned buckle, you wouldn't need them anyway the only person you should be trying to impressing was her.

After successfully stifling your underwear she moved onto getting the cats. She'd brought her own little carriers for them, Wanda was no monster of course she'd never harm the small animals you held so close she'd just keep them safe and away from you for a while. Marlo was easy enough to convince to get in the carrier being friendly and easy going almost just like you however Nixie was another story hissing and trying to claw at Wanda anytime she tried to pick her up. Lucky for her shed planned this having overheard you discussing with a coworker several weeks ago about how Nixie didn't tolerate strangers unless she had some catnip. Needless to say she'd prepared for this event. Smiling to herself as she poured the catnip into the carrier and trapping the unsuspecting Nixie inside.

The next day at work Wanda hid her smirk well when she saw you shuffle in with puffy bloodshot eyes with big dark circles underneath, deciding to feign concern instead.

"Oh darling, what's up? You can tell me anything." A comforting smile on her face makes you sure you can talk to her about the cats.

"My.. my cats went missing and no one can find them." Your voice is hoarse from crying as you speak and more tears threaten to fall from your eyes.

"That's no good at all sweet girl." She stands from behind her desk walking over and engulfing you into a strong hug. "If there's anything I can do to help you at this difficult time don't hesitate to let me know." She tells you in a warm voice as she pulls your head closer into her chest making it hard for you not to become flustered.

"Thanks, thank you miss Maximoff." Your stumble through your reply while burying yourself into her strong body.

A few days later and your cats still haven't returned and you find yourself further falling into despair.

That's when you find a letter in your house. One that pushes you over the edge. The one you never wanted to see. An eviction notice. It felt like the life you'd fought so hard for, one you'd dreamed of since childhood was being torn apart before your eyes. As if God was punishing you for some unforgivable sin.

Wanda watched on eagerly as she saw you find the eviction note in your pile of post, a sick grin contorting on her face at the sight of your misery, at the knowledge she'd be the one to bring you back up. The one to heal you. The one you'd grow to adore, worship and crave as she did you.

Of course she was at fault for that letter after having heavily bribed your landlord to get rid of you. At first he was much opposed claiming you to be 'one of his best tenants' and how you never missed rent but after seeing the cash being offered to evict you he couldn't help himself. Wanda knew he'd break easily after all Money really is the root of all evil.

When she saw you sobbing at the kitchen table, shaking hands clutching the eviction notice she wished she could comfort you and tell you it'd all be okay. To hold you tight like she did not a few days ago. Wiping the tears from your delicate face, once you were hers you'd never feel this kind of pain again. Your suffering was only temporary but still it broke her heart to see you so down. Obviously she'd never regret what she'd done. It was all for you.

When you were next in work you felt and were sure you looked like hell. All your energy had been spent trying to find somewhere new to stay but all properties nearby were so expensive or just boxes. Your regular floral dresses had been replaced with knit sweaters and plain black trousers as if this was your autumn, the beginning of your end. When you saw Wanda it didn't help the way you felt when she appeared more put together than usual, her suits crisper somehow and jaw sharper as if while your life fell apart hers had blossomed.

"Darling, you look ill has something happened?" She asks with a practised act of sympathy, she already knew exactly what had happened after all she'd orchestrated the undoing of your life.

"My landlord evicted me for no reason and-.. and-.." You felt yourself becoming choked up as you struggled to tell Wanda what had happened. She picked up on your feelings almost as if in tune with your mind and quickly pulled you into her before beginning to stroke up and down your back in comforting patterns.

"Its okay, I'm here darling. Nothing bad will happen just tell mommy what's wrong." Your eyebrows raised at what she called herself but for some inane reason decided against questioning her.

"And.. I cant find anywhere to stay and my-.. m' cats are still missing and I'm gonna be homeless." She knew youd begun crying when she could feel damp on her blouse where your head lay. Wanda pulled your head back to face her and stroked across your cheeks in such a gentle fashion that you felt you legs may give out beneath you.

"Well you could always.. nevermind it wouldn't be appropriate." She says with pause to look down at your face. "Oh screw it. I can't stand to see you go homeless over some stupid eviction, y/n if you wanted you could stay in my home until you find somewhere permanent." What Wanda hadn't quite anticipated was the way your eyes lit up at the suggestion, she thought you'd have needed much more convincing than you did.

"I.. if your sure it wouldn't be a bother."

"Sweet girl you could never bother me."

That night Wanda took you over to her house and gave you a tour. It was the biggest and fanciest place you'd ever been. More things existed than you thought one person could need. She had everything from pools to inside tennis courts, acres full of forest land to a sauna. You finally understood what it must feel like to be rich. Wanda claimed her guest rooms were under renovation so you'd have to share her room for now. When you accepted sleeping next to her she was so ecstatic she could barely hide it behind the mask of sympathy anymore.

Tags: @reginassweetheart @alexawynters

[home-sweet-hive]

ALTERNATE HUMANITY A Field Guide to "Humanity Removal Therapy"

Part 1: Introductions

This is a complimentary series to this system's other Animal HRT series; Black Arms HRT

This story is NOT written by the system's host, Aikshlin (🌹). To keep with the mystery of the story itself, the author of this story has chosen to simply go by "Penpal" (🖋) for the time being.

WARNING: This story currently contains Swearing, Mild Mentions of Death, Implied Reincarnation, and a perhaps Untrustworthy Narrator

[The Beginning (You are here!)] [Next]

Somewhere within a city left a mystery to most, there lives a peculiar scientist by the name of Doctor Theodore H. Erian, who is known by a select group of individuals for providing an experimental treatment to anyone across the dimensional planes willing to take it. ‘Animal HRT’, they call it, though it is more professionally understood as ‘Humanity Removal Therapy’; a medical miracle designed to change someone into a completely different species.

Despite its colloquial name, this treatment is not limited to just animals, nor is it limited to species commonly considered as ‘real’. Creatures of fantasy, creatures of folklore, and even creatures from modern fictional media have been achieved from this incredible treatment.

With a power so great, it was only a matter of time until that power, that medicine, fell into the wrong hands. Some would argue that Doctor Erian’s hands were already the wrong hands. Others would point to other doctors not affiliated with Doctor Erian, giving out “back alley treatments” as Erian himself would call them. 

But there are a select few that say that the true danger lies within the patients themselves.

After all, despite Doctor Erian’s claims that he asks each patient to spend at least 48 months as their desired species, it has been found that it is scarily easy for these patients to just lie and get what they want at a moment’s notice.

The city where Doctor Erian works, only known as ‘Hyper City’, is said to be a crossroads between dimensions. A place that anyone from any reality can access if they have knowledge of it, and a place where theoretically one could travel to any reality from as well. With such widespread access to this strange location, it was only a matter of time before someone with questionable motives came across its existence.

And with it, the existence of ‘Humanity Removal Therapy’ as well.

Somewhere within the computer of Doctor Erian, there exists a copy of a set of journal entries. And elsewhere on that same computer, there exists an email sent to him by a concerned citizen of “who-knows-what” planet of the “who-knows-where” dimension (his words) – several, in fact. 

Doctor Erian was dismissive of the message at first, regarding it as either something already addressed or simply an attempt at ‘trolling’. 

But once he saw the entries included in the email, he saw the situation unfolding just under his nose to be quite the troubling one.

And perhaps you will too.

---

January 8th, 2025

Today was a short day at the station, or at least it was for me. A sudden and rather heavy snowstorm is supposed to hit the area tonight (??? Yeah of course it's sudden how the hell are we getting snow???), so all attention is given to our meteorologist for today’s broadcast. 

Not that I’m complaining, of course. The less labour I have to endure, the better.

But either way, this leaves me with a lot of free time on my hands. Originally I was going to make use of that time by heading down to the entertainment department to see how A████’s work was coming along, but as I got up and started to head over to his desk, I noticed that they were, in fact, already here within my area, talking to another member of the news crew as the two of them sipped on bottles of water from the work cooler.

“... Can’t seriously be real,” I recall having picked up on the tail end of a sentence from A████, spoken in disbelief.

“I went there! It’s real!” The other guy insisted. I had inferred from those words that they must have been talking about a location of some kind.

“Well then explain to me why I’ve never seen this ‘Hyper City’ on a map anywhere,” A████ had inquired of his peer. 

“Oh yeah, that. I think a local told me that it’s a sort of realm between dimensions? So you can get there from wherever, so long as it’s your intention to get there!” The other guy tried to explain himself, but it only seemed to make A████ even more skeptical.

“Yeah, you’re making this shit up,” It scoffed, ready to take off elsewhere.

But before he could, I inserted myself into the conversation. I couldn’t help it, I was horribly curious. Something had beckoned me to get to know as much as I could on this strange topic the two were speaking of.

But what else is new?

A████ was pretty happy to see me, usually is, so he was more than happy to give me the details. Though, part of me suspected that part of it was A████ being forced to do the ‘honors’, since the other guy seemed to be a starstruck newbie and/or low level that completely froze at the sight of me. 

According to A████, he and the new guy were talking about some fantastical town called “Hyper City” that can access any and every dimension and world and that is filled with humanoid animal beings. Yeah, can’t blame A████, that is pretty out there. 

But I have seen stranger, experienced stranger. Despite our closeness, A████’s pretty new to what we do here as well. Kiddo’s still on their first life and everything. So while I can’t blame it for not believing the story, I also don’t agree with it. 

Without even thinking about it, an order for the two of them to go out to this ‘Hyper City’ and retrieve a souvenir from there slipped out from my lips. I only realized I had said it when A████ questioned if we should run that plan past the Big Bear first.

Whether I had just forgotten to think before I spoke or if it was something deeper than that I never really cared to look into, to be honest. Makes no difference to me.

But yeah, I should probably get to writing that email to D████. I still have a lot left to get done before I go about kicking another bucket, you know?

> What’s this about you dying now? It is much too early for that.

Oh, hey babe! Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Just a little joke, LOL.

> Good. Make sure it stays that way.

Sigh. Only you would threaten me to not die. <3

By the way, why are you in my notes?

> Nearly 35 years, and you’re only asking that now? You really are a dumbass.

“Why”, not “how”. Who’s the dumbass now?

> You never hesitate to make use of your special privileges, do you? 

> But to answer your question, I must remind you that you have a meeting with S████ and Doctor K████ at eight o’clock.

Oh shit that’s right! Thanks hun.

Now I really should get to that email, huh-?

> Yes.

Remind me to update this document with the results of the little chase I’ve sent A████ and that other guy on.

> As if you even need to ask me. Your “inspiration” will surely beat me to the chase. 100%.

Love you too. 

---

January 9th, 2025

The storm came just as strongly as predicted, leaving us with a couple inches of snow  on the ground. 

I honestly couldn't believe it. Snow? This far south? I'll be honest, when I wrote that part down yesterday I thought it was some sort of joke. But the current way the world's been going has left the weather all sorts of fucked up.

Despite the nearly once in a lifetime experience going on outside, I had stuck to my usual morning routine of getting ready to go to work. Sure, it may be unusually cold out today, but I always wear at least two layers of clothes anyways. 

But apparently I was taken off of the work schedule for today regardless. 

On record they wrote that it was because I live too far out from the station, and they didn't want me driving across town. But honestly, I just think they're pampering me. 

I can't tell if that thought makes me feel flattered or insulted.

And A████ laughing about it when I called him earlier didn't help me decide, either. Yeah, of course this is typical for his hometown back in New York, but we certainly aren't up there, are we?

But either way, that means that instead of going to work and getting to report about the first snowfall I've ever gotten to see, I'm relegated to just writing a follow-up to what I was talking about yesterday.

I did actually get an email back from Mr D████, like pretty much right after I sent him my message! I know, pretty surprising, right? The old man usually takes like a week to respond to any emails sent to him at the earliest.

But apparently he had already heard about this ‘Hyper City’ place. Didn't know about the weird dimension part of it though, only knew it as a place S████ had told him and everyone else about wanting to take a vacation to. 

Suffice to say, that was a pretty interesting bit of information to have with me during that meeting with her and E████ K████.

Speaking of, here's an excerpt from that meeting, recounted to the best of my ability. Why? S████ brings up something pretty interesting about Hyper City, I think. Also, because I was told to.

–

“Oh, just so you know, I'm gonna be going on a bit of a vacation next week. So don't count on me being available during that time, okay~?” 

“I'm aware.”

“Wait, what??” 

“Care to explain how, L████?”

“Heh, sure!”

“But first, what if I told you that I also know where it is you plan to go?” 

“That'd be…”

“That'd be so cool!!” 

“S████, you're planning a vacation to Hyper City, right?” 

“Yeah!! How'd you know?” 

“Well, you see, it seems you're not the only one around here who knows of that strange place.”

–

I then proceeded to explain to S████ the conversation I had inserted myself into yesterday.

It was her response to this explanation of mine that had truly captured my attention.

–

“Well I definitely hope it's real!! I'm traveling out there in the hopes of getting my hands on some Cat HRT!” 

“... Cat HRT? Like… Hormones for… cats???”

“Not quite! Apparently, it's HRT that’s supposed to turn you into a cat!”

“And before you ask how I'm gonna still do my duties while being a cat – you can apparently stop before a certain point and you'll stay an anthropomorphic animal rather than going full feral! The ‘crossroads’, I think it was called?” 

“... I'm putting you into the souvenir venture group as well. If it's alright with E████, I'd like for you to join A████ and B████ in their expedition, and for your souvenir to be that ‘Cat HRT’ you so desire.”

“Well who would I be to defy that decree?”

“Can do!!”

–

And after that, we moved on to other topics of discussion.

But you can see why what she said interested me, right?

> Once more, you are not beating the ‘catboy’ allegations.

THE CAT PART IS NOT WHY I'M INTRIGUED, YOU CALCULATOR.

> Surely.

> Allow me to predict what you are about to type; It is the general idea of transforming the human body into something it was ‘not supposed to be’, yes?

Pretty much, yeah.

Turning into a cat is cool and all, but I think this technology could go to a much more important use if we got a hold of it, wouldn't you agree?

> Certainly.

I think I need to put these notes - starting with yesterday's - into a document of their own. I have a feeling that this may grow into a story of its own at some point.

So I'm going to do that now.

---

January 18th, 2025

After giving out today’s report, I was called to the break room to have a bit of a chat. That much isn’t too unusual, happens to me a lot. What can I say, people wanna hear what I have to say!

What was unusual was that it was E████ of all people who had requested my presence.

When we met up just outside the break room, I had asked them what they were doing here – why they were not back at their lab like usual.

To that they had just a simple response. 

–

“Whenever there’s something I need to tell you, or anyone else that works here at the station, I usually send S████ out to deliver the message for me. But since now S████ has something she must say to you, but is… scared to, I figured I’d play fair and do the honors for kit.”

–

I understood their words quite well, but I was a bit surprised to hear that S████ would be scared to tell me something. 

I had a feeling it had something to do with the ‘Cat HRT’ thing, but she does know that I wouldn’t be mad at her if things fell through just this once… right?

Well, if not, then I should set the record straight and make it clear that she’s okay – that’s what I figured at the time.

So I asked E████ outright if S████ had failed to obtain the ‘Cat HRT’.

She had.

Apparently, the doctor that gives that stuff out over in Hyper City is a strict one, making the people who come to him to jump through so many hoops just to start treatment that it makes us look like a free-for-all. The current supporting claim for this is that ‘Animal HRT’ is still experimental, so it’s ‘best practice’ to limit the amount of people who can have it.

What a load of bullshit, whatever happened to unleashing a substance into a small town to roam free so you can see what happens?

> Hah.

<33

But anyways, once I had that explanation from E████, I made my way inside the break room where S████, as well as A████ and B████, were waiting for me.

A████ stood at the front of the group, confidently holding his souvenir – a branded pen from the Hyper City Municipal Zoo.

B████ stood just off to the side of A████, looking a bit less confident in my presence. In his hands he held a printed photograph of himself, A████ and S████ in the streets of Hyper City. 

Clever boy, that one.

And then there was poor S████, cowering behind the other two as she refused to look me in the eyes. Within their shaking hands, I could just barely make out a snow globe, containing within it a miniature model of the city – one that lined up very well with what B████’s photo depicted.

After looking at each of the souvenirs, I handed them all back to their respective owners and thanked them on a job well done. 

A████ and B████ looked delighted to have my approval, but S████ was instead confused. She asked me why I wasn’t upset at her. 

After all, it had not done as I asked. They did bring a souvenir, yes, but it was not the one I instructed kit to get.

I informed her that I was very much aware of the fact that they had indeed tried to get a hold of a ‘Cat HRT’ prescription, but the plans fell through. And so I had said to her;

–

“Why would I be mad at you for trying?”

–

That did seem to make her feel better, though not entirely. So I went for another swing;

–

“And besides, you’ll have some to show off in about 48 months right? That’s a pretty short amount of time in the grand scheme of what we’re promised.”

–

But that one was unfortunately a miss.

As it turns out, S████ was not in fact just put on the waiting list for getting her desired ‘Animal HRT’. 

She had been outright rejected.

She had explained - tearfully - that no real reason had been given to it, just some vague bullshitting about a “sketchy result in a background check”.

I remember seeing red then, and I still do now as I write this down.

I knew right then and there that I would have to face this doctor himself. Doctor Erian is his name, apparently.

But whoever he is, I’m going to make him fess up to the real reason he denied S████ treatment. 

> May I accompany you?

You? Asking to do something? That’s new.

But yeah. I was already planning on it.

> Of course you were, gayass.

BITCH???

So mean to me, for no reason at all. </3

But anyways.

My memory of what happened next begins to become a bit fuzzy at this point, but I know I took off from the break room and wordlessly made my way to Mr. D████’s office. I knew I’d need to get another bit of approval to go to Hyper City myself. That certainty was the only thing in my mind at the time outside of the all-consuming rage I had felt.

Once I entered his office, however, that one driving thought had faded. I had gotten where I needed to in order to get what I wanted, so all that was left was my anger. 

It’s at that point where my memory cuts out completely for a bit.

We pick back up some time later, with me still sitting in the office, and Mr. D████ walking in on me being there.

Understandably, he asked what I was doing in there – which snapped me out of my daze.

I had been seated in a chair placed right in front of his desk, gripping on a teddy bear that had been placed on his desk, ████, I think his name is, with such force that it could probably kill if the guy was still human. 

After recollecting myself, I had managed to explain what had happened with S████, and gave out my request to go to Hyper City on my own to confront Doctor Erian. 

I was approved for February 9th. “Don’t kill the guy”, I was told.

No promises.

–

The following is an email correspondence between Doctor Theodore H. Erian and Doctor Mirai Fortune.

To: Dr. Mirai Fortune

From: Dr. Theodore H. Erian

Subject: Follow Up on “Notes on Animal HRT”

Good afternoon Doctor Fortune. 

Or whatever time of day it is for you where you are. 

I have finally gotten around to reading through the PDF file you sent to me, and I must say, first and foremost, that I apologize for brushing off both our face-to-face meeting in my office some months ago and your first few emails as baseless fear mongering. It seems I have no reason to regret turning Miss Holmes away after all.

That is, I assume the person described as seeking Cat HRT in these notes is her, right?

I ask because while I am not sure if you are aware of this, parts of the file are redacted. Specifically, all names mentioned in the text aside from my own. 

I personally find this quite troubling, as I believe that having as much information on this group of people is priority here, especially when it seems that the writer of the notes, who I only know currently as “L” due to the redactions, threatens to harm me.

Dr. T. H. Erian

To: Doctor Theodore H. Erian

From: Doctor Mirai Fortune

Subject: PDF Error

Hello, Doctor Erian.

The redaction on some parts of the PDF I sent you is not intended, and the fact that it is there is something that deeply troubles me. I apologize for whatever confusion it may have caused. I really thought my assistant had successfully decrypted the encryption put on the document.

You see, Doctor Erian, the people that we are dealing with are very committed to their secrecy. 

But the two of us will continue to work on this matter, and will send you the decrypted files as soon as we can.

Thank you for informing me of this matter.

And by the way, yes. The apparent “S” mentioned in the files is Serena Holmes. I appreciate you taking my advice to refuse her treatment.

I understand you may see it as cruel to deny a patient on such grounds, but I promise you that she is not nearly as innocent as she seems.

None of these people are.

Again, thank you for working with us to ensure the safety and sanctity of humanity across the dimensions.

Mirai 

To: Doctor Mirai Fortune

From: Doctor Theodore H. Erian

Subject: Response To: “PDF Error”

Good morning Doctor Fortune,

I understand that the redactions were made in error, but can I at the very least have the name of the person who wrote these notes? Again, it seems that they intend to hurt me, and I would like to have the necessary information to keep them out of my office. 

By the way, shortly after you left that picture of Miss Holmes at my desk, I tried asking a friend of mine that is more familiar with other dimensions and supernatural things about that symbol that was on the back of the photo. Unfortunately, the two of us got a bit… distracted talking about something else that was going on at the time, so I was not able to get an answer from her. 

Could you tell me what it is? Thank you in advance.

Dr. T. H. Erian

To: Doctor Theodore H. Erian

From: Doctor Mirai Fortune

Subject: Names and Symbols

Hello Doctor Erian.

The symbol on the back of the photo is the emblem of the organization Serena is a part of. Refuse service to all that wear it.

You will find that the name of these note’s author will be easy to find. Fortunately, it seems the title of the document itself was successfully decrypted by my assistant in the copy you have. 

What is the name of this “friend” you speak of? Is she an assistant of yours? 

Mirai

To: Doctor Mirai Fortune

From: Doctor Theodore H. Erian

Subject: Assistant

Good evening, Doctor Fortune,

The name of my friend is Iris – she calls herself “Iris the Dark Witch”. I suppose you could call her an “assistant” in a sense, as she is the one I worked with to develop Animal HRT (Humanity Removal Therapy), in the first place. 

I’ll forward her this email chain to see if I can get her opinion on all this. 

Aside from that, I must admit I am not fond of your vagueness when it comes to the author’s name. Again, I ask, what is their name?

Dr. T. H. Erian

To: Doctor Theodore H. Erian

From: Doctor Mirai Fortune

Subject: [N/A]

Hello Doctor Erian.

If it does not come to you now, then it will when he shows up in your office.

I trust you to act accordingly.

If he asks to have you view anything on his computer, refuse immediately.

Mirai 

[agendabymooner]

the mr. darcy type ! jenson b. x ofc (hollywood actress!ofc)

summary: jenson button wasn’t aloof, but he should’ve known that calling a british actress on the rise stranger’s bluff would then make his life a bit more interesting.

OR ada james abbott is well known for her role as lizzie bennet from pride and prejudice, but did you know that she once filled a notebook with journal entries about this infuriatingly handsome man who joked about her talent the very first time they met?

content warning: backstory not as clear, established relationship/marriage, pride and prejudice (2005) filming reference, fluff, mentions of jenson and ofc using emails to speak to each other

note: i’m out of town but it doesn’t stop me from doing things related to this british man god i love him

masterlist

tagged jensonbutton

liked by lewishamilton, felipemassa, danielricciardo

user1 it’s not babygirl jenson— it’s baby girl, baby boy AND jenson 😍

user2 welcome to insta ada ❤️

user3 i’ve never wanted dilf jenson so bad 😭😭

jensonbutton i’m glad your first instagram post had something to do with my obliviousness to your crush on me. and i’m also glad you’ve managed to navigate through the whole app 😂 liked by adaabbott

adaabbott i will delete the account should you make fun of me like that 😊 even you had to beg me to make one

user4 LMFAO JENSON 😩

user5 he’s always been by his own wife since 2004 and he’s just allowing her 🥹

lewishamilton i’ve always been scared of what to say to you because of the first time you and jenson met 🤣 liked by adaabbott

adaabbott at least you learned the easy way 😆

danielricciardo i can’t believe poppy’s so grown 🥲 liked by adaabbott

adaabbott if you think poppet’s big, wait until you see arlo now 😅

bonus !!!

the abbott-button kids

poppy cordelia james ‘poppet/delia’ button

arlo edward jenson ‘jj’ button

[magic-shop-stories]

how would bts (ot7) kids react to them being consistently forgotten by their dad ? they would pay attention to their other siblings or their job? please make it really angsty with a fluffy ending only for the kids

💌 Reply:

Thank you so much for the request, I hope that's what you imagined. I loved the idea ... should really turn this into full imagines some day - feel free to reach out if you want to be tagged Lots of Love - C

NAMJOON

silent cries

intellectual withdrawal

nature as a bridge

reparative vulnerability

HOW HIS CHILD SHOWS THEIR PAIN

Indirect Communication

Leaves a dog-eared poetry book on his desk, open to Lang Leav’s “Lost” with lines highlighted:

“You were here, and then you weren’t / And I’ve been waiting ever since.”

Artistic Rebellion

sketches family portraits where Namjoon is a shadow or blurred figure

labels them “Appa’s Priorities (A Study in Absence)”

Academic Overcompensation

wins a science fair with a project on “The Physics of Emotional Distance”

calculates how often Namjoon misses dinner

doesn’t tell him about the award

Quiet Withdrawal

stops asking for help with homework, even when struggling

when Namjoon offers, they reply:

“It’s okay. Google is faster.”

Sibling Contrast

watches him beam at their sibling’s piano recital

slips out to bury their face in the family dog’s fur

“He remembers their C major, but forgets my B+.”

NAMJOON’S FIRST REACTION

Moment of Realization

finds the science fair project while cleaning

stares at the equations mapping his absences

hands shaking

his throat tightens at the footnote: 

“Hypothesis: If love = attention, then Appa’s love approaches zero.”

Immediate Response

runs to their room, knocking frantically

“Can we talk? Please.” 

voice cracks

Internal Turmoil

Self-Accusation

“I’m a hypocrite. Preached ‘love is a verb,’ but failed to act.”

Memory Flash

remembers missing their 10th birthday for a UN panel

they’d said:

 “It’s okay, Appa. The world needs you.” 

he’d hugged them, not realizing it was a goodbye to expectations

Fear

“Have I turned into the distant fathers I criticized in my lyrics?”

WHAT HE DOES NEXT

Apology (Namjoon Style/ No Excuses):

kneels beside their bed at 3 a.m.

voice raw

“I weaponized your empathy. You deserved to be selfish, to scream at me. I’m… I’m so sorry.”

Child’s Reaction

probably silent tears

they whisper -“You didn’t see me.”

Radical Prioritization

Cancels Commitments

postpones album deadlines, surprising his team

“My masterpiece isn’t music, it’s the kids I’m failing.”

”Appa’s Reset”

takes them camping, no phones

at the campfire, he admits:

“I don’t know how to fix this. Will you teach me?”

Rituals of Presence

Daily Check-Ins

sets a 7 p.m. alarm labeled ”Breathe. Listen. Be.”

asks: “What’s something I missed about you today?”

Shared Journal

buys a leather notebook

writes first entry: 

“Day 1: I learned you hate mint chocolate too. How did I not know?”

TYPICAL MOMENTS & DIALOGUE

Past Failures (Angst)

Missed Milestone

they timidly handed him a poem titled “The Invisible Child” during a VLive (don't argue with me it will always be VLive!)

he’d absentmindedly tucked it under his laptop

“Later, yeah?” 

it’s still there, gathering dust

Distracted Praise

when they aced a math test, he’d patted their head while typing lyrics

“Smart kid. Takes after me.”  (they’d flinched)

Reparative Actions (Fluff)

Lecture Crashing

shows up unannounced to their school

embarrassing them with a ”Proud of You” banner during finals week

Vulnerable Confessions

hot cocoa

“I’m scared I’ll never catch up to who you’ve become without me. Let me try.”

Signature Phrases

Growth-Ownership

“I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m asking to earn it.”

Nature Metaphors

“You’re my redwood, growing tall while I wasn’t looking. Let me be your roots again.”

LONG-TERM CHANGES

Work-Life Boundaries

institutes “Golden Hour” = 4–6 p.m.

daily, no emails

colleagues know not to call; his ringtone during those hours is “Family First (feat. his child)” 

Visible Reminders

wears a bracelet they made, beads spelling “SEE ME.”

Advocacy Shift

launches a campaign: “Present Fathers, Present Futures.” 

quotes his child in speeches

“Love isn’t a noun if it’s not a verb.”

Self-Forgiveness Journey

therapy sessions focused on “breaking the cycle of intellectualized detachment.” 

journals: 

“I can’t philosophize my way into their childhood. I have to live it.”

ENDING

months later, hia child adds a new page to the shared journal

“Day 94: Appa cried when I said ‘hi’ to a fan who recognized me for once. P.S. Mint chocolate still sucks.”

Namjoon tapes the page to his studio wall, beside a dried leaf from their camping trip

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JIN

humor as armor

performative neglect

culinary reconciliation

grand gestures

love in laughter

HOW HIS CHILD SHOWS THEIR PAIN

Over-the-Top Antics

stages elaborate pranks (glitter bombs, fake spiders) to force Jin’s attention

when he laughs but doesn’t engage, they mutter:

“Guess I’m just the court jester, not the prince.”

Satirical Skits

films TikTok parodies titled “World’s Okayest Dad!”

exaggerating Jin’s distracted nods and half-hearted high-fives

tags him, but he only reacts with a crying-laugh emoji

Food Sabotage

burns his favorite snack and leaves the charred remains on his gaming chair

“If you’re gonna ignore me, at least taste my rage.”

Sarcasm as Shielding

responds to Jin’s absentminded praise with biting wit

Jin: “You aced your test? My genes are unbeatable!” Child: “Yeah, too bad your time isn’t.”

Hidden Vulnerability

practices stand-up routines in the mirror

tears mixing with punchlines

“My dad’s so busy, he thinks ‘family time’ is liking my Instagram story!”

JIN’S FIRST REACTION

Moment of Realization

overhears their late-night comedy rehearsal

freezes outside their door at the line:

“Appa’s love language? Seen but not heard.” 

his smile collapses

Immediate Response

bursts in, still in his pajamas, and blurts:

“Yah! Since when are you funnier than me?!”

then hugs them so tight they drop to the floor

Internal Turmoil

Guilt Masked as Humor

“I’m the Worldwide Handsome dad but made my kid feel invisible. Pathetic.”

Memory Flash

remembers their fifth birthday when he’d joked:

“I’ll always be your main character!” 

now they’re a cameo in his life

Fear

“What if they stop trying to make me laugh? What if they stop trying… period?”

WHAT HE DOES NEXT

Apology (Jin Style)

arranges a “Roast Battle” in the living room

lets his child tear into him mercilessly

taking each joke like a punch

ends with: “You win. Now roast me for forgetting your fencing match. I deserve it.”

Child’s Reaction

laughs until they cry, then whispers:

“I just wanted you to stay.”

Culinary Confessions

”Apology Banquet”

cooks their favorite meal (galbi tang) together

says, “Love’s like soup, needs time to simmer. I rushed us. Let me fix it.”

Food Metaphors

points at the marinade

“See how the meat soaks up the flavor? I need to soak up you. Teach me.”

Scheduled Silliness

”Jin & Me Time”

blocks weekly slots for absurd activities

karaoke battles, DIY spa days (face masks made of literally anything), and “Dad Joke Olympics.”

Public Shame

posts cringey childhood photos with captions: 

“This is what happens when you ignore your kids. Don’t be me.”

TYPICAL MOMENTS & DIALOGUE

Past Failures (Angst)

Missed Recital

they performed a comedy set at school

Jin arrived late, clapping wildly, but they’d already left the stage

found them backstage, fake-smiling

“It’s okay, Appa. Your fans need you more.”

Distracted Praise

when they won a cooking contest, Jin joked

“Took after me, huh?”  they snapped: “No. Mom taught me.”

Reparative Actions (Fluff)

Surprise Cameo

sneaks into their school play rehearsal dressed as a giant broccoli

delivers their forgotten line, then bows

“Your spotlight, not mine.”

Vulnerable Confessions

during a Mario Kart race:

“I’m scared I’ll never be as cool as you think I am. But I’ll keep crashing until I get it right.”

Signature Phrases

Self-Deprecating Truths

“I’m a joke, but you’re the punchline I didn’t earn.”

Culinary Wisdom

“Love’s not a microwave meal. It’s a feast. Let me set the table.”

LONG-TERM CHANGES

Prioritizing Presence

”No-Phone Zones”

designates dinner table and game nights as tech-free

if he slips, his child gets to throw his phone in the pool (it’s happened twice)

Visible Reminders

wears a custom apron they gifted him:

“Appa Chef: Seasoned with Regret, Spiced with Love.”

Advocacy Shift

launches a series: “Cooking with My Kid” 

episode 1 title: “Humble Pie: A Recipe for Redemption.”

Humor as Healing

therapy focus: “Laughter as a Bridge, Not a Wall.” 

journals

“I used jokes to hide. Now I’ll use them to hold.”

ENDING

months later, his child ambushes him with a prank

replaces his gaming headset mic with a kazoo

when he fake-yells:

“Yah! How dare you!”  they smirk: “You’re welcome. Now you have to listen to me.”

Jin starts a TikTok duet with them, caption: 

“My kid’s the main character. I’m just the comic relief (and I’m okay with that).”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YOONGI

silent rebellion

unspoken resentment

musical catharsis

pragmatic devotion

echoes of absence

HOW HIS CHILD SHOWS THEIR PAIN

Hyper-Independence

teaches themselves music production using old equipment Yoongi discarded

creates haunting, minimalist tracks titled “Ghost Notes”

each melody a coded cry for attention

never shares them

Academic Overdrive

skips meals to perfect a coding project analyzing “Patterns of Parental Absence in High-Achieving Households.” 

submits it anonymously to a journal

wins an award Yoongi only discovers via a forwarded email

Cold Courtesy

calls him “Mr. Min” in public

when asked why, they shrug

“You’re more a CEO than a dad. Should I curtsy?”

Shadowed Resentment

recreates Yoongi’s studio in their closet

tiny desk, secondhand MIDI keyboard, soundproof foam stolen from his trash

leaves the door ajar, hoping he’ll notice

he doesn’t

Sarcastic Sacrifice

donates their birthday money to an orphanage

leaves the receipt on his desk:

 “Invest in someone who’ll use it.”

YOONGI’S REALIZATION/ FIRST REACTION

Breaking Point

stumbles into their closet studio post-midnight, half-asleep

sees their tracklist: 

“Track 12: The Sound of an Empty Chair.” 

plays it

the melody mirrors his own “First Love”

but distorted, hollow

Immediate Response

storms into their room, voice trembling

“Why didn’t you tell me?”  they retort: “Would you have listened?”

Internal Turmoil

Guilt as Fuel

“I built empires to give them everything. Gave them nothing.”

Memory Flash

recalls their first piano recital at 7

he’d sent a congratulatory text from a conference

they’d replied: 

“Thx. Mom recorded it. Watch it never.”

Fear

“They’re me. Proud, stubborn, bleeding in silence. And I taught them that.”

WHAT HE DOES NEXT

Apology (Yoongi Style)

deletes all his unreleased tracks

replaces them with their “Ghost Notes” 

crediting them as “Producer: My Regret" 

leaves his laptop open for them to find

Child’s Reaction

slams his door

“I don’t want your pity streams!”  he shouts back, “It’s not pity. It’s a truce.”

Radical Transparency

”Business Proposal”

drafts a contract: 

“Min Family Terms: 1. I work 9–5. 2. You get 6–9. 3. Breach = I retire.” 

signs it in blood-red ink

Studio Integration

moves their closet setup into his studio

“Your corner. Your rules. I’m just the intern.”

Unflinching Acts

Public Shaming

cancels a collab with a top artist

posts: “Priorities shifted. My kid’s dropping a mixtape.”

Vulnerability in Code

rewrites their neglected coding project

adding a subroutine: 

“IF Dad = ‘Absent’ THEN Alert: ‘Yah, Min Yoongi, get your ass home.’”

TYPICAL MOMENTS & DIALOGUE

Past Failures (Angst)

Missed Milestone

they coded an app tracking his travel days

sent him a notification: 

“Day 107: Still CEO of Missing Dad Inc. Congrats!”  he’d texted: “Clever. Proud of you.” 

they blocked his number for a week

Empty Praise

when they aced a music theory exam, he’d said:

“Good job. Let’s collab sometime.”  they’d hissed, “I’m not one of your bandmates.” knowing it will hurt

Reparative Actions (Fluff)

Midnight Session

teaches them to sample the sound of his old Hyundai

the engine that once kept him from them

“This noise? It’s my shame. Make art from it.”

Blunt Confession

over ramen: 

“I thought success was my apology. It was just my excuse.”

Signature Phrases

Raw Truths

“I’d rather hear you scream than starve in silence.”

Musical Metaphors

“You’re my bridge verse. The part I skipped. Let me loop it now.”

LONG-TERM CHANGES

Structural Sacrifice

”CEO Hours”

limits work to ~40 hours/week (as much as possible, but he's really trying hard)

delegates the rest

his team mocks him: “Dad-Joon 2.0.”

he wears it as a badge

Visible Reminders

tattoos their “Ghost Notes” sheet music on his forearm

“My greatest hit.”

Advocacy Through Art

produces a documentary

“The Beats Between Us.” 

interviews fathers (in the industry)

ends with his child’s track: “Empty Chair (Full Heart Remix)”

Emotional Pragmatism

therapy focus: “Silence as a Weapon, Presence as a Balm.” 

journals: 

“I don’t know love songs. But I’ll learn theirs.”

ENDING

months later, they release a joint EP

“Dissonance to Harmony.”

final track samples Yoongi’s voice mail from Day 107: 

“I’m here. I’m here. I’m...” cut with their laugh

at the listening party, Yoongi murmurs:

“You’re the CEO now.”  they smirk: “Cool. You’re fired.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

J-HOPE

perfectionism as a cry for help

choreographed neglect

fractured sunshine

healing through rhythm

HOW HIS CHILD SHOWS THEIR PAIN

Obsessive Achievement

creates color-coded schedules mirroring J-Hope’s

slotting in self-imposed “training” from 5 AM

dance drills, volunteer hours, straight-A study marathons

tags him in Instagram posts:

“7 AM: Morning Run (Faster Than Appa’s Regrets!).” 

he likes them, never comments

Physical Collapse

faints during a dance practice at school

when teachers call J-Hope, he’s in a meeting

they wake up to a text: 

“Proud of your hustle! 💪”

Smiling Mask

practices grins in the mirror, reciting: 

“If I’m perfect, he’ll stay.” 

develops TMJ from clenched jaws

Passive-Aggressive Perfection

gifts him a mug filled with espresso beans

counted to match the days he missed dinner

Spreadsheet Resentment

charts his empty promises in a Google Doc titled:

“Hope vs. Reality.” 

shares it with siblings:��

“His ‘I’ll be there’ has a 12% accuracy rate. Optimistic!”

J-HOPE’S REALIZATION/ FIRST REACTION

Breaking Point

discovers their hidden Tumblr blog: 

“Dancing on Eggshells.” 

a post reads: 

“I’m his shadow, stretching to touch him, but he’s always chasing light I can’t reflect.” 

attached: a video of their fainting spell set to “MAMA” on loop

Immediate Response

cancels a photoshoot

sprinting to their school

finds them rehearsing alone

ankle wrapped

“Why didn’t you stop?”  they snap, “You didn’t start!”

Internal Turmoil

Guilt as Choreography

“I taught them to dance through pain, not to scream from it.”

Memory Flash

their first dance recital at 6

he’d video-called from a shoot: 

“Appa’s watching! Nail that spin!” 

they’d spun until they fell, sobbing

he’d laughed: “That’s my trooper!”

Fear

“I’m the sun, but I burned my own garden.”

WHAT HE DOES NEXT

Apology (J-Hope Style)

hosts a “Dance Court” in their living room

lets his child judge him as he performs their routines

stumbling, sweating, almost tearing his ACL

ends with a bow

“You’re the teacher now. Fail me.”

Child’s Reaction

“You’re… terrible.” 

he grins, tearful

“Finally something I can’t half-ass.”

Radical Restructuring

”Sunset Law”

no work after 6 PM

installs a Disney-themed alarm

“Step back, Appa! Your Elsa needs you!” 

forces staff to call their older sibling if he breaks it

Collaborative Choreo

co-creates a dance titled “Broken Beats” 

his move: collapsing to his knees

theirs: rising alone

Public Accountability

VLive Confession

crying, no makeup

“I’m BTS’s hope, but I broke my own. If you see me working past 6, throw eggs.” 

ARMY sends egg emojis for weeks

Merch Redemption

releases “Hobi’s Humble Hoodies” 

with slogans

“I FORGOT MY KID’S RECITAL AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY APOLOGY.”

TYPICAL MOMENTS & DIALOGUE

Past Failures (Angst)

Missed Milestone

they won a dance battle with a routine mocking his catchphrases

“I’m your hope, you’re my joke!” 

he’d reposted it with 💯 emojis, oblivious

Empty Encouragement

when they sprained their wrist, he’d cheered:

“Pain is growth!”  they’d hissed: “So is parenting.”

Reparative Actions (Fluff)

”Imperfection Day”

forces them to binge-watch bad movies

eat junk food

dance off-beat

“You’re allowed to suck. I’m proof!”

Blunt Confession

during a nail-painting session: 

“I thought love was a performance. You’re my standing ovation.”

Signature Phrases

Structured Love

“I’ll schedule my soul if it means clocking into yours.”

Rhythmic Truths

“You’re my bridge, not my backup dancer. Let me follow your beat.”

LONG-TERM CHANGES

Systemic Shifts

”Hope’s Hours”

restructures his company/team to prioritize family time (I imagine him opening a dance school)

employees get “Kid Credits”

leave bonuses for school plays

Visible Reminders

wears mismatched socks they pick daily

“My dress code? Whatever says ‘I’m here.’”

Advocacy Through Art

choreographs speech on work-life balance

ends with their “Broken Beats” routine

trends as #HumbleHobi

Emotional Re-education

therapy focus: “Joy as a Journey, Not a Performance.” 

journals: 

“I don’t need to shine. I need to reflect.”

ENDING

months later, they co-host a dance workshop for neglected kids

his child demonstrates a move: 

“The Appa Apology Shuffle.” 

J-Hope messes up, laughing

“See? Progress!”

they gift him a new mug: “World’s Best Dancer Dad"

he never drinks from a different mug again

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JIMIN

emotional sabotage

mirroring abandonment

performative self-destruction

tactile reconciliation

HOW HIS CHILD SHOWS THEIR PAIN

Self-Destructive Perfectionism

too much skincare, bleaches their hair, starves themselves to look "idol-thin"

mocking Jimin’s past diets

posts edited selfies: 

“Appa’s Mini™️ (Just as Hollow!)"

Physical Rebellion

gets a tattoo of a wilting rose over their ribcage

where Jimin’s “Nevermind” ink sits

when he gasps, they smirk: 

“Yours is about pain. Mine’s about yours.”

Artistic Screams

writes slam poetry titled:

“Love is a Contact Sport (But You Forgot to Touch Me).” 

performs it at open mics

tagging venues he used to go to

he never shows

Weaponized Affection

flings hugs at everyone but Jimin

when he reaches out, they dodge

“Careful, Appa. Your fans might get jealous.”

Guilt Trips via Proxy

befriends a classmate’s dad who coaches soccer

posts pics with him captioned

“Found someone who notices when I score.”

JIMIN’S REALIZATION

Breaking Point

finds their poetry notebook hidden under their bed

a page titled “Choreography of Absence” 

details his missed milestones in dance terms:

Pirouette: Dad missed my recital. Grand Jeté: Dad jumped over my graduation. Collapse: Me, always.

Immediate Response

drives to their school

storms into the cafeteria

demands: “Why didn’t you fight me?!”  they retort: “You weren’t there to fight.”

Internal Turmoil

Guilt as Choreography

“I taught them to shrink their pain into pretty shapes. Now they’re dancing my sins back at me.”

Memory Flash

their first ballet solo at 8

he’d sent a bouquet with a note: 

“Appa’s stuck in Tokyo. Dance like I’m watching!” 

they’d burned the note years later

Fear

“They’re my reflection, shattered because I couldn’t stand my own.”

WHAT HE DOES NEXT

Apology (Jimin Style)

performs their slam poem at a BTS concert

stumbles through tears, mic shaking

“This… this is my kid’s voice. Listen.” 

ends crumpled onstage, whispering: 

“I’m sorry I made you scream alone.”

Child’s Reaction

skips school to watch the livestream

texts: “You looked pathetic.”  he replies: “I am.”

Radical Vulnerability

”Touch Therapy”

institutes daily 20 minute cuddle sessions

no talking, just holding

first time, they’re stiff as mannequins

by week three, they claw his shirt, sobbing

Public Shaming

posts unedited selfies

dark circles, no filter

caption: “This is the face of a dad who failed. My kid deserves better.”

Artistic Reparations

Collaborative Tattoo

adds a blooming rose next to their wilting one

the artist inks “Water Me” beneath it

Dance Duet

choreographs a routine where he follows their lead

at the finale, they push him away

he crawls back

repeats until they let him stay

TYPICAL MOMENTS & DIALOGUE

Past Failures (Angst)

Missed Milestone

they starred in The Nutcracker

Jimin sent a backstage VIP pass for his manager

they gave it to a janitor

Empty Affection

when they fractured their wrist, he’d kissed it and chirped:

“All better!”  they’d snarled, “You’re not a prince. You’re a stranger.”

Reparative Actions (Fluff)

Midnight Kitchen Confession

makes them hot chocolate

hands trembling

“I’m scared to touch you. What if I break us more?”  they slam their mug: “Then glue me!”

Vulnerable Ritual

forces them to style his hair before work

“You’re my mirror now. Show me who I need to be.”

Signature Phrases

Raw Pleas

"Hate me, hit me, anything, but don’t starve silently.”

Dance Metaphors

“You’re my center. I spun too far. Pull me back.”

LONG-TERM CHANGES

Systemic Shifts

”Jimin’s Pause”

adds a clause in his contracts: 

“No schedules during Kid’s Events. Penalty: Forfeit entire fee.” 

labels grumble; ARMY calls it “The Papa Clause.”

Visible Reminders

wears a necklace they designed: 

“CHOKE ON MY ABSENCE” in tiny beads

Advocacy Through Art

releases a solo song: 

“8th Member.” 

lyrics: 

“I built seven worlds / But let yours crumble / Forgive me— / I’m just your apprentice.” 

dedicates it at awards shows

Emotional Rebirth

therapy focus: “Affection as Accountability, Not Performance.” 

journals: 

“Love isn’t a stage. It’s the crowd I neglected to see.”

ENDING

months later, they co-choreograph a duet for a charity gala

mid-performance, Jimin lets them drop from a lift

instead of catching them, he falls too

they land tangled, laughing

the video trends as “#FlawedFlight.” 

they caption it: 

“Perfect is boring. This? This is us.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAEHYUNG

artistic abandonment

vintage vengeance

escapism as rebellion

Jungkook as a mirror

poetic reconciliation

HOW HIS CHILD SHOWS THEIR PAIN

Symbolic Sabotage

repurposes Taehyung’s vintage film cameras into planters

stuffing them with cacti

leaves them on his desk with notes: 

“Since you’d rather focus on dead things than living ones.”

Artistic Mockery

redraws his iconic “Singularity” concept

replacing Taehyung’s blindfold with Jungkook’s bandana

tags him: 

“New muse. Better uncle. @jungkook”

Jungkook’s Shadow

shows up at Jungkook’s gym daily

lifting weights in oversized hoodies

posts mirror selfies: 

“Uncle Kook’s protegé > Dad’s props.”

Emotional Escapism

runs away to Jungkook’s apartment

blasting “Euphoria” at 3 AM

when Jungkook answers, they snap: 

“You’re cooler anyway. At least you finish games you start.”

Theatrical Exit

leaves a film reel on Taehyung’s pillow

a montage of Jungkook teaching them guitar, cooking ramen, laughing

ends with text: 

“DIRECTOR’S CUT: The Dad I Wish I Had.”

TAEHYUNG’S REALIZATION/ FIRST REACTION

Breaking Point

Jungkook forwards their texts: 

“Uncle, can I stay? Dad’s too busy being a concept to be a person.” 

attached: a Polaroid of them asleep on Jungkook’s couch, clutching his hoodie

Immediate Response

drives to Jungkook’s in last night’s shooting makeup

smudged and frantic

bangs on the door: 

“They’re mine. Give them back.”  Jungkook blocks him: “Not until you earn them.”

Internal Turmoil

Art as Armor

“I turned love into aesthetics. Now my kid’s a moodboard of my failures.”

Memory Flash

their 10th birthday

Taehyung styled a lavish “Vintage Wonderland” party

missed it for a photoshoot

they’d worn his outfit, smeared it in cake

texted: “Now it’s art.”

Fear

“They see my soul as a gallery, all observation, no touch.”

WHAT HE DOES NEXT

Apology (Taehyung Style)

”Empty Gallery” Stunt

rents a museum

fills it with frames of his absence

blurry photos of their back, half-eaten meals, voicemail transcripts

invites them via Jungkook: 

“Curate your pain. I’ll sit in it.”

Child’s Reaction

brings a hammer, smashes a frame labeled “First Steps (Dad: Not Present).” 

Taehyung whispers: 

“Break it all. I’ll pay to rebuild.”

Radical Rebirth

”Unfiltered” Project

destroys his vintage wardrobe, livestreaming it

“This isn’t art. You are.” 

lets them pick his outfits for a month

even if it’s Jungkook’s gym tees

Jungkook’s Role

forces Jungkook to chaperone their “Dad Dates.”

they hike

Taehyung struggling to keep up

Jungkook smirks:

“Old man. Should’ve stayed in your beret.”

Tactile Truths

Midnight Collages

sneaks into their room

leaves hand-cut paper hearts on their pillow

each with a regret: 

“Missed recital,” “Forgot phobia of spiders,” “Stole your laugh for a song.”

Public Accountability

changes his Instagram bio to “Recovering Aesthetic Addict.” 

posts unedited videos of their fights: 

“This isn’t V. This is Dad.”

TYPICAL MOMENTS & DIALOGUE

Past Failures (Angst)

Missed Milestone

they starred in a school play

Taehyung sent a theatrical bouquet but attended a gallery opening (contract)

they left the flowers on Jungkook’s doorstep: 

“Here’s your prop.”

Aesthetic Wounds

when they begged for a normal family photo, he styled a surrealist shoot

they scratched their face out

"Finally, your masterpiece.”

Reparative Actions (Fluff)

”Ugly Art” Day

forces them to make ”the worst craft possible” together

glues macaroni to a thrift store painting

Taehyung hangs it in his studio: “Our Mona Lisa.”

Raw Confession

during a karaoke duet of “Winter Bear,” he ad-libs: 

“I’d freeze every season just to thaw your heart.” 

they roll their eyes but lean into his shoulder

Signature Phrases

Poetic Penance

“I’ll burn every camera if you’ll be my muse again.”

Vintage Vows

“You’re not a concept. You’re my cure.”

LONG-TERM CHANGES

Systemic Shifts

”V’s Vow” 

caps photoshoots at 12/year

donates vintage collection to a youth art program

“Create your own lens, kids. Mine’s cracked.”

Visible Reminders

wears a keychain they made

a smashed camera lens encased in resin. “My favorite scar.”

Advocacy Through Art

curates an exhibit: “Fatherhood Unframed.” 

features messy, unposed photos of dads

his contribution: a polaroid of their macaroni art

Emotional Renaissance

therapy focus: “Love as a Verb, Not a Vignette.” 

journals: 

“I used to collect moments. Now I live them.”

ENDING

months later, they co-host a “Trash Art Fair” in their backyard.

Taehyung wears a shirt they tie-dyed (badly)

Jungkook heckles: 

“Looks like a unicorn puked on you.”  they retort: “Better than your swole aesthetic.”

Taehyung gifts them a rebuilt camera

now a music box playing ”Winter Bear.” 

inside: “For capturing us, unfiltered.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JUNGKOOK

Silent endurance

idolization turned resentment

physical overcompensation

intergenerational healing

sweat-soaked apologies

HOW HIS CHILD SHOWS THEIR PAIN

Athletic Overdrive

trains relentlessly in boxing, soccer, and weightlifting

chasing Jungkook’s records

posts workout videos tagged “#NotYourShadow”

filmed at 5 AM in his empty home gym

Injury Ignorance

sprains their wrist/ankle but hides it

wrapping it in his tape

when he asks why, they snap: 

“You’d only notice if I bled on your trophies.”

Hero Worship Sabotage

wears his Golden Clothes MV outfit to school

then dyes it black

posts: “Rebranding Dad’s legacy. Who’s next?”

Hyung Hopping

adopts Yoongi’s studio as a sanctuary

brings him convenience store coffee

begging: “Teach me to produce. I want a real skill, not just Dad’s abs.”

Sibling Rivalry

challenges their (older) siblings to push-up contests

snarling: “Winner gets his attention for a week.”

JUNGKOOK’S REALIZATION/ FIRST REACTION

Breaking Point

Yoongi texts him a voice memo of the child crying over a beat

“I’m just his rep count, something to finish fast.” 

attached: a photo of their bleeding knuckles gripping Jungkook’s dumbbells he was looking for

Immediate Response

drives to Yoongi’s studio

slamming the door

sees them asleep at the mixing board

hoodie stained with ramen and tears

“I’m… I’m the villain, aren’t I?”  Yoongi grunts: “Fix it before they turn into me.”

Internal Turmoil

Guilt as Fuel:

“I wanted them to be strong. I made them breakable.”

Memory Flash

their first soccer goal at 7

he’d cheered:

“Do 10 more!” 

instead of hugging them

they’d scored 20, vomited, and lied: “I’m fine!”

Fear

“They’ll outgrow needing me before I learn to be needed.”

WHAT HE DOES NEXT

Apology (Jungkook Style)

Public Humiliation

posts a ”Fail Compilation”

him dropping weights, tripping on stage, crying mid-concert

caption: “I’m not Superman. Just a dad who fell.”

Child’s Reaction

comments: “Cringe.”  he replies: “Deserved. Roast me harder.”

Radical Surrender

”Apprentice Dad”

forces them to train him in their hobbies

lets them critique on the soccer field

“Faster” he grits when they overtake him 

“I can take it.”

Yoongi’s Role

sits in on studio sessions, taking notes

“Hyung, how do I… parent?” 

Yoongi tosses him a lyric sheet: 

“Try listening, not fixing.”

Tactile Vulnerability

Injury Ritual

cleans their bloody knuckles/scraped knees nightly

rewrapping them with ”Sorry” scribbled on the tape/band aids

Bedtime Confession

reads Green Eggs and Ham in silly voices

like they’re 5 again

“I missed this. Missed you.”

TYPICAL MOMENTS & DIALOGUE

Past Failures (Angst)

Missed Milestone

they won an important soccer match

Jungkook sent a new pair of soccer shoes via assistant

they sold them

buying Yoongi and them coffee for studio sessions

Empty Praise

when they aced a math test, he’d flexed: 

“My genes are fire!”  they’d hissed: “Mom’s a professor. You’re just… you.”

Reparative Actions (Fluff)

”Weakness Workshop”

Jungkook cooks burnt pancakes

laughing as smoke alarms blare

“See? I suck. Teach me.”

Raw Confession

mid-sparring, he lets them knock him down

“You’re stronger. Be stronger. Forgive me.”

Signature Phrases:

Painful Truths

“I thought love was a competition. You’re my coach now.”

Athletic Metaphors

“You’re my personal best. Let me be your warm-up.”

LONG-TERM CHANGES

Systemic Shifts:

”Golden Hours”

limits their training to 3 hours/day

buys a family-sized gym where staff call the child ”Boss.”

Visible Reminders

tattoos their initials next to ”ARMY”  

“New recruits ...”

later they get matching tattoos

Advocacy Through Action

launches ”Rest Days” campaign for (athlete) mental health

speeches quote their fights: 

“Trophies rust. Kids don’t.”

Emotional Rebuilding

therapy focus: “Strength as Softness, Not Swagger.” 

journals: 

“I don’t need to win. I need to stay.”

ENDING

months later, they co-host a ”Dad vs. Kid” match

Jungkook takes a dive, theatrically collapsing

they sit on his chest, grinning: 

“You’re washed up, old man.”  he pulls them into a hug: “Nah. Just letting you lead.”

they gift him a new jeans jacket, hand painted:

“World’s Strongest Dad - almost” 

he wears it to the Grammys

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[icescrabblerjerky]

On Writing

I've been writing in a semi-professional way for more than a decade now. I'm not SUCCESSFUL, per se, not in a way that means I can live from it (and I'm very lucky in that I don't have to) but I do write a lot, some of it gets published, some of it gets acclaimed. I've even earned a teeny bit of money from it.

Two things, over the course of my career, have made me a better writer.

The first? Just writing a lot. This can be anything. Fanfic, journal entries, posts like this! YES THEY COUNT! Diary entries, letters, formal communications, reports at work. TEXT BASED RP. EROTIC ROLE PLAY. YES I WILL INCLUDE THAT.

Every single word you write hones your craft (this is why fucking AI sucks balls, every time you ask it to write your email for you, you're losing valuable writing time, I am NOT fucking joking on this, do your own fucking WRITING). Write more, write what brings you joy, write what comes easily to you (and what comes hard hur hur). Do the thing. DO IT. You can't get better at squats without doing squats! You can't get better at writing without PUTTING THE WORDS ON THE PAGE MEAT SAC.

The other thing that has made me SO MUCH BETTER is peer critique. It's showing my work to other people and saying "hey is this bad?" "hey, what works and doesn't work about this?" "hey DOES THIS SUCK" and actually TAKING the critique when people give it to you.

I have had the extraordinarily rare privilege of a long term ongoing writer's group who have never been afraid to tell me what they think of my stuff.

Yes. Sometimes the critique is gonna be shit. Sometimes they don't get what you write. BUT more often than not what a peer group will tell you is what works and what doesn't. What captured their attention. Whether they like your characters. Whether they think this plot is worth pursuing or actually no, you've set this whole thing up that is WAY MORE INTERESTING TO ME.

You need to expose your work to other eyes. And you need to LISTEN to what they tell you. It will make your writing SO much better.

[anincompletelist-etc]

hello and welcome to modern / unconventional epistolary prompts! :D

epistolary works are most typically known as correspondence of some sort between characters, but can be any form of records or documents! they can be a fun way to explore more about the character(s) you're writing and get to know them better, and to add a creative element to your work that's able to entertain readers while also revealing details relevant to the plot.

here are some general ideas, formats, plot lines, and literature inspo!

emails

texts

direct & instant messaging / social media

music playlists / songs

work or academic means of communication (like Slack, Google Docs, etc.)

pen pals

dating apps

customer support lines and/or complaint departments

birthday cards / postcards / letters

secret codes or scavenger hunts (scenarios in which you must solve a mystery or collect all of the necessary pieces before the message(s) is revealed)

grocery lists or to-do lists

written on the body / tattoos

telepathy

+ some more interesting formats!

written in the form of an academic essay(s) with written feedback, or a document that has been annotated by someone

newspaper clippings

told through photos (or typed descriptions of photos)

a transcript / manuscript / stenograph

audio recordings (voicemails, radio, podcasts, voice notes/messages, recording devices like tapes, etc.)

search history

online quizzes

short answer forms

dossiers

maps

lipograms

personal notes / journal entries

prescriptions

invoices

+

here's also some social platforms that might offer different landscapes for communication:

Tumblr! :D (posts & messaging)

Reddit (posts & messaging)

Twitter (tweets & dm's)

Instagram (photo sharing & dm's)

buying and selling sites like E-bay or Facebook Marketplace

YouTube

LinkedIn

+

(p.s. if you're writing on ao3, you can find some of the skins for different social sites or formats here and here for a start!)

letters that devolve or change over time

letters that at first appear to be between two characters but are later revealed to be written by only one person

letters that are left for one another at/in a physical location or exchanged in person (bonus points if communication between the characters is higher stakes (frowned upon/unexpected/forbidden))

multi character / group scenarios with the above prompts, or a - known or unknown - third party stumbles upon the correspondence and changes the dynamic (the character voices must be more distinct so the reader knows who's speaking -- unless keeping it a mystery serves the plot!)

+ some books & literature that feature epistolary style elements for further inspiration or reading!

Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric Larocca

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

Meet Me at The Museum by Anne Youngson

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

--

please feel free to reblog with your own ideas, recs, or tips!

x

[artdcnaldson]

Crashed out in a big way, cried, called my dad, cried more, ate leftovers for lunch, cried, locked in for beautifully worded email it isn’t my job to send but when has that stopped anyone, cried, wrote a journal entry that would’ve gotten me institutionalized in the 1960s, cried, stared at the tracking for my package that’s out for delivery, locked in for a meeting, cried