#ah well because trying to code stresses me out

[lisenberry]

Blend In

Suggestive/Explicit Language, Mystery 141 x F!Reader.

MDNI!

1111k words (heavy on the -ish)

For @the-californicationist Nameless Challenge!

Congrats on 500K words, Cali!!

Put your guess in the comments as to who you think it is!

You had no idea why you’d been chosen for this assignment, but you were not going to argue.  Certainly not with him.

Keeping any doubts to yourself, you checked the mirror in the bathroom one last time before exiting into the hotel room you shared with your teammate.  Well, not your teammate yet, but if all went well, your fingers were crossed for a spot on his elite task force. 

“What do you think, sir?”

As a mere corporal, just about everyone had a higher rank than you.  There was the distinguished Captain Price, Lieutenant Riley, Sergeant Garrick and Sergeant MacTavish.  Big (huge) shoes to fill, but you were ready to prove yourself.

“It’ll…do,” he muttered, turning his head quickly towards the surveillance equipment set up on the nearby desk.  “And don’t call me that.  We’re undercover, remember?” 

“Do I get a code name or something?  You all have badass nicknames, and I’m just...the new girl.”  You shrugged your shoulders and tried not to fuss over the plunging depth of your neckline that barely covered your pushed-up boobs, or the uncomfortable way the fabric hugged your hips.

“No, New Girl is the new girl.  You’re—Ah, fuck.  Here we go.  Time to get out there.”  He picked up something on the camera feed of the hotel’s ballroom and pointed to it with his finger.  “Target’s moving.”

“Who picked this dress?  I thought I was supposed to blend in.  It’s obscene for a wedding.”

“Not for an oligarch’s wedding.  Tits up, back straight, and do your job.”  He gave you one last look over, dragging his gaze up to meet yours, finally, before giving you an encouraging nod.

“Aye, aye.  Sir.”  You couldn’t help but add the last with a bold smirk.  Maybe it was the dress, or the mission, or the unexpected glint in his eye, but you had a good feeling about this.

********

You’d been gone for only ten minutes, and he was already doubting every aspect of this assignment.  As the only fluent Russian speaker who didn’t scream special forces in the ranks, you’d been the easy choice.  But you were also soft around the edges, and sweet as hell, with a smile and an inner kindness that would lower anyone’s defenses. 

What the fuck you were doing in the military, or how you’d made it this far, he had yet to figure out.

He’d only agreed to this at all because the stakes were low, as was the risk of danger.  All you needed was a cigarette butt or a discarded champagne glass.   A piece of cutlery left behind on a tray.  Even just a partial fingerprint would be enough for Laswell to make a positive ID.

He was not prepared for you to strike up a conversation with the third most lethal psychopath on the watch list, or let him put his hand on your ass and squeeze you close to his hips as he whispered suggestively in your ear. 

“Careful, sweetling,” your commanding officer gritted low into his radio.  The comms device in your ear was undetectable, but he didn’t want to startle you or alert the target that you were in contact with someone.

It could also pick up your conversation, not that he understood any of what you were saying.   It seemed to be mostly flirty banter and coy laughter.  The man was obviously trying to get in you back to his room.

He didn’t know much Russian, but he knew enough about men’s appetites to get the idea.  He’d had his own thoughts, just the good sense not to say them out loud.

And he could not believe what he was seeing on the camera.  A sudden, sinking flood of anxiety made him jump in his chair and clench his fists at the stress.  You were going with the man, following him as he escorted you out somewhere beyond the surveillance feed.

“Do not leave that ballroom.  I can’t track you out there.  Get back.  Abort!”

He knew you could hear him, but you weren’t following orders.  Being ignored was most certainly the root of his blinding rage, not his concern for your safety.  Or the hungry way the bastard had looked at you in the dress he’d handpicked himself for the way the color made your skin practically glow. 

The cut and size may have been a miscalculation, he admitted to himself, as he checked the clip in his handgun and hurried toward the door.   

“Fucking hell.  You’re going to get yourself killed, and if you don’t, then I’ll do it myself.  When I get my bloody hands on you, Cupcake, I swear—”

“Cupcake?  That’s the best you can do?”  You stood on the other side of the door, with your hands on your hips as he pulled it open, with a fierceness you’d only heard about from other recruits.

Suddenly directed at you, it was worse than you’d imagined.  He looked ready for war as his words caught in his throat. 

“There you are.  You’re alright?”

“I got his prints on my purse, his DNA on my tits, and a retina scan on my phone.  And his phone, for shits and giggles.”  You quickly held up your loot for his inspection, before he could catch his breath long enough to lecture you on your recklessness.

He swiped a big hand along his mouth for composure, but he still looked like he wanted to kill something.  Mostly you.

“DNA?”  His eyes darkened quickly, somehow even more than before, as he looked from your face to your aforementioned tits.

“Saliva, big guy.  I’m committed, but not that committed.  Calm down.”  But he didn’t of course, because you’d never actually seen him relaxed.  At least not around you. 

You’d heard stories that he was a generally likable bloke once you got to know him.  Earned his trust.  Maybe someday you would get to see that side of him.  From the looks of it, this wasn’t it.

“Your country thanks you for your service.”  He deadpanned, not appreciating your snark.  

“What about you, sir?  Did I make the team?”  You shifted on your heels hopefully, still brimming with energy from knocking out a man twice your size, watching him piss himself, and staging the scene to look like he’d passed out on his own.

“I’ll put in a request to my commanding officer as soon as we get back.” 

“Really?”  You stifled the urge to hug him in your excitement.

“No.  You’re never allowed to leave the base again.”

You weren’t deterred as you rolled your eyes and stuck out your tongue behind his back.  You’d wear him down.  One way or another.

[corn-fanfiction]

Mark Hoffman fluff?

Ask and ye shall receive, dear Anon.

Rating: M

Tags: language, drugs n alcohol, Eric Matthews being himself, fluff (I tried anyway), some descriptions of facial wounds

Not an Asshole (Mark Hoffman x GN!Reader)

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"Ah!"

You suck air through your teeth and cradle an ice pack against one side of your head while thick yet curiously nimble fingers work at the laceration on the other side. Mark has removed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Things would be different if your vision wasn't still skewed from the tussle. For one, you'd be fixing your wound yourself. Also... you'd be able to better glimpse at Mark's face while he focuses on his work. His brow furrows differently than normal when he focuses, like the usual scowl is a front and this is him in his element.

"Am I gonna have to report this?" he grumbles, setting aside a bloodied alcohol wipe and readying a suture.

"I'm probably the last person you wanna ask."

"Why?"

He's mumbling, clearly looking to fill the silent space. You indulge him.

"Because you know what I'm gonna say."

"That I shouldn't report it?"

"Yep."

"You broke a pretty strict code of conduct," he murmurs so quietly it almost registers as a hum.

You had, in fact, broken quite a few codes of conduct, and in public no less. There's a reason you're in your apartment and not the hospital.

"He had it coming."

Mark 'tsked'. "Still."

You smirk. He agrees with you.

"Get that smile off your face. He's gonna run straight to the chief and tell. I give you a day, if that. Hold still; this is gonna hurt."

You clench your teeth and grip your whiskey glass so hard you're afraid it might shatter in your hand, and then Mark will have even more to clean up. He begins your sitches and you take a shaky sip.

"Still," he scolds you like you're a disobedient animal. You roll your eyes.

"Just take me out back and shoot me."

"You're so dramatic. They're stitches."

"Yeah, and they fucking hurt."

"Well, you fucking earned em, didn't you, Ace?"

Ace. Your nickname, or rather, his nickname for you. Because no one else called you Ace. It started out mean, critical. You were, after all, a rookie, and he your mentor. He was allowed to say basically whatever he wanted to you, and in the beginning, he did. He said things that had you crying in your car as soon as you were out of sight. Any stress, he took out on you. Even the shit that probably wasn't even related to work- it ended up on your shoulders.

It was like that for a while. Then, something changed.

To put it simply, you had saved his life. He was caught unawares, him, and you managed to talk the perpetrator down. More than that, you'd been stupid, deliberately putting yourself in harm's way just to save Hoffman from a beating or maybe a bullet.

So you're Ace. Hotshot, hotheaded. Everything Mark was before you entered the picture. Now, he finds himself taking on some kind of new role to balance you out, though he's not exactly sure what it is or how much he likes it.

"Not my proudest moment, admittedly," you say with a pained groan as Mark pulls the sitches through.

"I'd really hope a bar fight with Eric Matthews was not your proudest moment, no."

"It wasn't a bar fight."

"Ace-"

"It was outside the bar and he threw the first punch."

"He missed."

"Yeah, the first swing."

"I don't feel like arguing about this- hold still unless you wanna lose an eye."

Begrudgingly, you seal your mouth as he manages the last stitch. He pulls a particularly sensitive piece of skin, or maybe sends the needle a little too deep because you hiss and shoot a hand out to clutch his leg.

"Sorry," he mutters. You can't see him, but you feel his eyes hot on your hand and you pull it away, trying and failing to mumble an apology of your own. Even though he's literally sewing your skin closed, the hand to thigh contact is somehow the most intimate thing that's ever happened.

And you have to admit: you maybe had the occasional fantasy about Mark. It couldn't be helped. He's a man in a position of power and you have enough childhood whatever that it has a certain draw. But in any of those fantasies, it's you playing doctor to him. He's the more notorious hothead, after all.

"You're probably mad I'm stealing your title," you half joke. He snips the suture and dabs at it lightly with a fresh alcohol wipe.

"Oh yeah? You think you're gonna make head detective?"

The first part of your response is a gut reaction. "God no. I meant as the biggest asshole in the precinct."

His hands slow, and for a moment, though you're still coming down from your near blackout-level of drunkenness, you're scared you offended him.

"You're not an asshole, Ace. Well, maybe sometimes. But your heart's in the right place."

You're never one for serious or genuine conversations. You always want to leave a conversation with a joke or snarky remark. But here, now...

"And yours isn't?"

After a moment, he sighs and turns himself away. You're sitting on your kitchen counter and he's on a barstool. Even with these levels, he's as tall as you. You kick your legs as he stands.

"This isn't about me."

You hop down from the counter. "I think it is about you as much as it is about me."

He shoots you a grim look. "How do you figure that?"

"Come on. Matthews is pissed that you're good at your job, and by extension, I'm occasionally good at my job."

"That's vanity," he quips.

"But am I wrong?"

He struggles for a moment, caught between lying versus telling you that you're right. He says neither.

"Not the point."

He removes his gloves and tosses them in the trash, along with the wipes and leftover sutures. There's a moment of silence, of him watching you as you retrieve the whiskey and refilling your glass.

"Want one?" You ask.

"Sure."

You get another glass and pour. Like it's a strange instinct, you touch glasses before drinking.

"To being the two biggest assholes in the precinct," he says. You half expect the phrase to be some sort of sad, but he says it with a small smile, as if to say 'yes, we are, and that's just the way it'll have to be.'

You don't mind the idea.

You down your whiskey and pour another glass.

"Slow down there, Ace. How many painkillers have you taken?"

Honestly? You don't remember.

"...some. I'm fine."

To prove just how fine you are, you push yourself from the counter and immediately stumble.

"Alright," Mark sighs and sets his glass on the counter. "Where you trying to go?"

"Couch," you point. It would seem that yes, most of the substances you've ingested in the past two hours are combining at once.

Mark comes and hovers a guiding hand at your lower back to move you to the couch. You make it, plopping down and grabbing the remote.

"Whaddya wanna watch?" You ask, not quite slurring your words but definitely not enunciating them.

"I really oughta get home, let you rest."

"Noooo!" You groan. "At least not right now. What if I have a concussion? I can't sleep, right?"

Panic starts to creep in. You have been a little irresponsible tonight.

"And the drinking, and the meds- holy shit..."

You get woozy, start to fall on your bad side and Mark catches you and sits you up.

"Okay, where's the bathroom?"

You wave your hand to the hallways behind you and he leaves. Distantly, through your haze you hear Judge Judy on the tv. Mark returns with a cold wash cloth and the small trashcan from the bathroom.

"Here," he hands you the cloth and you set it on the back of your neck. Mark sets the bin by your feet. He straightens up and gets a good look at the state of you.

"Well, now I'm worried about you passing out."

And now you feel guilty about keeping him here.

"You're fine," you mumble. "Don't wanna keep you here."

Mark sighs, looks around the room, then looses his collar, undoes the first two buttons of his shirt.

"Scoot," he instructs, and you move yourself to one side of the couch. Mark kicks off his shoes and sits beside you.

"I'm staying until we're certain you won't overdose in the middle of the night. Deal?"

You would verbally respond but you're getting sleepy. You nod.

"Hey, wake up. Can't sleep yet."

"Whynot."

"Concussion."

You turn so your body is facing inwards, towards Mark. You toss the remote onto his lap.

"Pick something."

"This is fine."

"No, you hate reality TV."

"How do you know?"

"You told me once," you mumble with your eyes closed. You roll your head back and forth to keep awake.

"Oh," he says. "Well, I don't mind this one."

You crack an eye open. "You like Judy?"

He doesn't respond, just purses his lips.

You're not in your right mind. That's what you tell yourself every day since this night because it's the most dignified way you can justify your next move.

You've pulled your socked feet up on the couch and start nudging Mark's leg with your toes. His head swivels towards you.

"What?"

You clear your throat and squeeze your eyes shut to let a stab of pain pass.

"Lap."

When he realizes what you want, Mark sighs and moves his arm so you can swing your feet onto his thigh, snuggling even closer. He tenses, but doesn't move.

"You're not an asshole," you mumble. Your forehead gets closer to his shoulder.

"Yeah, I am."

"Not to me."

"I used to be."

"I know," you yawn. "I forgive you."

As you fall asleep, you think you might hear an apology slip through his lips.

-

When you wake up the next morning, Mark's gone. But you wake up on your side, covered in a blanket, the trash can placed strategically by your head. On your coffee table is a glass of water and two painkillers. And next to them is a sticky note.

Ace,

eat first. Don't take on an empty stomach.

-Mark

You smile and chug the water, then take the pills anyway. Your stitches ache, and your brain pulses against your skull, but you grip the note tightly in your hand, content to slip it into a drawer somewhere and 'forget' to throw it away.

Yep. Maybe an asshole. But not last night. Not today.

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Sorry if it's OOC but Mark's not a super fluffy guy. This seemed like a natural-ish way to play it. Thanks for the req, anon!!

[wooahaeruby]

Chapter 2: Umbrella to Stand Under, Together

Chapter Word Count: 3,230

TW

Possible "triggers" but not really All unrealistic government stuff, hacking, coding, etc. Don't take that shit serious, I just needed to add it because I needed the filler and for context later for jokes.

Master List | Prev | Next

The rain let up. It was the fourth day that it pelted the ground without fail and drenched the city in gloom. 

You weren’t surprised. Long, random bouts of rain weren’t uncommon but were definitely unwelcomed by you and any passerbyers on the busy streets. 

It was early, as it typically was when you left for work, and the fog that shrouded the city only added to the drowsiness that was taking over your senses. Your heels were no match for the rain but you were smart enough to pack them in a tote and wear flats to better traverse the slippery sidewalks and subway tunnels. Peak rush hour had you stressing yet your steps never faltered as you squeezed into the subway car and stood with your hand grasping the railing for stability. 

You flatten out your dress pants the best you could, shivering at the small wet patches that dotted the fabric from the rain. You’d hate to have to walk home in them unless the sky magically opened up to the warmth of spring sunlight. The long sleeved, powder blue blouse you wore wasn’t any better, barely keeping in warmth without the jacket you slung on as you hurried out the door. A lot of work needed to be done today at the office and you shook off the annoyance that you held, not needing to be huffing over stupid clothes when you’d be behind a computer all day. 

The office building wasn’t too far from the subway entrance, it provided your much too short daily need of exercise since you wouldn’t bother driving a car in the overpopulated streets of the city. 

At the top of the steps, you were ready to weave through the busybodies that lined the street when a hand stopped you, gently holding your elbow. 

“Don’t you want a nice umbrella to walk under, honey?” The voice caught you off guard but familiar nonetheless. It was silvery and bright, laced with a bit of teasing and a heavy drop of sarcasm. “Can’t have you getting soaked in the rain.” 

Another day, another act. 

You hummed and let your arm be linked at the elbow with the man, taking in his sharp nose and long, handsome face. “I’d love that, nice to see my husband is always caring for me one way or another. Though I wonder, how did you manage to be here early enough to catch me?” 

“Ah, well you know, the early bird catches the worm and a loving wife keeps my head down from the clouds to remind me to pamper her.” He held the umbrella above you, hoping it was enough of a shield to keep the both of you mostly dry from the never ending rain. 

“Good morning, Seokmin.” You properly greeted, a smile on your face as he laughed to himself. 

“Good morning, beautiful.” Seokmin hummed, letting his usual long strides match up with your smaller ones. “Thought I’d be nice since you almost always forget your umbrella when it rains.” 

“Not sure if you are calling me dumb or being thoughtful so thank you either way.” 

You shared a laugh, the conversation settling for the loud patter of rain and the rush of feet hitting the pavement. Stepping into the building, you parted to remove your backpack and tote bag, sending them through the x-ray machine for security. You waited to be ushered forward through the metal detector, clearing it without an issue. Gathering your things, you waited for Seokmin, walking side by side through the second checkpoint where you each scanned your badges to pass through the gates. 

“Email said we have a lot to do today, is it on SVT or is it stuff regarding the governor?” You asked, letting him press the button on the elevator. 

“Depending on how fast you work, we are still running confidentiality on something for the governor and if you get it all done, maybe you can try and go back into finding information on SVT.” 

Huffing out a sigh, you pouted. With new elections coming up, you had been swamped with cyber threats and finding the faults in them to send the proper authorities once identities were discovered. Your division worked mainly for the governor and mayor, however you were tasked with deep diving the web for any and all information you could find on the elusive underground group. SVT was hard to track, always covering their behinds and hiding behind thick firewalls that were ever changing. Any given day investigating them was tiring and fruitless. 

One of the most frustrating parts of your findings was the encryption integrated with the firewalls. In college you majored in cybersecurity investigation and cryptography, you knew how the codes were written, how to solve them easily, but whoever was running point on SVT’s knew what they were doing and did it well. Each code was unique and almost a thumb print into who the person behind the screen was. You spent years looking over codes from your classmates, you could point out almost all of them just by their coding alone. The code for SVT…it felt familiar, you don’t know how it did but you thought you had seen the encryption code pattern previously and you’ve mainly kept that fact to yourself. Honestly you thought you were just going mad from staring at the screen too long and needing something to keep you focused. 

Stepping off the elevator onto your level, Seokmin walked you to your office, letting you unlock the room and flick on the lights. 

“I’ll email over what I need from you by the end of the day.” He gave a small wave, flashing a bright smile before making his way towards his office but backtracked and leaned against the door frame for a moment. “I can drive you home later if it’s still raining. Like I said, can't have you getting soaked .” 

Fixating your eyes on his, you raised a brow. “I’m sorry, boss , are you flirting with me? On company time?” 

“Always, honey.” He left you with a wink and walked off once more. 

You hung your coat on the wall hook and pulled out your heels to slip on, knowing if you didn’t do it now you’d forget and you wouldn’t hear the end of it from your older coworker who were sticklers about how you dressed to work. As you sat down at your desk, you turned on your computer tower, one with some of the best specs you knew, seeing as it was fancy government money that provided it. Once you had joked that you would steal it and replace the gaming PC you had with it since it ran so smoothly. 

Awaiting Seokmin’s email, you reviewed tasks and projects needing to be finished by the end of the week with your team outside of your work from Seokmin. Simple encryption and reviews were needed in regards to them but it was just a repeat of almost every project provided by the upper management. Occasionally it was different with a breach in security walls and needing to repair and strengthen them but it was more rare than what anyone in the media depicted with multiple teams watching over the servers. 

Once the email hits your inbox, you set to work. It was easy work, really only needing to spend a majority of your time layering encryption to protect the assets data. The layer of code took the longest, having to skim through line after line to make sure your work was clean even though it was yet just wanted to double check. With your desire to finish and move from the first task, you skipped lunch and snacked on a protein bar from the top drawer of your desk. At some point you closed your office door and opened the blinds the slightest bit, a signal to your coworkers that you were focused and if they needed you they would need to knock and wait. 

Slumping back in your chair, having kicked off your heels and sat criss-cross, both hidden under your desk, you were satisfied with the work you finished. Did it take a majority of the day? Most definitely, but it was done and a quick email told Seokmin you were moving onto the SVT firewall and diving into any dark web clues. 

SVT wasn’t your company's main focus. As a subcontractor company under the bureau of investigation, you mainly worked for the state and the governor's office, however with the city and the rings that ran under the night’s sky, your company also tried to assist in searching up any leads on them. If you were to be honest, it was your favorite part about the job. The group had come to light in May 2018 when you were just finishing your second semester of college and while you didn’t condone their actions, you were intrigued by how fast they grew under the police’s nose. 

It only further pushed you to top your classes to find a way to work for a division that even looked into them a little bit. You wanted to stay in the city after college and got a job at your current place of employment after finding out you would be getting paid decently. You were overjoyed when you got your first assignment against the infamous group. It felt even more fulfilling when Seokmin, your boss then and still now, complimented you on the work and the speed you got things done. 

Speaking of the devil, he knocked on your office door later in the day. You called out for him to enter, taking note of the time close to clock out for the day. 

“Anything juicy?” He asked, knowing you well enough to have an idea of what you were already diving into. 

You shook your head and looked back towards your screen as he closed the door and rounded your desk. “A forum is making a comment about bringing down their business but I’m not really sure what that is aside from a silly threat they probably wouldn’t take seriously. The profile attached to it isn’t interesting, similar comments are made for other gangs so I’m not really interested in it.” 

Seokmin peered over at your screen, watching as you scanned another few comments and huffed.

 “I get a headache anytime I try breaching their servers. It’s like they know I’m trying to get it and add another layer to keep me out.” 

“Ah, don’t think like that!” Your friend rested against the back of your chair. “Maybe they are just trying to keep their stuff strong so no one gets in, who knows!” 

You leaned your head back, looking up to Seokmin who looked down at you with his dazzling smile. Breathing a sigh out from your nose, you closed your eyes. You weren’t satisfied with your findings so far and needed to get something solid to report to your higher boss just to ease the slight obsession you had. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” He patted your shoulder and spun you in your chair, laughing at your sitting pose and the lack of shoes. “Tomorrow can be a new day and a fresh start.” 

He gave you little time to get out of your desk and clock out, muttering something about changing your clock out time just a little bit with a wink. 

Seokmin, ever the gentleman, something you joked about since he started playfully flirting with you a few weeks into your start at the company. He found your curiosity with SVT interesting and liked you even more when you joked with him in return. Other colleagues within your division were absolutely under the impression the two of you were dating no matter how much you denied it.

In the nearly two years you’ve worked with him, it felt like a blooming friendship since day one. While Seokmin was your boss, he was only two years and some months older than you. He never made you feel uncomfortable or misheard in the mostly male dominated workspace and never let the friendship you nurtured interfere with either of your work. He was a person you could rely on, someone who you didn’t feel like a burden to when traversing adult life or needing help. 

Most surprising was how ready he was to be there for you. A year into your friendship he had said that if you ever needed anything or needed help with a situation to give him a call. 

You took him up on that offer once last summer when you had a date go downhill and you camped out in the bathroom of a nice restaurant until Seokmin showed up, dressed in dark jeans, a fitted black shirt, and a shiny pair of boots. The guy that asked you out was a major dick that had some very…controversial opinions on women and you didn’t feel safe just walking out of the place alone. You hated that you didn’t notice the red flags prior. Seokmin had promptly escorted you out and into his car, locking it and going back in to pull the man outside to speak. He didn’t tell you what was said between them when got back in the car, but he told you that the guy wouldn’t be bothering you anymore. 

In a fit of coping with the situation, you joked the entire way back to your apartment that he was living some double life and was all cool and some hotshot outside of the smiles and teasing you had received at work. He neither confirmed nor denied it, but the next day at work he had brought your favorite morning pastries and coffee with single rose, saying that any man that tried to date you wasn’t worth it. It warmed your heart that you had someone care about you platonically like he did. 

He took you home from work, bugging you if you needed to stop anywhere since he was driving you. You insisted that, no, you didn’t need anything and you just got groceries delivered to your house the night before so everything was set. With the best hug you could provide over the center console as your parting gift, you quickly left and hurried your way across the sidewalk and into the apartment building you called home. 

It didn’t…seem right. As you tried to process the encryption and the message hidden behind it, you leaned a bit too close to the screen and squinted. 

Just a series of coordinates, a date, and time posted? Tonight? 

This couldn’t be right but you were unsettled to say the least. 

Quickly you wrote down the information on a sticky note, having looked up the location and jotting it down alongside everything else. As fast as heeled feet could take you, you hurried out of your office and down the hall towards Seokmin’s office. A quick peek inside showed him only typing something on his computer and you knocked hastily, trying to catch your breath. 

Hearing his signal to come in, you pushed the door open and scurried behind his desk, slapping the sticky-note down on whatever papers were in front of him. 

“Good afternoon to you too, what is this, honey?” The teasing in his voice was laced through each word. He sat back in his chair, raising an eyebrow at both you and the note. 

“I found this while intercepting some messages between some people while sifting  through SVT leads. Do you think it means anything?” Your voice held hope as you asked. 

Seokmin peered over the note, moving his head side to side in thought. “I can send it over to my supervisor and see what he thinks. Don’t know if it will be worth it though. Did it come with any message or just this?” 

“Just this.”

Nodding, you watched his face morph between two faces you couldn’t properly place but they both faded into a small smile. He gave a small pat to your arm, “I’ll keep you updated on it, try and get some more digging done if you can. It is a Friday though so don’t expect anything from the higher ups.” 

You knew it was right and the grimace and roll of your eyes you gave showed just how annoyed you were. When you read over the coordinates and looked it up, you had a nerve wrecking gut feeling that it meant something, even if it was simply a distribution of products. Maybe you could even look into it more yourself…

“But Seokmin-” 

He cut you off with a click of his tongue and a stern look. You’ve seen him serious before but never this serious. Seokmin had set his jaw some and squared his shoulders, sitting up straighter in his chair. 

“You know how it goes, you give the information, I relay the info, then the feds try to handle it.” He paused, words direct. His gaze turned hard, almost like he could read your mind. “Don’t do anything stupid, Y/N. I know you too well and this doesn’t mean you do more than what your job is.” 

Honestly you should feel offended, but staring down at him from your standing position, you could see the tension in his shoulders. You bit at your bottom lip and sighed out your nose. With him holding your gaze, you nodded, letting your shoulders drop and sighing once more. 

“I just think it’s really important, I haven’t had this feeling in a while since we found that a few cops aligned with them but were killed not long after we found out and the feds sent people to look for them…” 

Seokmin’s face softened, letting the tension ease from his body and he took your hand, gently patting the back of it and nodding along to your words. He had seen how disappointed you were when the department saw the news that the cops died. 

“I know, beautiful. Let me pass this on and hopefully they will do something about it.” 

Returning back to your office and shutting the door, you sat behind your desk, staring at the clunky screen of your computer monitor. Your mouth twisted and contoured as you chewed on your lower lip, thinking over what Seokmin said. With how your management has worked before, a part of you already concluded that they would think the information was lacking and wouldn’t investigate it at all. They’d probably think whoever found the message was an idiot since it had nothing backing it aside from being in with SVT leads. In a fit of rebellion, you wrote down the information and slid it into your backpack.

You had declined Seokmin���s offer to take your home and opted for the subway, needing a bit of time to think. He had told you that no supervisor took the shred of information seriously, as expected, and that you should simply move on from this lead and wait for another to come forward. 

You couldn’t accept it if you were being honest with yourself. Why would all that information, albeit so little at the same time, be sent? 

It didn’t make sense, it really didn’t. 

Pacing about your apartment, stepping through each room while lost in thought, you debated whether to do something extremely stupid or not.

Tag List is Open! Comment on the BSH Master List to get added!

Tag List:

@unlikelysublimekryptonite @iiaweirdo

[seecarrun]

I'm someone who is dealing with mental health issues. Due that I can't focus on my studies and other things in life and my productivity and creativity is decreasing day by day. I don't have reliable people around me with who I can talk to about my inner turmoil. I want to get professional help, but my parents are not allowing me to do that as they think that "getting help is something that is not well accepted in the society" and it would give them a bad name.....

I'm blank at this point now and I don't know what to do...... From your recent asks from some trolls (I'm extremely sorry about that), I can see that you are a parent.

What advice can you give me in this situation?

Ah man. I’m sorry you’re going through that, friend.

I get it. Growing up, both of my parents were dealing with some serious mental health issues, but never really sought actual help for themselves (or my sister and me) and now they’re old and dealing with sooo many related physical health issues on top of everything else, it’s super hard to see. Thankfully, I am old and able to get myself in therapy now, lol, but it would have been nice when I was younger!

I am a parent, but my son is just almost two, so I’m still pretty new at it. BUT! Along with being a parent, I am also a teacher who happens to be married to a school counselor, and I’ve been doing that a lot longer than parenting, so sorry in advance if this advice is more teacher-coded than parent-coded.

But I think you should seek out a school counselor, if you have one available and accessible.

I know some of them suck. Believe me, I’ve worked with some horrible school counselors, as has my husband; he’s literally getting his PhD in counselor education because he’s seen so many shitty counselors, he wants to educate them to be better or get them out of the profession before they begin, but if you have one at your school it is a great first step.

If you don’t have any counselors at your school, do you have any teachers or coaches you can reach out to? Even if they’re not your current teacher. I teach elementary school and I have kids I used to teach come back to talk to me while they’re in high school. It’s not weird, students are always our students.

After that, any trusted friend’s parents? Growing up, my friend’s parents were a big help in keeping an eye on me and helping me out when my family was horrible to be around. Even if it was just opening their home to me to hang out there.

My only other thought is, honestly what kept me sane through high school, was finding a hobby I could sink myself into. I ran. I still run. Running is my therapy between actual therapy sessions, and I don’t know where I would be mentally without that escape from the real world when I’m stressed or feeling anxious. Maybe try finding your escape hobby to help you until you can get some professional help.

I don’t know if that is helpful at all, friend, but I hope it was. And I hope you’ll reach out if you are feeling like things are too much and you need some adult insight. You matter <3

[steamberrystudio]

i can't stress enough how much i adore morgan. like with every route im like oh of course the love interest would fall for her like how could they not??? like when she's nerding out over history/archaeology for example even i find myself falling a little in love with her! i love how outspoken she is, how she's never afraid to call people out including the people she loves, since I feel like its rather common for otome mcs to let people get away with things, haha. she's also incredibly funny at times--visual novels and reading stuff in general doesn't often make me laugh out loud but some of her lines and the way she fires back have made me laugh quite a few times. her growth was so cool to watch as well, how though there's definitely a period of getting accustomed to things, you can sense just how powerful she could be even in the beginning. plus I love that she had the opportunity to use her powers in a kickass way at least once in every route.

ah but sorry for the ramble i finished gilded shadows in like... two days because I can't be normal about the things I like ever and I just wanted to express what a joy it was to play as Morgan. I genuinely think she's my favourite not just dating sim main character, but one of my favourite main characters period. thank you so much for her and gilded shadows in general and im so excited for reubens and yuus route. im so greedy for more content of this game haha

I think my two favourite things about writing Morgan are both her tendency to go full nerd at the expense of the current situation (causing someone to have to tell her to please focus) and the fact that she is so uninformed on Esper related things that she thinks way outside the box - and is then sometimes able to do things she's not "supposed" to be able to do.

I always imagine that Espers naturally limit themselves as a sort of innate sense of self preservation. But Morgan doesn't know what her limits are supposed to be. So she'll sometimes just try stuff because she doesn't know she shouldn't.

Of course, Morgan isn't the most powerful Esper in the game (that crown goes to Brenin) but it's still fun to play around with queen rank abilities as a story element.

Anyway! I'm looking forward to embarking on the final route soon. Reuben's route is going through its second revision - just finished Chapter 8 today. So I have six more chapters to edit before I start scripting and coding and doing art.

And then I'll be writing Yuu's route finally. And I'm really looking forward to it. ╰(*°▽°*)╯

[lotrmusical]

post about poto italy

quite genuinely the most i've ever enjoyed watching phantom. i've been trying to figure out why and i think it basically boils down to a couple things:

- one of the things i like most about phantom is the metatheatricality, and one of the things i like most about theatre in general is suspension of disbelief. poto italy played into those things (both deliberately and inadvertently). any moments that lacked 'polish' (which there undeniably were, if you compare it to the london production) really worked for me to keep up that sense of immersion. we are in a theatre. this is a work of artifice. being able to see through the gaps in the performance and understand that this is something people are working together to make 'go', while still at the same time buying in to the world that it presents... idk. delicious chaos. if it were any other show, and if the cast hadn't all been singing their hearts out, it might not have worked. but as it was i think it being less polished than the london production actually made me enjoy it more

- on a related note, the other thing i like about phantom is how stupid it is. half the songs are overtly comedic and the other half are the world's schmalziest most over the top secretions of lloyd-webberage and the plot doesn't make any sense. so when i'm watching phantom i'm already psychologically primed to react to things with 'sure!! why not!!'. the sillier it is, the better. and boy did this production deliver on silly

- credit to alw, i think this is because the music is so genuine and compelling that it makes a strong enough tissue to hold the show together and preserve the emotional sincerity despite how objectively silly it all is. it's a rubbery sort of show. you can fit a Lot of silly into it without any risk of tearing the immersion.

- i don't even know what to say about characterisation tbh since i think it's fairly clear i don't watch this musical for the characters. i do not think that character depth is one of phantom's strong suits. nevertheless here are my takes.

christine felt like she had less agency than normal (already not a high bar) but compensated by responding to situations with genuine emotion/stress/fear and delivering a wishing you were somehow here again that made me weep.

i sort of enjoyed the unhinged all i ask of you. it makes christine and raoul more interesting to me if they're both obviously having a terrible time. i like raoul struggling with trying to be the Guy Who Fixes Everything in a situation that he's realising is actually beyond his abilities to fix.

diversity win/loss: this phantom stims. obviously one wishes they hadn't chosen to code the stalker and murderer as autistic/Ambiguously Mentally Unwell. like i think we can all agree we probably wish they had made a different choice there. that said, as someone who does rock back and forth in times of emotional stress, it did sort of work to get me to like him better. ah well.

- favourite things about this production: revolving set, deliberate arson and insurance fraud, the anastasia once upon a december thing they did during the overture, spinning piano, lesbianism, the masquerade staging

[thessalian]

Thess vs Las Vegas, Again

I didn't want it to keep annoying me so I tried the stupid Gizmo quest again. And that was ... cooler than expected.

Right. Is it going to let me jump now? ...YES! Except that was the wrong way.

Not angled right.

FUCK.

OKAY THERE WE GO! And up the stairs we go!

Ah. Half a code. Greeeeeeeat. This is probably going to be more Playing With Crates thing, isn't it.

Yeeeeeep.

I mean, on one level, the things they've done with physics in this game are really remarkable. On the other hand, THIS IS ANNOYING.

Okay. Finally got everything stacked the way I need it to and-- Oh, fuck off ENTIRELY!

I get you wanted to make it a challenge, Guerilla, but if you want us to drag the crate, you have to not almost entirely obscure the hitbox with random set dressing!

FINALLY. Oop, outside. Well, sort of. In the dome, not in the vents. But with the way it's lit up with everything rebooted, I grant it's hard to tell.

Oh. They were used to change the lights for the holidays-- so the clovers were for St Patrick's Day, the eggs were for Easter, the hearts for Valentine's Day, the crescent moons for ... what, Eid? They included Eid? Fantastic.

WOO! Okay, heeeere gizmo gizmo gizmo...

Aaaaand we have candy canes. Christmas. Huh.

Okay. Now for Morlund's burner.

More messing with the physics THANK YOU FOR THAT.

Crate crate crate ... vent vent vent... LEAP. At least it's not as stressful as Cauldrons.

Oop. MORTE LE DRAGON! (Yes, the spelling is the same in French and English, but the pronunciation is so much not.)

Could those squeaky annoying pains in my ass have come out at the major impact? You know, DRAGON HEAD?!?

I. HATE. FIGHTING. CLOSE. UP.

Anyway. Got it. Stemmur first.

So basically if you put Stemmur, Abadund, and Morlund together, and then squished them a bit, you'd have one full Varric Tethras. And Oseram are what you get if you put together every dwarven stereotype in the known universe. Bling, ale, and forging.

Oooooh, I get to pick the holiday that shows up? ...What's Bodhi Day? I'd prefer do one I know but isn't quite so ... Western. Eid al-Fitr was more recent than most of these others, so I'll go with that one.

...Woooooooooow.

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: Bodhi Day is "the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha". Huh. Wow.

Anyway. Off to Morlund. Here you go, Morlund--

Wait.

Waitwut.

Yeah okay, fine, I will ride your flying machine if--

He made a hot air balloon?!? Oh, that is awesome!

Stormy and some kind of machine... Do ... do I get to kill a Stormbird? DO I?!? ...I mean, assuming I survive this crash. Which I will assume because I don't think this is like Baldur's Gate 3, where one bad decision can just insta-gib you.

Yes, Morlund, I will get you out of your predicament but I will loot first!

Ah, so we need the burner because you are going to try this again. Maybe when I've fixed ELEUTHIA. So let's--

STORMBIRD! STORMBIRD YAY!

Still pretty good at hitting those weak spots, even when it's throwing a literal thunderstorm at my face-- Oop.

HA! Last sliver of health down by a shot to the neck right as it was about to breathe bullshit at me! Yes, Morlund, that was epic; thank you for your enthusiasm. It's nice to see my hard work appreciated now and then.

Morlund, you are adorable and I love your enthusiasm. You and your troupe are why I love the Oseram. Ingenious, intrepid, enthusiastic, loyal little freaks with hearts as big as their ale kegs.

(Okay fine there are some shitty ones like Ulvund and the Sons of Prometheus, but the latter don't count because they're more Sylens' people than any known tribe and the former ... well, he's probably mor an outcast than anything else right now. Those bad apples are being removed before they spoil the whole barrel.)

(Side note: YES THAT IS HOW THAT PHRASE WORKS. When people talk about, for example, the police forces only having "a few bad apples", the saying is, "A few bad apples spoils the barrel". So you remove the bad apples before they can do that. Or, in the case of most law enforcement, probably better to just set the whole barrel on fire, but never mind.)

Right. Pick up some side quests at Camp Nowhere before hanging it up for the night. 'Cos Talahna and... oh, hi, Porguf.

...Really.

......Really?!?

Yeah, that's better. Please try honesty with me, Porguf. I promise you I react to it better than steaming piles of bullshit. I will return the property you stole if I can but I gotta talk to my friend first and--

Talahna? There is more shit I don't know and you have zero idea how much I hate that but since the story demands it and I was heading in the direction of the Jungle Zone anyway, I will help you. But I want some NPC codex-dump out of you when we get there, okay? It's only because you are my friend that I'm going to trek around someplace called "The Rot".

That was the point at which I decided I was pretty much done. Yeah, I'm going through this game slowly and I definitely won't be doing a 100% completion run (I dislike melee pits and combat charger racing) but it's a pace I can manage and I'm having fun and that's all that matters.

Now I am going to raid my newly filled fridge for protein.

[rosetheex-editor]

[Video transcript begin.]

[The transcript begins with the camera facing a hole in a purple wall, dried blood surrounding it. As if someone had their head slammed through the wall, there is also a table off to the side. Multiple papers and video cassettes on it, the camera is shaky as the person holding it sighs.]

?: Ok Will… Waiting on you now.

[Voice identified: Rose.]

[There is distant footsteps, alongside the fainter clicking of metal on the tiled floor. Heavy breathing is picked up, getting closer to the microphone.]

R: That's either Will or someone about to kill me… Please god if you exist let it be Will.

?: Fuckin’ hell, this place is a mess!

[Voice identified: Will.]

R: Thank god it is you… Anyway um… Yeah, it uh… Is partly because of me.

[Rose turns around, the camera now facing Will.]

W: That's, understandable. It's so fucking great to see you again Rose. Really.

R: Yeah uh… Same, also.

[Rose's hand pops into frame, pointing at the ‘accessory’ on Will's face.]

R: Need help with that? At least a little bit?

W: Fucking hell, yes please. I've been meaning to go up to PR to get it off but..ya know.

R: I'll try and lockpick it, if that doesn't work… I'm sure Mai had painkillers somewhere?

W: That sounds ominous, but. Surely somewhere.

R: Fair point, but um yeah.

[Rose turns around again, now facing the table with the papers and cassettes. She snatches a paperclip off of one of the papers and walks back over to Will.]

R: Ok. Where’s the lock?

W: I haven't been able to see if there actually is one, but probably around the back?

R: Alright, I'll check.

[Rose walks over to the back of Will's head, A lock keeping the back of the metal muzzle in place. Rose looks at it for a moment, and begins trying to lockpick it.]

R: Ok stay still.

W: trying. Bit painful.

[After 2 minutes, it seemingly unlocks. But it remains stuck.]

R: Fuck- It’s stuck.

W: You're kidding. For fucks sake.

R: Wish I was. It's stuck.

W: Ah, well. Thank you anyways, Rose.

R: Yep, so now. What did you want to talk about?

W: I just, wanted to-

[Will stops halfway in his sentence, pausing, before just pulling Rose into a hug.]

R: WOAH- Hey Will! it's nice to see you, um… What did you wanna talk about?

W: I..wanted to talk about fuckin everything man. I'm sorry for before going odd at you, hell, I'm sorry you're back here!

R: You don't have to fucking apologize, it's not your fault.

W: Should've fucking done something to help though. How are you holding up?

R: Want the truth, or the answer that makes us both feel better?

W: Truth, Rose.

R: Um… Fucking hell, not great. It feels like I'm being ripped apart, I'm trying to help everyone. While taking care of Sparrow, and… Trying to help Ruby…

W:...you shouldn't. Try to take care of everyone. It destroys people, Rose. You don't deserve to have that stress on you.

R: I don't want to lose anyone else Will, I can't… I made a deal with her to try and not lose anyone for crying out loud

W: And that's why I'm not leaving yet. Not letting that asshole do anything, you hear? She isn't doing shit.

R: She’ll figure something out, I know she fucking will.

[Rose sighs, seemingly trying not to cry.]

R: You know… We could both just run through the window here? We could leave?

W:..only one of us deserves to leave, Rose. You don't have to worry about me, okay?.

R: You deserve to get out too, I don't give a shit what a stupid virus says. You deserve to get out.

[Will chuckles a bit at that.]

W: Bits of my brain are code. Hell, some of my bones are metal. Try getting me through any border checks or airports.

R: We could probably say the same about Sparrow with the code? Hell. I have a metal plate on my fucking head, try again. You deserve to get out.

W: You guys have a life ahead of you, people out there.

[Will does turn to the window, and just stares out.]

W: The wind felt nice. When I was out there.

R: William Keane. Quit trying to talk your way out, you deserve to live a life outside… None of us care that bits of your brain are code, or that some of your bones are metal. Hell… Ness still wants to meet you I bet.

W:..now apply those to yourself, Rose. Remember you too deserve a life outside, you deserve to be away from here. Alive.

[Will turns, with a melancholy smile on its face.]

R: Yeah… I just wish Ruby was there too.

W: I know. I promise you, I know. But, Ruby wouldn't want you in danger for her sake. You know this, you've tried Rose.

R: She spoke… I heard her speak Will.

W: Spoke.. Rose, look me in the eye please and tell me. What did she say. What did she actually say.

R: She said stop… A Lot…

W: her voice? Like, you're sure. And she said this when you were running away.

R: I'm almost positive.

W:...almost. what's causing the doubt. Is it a gut feeling?

R: Maybe… I don't know. I think?

W: I'm begging you, Rose. Listen to that feeling. I'm not here to try and stop you, but. Please. Just..please.

R: I have to try William… I need to know… She deserves to know I'm sorry…

W: She knows. She knew from the moment you tried to help her, from all those escapes, from you looking after Sparrow! She knew, Rose, and she will always know. You're a brilliant sibling, she loved you with all her heart, but..the body isn't hers anymore. And I think you know that.

R: William… Please… Please god… Stop…

W: For her sake, I can't let you do this. She loved you, Rose. And you loved her. But it's time. It's time to focus on the now, not the could have been. We can't stop time, or make it go back, but we can change what will be. She wants you to be safe, to look after Sparrow, to be with Ness! She was saying stop to you trying to find her Rose. Please. You know this.

[Rose throws something in the direction of a VHS player.]

R: SHE DOESN'T FUCKING DESERVE TO BE ALONE! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE TRAPPED HERE! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO HAVE A SISTER WHO COULDN'T EVEN TRY AND HELP HER TO BEGIN WITH!

W: you did try. You tried so fucking hard. But Rose, she isn't alone. The memory of you that she has..it's enough. I know you're upset, you're angry, they did this to her. But we can't stop what’s happened. The best I can offer is..Decommission..

R: No… No no no no no… I'M NOT FUCKING LETTING ANYONE HURT HER AGAIN!

W: Rose I wouldn't, you know i wouldnt. I just meant that I think that's the only way she can rest.

R: You and me made a fucking deal… Three weeks…

W: I'm staying with that deal. I don't break that shit. But it doesn't mean I can't speak to you about it. I..didn't come here to really talk you down from doing anything though. Just..think of the repercussions. Ness, Edgar, Katherine, Mari, Sparrow..me..

R: She won't kill me… I know she won't kill me…

W: You don't sound too sure, Rose. Please don't take the risk.

R: You sound like Sparrow right now. ‘Nothing is worth the risk’ and such.

W: The kid makes good points. Don't you think if so many people are saying this, then maybe you should heed the warning? Think of the last few times, Rose. I was right, every time.

[Heavy static over a TV followed by a woman's voice on the TV.]

?: This Thing On? Mic Check Mic Check One Two?

[Voice identified: TV Mai.]

R: What…

W: HOW. is someone else here?

R: No? Oh, when I threw that fucking pocket knife it must have hit the button…

M: What’s Up Dickheads, I Don't Actually Know Who's Watching This. But Hi!

W: She was a bitch

M: THIS! Is A Video Recording Of A Test On One, Ruby Henderson. Say Hi You Dumb Bitch!

R: What…

W: If she was still alive I would fucking kill her again.

M: I Said. Say HI

[Rose turns the camera to the TV, on the screen is Mai in her office. Behind her is a woman covered in bruises and blood. She struggles to speak.]

?: [Slowly.] F- Fuck… Y- you…

[Voice identified: TV Ruby Henderson.]

W: That's.. Holy shit… What..

M: Hey! That's Not Nice.

Ru: G- Go fuck… Y- Yourself.

R: I… I…

M: Do You Have Anything To Say? This Is Your Best Chance.

W: Rose. Rose breathe.

Ru: R- Rose… I h- hope to god you never see this… B- But if you do… I am… S- So sorry… S- So so fucking sorry… L- Live the l- Life I couldn't little sis… I L- love you… So fucking much… We'll a- Always be family…

R: I… I… I um…

W: Rose, i-im. I'm so sorry.

M: Ugh How Boring. Maybe I should Beat You Some More?

R: Shut up… Shut up…

M: Listen To Me Very Carefully Ruby. You'll Be Nothing More Than A Machine For Death. That's It. Have Fu-

[Before Mai can finish, Rose throws a broken shard of glass at the TV, It falls backwards. Cutting off the recording.]

R: GOD FUCKING DAMNIT! STUPID MOTHERFUCKING BITCH!

W: Rose, i-

R: IT'S NOT FUCKING FAIR! GOD DAMNIT!

W: I know it isn't, I'm sorry.

R: I HATE THIS MALL I HATE SHOWFALL I HATE IT ALL!

W: …and they hate us.

[Rose walks to the table, grabbing a lighter.]

R: We could burn it all William… We could burn this fucking place to the ground.

W: And what about the people in here. Their families. Their siblings. Their friends. Put the lighter down, Rose.

R: WE CAN'T FUCKING SAVE EVERYONE WILLIAM! I COULDN'T STOP MY OWN SISTER FROM BEING TURNED INTO THAT THING!

W: Rose please, be-

R: STOP JUST STOP! WHAT GOING TO TELL ME HOW MY SISTER IS DEAD AGAIN?

[Rose grabs the table and throws it at a wall, breaking the table and leaving another dent in the wall. She falls to her knees.]

[William had flinched at the table, taking a step backwards, but now is on his knees next to his friend.]

W: I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

R: QUIT FUCKING APOLOGIZING PLEASE! IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT! IT'S MY FAULT! ALL OF THIS IS MY FUCKING FAULT!

W: It isn't. It's fucking showfalls. And you know fucking what?

R: WHAT! WHAT! I KNOW WHAT!

W: We're fucking making them pay. Hetch challenged me to a fight. We're gonna make them regret ever fucking with you and your family.

R: We gonna jump em?

W: I'm gonna jump ‘em. You are gonna make sure You, Edgar, Mari and Sparrow make it out, more stuff on the outside to work with. You hear?

R: You're gonna get out too… I'm not making the same mistake twice.

W: I can technically leave whenever. My PR permit allows me too. I just haven't.

R: You know what I mean, I know you do.

W: I'll figure it out. The priority is getting you guys out, you can tell the others, get equipment, fucking tear showfall down from the roots.

R: Will. You are going to get out too. I swear to you.

W: Don't. Please. It's safer just. Going with the flow.

R: Last time I went with the flow on an escape, I left Ruby here.

W: …right. Okay. The others and you are a priority though, alright? I'm just. If we have enough space.

R: I mean, my list of priorities has you on it so. What's your point?

W: My point is, focus on yourself. And the others.

R: Again, last time I focused on myself getting out. I left Ruby here.

W: there's no convincing you, is there?

R: Na, anyway… Should we take these papers and shit? Might be useful.

W: Yeahh. Let's do it.

R: You should take the VHS tapes, on account of. I think PR is one of the only places with a working VHS player.

W: Pretty sure, yeah. Can always nick it for us?

R: True… Hm. Alright let's do this.

[Rose walks over and grabs her bag, before walking back over and grabbing multiple papers and VHS tapes.]

W: Want me to get anything?

R: Up to yo-

[Rose holds up two papers, The shaking of the camera makes the text blurry. But Rose seemingly starts crying.]

R: Take these two.

W: Are you okay?

R: Yeah. Fine.

W: Are you sure? You're-

R: I'M. FIN-

[Rose falls to the ground and begins sobbing, the sound of crying filling the microphone.]

W: Oh, gods. I'm here, okay? You can talk about it.

R: [Sobbing.] There mine a- And Sparrow's f- Files… L- Like the one for… R- Retrieval…

W: Shit.. I can take those for you, yeah? I don't have to, but. If you want me too, I can.

R: Please…?

W: Of course, just breathe with me, Yeah? In for 4, hold for 6, out for 5.

[Rose starts taking deep breaths as asked, this lasts for a few minutes before stopping.]

W: You're doing great Rose, you're doing brilliantly. Do you want a hug?

R: Yeah… A hug would be nice…

[William leans in, and pulls the other into a hug.]

R: Thanks…

W: Anytime dude. If you want..I could ask Mari if you can stay at the hideout with us all for a bit? Sparrow's already there?

R: Na it's ok… I um… Saw the transcript that you guys are low on food.

W: I've got some in the bag! Honestly, it's just the matter of stealing it.

R: Fair enough… I think I'll come over tomorrow, honestly I'm kinda tired.

W: that's, fair. You want me to walk you back to your hideout, or you good?

R: I'm good… I promise…

W: Okay. That's good. Stay safe Rose, please.

R: I wil-

[Rose grabs her phone and looks at it for 5 seconds, before throwing it at a wall ending the transcript.]

[End transcript]

[invisiblegarters]

Hidden Agenda Ep 4

Even though no one will see this because tumblr still hates me and support is ignoring me, I am determined to keep going for my own sake.

I am really annoyed though, at this point. So that will probably creep in. Apologies beforehand if anyone does actually stumble upon this. I am not good at dealing with frustration, and this whole thing is like trying to interact with people through a two way mirror. I can see you but you can't see me, and it doesn't matter how much I wave or try to get your attention, it just doesn't happen. I hate it.

Anyway. Moving on.

HAHAHA oh I love the only one bed trope.

Aw he's a regular. That's cute.

"Why did you want to come with me?" Zo. Seriously. ZO.

"You are my dear student" are you fucking kidding me with this.

AOU. I mean, JENG. Yaaaay! HI, hi, hi! Does that mean a wild Boom - I mean, Pok - will soon appear?

Yes. Yes it does. Pfft and everyone thought that they were a secret couple. Apparently not so much, I'm dying.

Why the dramatic music? I am so confused. Is Pok using my darling to try to make Zo jealous? Because if so I will be irritated. Or is Zo just pissy because now there are three whole people on his trip with him?

Liveblogging is so stressful I should stop (I won't stop).

Gonna say I feel like Zo is probably just bothered Pok didn't trust him enough to tell him about Jeng.

And yep. There it is. He's just hurt that he found out by accident. My dude, sometimes it's not about you. Although I do get him feeling awkward about the way he found out.

Ah, it's about Nita. Well, you did drag her to the library under false pretenses and then read her a myth that had nothing to do with the help you said you needed and got weird about it. I'm on Team Nita in that interaction, Zo.

Although as an overanalytical person myself I do deeply understand the way Zo has gotten into his head here. And okay I probably just have The Eclipse on the brain (when don't I, really) but this is so very soft!Akk & Aye coded, lol. Zo is the over analytical one who cares way too much about other people and Joke is the one who cares about himself and his people and thinks that Zo should focus more on himself.

Ha so Joke is afraid of heights. I would love to walk on a glass floor like this. I've done so other places and it is a trip. I love it. But I have never had a height thing so that probably helps.

Aw yes Zo get handsy while helping Joke with his fear. We like that. Him physically stopping Joke from looking down...we love to see it.

Oh they are cute on their little date. Zo better cotton on to the fact that it's a date soon. We already know he's now aware of his own attraction and Joke...is not subtle.

No I want to know what a boomerang is too. I am not hip with the social media stuff and this is the second time I have heard this boomerang thing.

I am going to have to google it aren't I?

Aw, Zo. Okay I'm really warming up to him this ep. And I have said it before, but I think that Dunk has really improved. He lost a lot of the little quirks that drove me nuts in SIMM and he's way more natural here, less stiff and like he isn't sure where to move his limbs at any given moment.

Oh my gosh this phone thing is too much for me. It's cute but aaah no too much.

My gosh this dude is so smitten please someone put him out of his misery. It's up to you, Zo.

Ah okay so it is a hidden relationship, just not from friends. I'm guessing family stuff? Does that mean it'll rear its head with Joke too? Will that be our central conflict (if we have one)?

This is making me hungry. I really need to make something to eat before watching these shows.

Hahaha oh Zo. Honey.

Ah, so it's that he doesn't want to be picked on by his straight friends. Man, this is so different from Max I kind of love it. And I really hope that they talk because this kind of thing can break a relationship. I have said this before but it doesn't matter how much you love each other, if one person wants to be out and another can't or won't be, it can easily breed resentment that will slowly strangle the relationship.

Oh no I see a guitar.

Please don't sing, please don't sing, please don't sing.

"Expressing your feelings doesn't make you weak" - louder for the people in the back, please.

Don't sing! Don't you do it! Don't you -

Sigh.

Oh at least the second bit was clearly done via studio. Raw singing is usually just not that great. Literally only Gawin has pulled it off recently.

So are they gonna kiss or not this ep, we think? It's not mid series, that will be next ep, so I'm guessing either it cuts out before their lips meet or they get interrupted.

Then again.

Haha but now Zo's gonna go into panic and avoidance mode. Well that's abut what we all expected, I think.

Still cute.

[alphamamalioness]

Ah, it’s nothing with Asher or my AlphaTale bitties- actually no- it does involve them in some way but that’s because of how… well.. all others within household are rather effected by this development

Echidna(Gift Tori bitty from Shy Quiet Hopes shop) and my little Loki(a Javelin[killer] Utah Raptor bitty from Fantsy Fields) have been rather… persistent in trying to get to the second floor, which is starting to stress the entire household out, and in turn the resident bitties that are settling into the second floor that still need their time and space (like your AlphaTale Bitties) and the ones that reside in the nursery itself are rather growing irritant at the thought of the children being anywhere near the two because of their nature and the way that they can be- especially around the young ones… (I have been doing my best to try and ease their worries, I have even put the magic suppressants collars on both bitties it has gotten so bad, and I feel so terrible having to repress them like this but they just aren’t learning and I do not wish to isolate them) it doesn’t help that Prince, the single (nightmare) Utah Raptor and bitty that Loki will ever listen to is sick, temporarily being settled at a veterinary clinic so that he is away from all the positive energy in the household, and will be unable to return until fully recovered (Loki taking full advantage of this new found freedom)

Please also know that not all the children and babies go into this room and stay in it, if requested a small nursery is provided in a special box that is customized by the mother that is then placed next to or within the bitties territory, only accessible by the members granted it (i as a caretaker am an exception since I will need to interfere should anything go wrong) the nursery is more so like the open baby safe space/playground and a birthing room for parents to relax and not worry about other bitties of the household, Echidna is unconsciously targeting this place and area because she subconsciously knows she will be incapable of accessing any of the Nursery Boxes

Right now I’m tryin to appease to Echinas more maternal and possessive side by offering to get a Baby doll for her to look after as long as she behaves, this has indeed deterred more attempted ventures to get into the second floor and in turn the nursery but still she often loses herself into the unconscious desires of her code and nature,(I fear one day I or someone else will not be there in time to suppress her from harming others, I’m debating putting a tracker or something for her to wear to teleport her to a safe space to where she can calm down should she resort to anything like magic) Loki however, is a completely different problem He has been rather relentless and I think I know the reason why but still- letting him into the second floor and near the nursery or other rooms for any reason at all is not ideal (He has a very strict note that anything small he can fit in his jaws will go in and having baby bitties into that mix is not comfortable and no matter how much I love and trust him it is still within his nature) giving him access to the second floor isn’t really an option (granting such a high privilege to the upper floor will definitely cause conflict and more problems then solutions) (just so anyone who is curious that doesn’t know, knows, I rarely if ever, make an exception for a bitty to EVER go onto the second floor, Those that are on the second floor are either strictly the following; parents and their children in the nursery, the newer bitties that need to have a safe space to adjust and settle into, me and other caretakers, the bitties that are in my shop that need observing and special care/observation before entering my shop, and of course, helpers and residents like me,that have their bedroom up on the second floor)

I have come to the conclusion that I might just have to take him into a much more strict training program(he hates them and I know that he will hate me as well but it’s getting out of hand) or have to get a guardian for the second floor, each choice having a difficulty of its own right

It is a rather stressful event, but I know it will work out in the end, but maybe just maybe you could provide some advice for me?

What would you do in this situation AlphaMama?

AlphaMama: Well, that's a really tense situation dear, I believe I just have the right "device" to help you out on this: Bitty Catcher!

BittyShop Item // Bitty Catcher //

This restless guardian will look out for all the subjects you wish them to track, like a tracking camera of security, but with the advantage of actually catching the target with their stretchable red silk lines and/or creating a magic barrier to prevent trespassing.

It is a haunted "dream catcher", not having the need to be fed or anything.

Step 1:  Open the box inside the room you wish

them to protect (Only 1 Room by the catcher) and 

remove the sleeping catcher (closed eye)

//You will know he is working when the eye is OPEN and MOVING//

Step 2: Write down the name of the bitty you wish

to be restrained (You NEED to be thinking 

on them to work) in the papyrus paper inside the wooden box

//1-knot will appear on the golden lines of the catcher to each bitty name//

Step 3: Close the box and put the sleeping catcher up the closed box, 

will activate itself by opening the central eye and floating around, already tracking 

the targets and will see them even if they are hidden.

Note: The catcher won't let the targets leave the room, always enchanting them to forget their intentions and get back before their reach the barrier (which will make them instantly fall asleep) and the catcher will carry them back to their belongs.

//Each catcher have a limit of  5 targets, each target will appear like a golden knot with the bitty mana pearl on them//

ONLY WORKS WITH ALREADY "OWNED BITTY", not working to catch "wild bitties" or another creature.

AlphaMama: This should do it! ... oh! And I believe I have a good distraction for Loki and Echidna's motherly needs:

This one is a "Pinky", omega onion-san, but she is the "Beast" version of it and can't grow up to adult version, it is too big to get eaten by Loki, and she is poison enough only to make him a little dizzy(don't need to worry)… She can't leave the aquarium so if Echidna wishes to take care of her, she will be trapped around the aquarium, since the baby is really lovely and needy, don't will like to be alone and will "sing" to Echidna to stay close… IF the Pinky-baby sees Echidna as her mom, she won't let Echidna leave her but don't go to hurt her so no worry too ^w^ ... as a "untouchable prey" she should be enough distraction for Loki, at last until Prince's return.

[respectthepetty]

I went into episode six of Wandee Goodday already knowing that Yak is crying, begging for a kiss, and wearing his chain in the next episode which signals that he and Dee are likely no longer in a fake relationship.

So I was nervous at the very beginning of episode six hearing Yak admit that the one time he lost a fight was due to his weak spot.

Yak was so used to winning quickly, that when he actually had to put in the effort, his opponent defeated him by simply putting up a fight and draining his energy.

This extended theme of winning and losing is starting to really stress me out!

Because both of these color-coded boys (in love) need to win.

Especially Yak since money troubles have been mentioned several times.

But both boys can't win since Dee has proven to be a worthy opponent even as Dee is already wearing Yak's yellow.

Dee has more stamina, and no, this isn't about sex. It's about denial. Once Yak leaves for training camp, Dee looks out to the balcony and his fake blue (post coming after episode seven) and sees Yak's pants hanging. But look at the fire hazard! The black curtain is draped over the light as Dee states he does not miss Yak.

A gentle breeze was blowing so the curtain could have magically covered the light, but this is also a monitored television production and if a source of light is covered, there is usually a reason, because once Dee goes out and actually touches the pants, magically, the (yellow) light is shining brightly even though the breeze is still there. And Dee texts Yak.

This happens again. Dee is speaking to his little mini Dee and clearly states he does NOT miss Yak as he stands in front of his fake blue.

Yet as the conversation continues, a yellow light magically appears.

And that's the thing! Dee, with his fake blue, is really good at denying his feelings.

But yellow Yak isn't. Because even when he said that he feels comfortable around Dee because he can be himself and included Taem in that statement at the last second, he was still holding onto a purple water bottle.

And even when Dee showed up in front of him after driving two hours just to see Yak and tried to claim that YAK MISSED HIM FIRST, Yak still asked for a kiss . . . on the lips knowing full well what that means to Dee.

So I really liked that Ter observed Dee standing in front of the purple direction arrows for the bathroom and a lab as Dee watched Yak with Taem because Dee has to pick which direction he is going.

Dee, in his purple, needs to decide if he really is no longer in love with Ter, who he was in love with for eight years.

Or if he is willing to try something else.

Because Yak, who doesn't want the public to know when he is in a relationship, has actually always been true to himself and his color, but Dee's purple and feelings stay hidden, which is why he could hide the fact that he was in love with Ter for eight years.

Yet Yak has brought out that color and gets to see what Dee hides from others.

Like Dee being a little drunk trash panda.

Yak has been fully invested in Dee's purple since the very first time they met, but Dee, with his fake blue, still hides his feelings.

He is wearing pink, his friend is reading him for filth, and yet Dee will still deny everything.

Even if Yak still talks about Taem, he has made it clear that he likes Dee. He introduces himself to Dee's parents as Dee's boyfriend. He took Dee on a family trip with his brother and brother-in-law. He asks to kiss Dee . . . on the lips.

Yak's safe space is a place made up solely of their colors.

And with the purple lighting on his side and the yellow light on Dee's, Yak asks Dee to promise to tell no one else about his special place that only Dee knows about.

Yet Dee can't, even as the yellow surrounds him.

And this is why I'm worried. Yak is clear. Yak, with yellow lighting to back him up, is speaking through his actions. But Dee, even as the green lighting behind him turns to yellow, cannot lose.

So even though I know I'm getting ahead of myself, next week, Dee's purple is soooo light that it barely registers.

Then, it appears that he kisses Yak in blue.

So either I'm completely crazy, which is a huge possibility, or Yak is still going to lose to Dee because Dee, in his fake blue, either won't kiss Yak or he will claim that means nothing more than Dee fulfilling Yak's request. Because Dee has to win and him and his fake blue have what it takes to drag this out.

Dee is Yak's weak spot.

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

tumblr's search function is what it is so I can't find my post where I ~humorously~ coined the phrase "fandom wiki admin guilt" (or was it just "wiki admin guilt"? only the tumblr Gods may know) and compared it to christian guilt. but though i said this jokingly, i do think wikis would be better if admins (= volunteers) weren't held to such an impossible standard.

in fandom's case, this includes by abusive CEOs, but in general, this about the expectations that both readers and contributors (fellow volunteers) hold that the admin should be impeccable. wiki admins are required to be at your disposal for quick decision making, for immediate proofreading, for CSS coding and the designing work that can go alongside it, on top of making their own substantial edits to Wiki pages, staying up to date with news about the medium, and possibly providing translations. it is required that they put on a professional front and don't let emotions impact their decisions (again, this about a free encyclopaedia that they're oftentimes the only one to actually and substantially write).

wiki admins are often viewed as an enemy to the wiki's contributors and possibly even to the fanbase at large - an evil, powerful decision maker who is ruining your fun on purpose with their rules and limitations. as if saying "if your edit is so riddled with mistakes even a practiced proofreader can't make heads or tails of it, it will be removed" is tyranny rather than simple efficiency. as if saying "if your claim isn't backed by a source, i must remove it" is an admission that you're closed to contributions that aren't your own. there will be people to vandalise on purpose, to take time out of their day just to make sure they stress out and add more work to the (evil and powerful) admin.

i'll explain what i mean by "fandom wiki admin guilt": i am singling out fandom because its inner workings make this worse (with rules such as not allowing multiple Wikis on the same topic, or with the authority Fandom staff holds over admins, but also with its stronger appeal to young users). as a wiki admin, you will constantly feel guilty because:

you are not doing enough (how are there still so many Stubs?!)

you are not doing enough 2: the return (i'm sorry dear contributor that there is no Navbox for characters at the moment. i promise to put it at the top of my to-do list. please forgive me for not creating, styling and applying it within the hour that follows your complaint and allow me to suck your dick to compensate)

you are a cruel and unjust dictator (i dearly apologise for removing your edit that said "pebis???" and nothing else, i did not realise you were dyslexic and actually trying to contribute to this character's physical description. no i understand that you're crying and i ruined your life and you will never edit a wiki again. yeah that's on me. if i may, what was it you were trying to wri- ah you're pissing on me now. no it's fine i get it)

you're an entitled piece of shit (hey sorry man i saw you copy my work and claim it as yours. can you stop doing that. yeah i know i'm a huge bitch. the yelling and screaming and pissing is fine can you just avoid the theft in the future. if you'd be so kind)

you are not doing enough 3: the tournament (i'm sorry for not replying to your long complaint right away. here is my long polite answer touching on every single point you made and framing them as positive and welcome questions. oh you have more points to make. okay well uh. can you be a little patient while i- what? no? ow my foot. ow my foot. ow my foot)

you are an enemy to all minorities (yeah man the authors stated that it's canon that this character is a cis maleAAAAAAHHH NO NOT THE SPIDER NOT THE SPIDER

[renewherself]

A Silly Sign from the Universe

I've been having a bad year. I quit my job in 2022. It was a dead-end job with long work hours, shit pay, and nonstop stressful assignments with constantly changing goalposts. But it was still more or less a stable source of income. I spent all of 2023 trying to find a new job and failing. I've seen so many headlines about writers being laid off. The percentage of job listings for writer positions that are for writing AI content keeps going up. I only have enough money in my bank account to pay for half a year more of living expenses. I wasn't able to renew my health insurance for 2024. Productivity is difficult when I have to fight everyday against the debilitating effects of untreated depression. I'm constantly on edge, not knowing when my flatmate will get sick of me invading her apartment and kick me out. I feel like I lost a month working on a friend's academic project that can't even make the claim that it'll pay me in exposure. My flatmate tested positive for COVID last week and I've been holed up in this room to avoid being infected by her if I'm not already and to avoid infecting others if I already have been. Neighborhood friends dropped by today to drop off food from a New Year's Eve brunch and to wave at me from a safe distance while I collected the bag and I nearly burst into tears because it was a precaution I would have taken myself if they hadn't, but the experience of seeing them so put-together and happy from afar was too much for me and made me feel even more isolated and alone.

Earlier today, I thought to myself sourly that when midnight rolled around, I would likely be stuck doing exactly what I had been doing this entire last week, this last year: scrolling through job ads and wrestling with code someone else had broken and expected me to fix for no compensation. And that would be how my new year started, colouring the rest of the year to come.

I finished coding early. I finished scrolling through job ads early. I booted up critically-acclaimed MMO Final Fantasy XIV to do my chores a.k.a. try to level Monk up to 70. I had had a large mimosa, the ingredients for which had been in the care package from earlier in the day. I was very tipsy and worn-out and couldn't bring myself to even care about trying to do my rotation correctly. I go through the daily roulettes. Lost City of Ampador (Hard) for the level 50/60/etc roulette. Nice. Shisui of the Violet Tides for the Leveling roulette. Nice. Labyrinth of the Ancients for the Alliance Raid roulette. Well, at least it's not Syrcus Tower. Trial roulette. The queue pops instantly and it's an ongoing duty. I blink. Enter and it's The Chrysalis. Three DPS and a healer. No tanks. Ah.

I stay. It turns out on the last attempt someone disconnected right before the part where you're supposed to use a Limit Break to burst down an add before the party wipes to meteors, leaving the party without a Limit Break. A healer joins. Then a tank. I wonder aloud whether the queue would send me back to this instance were I to leave and requeue as a tank. The Samurai in the party says they'll give it a try. They leave. A different DPS and a tank immediately join. RIP Samurai. Your sacrifice was unnecessary but appreciated.

The trial proceeds uneventfully until the boss is down to about 15% health. One of the other DPS members starts casting the Limit Break, presumably not realising we were going to need it shortly for that one add. The Red Mage and one of the tanks scream in horror. Then, miraculously, the would-be Limit Breaker and herald of our wipe actually reads chat and cancels the cast in time. A collective sigh of relief is heard. We get sucked into the vortex, the add spawns, I get to use the Limit Break on it and punch it into oblivion.

The duty concludes. A round of GGs is had, I wish everyone Happy New Year, and then I exit the duty and realise it is indeed the new year, the clock having ticked over roughly some time while we were panicking about a possible wipe. Someone has said the word "fullerene" in the group chat and summoned me from the void. I unleash my unholy wrath upon them and they bid me return to the vessel from whence I came, whether it be a lamp or a bottle. I respond, in part as a morbid joke I expected only myself to be in on, that I would return to the uterus. They say no, you can't do that, and I am flummoxed by the uncharacteristic abruptness. I wonder if my clandestine moment of dark humour had been caught.

A few minutes later, I remember the name of the trial I had been in and revive the earlier conversation to joke that that way the vessel I had been in and to which I would now return. I pause as a memory stirs. A post had come out of my Tumblr queue two days ago. Something about a chrysalis. It talked about how it is a long painful process, the process of healing. How the caterpillar tucks itself into a cocoon when it finally feels safe enough to do so and must first dissolve into a disgusting slurry in order to metamorphose into what it was meant to be.

I start crying.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook: Deep Breath (1)

In which you're on the hunt for a roommate - and he might be the perfect candidate.

Tags/warnings: Alien!Jungkook part 9643 I guess, human!Reader, futuristic, Angst, Fluff, strangers to lovers, eventual smut, jungkook is VERY touchy, Alien shenanigans and scary human things

Additional Chapter Warnings: fluff, cute alien boy

Chapter Length: mid/long

Next ->

You've been searching for a fitting roommate for months by now- but no one seems to fit.

You don't want someone who does yoga all day, unintentionally guilt tripping you into doing sports again just to not seem as lazy as you are- but you also don't want someone who doesn't clean up after themselves. At the same time, a clean-freak would drive you crazy- while someone who's home all day every day could prove difficult to handle if you want to have visitors.

But just as you're about to delete the post on the website, giving up, a message pops up in your inbox.

He introduces himself as Jeon Jungkook; a 25-year old Kumya from planet Paras, currently searching for someplace to stay for the time of his exchange. He's working for a coding company who you know occasionally exchanges their workers to gain experience- so he's got a stable income, meaning he'll most likely pay rent on time. His words are casual but formally friendly, no profile picture can be found; but from what he tells you, he seems like he could be a good fit.

You answer by telling him some info about the apartment, making sure to include rent as well, and the small damages here and there with pictures do he knows more details about what he's getting into. You also make sure to stress the fact that you're, well, a girl- and that if he's uncomfortable with that, it would be a deal breaker.

It takes a couple of hours, but he eventually replies- this time a lot more casual, even using smileys at certain points, to underline statements like

'don't worry, I even do my own dishes, I heard humans hate that task a lot ๑^ᴗ^๑'

Or

'Gender doesnt matter to me to be honest but I hope you won't be intimidated by me cause I've heard human women tend to get scared by men very easily- I promise I'm nice! (๑•w•)و✧'

And he really does seems nice enough- so you send him the last details, before you both agree to try it out.

Now, obviously he doesn't move in right away- it takes a course of weeks for his work Visa and everything to be sorted out- but once he stands in front of your door, he takes your breath away.

While half of his face is hidden behind a mask, and you've already done some research on what to expect from the Kumya-race when it comes to behavior , culture and looks, he still looks a lot different than what you've expected. His eyes seem to glow- reddish-pink in color, while his hair, buried underneath a black beanie, is pale and an ash-blonde color. He waves a little, eyes turning into half moons as he smiles underneath his mask. He'd told you about this habit of his, and you've read online that it's common for his kind- force of habit, since the air on Paras isn't very clean to breath a lot of times, and the mask helps them to not get sick. You've told him it's fine- even though now, you're slightly curious to know what he looks like underneath.

"Hello. I hope I'm not too early?" he asks, and it makes your eyes widen because holy shit, he's talking inside your head. It's odd, and he seems to pick up on that. "ah, yeah, most people here have that reaction. I hope its okay-" he starts slightly worried, before you wave him off with a smile, letting him in.

"no, it's fine, just.. A little odd?" you giggle, making him visibly less tense as he walks into the apartment. "i hope your flight was okay?" you ask, and he nods.

"it was great, thanks for asking. I'm less exhausted than i thought I'd be." he chuckles, making you smile as he takes off his shoes.

"All your stuff had been delivered and I've put the boxes into your room for you to unpack." you say, as you open the door to what would from now on be his room.

"that- was really not necessary, thank you so much." he answers with wide open eyes, before they turn a bit concerned. "there's some heavy stuff in some though. I hope you didn't struggle too much-" he worries, as you wave him off.

"ah, it's nothing." you said, before he drops his backpack to rush inside, inspecting one of the packages with an alarmed face. "oh- did something break-"

"did you hurt yourself?" he asks, brows furrowed as he looks at you. "i can smell blood on this one."

"just a papercut, I'm a bit clumsy, it's no big deal." you tell him, as he gets up to walk over to you, hugging you.

Ah yes- another fact about his kind.

Men of his kind are typically the main caretakers of the family's; highly emotional and very touchy, they tend to be very protective of their partners and friends, while simultaneously never backing down in the face of danger. Their kind of like the definition of the term 'Lion moms'; fierce, gentle, protective, and loving.

They also make friends very, very fast, and they love skinship a lot. It's normal to hug anyone they like right away- it's like shaking hands to humans.

"thank you, I really appreciate this." he hums out before parts from you.

"ah uh.. Yeah sure. I'll.. Leave you to unpack, just holler if you need anything." you say, making him nod with happy eyes, before he turns around to open the first box of his things.

Well- this could certainly become interesting.

[geltears]

color coded

Rindou Haitani x Reader

Rindou totally doesn't have a crush on his assistant

It's almost an hour into the meeting when once again, Rindou's eyes stray and his ears subconsciously shut out Mikey's words to focus on you. You are doing absolutely nothing. Just sitting in your office with your eyes focused on nothing in particular as you wait for someone to ask you to do something for them so that you can finally be of use again. Yet...yet Rindou keeps staring at you because your office is across the hall from the conference room and you refuse to close the blinds so he might as well make use of the convenience.

He thinks there is something graceful in everything you do, even when you laze around, and he says that this is just simply a fact but, indeed, it is his pure bias towards you that he refuses to admit because Haitani Rindou is just too cold to like someone— and even if he did, how would that make him look? But then again, only a fool would talk down on his name. And while Rindou knows this he simply cares too much what people think to ignore their opinions.

He blames his childhood spent in his older brother's shadow for that.

You are wearing blue today, Rindou notices. He expected it, really. He has realized that you wear pink on Monday's, green on Tuesday's, blue on Wednesday's and purple on Thursday's. On Friday...you wear no color in particular because you tend to dress less fancy on those days, discarding your pencil skirts and frilly dresses to instead settle for jeans and a pretty top. But again, this is just his pure observation, he certainly did not pay attention to those habits.

Rindou coincidentally happens to be wearing blue today too. He has worn the same color as you every day for the week so far and while the others have noticed, he said he just found the suits in his closet but Ran knows that Rindou went out last Sunday and bought the suits from his favorite store— he had them custom made. Don't mind him, he hears Ran say and now, his head turns to properly look at the other executives. Though, it is only for a brief moment that his attention is spared to the meeting.

When he looks over at you, again, you are now looking down and Rindou lets his gaze fall to trail your line of sight. You are mindlessly twirling a bracelet that you wear on your wrist, a silly thing that he has realized you do when you are either bored or stressed. Only when you lift your hand up and shake your wrist so the band falls lower, does he realize that you are wearing the bracelet he gave you. He had said it was a gift they were giving to all employees for their loyalty but in fact, he bought it personally for you and gave no one else a thing.

He got it from that jewelry store that you often go to and he has noted that most of your jewelry is from there so he figures, you must favor the store. Finally, the meeting is over and while Rindou has no idea what was discussed, he does not seem to care. Ran will fill him in later, or not. You immediately stand up when he enters your office and he doesn't miss the way you almost trip over your heels and quickly try to play it off. "What can I do for you...sir?" you ask.

Your eyes never meet his and this time, Rindou is glad because he's sure he looks utterly foolish as he realizes his undiable liking to you calling him sir. He bites his tongue as he thinks because there is actually no reason for him to grace you with his presence at the moment and he wonders what he can possibly ask you to do that won't seem too random or far fetched. He really just wanted an excuse to talk to you. But he cannot say that, it would be too straight forward and it would be a confession and Haitani Rindou does not ever confess.

Not first, at least.

"Ah, I was going to ask if you could get me a coffee," he says, "You always make it how I like." He thinks he added the last part on impulse but really, he'll never know. You blink for a moment, undoubtedly shocked but you agree either way. You return rather quickly with a large cup of coffee in your hand. Rindou would have asked you if you didn't want any, had he not seen the several empty cups on your desk that made him wonder if he was really that stressful. So much that you'd need all that coffee.

He smiles as you hand him the cup and he continues smiling as he takes a sip, even though he's sure by now that you no longer expect any sort of praise or recognition from him. Rindou does not like coffee, he thinks it’s bitter and he cannot stand the taste, but he's going to drink it anyway.

.

pt.2- stepping stones

[btsqualityy]

Blood On The Dance Floor: Chapter 14

Hoseok x Reader

Genre/Rate: 18+, established relationship, thriller, fatal attraction!AU (kind of, but with major changes), smut, angst, and fluff.

Summary: You and Hobi continue to deal with the fallout.

Warnings: mentions of murder and mentions of attempted murder.

WC: 1.3K

A week later, the time had finally come for you to be released from the hospital. Your concussion had gone away, your bruises had turned into ugly purple markings, and your broken ankle was doing as well as could be expected. 

Your emotional state though, was a whole other monster. 

After that first break down that you had the night you were admitted into the hospital, it seemed like all you could do was cry for four straight days after that. Hobi wasn’t necessarily concerned about that because he figured that you were just getting your emotions out. It wasn’t until you entered a radio silence on day five and continued it that he became really concerned. You barely spoke to him, the hospital staff or the police unless you absolutely had to, and even then it was short, one worded answers. 

Hobi didn’t blame you at all for how you were handling the whole thing because having someone go to such lengths in order to make sure that you were out of the way had to be hard on your psyche. He also figured that you were feeling at least a little bit of guilt, given the fact that Officer Ito informed the two of you that Choi Siwon, the guy who installed your security system, was found dead in his apartment from an apparent murder. The working theory that the police had was that Bora got the code to the security system from him and that’s how she was able to get into the house undetected by you. 

So not only had Bora tried to kill you, she had actually killed yet another innocent person and that was a hard thing to reckon with. Needless to say, it didn’t seem like things could get any worse.

“Fuck,” Hobi sighed heavily, running his hands over his face as he sat in his car outside of the hospital. Knowing how hard of a time you were having stressed Hobi out exponentially and not knowing how to help you made it even worse. 

After taking a few minutes to get himself together, Hobi grabbed the handle of the door and was about to get out of the car when his phone started to ring. Pulling it out of his pocket and looking at it, the call was coming from an unknown number. Choosing to answer it, he slid the button across the screen and put the device up to his ear. 

“Hello?”

“Long time, no speak, baby,” Bora’s voice purred through the phone.

“How did you get this number?” Hobi demanded to know. “I changed it after you tried to kill my wife.”

“Oh please, act like you know better,” she chuckled. “I got into your house so it shouldn’t be surprising that I was able to get your number.”

“You’re fucking delusional.”

“Ah, you never learn,” she scolded him. “Remember what happened the last two times you insulted me?”

“Look, why won’t you just leave me alone?” Hobi hissed through the phone. 

“Because I’m trying to get you to open your eyes sweetheart,” Bora cooed. 

“To what?”

“To the fact that you belong with me,” she said. “I know you felt that connection between us when we kissed and when we’d talk in the practice room. You’re just trying to deny it because you feel a sense of obligation to that woman.”

“That woman is my wife, and she’s the only woman that I’ve ever loved and will ever love,” Hobi stated firmly. 

“That’s just what you think but it’s not really true.”

“Well, I know that I’d never be in love with a murderer.”

“I’m not a murderer,” she tsked. “I only kill people if that’s what needs to be done in order for me to get what I need or want.”

“And that’s why you tried to kill my fucking wife?”

“Only because you won’t fucking leave the bitch,” Bora shot back. 

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on in your twisted ass head, but I want absolutely nothing to do with you,” Hobi fumed. “I will never want to be with you, or be in love with you, or even fucking see you. Stay the fuck away from me and my wife.”

“And if I don’t?” Bora laughed loudly. 

“You don’t know my wife,” Hobi chuckled ruefully. “You caught her off guard when you pushed her down those stairs like the coward you are but trust me, she will fuck you up so you better not let her get her hands on you.”

“Whatever,” Bora said before abruptly hanging up. Once the call ended, Hobi took a quick screenshot of his phone log for the police before getting out of the car and walking into the hospital. 

A few minutes later, he walked into your room to find you waiting in a wheelchair, biting nervously on your nails.

“Hi baby,” Hobi greeted you happily, pacing over to you and bending down to place a soft kiss to your lips. 

“What took you so long?” You murmured. “I was worried something happened to you.”

“I was right outside in the car,” he replied. “Bora called me.”

“...About what?” 

“Goading me, basically,” he shrugged. “I’m gonna tell Officer Ito later and maybe they’ll be able to track the call.”

“Oh,” you whispered before resuming your silence.

“Ready to go?” Hobi wondered and you nodded your head slightly, making your husband sigh. He grabbed your packed bag that had been waiting on the bed before stepping behind the wheelchair and pushing you out of the room. 

............................................................

“Come on baby,” Hobi whispered, not waiting for a response from you before he gently lifted up your left foot, resting your cast on top of the fluffy pillow. Once the two of you made it back home, Hobi had been pampering you with all the attention that you could handle. He had fed you, checked on your bruises, and gave you all the reassurance you needed that he had a new security system installed and this time, he had been the one to do it so that there was no third party involved.

“You need anything else, baby?” He asked and you looked up at him with teary eyes. 

“Hold me?” You whimpered and Hobi nodded, instantly getting into bed next to you and opening his arms, allowing you to scoot closer to him and lay your head on his chest. The two of you laid together in silence for a little while and Hobi thought you had fallen asleep when you suddenly spoke up.

“Maybe we should give her what she wants,” you muttered. 

“What?” Hobi questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“Maybe we should call it quits,” you suggested as you looked up at your husband. “She won’t stop until you go to her or until I’m out of the picture.”

“Y/N-ah, you cannot let this insane woman win,” Hobi told you. “Baby, I know you’re afraid and I don’t blame you but breaking up is the last thing either of us need. We’ve been through too much together.”

“I know but we don’t know what she’ll do next,” you whispered. “What if she decides to go after you next because you won’t leave me for her? My heart would shatter in my chest if anything happened to you.”

“Trust me, I know the feeling because when I came home and saw you on the ground like that, I thought I was going to die,” Hobi admitted. “I could never imagine a world without you right by my side and that’s the exact reason why I’m not going to let you go. I don’t know what or how, but we’ll figure something out and I won’t let that bitch tear us apart. I love you too fucking much.”

“I love you too,” you whimpered, leaning up and pressing an almost chaste kiss to his lips. As you laid your head back on his chest and began to drift off to sleep, numerous thoughts ran through Hobi’s head. He hated Bora, he hated what this situation had done to you, and he hated how this seemingly random ass woman managed to upend your entire lives. 

Hobi had no idea how it would happen but he found himself praying that it would all end soon, with the two of you making it out unscathed.