#also reading 30 chapters is a LOT more than i thought it'd be . like it took me an hour to get thru five HELP???

[lynn-tged-posting]

i know i said i'd read the tged novel and post every thursday but it is also finals week for me right now so there will definitely be delays laksjfdlkajsdf

BUT I AM READING IT!!! i promise u that!!! it's taking me a while too bc i keep taking notes on things alkjsdflk oooh the urge to annotate everything never ever leaves

[hazelplaysgames]

uuuuh since the SD card port went and just stopped, i really haven't felt like uploading clips. so. bleck. i think i can already chalk it up as a mixed year for me.

that said, i feel like i should make at least something now that the queue is unquestionably emptying, so. how about them phone games? i'll just make it one big one under a Keep Reading because, fair warning, they're all gacha games. on that front alone, i can't advocate for anyone getting in all willy nilly. keep in mind, i haven't spent anything on any of them. i got "luck" in my usual username for a reason.

let me start with the only one i've played since... ah, last august, actually, Blue Archive! it's going well, i just hit level 87, the level cap for the time being, a couple days ago.

i'm still having fun with that one, so. nine months of fun with that one, story that kicked me like a mule, definitely more out of my time with it than i thought i was gonna get. we're in the middle of new stories now, and to fill in the event void, we're getting this mini-event featuring a girl named Aoi, who basically just shows up for that event. been a while. as you might guess by me bringing her up unprompted: a minor character who doesn't show up often? she stole my heart. it's honestly kinda impressive. something about her voice, mainly.

also, good news from the JP servers: they're putting the twin catgirl gamers in maid outfits! well, i mean, that event is a repeat, those two already were, but we'll be able to take them home this time!

additionally, a few months back, they started this system that grants a 10 pull ticket that's good for a month.

it has been working out for me. didn't get any bunny girls for the collab after Cunifest, so i missed out on comedy, but i at least got the two collab girls in a pity pull's worth. the actual bunny event is coming up just after my birthday in June, and. well, i won't argue with bunnies for my birthday. probably post about that tuesday/thursday if it's REALLY good, or split it 100 pulls per those days?

nah, at most it's 20 screenshots, lets not drag that out. it can be done in 1 post.

next, i got into Nikke far more recently- a couple months is accurate- and like. i get a lot of sniper rifle users in that one. Frima was the first, Red Hood(who is widely considered by the userbase as one of if not THE strongest unit. i can believe it), Alice(who is still considered damn good with Red here. the loaned version makes me believe it), Trony, D: Killer Wife(i actually pulled D and her alt costume at the same time), Harran, Maxwell- why am i a sniper rifle magnet? is it 'cause i like to play Heavy? am i just an easy mark?

you know i just realized neither of those pages show the girls names. be amazed i got Kasumi and Hiyori in the BA ones, please please. at the very least, the numbers on the bottom left can tell you those were actually the first pulls of those two banners.

anyways. since it was after i got through the final chapter in BA, i kinda figured it'd have a good story as well, and, yeah, absolutely better than i first thought. but the story is gated behind levelling, and while this was a point against BA too, it's far more prominent here. like, i got through all of BA's plot once i hit the 60s back in like, January or so, the grind to get into the story is practically constant with Nikke. also, the main story is 30 chapters in, and they're now calling it the prologue. i don't really want to witness that unchecked growth.

that all said, the main reason i got into either in the first place was because of the music: lotta good stuff in these two. no one set style, no one set tone, sum of it all is great. it is hard to suggest a place to start.

uh, as for the only gun gacha game i dropped right now, Arknights. just never meshed even after a few months, and if i remember right, the story has a similar issue as Nikke in being levelling locked. that all said, Nikke is probably the one i'll drop once phone space gets scarce. i enjoy it, but for the fact it's still the largest of the lot, eh... sadly, the best choice.

oh, and speaking of bunny girls, looks like that's also gonna be the next event for Nikke. hilarious. Alice is finally gettin' a proper alt!

in any case, i don't wanna go ditchin' the two rhythm games! i'll talk about the two side by side, kinda, if you wanna call it that. the first of which, Bang Dream! Girls Band Party!, commonly just called Bandori, and the second, D4DJ Groovy Mix. they both got a good selection of songs, though i do have to admit that if Bandori didn't have Butterfly, the song from Digimon, i probably would not have got into it these two as much as i did. here's two pages for that one:

they recently made a push for 500 songs in it, so i'm only missing about 80. i feel quite proud for clearing all those Hard songs, i was barely kicking past medium when i first started in December. unfortunately for me, this kinda also stems the flow of free stars, i think i'll get at best, one or two more pity pulls within the year. for birthday banners. those are like, 1/3 of normal banners. it's a harsh star economy here. anyways, D4DJ:

it throws a lot more currency types around, and the story... it might be timing about the whole xross wars arc, but what it is now ain't hitting what i'm looking for. ain't saying bad, just that i was kinda expecting more mundane. the gems in this one are also fairly consistent, so unless i want a lot ASAP, i feel like i can get a good, healthy enough amount within the rest of the year, even if the pulls are pricier than Bandori. might be going a little harder than i need to for some birthday banners.

if i could give shorthand preferences, i'd say: i give D4DJ props for the gameplay and modes that can be played, as well as overall difficulty curve and even accessibility, while Bandori i'll give the characters and story. while i like Rika(the redhead in the bunny suit up there) and Rinku of D4, i can fill out several lines of characters i like from Bandori, so. most of them, actually.

above the rest, easily, Kokoro, the blond one up there, she's just so happy like a ray of sunshine, i adore her. whenever a Hello, Happy World! song demo starts playing, it's usually her on vocals, and like a moth to a flame, i wanna play it.

i feel like both have great song selections, but what they each encompass is a bit different: Bandori only has originals and cover songs, all lyrics, all the way, and i think most of them are good. meanwhile, D4DJ, while obviously having ori's and covers, also has some original songs from other artists, instrumentals, and game music straight from either the source or a remixer like Camellia, who made a few songs in Mad Rat Dead, and i really appreciate having those as well.

ok, i am underplaying Camellia's full efforts there, fella does a lot of good remixes and originals. i mean, a lot a lot. you can't go two rhythm games without seeing his name, and for good reason: he's that good.

also, i know both series have youtube channels with animated seasons to them, but i haven't given either a watch yet. i learned those channels existed like a week ago, never considered the possibility before.

also.

love these birthday banners! D4DJ even gives you a few free pulls once a day while the banner is up to celebrate, which i find nice.

i guess i did also try Love Live 2, but, by download size, that was actually bigger than Nikke, and it relied entirely on its original songs. it felt hard to get into, aaaand... it is shutting down in a couple days now. still, got Snow Halation in, Rin was cute, Nico Nico Ni, Nozomi Tojo, David Schwimmer, guest starring the "SKULLS" parasite unit. to explain the joke, Triple-Q's Friends Halation. i like most Snow Halation mashes.

all right, anything else i want to mention here and now... nah. i think that's good, i feel talked out.

[jesi-jess]

Advice on Selling Digital Comics?📚

I am not saying I am doing comics now or anytime soon, more so I am looking into some options of doing so and would just like the information if I decided to try it when I can. Clip studio is really great for comic making on that front and I'd be really curious in exploring the features it gives.

A lot more under the cut, it's a long post but I'd really love if people looked it over and helped me out! Reblogs are much appreciated and thank you for those that share and help!😭💖✨

Some of my thoughts with it:

Pages will be a A4 comic page style in left to right reading format, no physicals/prints will be thought for and supported (as in I won't make physicals myself or allow selling from others, but I will be fine with private prints for yourself and friends. I just can't guarantee the comic will be up to printing standards!).

Comics would range in Fandom and Original on topics in SFW to NSFW (non-sexual and sexual), so it needs to be a place that allows all of that. I work around various stuff and like exploring topics in my works, I don't want to be stuck to a SFW or NSFW only side of things.

They would be coming out in full with a pdf and png formats, not a 'by chapter' release. Would be mostly a 1 shot or Dojin styled comics but who knows if I end up liking it a lot, I might do multi-chapters, etc.

I was thinking of prices ranging from 5$ to 30$ counting on the length and style of comic (monotone lower, color higher).

Would like being able to pay for the comics to have multiple available options (card, paypal, etc). This is low priority but preferred.

My first thought was Itchio, cause of the light page customization along with it. But before I am sold on using that I wanted to ask around for advice from others that maybe do it too?

Some sites I won't be using though; - Nothing Subscriber Based (patron and the likes) - Gumroad - Webtoon (not meant for that format)

Also how hard is it to post and maintain more than one place to buy for low energy people? I'd like to hear from other people how that goes (and how tasking it can be). Kofi and Etsy were on my mind, but more looking at Itchio right now. And of course I am open to looking at anything else people recommend!

On a last note, how would peps feel about buying high resolution of artworks like the idea of an artbook but just the png and gif files instead of a pdf? I was pondering the idea along with comics though not sure if I should even try posting old art now or wait for just this year and go forward from there. Also should I focus purely on fanart or all of it? I'd be find doing a package deal or something, just thought it'd be fun as well.

I would not include commissions, adopts/customs, and gift art of original characters ever. Only works with my characters in it or is fanart!

[ddwcaph-game]

Four New Traits!

Update: I've received some feedback and decided to reconsider adding the new traits. Check out this post for more information!

I'm not completely sure yet how these traits will work, but since this'll probably be the last ones I'll add in Volume 1, I've decided to add them in the next update and get some feedback sooner rather than later. They are:

💫 [Easily Distractable]

⚡ [Hyperactive!]

😳 [Socially Awkward]

🎒 [Super Organized]

A couple of years ago, someone pointed out to me that some of the MC's choices/thoughts have elements of anxiety/autism/ADHD and asked if this was the case. This was mostly unintentional on my part, and since it's an unfamiliar and sensitive subject, I thought it'd be best to not have an explicit choice for it, but fine if people wanted to headcanon it.

I wanted to give it a shot just like I did with the gender stuff (which was enlightening for both me and my characters), especially because having a young MC gives me a unique point of view to explore them. So I thought about it some more, and I think I found a way to make it work without adding a lot of extra workload.

I know that it's a spectrum and there's no strict definition or a single correct way of presenting them, so instead I separated it into different traits that doesn't directly state that the MC is neurodivergent. Writing in first person makes it hard to account for in every variation in every choice, so I'm keeping it somewhat vague and hopefully this gives the flexibility that MC may be either undiagnosed, or just has those traits.

This is a bit long, so I'll go a little bit into detail how I plan to implement the traits below:

⚡ [Hyperactive!]: (+20% Silly, Doubles [Well-Rested] Stat Bonuses)

You can select this trait at the beginning of Chapter 1, where you choose how to react to the bell ringing. The choice is:

Finally! Sitting inside the classroom for hours is torture. Some people say I'm hyperactive—but I don't understand how some people can just sit around all day.

This will probably restrict most passive choices where you decide not to do anything, and add new flavor text when the MC isn't doing much.

💫 [Easily Distractable]: (+10% Bonus EXP, -10% Knowledge)

You can select this trait when looking at the Top 10 Students list while cleaning the classroom. The choice is:

It'd be nice to see my name up there with Wayne sometime. Understanding the lessons isn't that hard, but focusing on exams, assignments, studying—that's what's really hard. Wayne also struggles with not getting distracted, but he always knows how to keep me engaged when there's something more interesting than what we're studying.

This is a permanent version of the [Needs Improvement] Passive, with Wayne being MC's study buddy instead of JM. I hope the comparison with Wayne here is okay—I want to frame it in a positive light but I'm not sure if this is the best way. (The text after the choice mentions that if Wayne can do it, then MC can do it as well.)

In addition, the trait will also provide some unique flavor text and variations in certain scenes (especially long conversations).

😳 [Socially Awkward]: (+30% Introvert, +30% Reserved)

You can select this trait during Roselyna's introduction after she first hugs you. The choice is:

I stutter. What if I say something wrong? What if I misunderstood what she's saying—or she misunderstands me? Am I overthinking again? I don't wanna repeat myself over and over trying to explain.

MC's mostly comfortable around their friends, so I imagine this will mostly manifest in emotional scenes, when you meet a new person, when you discover a secret, interacting with B, or when MC has the choice of not being sure what to say (excluding their twin), and automatically default to that choice (with slightly different dialogue) if it makes sense. It would be exhausting to read if this affected every conversation.

🎒 [Super Organized]

You can select this trait along with the other organizational traits when packing your bag in Chapter 1. The choice is:

...and meticulously arrange my belongings/stuff by proper label and color. My bag is super organized, and it helps me focus this way.

Not much to say here, it's just a slightly different version of the [Organized] Trait.

***

This is very much new to me, so please let me know your thoughts, or if you have any concerns with the trait names, the wording of the choices, or something else. I'm not entirely sure I'm making sense here either. 😅

Anyway, I hope the start of the new year is treating you all nicely!

[kiryoutann]

Hiii, first-time anon here!! I just found BK at chapter 30 and I have no clue why I haven't found it sooner skfjsk Don't know what I was doing without this work of art in my life, don't wanna go back~

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your writing so much!!! The story's flow, the little interactions between MC and Ajax and literally everything else is so well-thought-out <3 Your wording is so very pretty as well, it really made me feel like a princess, and brought MC to life perfectly :)

I read E V E R Y T H I N G from the beginning to chapter 30 in one sitting (took nearly 2 hours if you were wondering, I wish academic reading was this easy ;-;). It's funny how I got to around chapter 18, I thought that was bad. Like, really bad. I then found out the pain only intensifies, but it's so good!!! I only cried a few times, got jumpscared with chapter 31, cried some more, and now I'm here :D

The character arcs for MC and Ajax are so beautiful too!! It's absolutely seamless, and it's really amazing to see them slowly grow familiar to and fall in love with each other more n more <3 What they did what really understandable, but that does not excuse a certain someone from being an ass >:( I love our Princess so much, Ajax definitely doesn't deserve her and everything she did for him, especially after that trick he pulled in chapter 30 and the whole Lumine drama </3 I would say she needs to give him a hard time before forgiving him, but ah.

And there are so many questions left. What will our family and friends from Liyue do? Maybe this explains MC's past vision of Zhongli with the unknown woman? I thought that meant he'd move on from MC eventually but I absolutely did NOT expected this :( There's also vision of Ajax under the tree... It'd be so heartbreaking if MC first thought he was scheming to hurt her and her people, when he's just really praying to have her back. I think he never learnt about Duke Maxim too. If he can't even do that right for our Princess I'll be so mad xD

Thank you so much for writing this beautiful piece <3 It's easily one of my favourite works EVER and I'm sure it'll stay there forever! I can't wait to see the next chapters and your new work, I'm sure they'll be just as wonderful if not more than what you've written (BK will always be special though <3)

Looking back I really had a lot of thoughts about BK xD Hope you didn't mind the wall of text :) Have a lovely day and don't forget to take care of yourself! <3

I'm off to reread BK ehehe

HELLO!!! WELCOME WELCOME! and thank u for joining the anon club ehehehehe!!

AWHHWHWHWHWH YOU’RE TOO SWEET THANK U SO MUCH THAT MADE MY DAY. i can’t wait to share more angst chapters!!! so please stay with me until we reach the end of BK!<3 LOVE YAAA! have a great day sweetie!

[bobisnolongerhere]

Okay so I'm 22 chapters into ORV so here's some of my thoughts so far.

-First off, I really like writing style and the fourth wall stuff. Something about Kim Dokja being a reader and the constellations reacting to different parts of the story like an audience just makes the whole thing feel a bit more, relatable? I suppose? Like they're reading the story alongside you, or like you're part of the story. Idk I just think it's neat.

-I friggin love Kim Dokja. He's just such a fascinating character to me. He gets thrown into the apocalypse and then just immediately embraces it and starts making strategies within strategies and cutting deals and catering to the constellations to make bank. And he attributes a lot of that wit to the fact that he's read the story and knows what's going to happen but I'm like "my dude you're alive not just because of that knowledge but because of how you've utilized that knowledge" like he is so good at thinking on his feet. I am intrigued by what his life was like before the apocalypse because he said that he failed his college entrance exams and keeps switching jobs and what not but then he's very smart when it comes to planning and persuading in the apocalypse, and I'm just like. What happened there.

-I also really love Lee Gilyoung and also feel really bad for him. Like the line where Kim said that Lee seemed unphased by everything and like he was treating it like a game, is a lot more sad now knowing that Lee has been able to get through all of this because he thinks that there's a wish at the end and that he'll be able to get his mom back.

-Also! Lee and Kim's conversation where Lee asked if Kim is the protagonist of the story! I find it quite interesting because of course Kim doesn't think so. He's been reading this story for ten years that already has a protagonist. That plus I'm pretty sure he has self esteem issues so of course he's not going to consider himself the protagonist. And this is where I have two different thoughts about it: 1. From a meta standpoint, we can clearly see he's wrong because we've been following his perspective the entire time. He is by definition the protagonist. 2. From an in-universe perspective, I'd argue he's still wrong because although there is a protagonist of "three ways to survive in a ruined world" once that story became a reality, it kind of became a "everyone is the protagonist of their own life" kind of deal.

-Also I really like the constellations, I think my favorite one is the secretive plotter. I mean yeah they're all messed up for putting everyone into life or death situations for their amusement, but also funky stars go brrrr.

Anyways yeah. I'm enjoying the story quite a bit. Also it is so much longer than I thought it'd be, at this rate it's going to take me ten years to read the entire thing. But at least I won't run out of content any time soon.

AHHHHHHHHHH (<- live reaction of when I saw this at 1:30 am)

I absolutely adore the way orv is written too, its so funky! It took a bit to get used to, especially since I started off with the webcomic which made understanding all the things going on with interfaces and such easier to understand, but once I got into it it was so fun, I love the way its written. I really love the ways orv incorporates us as the reader too,,, makes me feel included when i read it :D. The constellations are just like us fr tho. Especially Demon-like Judge of Fire (Uriel), she's just like me.

Dokja is so <3333 to me. He's also an idiot (in the high intelligence low wisdom sort of way) and I will insult him without fail, but he is also so very to me. fr though he's such an unreliable narrator and you cannot take his words as truth. Ahhhhh I have so many thoughts but I shall hold back for now,,,

The way I've understood some of how Dokja is handling this so well is that he has a purpose right now, you know? Like he seems to be someone who just goes through life without too much motivation,, but now he has one, whatever it may be, he is no longer passively living his life. Along with that, if I were to project the slightest, if I were following a story for so long, reading it everyday, being a one-person fandom, at some point I'd start to wonder about how to survive in that world, you know?

Lee Gilyoung beloved <3. No, for real, I adore Gilyoung so much. Kid consistantly chooses violence, good for him. On a more serious note, he's coping in whatever way he can, and if that's what it takes to keep him alive, Dokja is willing to lie (even when he sucks at it.) and it makes me so very 🥺

Also, Dokja child count: 1

And yeah! I feel like in a lot of ways Dokja believes himself as unimportant to whats going on when my guy is actively changing the story,,, In a lot of ways he's seeing himself a spectator to the story, you know? Like sure it's happening in front of himself instead of on his phone but,, these are the characters of his most beloved story that he's been following for a decade,, he's used to interacting with the story from behind a wall, watching and commenting.

The constellations are so interesting to me. Because on one hand they can be a bit of a mood. But they're also spectating this story for entertainment, you know? They're letting all these terrible things happen and not caring as long as its an entertaining story that suits their tastes. But yeah, out of the four constellations showing up a lot, Uriel is probably my favorite,,, if it's not already sort of obvious... She's hilarious and earnest and a complete mood sometimes, I adore her. But Secretive Plotter is also really funky!! If I start thinking about it all too much I get really hhhhhhhhh because of reasons that will become apparent as you get further along but,,,, Secretive Plotter,,,, is so,,, so very,,, (i am crumbling into a pile of rubble)

I'm glad that you’re enjoying it so far!! Yeah it’s super long, but it’s a fun trip and so incredibly worth it!! If it takes you ten years then you'll truly be like Kim Dokja (like most, if not all, of the fandom)

[stray-tori]

TPN Vol 8 - Chapters 66-70 Thoughts

[we're already on vol 9 but I'm slow with compiling]

I know I always rag on the "cop out" deaths and it is true that no corpse no dead, and I am curious if there will be any more worldbuilding regarding Lucas' survival (hello deus ex machina person) but uh. Idk. I'm sure it has a point and it makes sense in universe (having him be the reason for the knowledge among GP kids is good) but it just feels a little. Eh. Like it feels like paddling back on a small part of geezers guilt and feelings. In part it also feels like a "reward" for choosing the heroes moral side and going to help save Emma (why ever that happened - ig bc Gilda would blow up the shelter if he doesn't so. YAY).

...

Obviously the development is still his, and he obviously isn't expecting to find anyone alive there, but ig i felt like he was leading up to... healing more through the kids and not one epic Emma speech and "oh your one friend is alive btw" reveal later on. It feels like a spark of hope and happiness for him that I'm not sure if was needed narratively. He already decided he wouldn't harm them.

Like maybe they handle it very differently so i might be jumping the gun here but idk. It just feels a little... weird to me. Probably in a similar way how speeches about Norman hurt but also kind of get that "well uh about that...." Air once you know. I feel for the characters and their separation but it doesn't have the same weight it could have anymore.

In theory it reminds me a bit of the whole gate reveal structure in s2. With a setup being built up or established and a reveal just going "nvm that's not what we're doing".

It makes sense, I'm just not a huge fan of what it does for me for previously established things.

But i guess writing wise it puts its cards on the table with small scale Lucas and then Norman haha.

.

I find it rly funny how much the arc sort of mirrors the s2 arc so far (character assumed dead is alive, new cast of demon kill children introduced, a plan to kill demons).

Ig that might be intentional, for all intents it's a good method of conveying character change. Or different specifics or how things might be judged differently with different specifics (like hunting for enjoyment vs. farming)

I'm totally jumping in on this too early but idk it's interesting to think about.

That and also our whole "There's someone I want you to meet" - "ITS NORMAN" jokes made me think, like you could probably ACTUALLY restructure some of this in a way that would allow Norman's return here instead lol. Could be a fun AU, esp since we have the seeds of a (small-scale) demon annihilation plan anyway.

I also just find it funny to think about Norman grumbling from his future self that Emma agreed to some random guy's plan so easily udkhjsd

Obviously the time is a bit of a mess -- it's only been 3 months? is Adam out bc Norman's escaped already or was Adam just shipped to GP? if he already escaped, our boy is quick - plus, why would he go to GP. the supporters in Lambda probably know it's been compromised, so aside from freeing the children, there isn't a lot of reason to go there and while that may have priority, I feel like 3 months is a bit of a short timeframe for Norman to settle in there well enough -- so it's more wonky than anything BUT IT'S FUN TO THINK ABOUT.

.

btw I find it so funny how Emma has that whole "intent to kill" thing going on now, considering her later moral stance - like it's fair but coming from s2 it's a bit of whiplash haha especially since she's so determined about it right from the start. (though I have no idea if she ever addressed killing demons before this, memory bad)

Though notably she said "she wants to shut down the hunting ground too", not "want to kill them too" - and it's good that she draws a line but IDK IT'S JUST INTERESTING because what bothers her is the toying / no respect for their lives, right? - "this kind of hunt", not hunting in general.

... so like, if you were hunted by a demon in the wild, who didn't toy with you, just killed and ate you, that would be fine then? Idk, it's a very fine line and I get it, but it's interesting to think about. A quick, suffer-less death is of course a valid thing to want if you will die anyway, but you're dead afterwards in both variants.

Of course maybe I'm reading it wrong and it's just her sort of realizing that between mass production farms and GP, they really did have it good, even if they died an early death, and how this is much more hate-worthy than GF's method. Which is true, I suppose, and might expand on the building blocks of her moral development down the line (as in "there's different stages of demon-badness").

.

Also a more funny thought but imagine if Lucas DID have the pen, would... Geezer-senpai just not find the way back? And even if he did would he even get into the bunker? That'd be one tragic ending pff. Tell the person to run away and they can't even go back inside sudhdjd

.

Also i thought about it and isn't it weird that none of the books or materials mentioned what goldy pond actually is? Like youd expect sth that important to be in there.

We know WM wasn't at the bunker in the last 13 years and we know that the books he supplied to GF, the newest one was 2015. What if he was discovered or had to limit his WM activity 30 years ago?

So 30 years ago, he still sent people to goldy pond.

I'm just realizing.... That totally sounds like a setup for minerva to actually be on the demons side or a demon himself sjdhjddj. Like he orchestrates escapees (who are likely to be smart) and then sends them to GP where he and his noble friends can hunt them.

But where i was actually going with this uh, what if GP 30 years ago (potentially longer depending on how long ago he was there last) wasn't actually a hunting a ground? Why would you send kids there without a warning otherwise? What if it WAS a small human community (tho that would likely have been passed around by the inhabitants) or it was at least WM supporter base like the bunker, intended for humans to live there. Not sure about mansion then but YKNOW.

If it was, i wonder if it being discovered was a huge part in WM cover being blown OR if the demons decided to keep it secret bc you know this place is rly convinient haha

I also wonder how wm even finds and builds all these underground things lol. Bc it can't have existed since before the world split i think?

Man has some big construction projects running pfff.

I'm also not sure how that underground thing works-

.

its tori is confused about minor things hour

[Emma takes the axe with right hand, her right hand is still behind her as if she was winding up, but the axe is already thrown?]

like if she had the axe still in hand it'd make sense or if it was in her hand AND spinning, it'd be like "2 frames".

but this?? i am just-

.

im rly late with this but the glove is Lucas' memorial. the pair will only be together again when they reunite :<<

what I want to know is HOW. like the John thing is already questionable but I guess he could have gone back again?? but with this.

he has both gloves when they part he still have one glove on when his arm is gone. but the arm Leuvis has, doesn't have a glove?? So either Leuvis took it off but i wouldn't know why, and just dropped it on the ground for geezer to come pick up ORRRR he took one off for some reason?? maybe he threw it at the demon pff something is very un-continous here and i need answers-

.

the duality of man... not wanting people to know a) your age and b) your name (which you may have forgotten, who knows)

we just assumed geezer's name is censored here but I guess it could be anything haha-

[kimlineroom]

Him And I (21+) c. 1

Before yoy read:

WARNINGS: → incest, matter of life and death, multiple smuts, supportive bts, and many more

Summary: Taehyung comes back to Geongchang for a 3 weeks break and to mend the broken relationship with his dear sister. Suddenly this sick, twisted, unknown feeling pops up in his life and he realize... That he's in love with her.

But there's more to it.

Disclaimer: if you don't like this theme of incest, please do not read it. I will not be responsible if you're triggered although in this chapter there's nothing happening between taehyung and the oc. Although, it'd be best if you read the first chapter to understand the story more, just a heads up. All grammar mistakes is mine to blame bc english is not my first language and i am new in tumblr! This is a new experience to me lol. This fic is also cross posted in ao3 btw. Enjoy!

It was on Saturday.

 

  Miu wants to practice her vocals for her performance for the audition but she just feels so lazy and all she wants is to just roll over and sleep. That's exactly what she wants. But it doesn't go as planned.

 

  She ends up eating breakfast at 7 am with her parents and enjoying the morning air. The window is open, and everyone knows how she loves sitting by the window, so no one dares to take that spot from her. She closes her eyes as the breeze hit her face, humming in agreement. Her parents look at her and stifle a laugh. She seems to notice though.

 

  “What?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at their faces who try to stop laughing at her for whatever reason.

 

  She just stays still and looks out the window. How can people laugh at her? It's very confusing. What's so funny about a girl who's sitting on a chair staring out the window? She waits for an answer as she sips her coffee that morning with a hum of approval. Coffee has always been her favourite out of other hot drinks. In a way, it calms her a lot in the morning. An energy booster, too.

 

  Her mother let out a laugh, “Nothing it's just that you stare out the window and your expression when the wind blows on your face is priceless, honey.”

 

  Mrs. Kim said, patting her shoulder and her father's laugh also echoes as he seems to enjoy his wife's statement. What's so funny about that? She asks in her head, puzzled. She continues to stare out and let them laugh at her all they want. She notices the birds flying together in the distant, making her smile. Nature had always influenced her. It's something she can't describe.

 

  There's something about them that calms her, like this coffee. They made her feel all warm inside while she sips her coffee and connects herself with nature. It felt so peaceful and all her troubles would go away for a reason. She remembers when she was a child, she used to run out on an adventure into the woods at the back of their house. They sometimes went camping there (funny, yeah) so she got used to the forest. She knows the trails and all, and she loved listening to nature. The wildflowers, the tall trees. They're all very heart-warming to her.

 

   Her eyes would light up at the mention of camping because she knows her parents would drag her into the forest because that's their camping spot. She would jump in joy if ever they would go out and camp or visit the waterfall or something. She loves them very much and she'd ditch her phone anytime for nature. Maybe that's also one of the reasons why she has little friends in school; that she doesn't socialize much. But it didn't bother her unlike it bothered her parents or her brother. Brother…

 

   Her hands that were on her thighs under the table slowly inch towards her abdomen and wrap around it instantly at the mention of her brother. Why she did it? She doesn't have an answer. It lingers on her stomach for a while, until she snatches them away and put her hands on the table, snapping herself and letting herself resurface into reality. Her parents talked about their jobs. Mrs. Kim is a writer, a not so famous one but good enough in Daegu meanwhile Mr. Kim is an ordinary office worker. They also own a farm at the back of their house, and when things get busy, she's the one handling them. She and her brother but since he's away for work now, so it's only her, not that she's complaining.

 

   Her brother is Kim Taehyung. The Kim Taehyung of BTS. he is 23 years old, and right now, he is on tour in Japan. She looks down into the black coffee, the colour made her uneasy for some reason as she thought about him. 3 weeks he spent his day off with them and 3 days since he returned to his idol job, away from his break at this house. Taehyung. When one would think of him, everyone would say how easy going, thoughtful, and handsome he is. Yes, it's true, but there's more than that. Taehyung is more than that to her.

   She could see her mother taking the newspaper on the table. It's today. Mr.Kim had retrieved them earlier when her mother cooked breakfast.

 

   Her mother turns to her. “Look, it's your brother. The tour is a success as usual.” She says, sipping her coffee and letting Miu grab the newspaper, reading it. Or rather, looking at the headline that has pictures of her brother and his bandmates.

 

    She stares at the now blue-haired man on the stage, a little too long that she doesn't realize how bizarre it would look to other people if they see her, staring at her own brother's picture like this. Creepy. She didn't mean to linger her eyes too long on his recent picture, but she can't help it; she misses him very much. The headline is about the Love Yourself tour that's starting again. The excerpt of it is saying about how BTS had become international and over millions of tickets being sold and clean. They're performing in Nagoya tonight. Nagoya...she always dreams to travel to Nagoya.

 

   “You ok there, buddy?” Her father asks, looking at her with warm, kind eyes.

 

   His face reminded her of her brother. Well, Taehyung is his son after all. Why wouldn't she think of him when she looks at her father? She smiles at him and set aside the newspaper and lean on the table.

 

   “Nothing. It's just that...I miss him.” She said, meant every word.

 

   Everyone knows how close they are. How the two Kim siblings were inseparable until Taehyung chased his dream as an idol that his parents approved of. Taehyung is lucky, he has parents who support him no matter what decision he makes and a sister who loves him no matter what he does. It was hard for her when Taehyung walked out because he's the only friend she ever had; no one, except for her best friend Nayeon could make her feel accepted.

 

   Taehyung is her everything. Her brother, her friend, her companion, her…

 

“No need to be sad, kiddo. He'll come back soon. Besides, three weeks off is kinda long for an idol and I'm sure your time with him before he left for the tour is well spent, right?”

 

   Yeah. It was well spent indeed. She smiled bitterly and nod her head. She looks out the window again, and her eyes scan the small hut that she, Taehyung, and their father built when she was only 7 years old and Taehyung was 11. Her eyes linger on it, remember the day Taehyung gently take care of her, making sure she doesn't get hurt when she's helping while their mother makes them hot chocolate and watch as her family works together in harmony and peace.

 

   It was a peaceful day and it stays attached in her head. How can she forget? It was one of the most precious moments to her. The memory of her and Taehyung. She remembers Taehyung's sweating face as he lifts the woods and helped their father. She remembers how it felt so right to be laughing, to be helping, to be side by side with her brother. True, that she's very close with her brother and she will always be, according to him. Taehyung, even when he lives in Seoul, would always call them every day without fail.

 

   She remembers how Taehyung and herself would hang out at that old hut that they built, lying on the wooden floor and looking at the trees, the breeze pampering their faces. When Taehyung had his weeks off before he left for the tour, he stayed with her there and hang out with her, listening to each other's crackhead culture talks. The way her brother hugged her, the way his head rested on her shoulder lovingly, the I love yous that they delivered to each other…

 

   “Hey, since it's a day off, how about we go somewhere?” Her father says, snapping her out of her daydream.

 

   He's now standing beside her mother, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands as he looks at his wife and his daughter. Her mother seems to be in sync with her husband, so they are waiting for her answer. To be honest, she doesn't mind. Even though she supposed to start her practice for the audition, that usual lazinesslingers in her body. Ever since Taehyung left, her body had been in a lazy state. Why? She gulps, remembering such an event and quickly cast it aside to answer her parents.

 

   “Sure. Where?” She asks lazily, stirring her coffee then sipping them slowly. It's still hot.

 

   Her father thinks for a while, leaning on the counter and think of where their destination would be today. Suddenly, he claps his hands together which resulted in her mother to flinch. Mrs. Kim has always been a scary cat, just like her. They laughed at the woman.

 

   “You scare me!” she screamed, hitting her husband in a playful manner. Perhaps, it has been too hard of a hit because he jumped and let out an “ow.” They all laugh again, and Miu wonders about what would today be like if Taehyung is by their side. By her side. It would've been even more fun. What could he be doing, right now? Miu wonders, her laughter still lingers with them, but it dies as she stares at the black, steaming hot coffee. It's like staring at a hole. A hole in her heart that is.

 

   “As I was saying,” Mr. Kim pause, eyeing his wife in a flirty manner and look at his only daughter with a smile as he continues. “I think it'd be fun to drive off to that favourite waterfall that you love so much. It's only 30 minutes’ drive there.”

 

   He says with a smile as he realizes how much his daughter loves that place and as her eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of the waterfall. Good choice indeed. All her troubles are forgotten at the mention of the waterfall that she loves so much. She stands up, fixing her dress immediately and walk out of the house to their car.

 

   “I'll be waiting in the car. Hurry up!” She ushers them, sprinting to get outside leaving her parents in the kitchen with a smile on their faces.

 

   “Well, let's go.” Mr. Kim said, beaming at Mrs. Kim.

 

[childofsolace-write-ups]

Arc 01: REUNION

::THOMAS::

"What do you think sunlight feels like?"

I look up and see Nina coming through the right hand tunnel entrance, not even saying hello first. That usually means she was deep in thought on her way here again.

"I really don't remember." I tell her, setting down the book I'd been pretending to read.

It was something about the new things they expected to be able to do with machines. I didn't really have a reason to be fond of those stupid things. It's not exactly a picnic, depending on the machines for everyday living. It'd be awfully hard to breathe underground without them, for one thing. And—insert sarcastic tone here—how on earth would ordinary people survive without fucking reading lights. Seriously, with the number of issues that needs addressing, they give us extra lighting in bunkers, of all things?

Personally, I'd rather take my chances with whatever's up there on ground level. If Trey, Kytes, and the others survived...

That's kinda the thing, though. After all these years, I have no way of knowing if they DID survive or WHAT they survived as. The atmosphere was said to do awfully strange things to ordinary people. I miss my little brother, though. And I hope Trey was doing okay, too. He was my best friend growing up after all.

"Do you?"

Nina clicks on the kitchen lamp. It's pretty cramped up in our compartment bunker, so she'd probably do fine with the little reading light I'm using but she looks at it for a moment and sighed. "It's been too long," she says. "I wonder if they even still have sunlight up there. You know, considering all that's happened."

"Oh, they probably do."

I click off the reading light. No need to be careless with the energy we had. No matter how much they wanted us to believe the machines supplied boundless electricity. I couldn't, not with the reason they sent away Kytes and Trey with a whole bunch of other orphans being the worry for lack of resources. Not with Nina working there everyday. We depended on qualified individuals now for our energy supply. As in, people. Humans, to produce energy, if that makes sense as if they were hamsters running repeatedly in wheels for a Science project. It makes me feel queasy just thinking about it. I don't know how Nina can let them. She's a lot braver than I could be, that's for sure. Maybe a lot more reckless, too. Well, Trey was her brother.

He rubbed off on her...

Then again, I haven't even seen the guy the last eight years, so how would I know that? Nina was all I really had left in memory of him and my own brother. You died younger down here than you would when people lived above when it was still up there. Both Nina's parents are gone, mine died in a fire accident years before the radiation up there first hit. My Uncle, who made it possible for me and my brother to still live here whenever they had to send out orphans, died a year after I turned thirteen. Then, in one Release before I turned thirteen, my brother opted to take Nina's place instead because she's been sick that time and she wouldn't have lasted an hour up there even with Trey's help, who had just been ten then. But I never held it against Trey or resent Nina. We knew each other even before all this, Trey was my best friend just as long as Nina was Kytes's. And I would've done the same if it had been Trey.

Although, I laugh at the idea of Kytes staying down here with him. It might be him who had to watch over the damn lummox.

Now with Nina's parents gone and my Uncle passing away, I was old enough to stand as her guardian until she turned thirteen herself next week. Not that it mattered cause she won't be moving out and I'm not kicking her out either. But on the event I died after her birthday, she wouldn't have to be sent away. So now we shared a cramped compartment on a fairly low level, which was good. The lower you are, the farther you are from the dangers of Ground level.

Level 01 had some data gathering stations for researches and old residence cells. They were Orphanages every now and then, until those who weren't adopted were sent out anyway, the cells were used for residence bunkers to the Poor class.

Level 02 to 30 had the residence cells according to social status of the Middle-class. Point blunt.

Level 31 to 35 had the commerce centers, radio stations and whatever establishments that had existed back and is possible to continue down here. There are movie halls, too, but obviously no one makes movies anymore. We watched the films that was brought down here with us during the evacuation. Before I thought it was pretty cool, now I think of how stupid it is. Of all the other important things they could have brought down, they settled for movies. Anyway, those levels are what you can consider the central city, if you can call it that since there are hardly any Skyscrapers anymore. Not that they would've fit down here, anyway.

Level 35 to 49 have residence cells for Elites and Government officials, the Councillors and the Techs with their family, if any. Since Nina is a Machine tech, we are privileged to be in Level 35.

The better people, the Councillors, get Level 37 to 49 according to importance of Office.

I don't really know what Level 50 holds, which is the lowest of the low. But some rumors I heard assumes it's a laboratory of sorts. Still, while we have it good as much as we could down here, I wonder about life in the surface.

"What makes you think so?" Nina snaps me back to reality. That perceptive brown-eyed gaze on me, a startling sense of knowing. "For all we know, it's getting worse up there. There's no way of knowing."

I snort. "No one bothers to check. Even if they did, there's no report. For all we know," I mimick her tone. "everything's back to normal, like in the Disney movie with the Garbage Robot going to outer space. We'd never know it, down here. They think we've got everything but it's all stupid..."

"Thomas," she studies me for a moment. "Are you still planning to go up there?"

"Soon."

I say the same thing everyday, but when have I ever acted on my words? I'm caught in a cycle just like every other moron in this stupid Underground settlement. And I know I'm still afraid to see how much things changed up there even as I'm dying to know at the same time.

"I want to see my brother," I continue. "How he and Trey are doing... If they're still alive, that is."

"Do you think they're still alive?" Nina asks, as if we don't talk about this everyday. Like she expects a different answer or something. It's been years and she still asks. "Well, do you?"

I can't give it to her though, "I don't know, maybe." The first few times she cried. Now, she simply nods.

"When are we going?"

I sigh at her persistence. It's not like it was easy, we can't just walk straight to the guards by the exit of the city and say, Hey we're leaving this dump so later losers! Without being questioned.

"Whenever it seems like a good time."

Naturally, I say this every time she asks. I think she's starting to think that it will never be a good time. I've begun to wonder about that myself. Actually, I want to go and see my brother. I want to go and see Nina's brother. It's tough finding a friend like him. Only Trey's been able to break down the walls I built ever since mom and dad died. He made me play soccer, even when I was never into sports. We'd go wild in the service tunnels, I break a lady's vase and we're both in trouble. Him at the Orphanage and me with my Uncle. But those were the good old days. I want to get back living above the ground, breathing for myself, instead of relying on machines to help me do it and rotting away in a metal cave some thirty feet or so below it. But thinking about something and actually doing it are two different matters.

Nina tilts her head then surprises me a bit by breaking our odd little mantra. Instead of agreeing and starting lunch, she asks a new question. "Thomas, do you think we could leave before the week is up?"

I stare at her in wonder. "Well, sure thing!" I mock-enthuse, "Let me call the guys at the Radio station to reschedule my shift this week. Oh. And have someone replace me as Head Chef for the Wedding Catering next month."

"Thomas," Nina pouts. "I'm being serious."

I'm still surprised but now also curious. "Why the sudden eagerness?"

"I met this girl in work today. Her name was Lindsay Caghan. Do you know her?"

I shake my head. I've never heard the name. But then, that doesn't mean a thing. I use my name when Live on air during Radio broadcasts so there could be a bunch of people who know me without me returning the favor.

"Well, she knows you. She knows you work at the station three days a week and as a chef during the Weekends." Now that's something. I usually stay at the kitchen so no one would guess I'm a Chef but my co-workers. I don't even have lots of friends anymore to be told about to others. Nina sinks slowly into the couch beside me. It was also my bed since I've offered the real bed to her. "I didn't say a word, Thomas. I don't know how she knows, but she does. And that's not the half of it. She knows our desire to leave."

Well, I wouldn't really call it a desire. "So?" I raise a brow. "What can she do? It's not like they'd actually care if we left. They'd be glad for the extra space."

"She doesn't want to stop us, Thomas." Nina explains, halting my instinctive string of defensive cynical arguments. "Far from it actually."

"Then what does she want?"

"You won't like it."

Oh jeez, I had to laugh at that. "There's a lot of things I don't like," I remind her. "I don't like these metal cages they call homes, I don't like those machines that use people as energy sources. And I definitely don't like how they sent our brothers and a whole group of other orphans yearly to the surface as a solution to minimizing shortages and leaving them to deal with whatever dangers the surface has to offer." I threw my arm behind her, mostly to stretch than anything else. "Now tell me, what else am I adding to this very long list?"

"All right," Nina smiles a little. "Lindsay brought up the subject in private. And she had a request for you. There's someone she wants us to take up to the surface when we go."

I stare at her for a second, wondering if she was joking. The expression on her face tells me she's not. "No way, nope. No." I say. I haven't even fully decided whether I, myself, wanted to go. I'm not all for including others. Before long, we'd have a whole army with us. "I do not like that one bit."

Nina rolls her eyes. "I expected as much." She sighs. "I'm not certain who she wants to send with us, but she seemed fairly urgent about it." She tells me, a strange look on her face. She looks like that whenever she's truly serious about something. That can't be good for me. Then there will be no refusing her.

"Urgent how?"

"Well," She hesitates. "she seemed nervous. As if what she's planning is something that could get her in trouble. I think we should at least hear her out."

"Nina," I rub my forehead. "you don't think that the person she wants us to take is herself, do you? If she's run into some kind of trouble with the law..." I don't finish that. I'm not a huge fan of the Councillors, but even I'm not cynical enough to get on their bad side so boldly enough to break the law. "you know I'd rather this doesn't turn into an escape propaganda."

Nina shakes her head, looking thoughtful. "No, I think it's bigger than that. I don't think she's doing this for her own safety. I think she's risking her safety and it's making her scared. But she really seems desperate to have us agree."

"I don't know Nina, it doesn't seem like a very good idea, including others." I hope I can make her see where I'm coming from. She's a teenager now, and I know I am too, but I expect the moodiness of a teenage girl to be something too much to handle. And if I give her a no... Well, just because Nina's never thrown a tantrum doesn't mean she couldn't start now. "we could end up with a lot of company and not all of them welcome."

"I don't think so, Thomas. The way she acted, I think this is a private problem. It was like she didn't want anyone else to know. But she seems pretty concerned. If it's illegal, it's illegal in a good way." she looks at me with bright eyes. "Know what I mean?"

I sigh. No, I really don't but what I do know is that there was no talking her out of this. "You mean some kind of Noble act? Like a Holy crusade or..."

"No, but it'd be something humane. Or she wouldn't bother," Nina retorts. "I think we should listen to her. It's probably important."

I groan, holding my hands up in surrender. "All right," I exhale, giving in, because who can function in the face of that kind of persistence?

Women complicated things. Uncle would always say. And he's right.

Nina had already made up her mind and it's futile to get her to give up. She's Trey's sister all right. "Fine. We'll talk to her. Why don't you try and get her to tell you exactly what she wants from us? I'm not making any promises until I know what we're getting into."

"Thank you, Thomas." Nina gives me a soft smile, the kind that gets just about anyone to do whatever she wants. I'm a victim of that countless of times. "I have a feeling that this is the right thing to do."

But not necessarily the smartest, I think to myself. "Great."

Nina shrugs and smothers a yawn. She's tired. But then again, she's always tired now. Working with machines is a strain. I pretend not to see the dark circles under her eyes, but I think it's wearing on her. That's just one more reason to take her away from this place. I know she's strong enough to handle it but I don't want her to have to.

"Make sure you ask the right questions." I remind her. "I don't want this Lindy girl tricking us to agreeing to more than we want. Be careful."

"It's Lindsay." Nina corrects before smiling. "And I have a better idea than that, Thomas." she says. "how would you like it if I arranged it so that you could meet her?"

"... No."

We argue again, even though I know Nina will eventually get her way nevertheless.