#and i was scoring around 40~50

[the-physicality]

i don't even know what to say

i had a bad feeling about this game ever since i went to watch and it was on *m*z*n pr*me

what happened to the offense

what happened to the defense [what happened to the defense is that atlanta has one 3 point threat and apparently washington has 8?

monique i thought had a very good game

celeste did well

natasha mack again had good impact

honestly i thought we took better care of the ball tonight than we have in a while but the shots were just not falling

i'm still annoyed at nate's rotations and honestly i think they are fucking up the first quarters

like i get that he's working on rotations or what ever but if people are getting points [the first points, the only points so far] maybe keep those people in instead of pulling them halfway through the quarter

i want to say this politely: it seems like he has pre planned rotations that he's going to implement regardless of the context of the game -_-

like we lost the 1st by 9, we lost the 2nd by 9, we lost the 3rd by 4 and we won the 4th by 9. thus the game by 13

if we lose the 1st by 5 instead that means that we've either played better defense or scored more points which keeps us hotter going into the 2nd, making it easier to play well, etc.

[roseverdict]

it is 4 AM which means it's Desperately Claw At Hobbies In An Attempt To Make Some Form Of Money To Set Aside So I Can Go Be An Adult Instead Of The Parentals' Puppet time!

[neiptune]

to hell with the stars, keep shooting for the moon

cw: 3k wc, female reader, established relationship, suggestive if you squint, reader is a gymnast, my entry for the super fun summer olympics collab by @tetzoro! hope you'll enjoy the little surprise i squeezed in hehe

“For the last time, I’m not having sex with you on one of those cardboard beds”.

Atsumu isn’t the least bit discouraged by your exasperated scowl, which is met with a pout.

“But babe-”

“I don’t care how many times Tobio’s done it, ‘Tsumu” you click your tongue.

“It’s just so fucking bizarre that he gets so much action, the guy doesn’t even do anything! Shoyo agrees, we discussed it and still couldn’t find a reason” the blond, excessively petulant Miya who makes it a point to be the bane of your existence, keeps listing all the reasons why he believes his teammate shouldn’t be getting laid in the olympic village. Or anywhere else ever, for the matter.

The heated arguments float through a distant hemisphere of your brain, where they dissolve before you can quite catch their meaning and soon enough become simple sounds you’re passively absorbing, thoughts too preoccupied with something entirely different.

The choreographies you put together with your trainer have been playing in the back of your mind ever since last night, after the all-around individual qualification round. You are part of the 10 gymnasts with the highest scores, four performances with each apparatus earning a fairly decent ranking and good enough points. Well, they’re certainly good enough, given that you get to represent Japan at the individual final. But you just know they could be better. Your feet should’ve been firmer, hands less sweaty around the clubs, you should’ve stretched for at least 50 minutes prior to the routine instead of the usual 40 ones.

Pulse picks up in pace, heart thrumming faster against your ribcage, dizziness clouds your mind for a moment as different moves chase each other in rapid succession: the penché comes first, then follows the elbow stand, front walkover, one forward roll, a chest stand-

Gentle, calloused fingers grasp your chin and tilt your head upwards in silent demand. Look at me.

“Get out of there and talk to me, sugar” the fondness in his chocolate gaze is a balm that instantly soothes the churning sensation sabotaging your stomach.

“I won’t make it” it’s blunt, raw in its honesty “I’m too scared”.

“Ya worked your ass off the past four years. Your entire life actually”.

“I know”.

“And whatever happens, you’re one of the best ten gymnasts in the world”.

“I know”.

Atsumu gets closer as his hands hold your face now, gentle but firm, an all too familiar flame starts dancing in feverish eyes.

“But?”.

You recognize that gaze, the raging, febrile determination taking over. He gets it on his side of the net, where he gets to run the show. And oh, isn’t that always a sight for sore eyes? It certainly was at the olympics too, when the entire world got to witness what Japan is already used to. The game against Argentina was nothing short of glorious, the way Atsumu coordinated his team’s offense, established the entire tempo and overall built the confidence in his passers had the crowds chanting his name over and over again. By the evening, you’re positive at least a hundred new Miya Atsumu fan accounts had started following you on instagram.

And yet he doesn’t take any of it for granted. Atsumu always gives his very best, at the olympics or during regular training with his friends. Whether Tobio is going to play or not. That passion simply sets his soul ablaze at all times, with no exception. He’s the man you love and the only one who can truly understand how you feel, the one person who is ignited with the same delirious resolve currently burning in the pit of your stomach.

“But I really want that fucking medal” you whisper. Not to prove him that you have it in you just like he does: truth is you’re the only person who needs additional convincing.

Sharp canines make their appearance when Atsumu smiles widely.

“Then go get it. The hell are you scared of? That medal belongs to you”.

Your eyelids flutter as they fall shut, a deep breath filling your lungs with fresh air. When you open your eyes again, you feel your heart filling up with something else too.

“I love you”.

His eyes soften at that, affection pools within crinkles by the eyes as a confident grin morphs into a warm smile.

“Love ya more, champion” Atsumu kisses your forehead with tenderness, lingers for a moment too long with lips pressing to your skin with intention. Then he lets go of your face but not before searching for any remnants of self-doubt. His chest swells with pride when all he can find in your eyes is that determination he adores.

“Will you be there?” you ask because you can’t help it. It’s perfectly understandable that he might not be able to, his schedule is just as busy as yours and Japan’s final game is just two days away. It’s not entirely fair to ask and someone else might’ve rolled their eyes with a sigh, reminded you that they don’t get to decide that. But not Atsumu. He takes one of your hands and brings it to his lips to kiss each knuckle.

“I’ll do everything I can to be there”.

“Thank you” you lightly pinch his nose with an infatuated smile and he fakes a groan “see you later”.

“I love you!” he shouts as you run away, loud and obnoxious and passionate, just like his affection always is. Once again, Atsumu’s love is thrown over your shoulders like a comforting blanket that weighs just right.

Back at the beginning of your relationship, you had to unlearn a very specific thought process that posed the risk of ending something that still hadn’t had the chance to fully start. It was your first time dating another pro athlete, a very talented and quite renowned one no less. You were first introduced to him at a party, he had no idea who you were but of course you were all too familiar with his name and accomplishments.

Miya Atsumu was a pro volleyball player, known for his exceptional flair and fierce passion ever since high school. His reputation made you believe that, as an athlete yourself, you had to prove him that you were just as good in your own sport. Wasn’t that all he’d be interested in? Dating someone who wouldn’t embarrass him with their mediocrity, someone who wouldn’t stain his polished reputation?

Turns out, by no means Atsumu was interested in all that. He asked if it was okay for him to come watch one of your competitions, coincidentally one of your worst ones. You were all too aware of how badly you had competed, nerves and a recent flu contributing to a terrible performance, yet at the end of it Atsumu greeted you with stars in his eyes. He couldn’t stop talking about how elegant yet strong you looked, going as far as describing your choreographies as breathtaking. With a nervous chuckle, he half-jokingly said he couldn’t believe you’d let him date you. 

That’s when you kissed him for the first time, fiery and feverish in a way that would’ve probably scared anyone else off. Not Atsumu, though. He wrapped his arms around you without so much as an ounce of hesitation, kissed you back like it was the last action he was allowed to perform on this earth. And you knew: he didn’t need you to be a winner, to be shiny at all times, to feel proud. To love you. Whether you end up bringing the medal home or not, he will still be your biggest fan and loudest supporter.

The intensity of the crowd doesn’t bother you at all: given your anxious nature, Chisaka-san has been adamant about training you with headphones and loud tapes for years. Music, cheers, booing, clapping, national anthems, you’re used to it all by now.

You observe the ukrainian gymnast, the way she moves so elegantly with her colorful ribbon. It looks like she’s flying, hopping on invisible steps made of air, sparkly leotard catching the light just right. Yours cost a fortune: handmade, sewn in Italy, a triumph of colorful stretch mesh, thermal crystals and sew-on rhinestones in various sizes and shapes.

As Chisaka-san helps you practice the usual deep breaths with a hand pressed to your chest, your eyes are still glued to your opponent. The podium is yours, unless you fuck up so badly even the bronze slips away. Daryna currently has the highest score and it’s certain she will protect the lead at the end of her final routine. Then follows Bulgaria’s Katerina, but you’re hardly worried about her: she finished her last exercise without catching the ribbon, a penalty you can easily overcome if luck and nerves are on your side.

When after an impeccable Daryna your name is announced at last, your trainer gives your butt a friendly, encouraging pat. She believed in you more than anyone else, more than yourself. She knew you’d qualify for the olympics and would be flying to Paris before you could even dream of such an achievement. And now you get to honor her trust, you get to prove that Paris is where you belong. The podium is yours because like hell you’re allowing it to slip away. But you want more, you want that gold.

The crowd seems louder now, flags raised in flashes of white and red in your peripheral as you smile radiantly and position yourself to start the routine. You don’t check if Atsumu was able to make it, don’t allow yourself to think of anything but the way your feet and legs and arms and hands are supposed to move.

The longest 85 seconds of your life begin along with the music, Piazzolla’s libertango but with a modern, energetic arrangement. The ribbon is not as scary as the hoop, it moves with you like an old friend, seamless and reliable. You throw the handle into the air and perform two forward rolls before catching it again in one fluid motion, lips perpetually stretched into a confident smile. The crowd erupts in deafening cheers at your backscale pivot, the more you keep cutting through the air with precision, control and passion, the more your smile grows. Yes, this is where you belong, this is what you love and were made to do.

There’s your signature move, difficult and risky and one Chisaka-san always attempts to talk you out of: a technical element, Bessonova’s swan, while simultaneously kicking the ribbon into the air with your foot once more. You catch it one last time, perform an aerial cartwheel and then a perfectly balanced backward somersault, wrap yourself in the colorful shades of your apparatus and gracefully conclude the routine on the floor.

The crowd is ear-splitting in their support and you don’t have to wait for the score to know: it was perfect. It’s the best you ever did and the tension finally melts into hot tears as you wave and smile and foolishly attempt to wipe the wetness from your cheeks at the same time. Chisaka-san wraps you up in her comforting embrace and you hide your face in her white uniform, ears ringing, blood scorching in veins throbbing with adrenaline.

“I can’t look” you whisper into her shoulder and she gently guides you to the bench, all emotional murmurs and soft touches. She sits next to you, holds your hand as you force a quivering smile to the camera, peace sign held high. And then you can barely catch a glimpse of your scores before Chisaka-san forces you into her arms and against her chest again, right as fresh tears stain your cheeks. She lets you have this moment, shields your first reaction from the world and the prying eyes of cameras that are on you once more because holy shit, Daryna has a 140.60 but you have a 142.850. They gave you a difficulty score of 19.300 and an execution one of 8.550.

“I knew it!” Chisaka-san is the only thing keeping you grounded because it truly feels as if you’re floating. It doesn’t matter how badly you wanted it, how much you fought for it, the moment doesn’t feel real. Not even as the other gymnasts come to hug you and you congratulate them in turn, it’s a whirlwind of all-encompassing love and support and mutual happiness. Moments like this make your sport truly special, they remind you that fierce competition only feels right when balanced by appreciation for your opponents’ efforts and individual journeys.

The crowd erupts in new, loud cheering and you catch a glimpse of the different face the cameras are now focusing on. A handsome face with suspicious dampness glistening on cheeks and a smile so warm, beaming with pride. You can’t help but smile back as your legs move on autopilot, a bottle of water dropped to the floor as you sprint towards the bleachers. Atsumu is in the front row and he easily catches you right as you jump onto him, arms wrapped around his neck.

“Told ya. It belongs to you” he whispers in your ear and you almost start crying again at the trembling in his voice, so many overwhelming emotions swarming in your chest at once.

“Thank you for believing in me” you mutter and pull back to look at him, because even in a venue packed with people and cameras and journalists he still manages to be the brightest, the one thing you could look at forever without ever growing tired of it.

“Always” Atsumu grins, eyes glazed with defiant tears “you did so well. Look at ya, my girl’s an olympic medalist!”.

And because you know he won’t do it, god forbid he takes the most special moment of your life away from you, you kiss him. It’s brief, two pecks that linger just enough before he lets you go, urges you to go back out there and celebrate. You don’t care that videos of this moment are probably going to be flooding every social media platform in a matter of minutes, similarly to how Atsumu hardly gives a damn about all the phones and cameras he has in his face when he runs to you after a game, whether his team wins or not.

It’s hard not to tear up again as the japanese national anthem echoes through the building, so many people singing along as you stand on the podium you have dreamed of every single day of your life. You smile, proud and big, take selfies with the other two medalists and make sure you hug every single gymnast you come across goodbye before walking out of the venue, a promise to catch up with your trainer in the evening.

Atsumu waits for you outside, he doesn’t have any additional training left for the day and you want nothing more than to walk back to the village with him, lovesick smile growing in size when you spot him underneath the afternoon sun, golden light caught beautifully in that honey blond hair.

“There she comes, the girl of my dreams” he coos and you roll your eyes with affection “I hear she’s now the greatest gymnast in the world, too!”.

“Corny” you murmur against his lips as he pulls you in for a real kiss, one of those you’re never willing to give him in front of the cameras.

“About those cardboard beds…” it’s a faint whisper into his mouth but it’s enough for Atsumu to pick you up and twirl until you’re both laughing between kisses, until someone clearing their throat prompts you to abruptly pull back and force your feet onto the ground again.

When you turn around, the embarrassed smile quickly grows into a surprised grin. The stranger is looking back at you with the faintest hint of a smirk and Atsumu isn’t entirely sure he loves the way you take a tentative step toward him.

“Congrats. It was a good routine, not your best though”.

“Oh my god” you chuckle, astonished, and Atsumu is now certain he doesn’t enjoy watching you run to hug this weird, 6’1 stranger with dark hair and teal eyes. He definitely doesn’t enjoy the way the stranger wraps his arms around you with a sigh.

“I should’ve known you’d be here! How long has it been? Look at you, all grown up!” you let him go, still smiling so hard your cheeks hurt.

“Too long” he concedes and if the stranger wasn’t still all caught up in old, familiar patterns of stubborn coldness, maybe he would be able to utter the truth about how much he’s missed one of his oldest friends.

“I missed you” as usual, you take it upon yourself to fill the spaces left empty by his obstinacy with warmth. His eyes soften and you smile again as you turn to look at your boyfriend.

“’Tsumu, c’mere!” you’re holding out a hand, an impatient invitation “come meet Rin!”

Atsumu is openly wary of your friend, one you’re obviously close enough to address by his first name. As he shakes his hand with a fake megawatt smile, Rin seems to be equally skeptical and does nothing to hide it.

“He’s your boyfriend?” he asks, briefly scanning Atsumu from head to toe with an openly dubious gaze “came all the way here just to support you?”

“Atsumu is a pro volleyball player, he’s in the national team just like you!”

“Volleyball, huh?” Rin cocks his head “doesn’t really interest me. I find it to be overrated”.

“I mean…”.

“And what would your sport be, Itoshi?” Atsumu can feel a vein throb on his forehead as he politely interrupts you.

“Soccer”.

“Oh!” a seemingly friendly laugh bubbles up from his throat but you recognize the petulant vibration to it “soccer! I think there’s only so long you can watch a player throw himself on the ground because he stubbed his toe on the grass or, I don’t know, try the same failed corner kick for the millionth time”.

You uncomfortably clear your throat and Rin directs his attention to you once more. Isn’t that what being a mature adult is all about? Ignoring pretentious assholes he doesn’t even know?

“I mean it, by the way. You deserve that gold more than anyone else I know”.

“C’mon, say it” you chuckle “I know you noticed”.

He mirrors your smile, pleased that the familiarity strengthened by years of friendship is still here.

“Barely catched that ribbon in the end, could’ve made that front walkover less stiff. Good job overall, though”.

Atsumu wants to punch him in the goddamn face, especially as you laugh once more.

“How come he’s so familiar with gymnastics?” he asks instead.

“Rin used to come watch my training sessions back in high school, although it’s insane to me that he still remembers!”.

“She never missed any of my trainings either” Rin smirks once more, gaze locked to the man in front of him.

“Speaking of!” you lightly smack his arm “when are you guys playing?”.

“Tomorrow. I can arrange special seats if you want”.

“Oh, I’d love to come! We should totally go, ‘Tsumu!”.

“Yeah, totally” Atsumu forces another smile onto his lips.

That night, as you’re cuddled against his chest on that infuriatingly uncomfortable cardboard bed, he believes it’s of the utmost importance to share the picture of you with an adorable smile and the medal around your neck as you stand proudly on that podium, followed by the two of you kissing right after your win.

miyatsumu the most hardworking person I know. my golden girl, now an olympic champion ❤️🥇

He thinks it’s a good caption and, as you softly snore in the quiet of the dark room, Atsumu also believes he’s in a mood good enough to decide not to block Shoyo on the spot after receiving his stupidly enthusiastic text about befriending some super nice dude on the national soccer team.

Whoever the hell Isagi Yoichi is anyway.

[astrallytadpoled]

Companion Underwear Tier List

Do you know how hard it was to put this together? Did I at any point think I'd be sitting here overthinking underpants? No. Never. I hope all my teachers are proud of me!

Underwear was assessed based on FOUR criteria: sex appeal, description, bulge/clam protection, and bondage appeal.

Are you ready for the break down? Of course you are.

More under the cut!

First up, Lae'zel.

Sex appeal: That is quite the sexy underwear. It being leather means everything is swampy down there, though. BUT that would be a perk for some of you heathens. 9/10 Description: Built for function rather than fun. What? Have you SEEN that thing? Imagine the wedgies you get trying to fight in it! 6/10 Bulge/clam protection: It covers the most important bits, and it's leather, but enough is uncovered that a direct groin hit would hurt 6/10 Bondage Appeal: Leather? Straps? Tie me up, mommy. 10/10 FINAL SCORE: 31/40, or 78% or C

Shadowheart:

Sex appeal: They're a nicely made matching set of underwear 8/10 Description: If pants could brood… Absolutely fucking hilarious 10/10 Bulge/clam protection: Material seems weak, and it doesn't provide good coverage 6/10 Bondage appeal: Pretty generic mildly sexy underwear with a bit of an edge. 7/10 FINAL SCORE: 31/50 or 77% or C

Astarion:

Sex appeal: It's Astarion I'd be eaten alive if I don't give this a 10/10 Description: Embroidered into the cloth: 'If you're reading this, you managed to bed or behead me. Either way, you got lucky.' Made me laugh out loud irl, so 10/10. Bonus 5 points since he embroidered them himself (effort wins points from me ok) Bulge/clam protection: Look it's cloth. No protection there. And it shows his butt wrinkles (+2 for butt wrinkles) 6/10 Bondage appeal: Generic tighty-not-whities do with them what you will. 6/10 FINAL SCORE: 37/40 or 92% or A

Gale:

Sex appeal: Sorry, Gale. That waist. 7/10 Description: Energy crackles around these. Gale wouldn't… Surely he didn't enchant his… Description? Funny. 10/10. But one has to wonder what sort of enchantment he went for. Prestidigitation? Or some sort of temperature control? A smart man would go for prestidigitation. Extra 7 points for the enchantment. Bulge/clam protection: It's cloth, but he's got good coverage going AND they're magic9/10 Bondage appeal: Who likes shorts? Are shorts bondage-able? 3/10 FINAL SCORE: 36/40 or 90% or A

Wyll

Sex appeal: Bonus for cut, but I gotta ding you for the drawstring. Sorry, Wyll. 6/10 Description: Long may these gird the Blade of Frontiers. Yes, yes, we know. You're the Blade of Frontiers. Makes it sound they're his only pair of underpants, too! 5/10 Bulge/clam protection: It's cloth. Do you think Mizora protects his bulge in any way? I doubt it. 3/10 Bondage appeal: They're white underpants. 2/10 FINAL SCORE: 16/40 or 40% or D

Karlach

Sex appeal: It's Karlach, she's by default hot. Look at the cut! The straps! 9/10 Description: How do these not burn off? THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION, GAME, and now I'm wondering too. 9/10 Bulge/clam protection: Coverage is not that great BUT, they can take the heat. They should probably grant some sort of fire immunity or something. Larian, fix this. 8/10 Bondage appeal: They look pretty bondage-y, but also Mama K. 7/10 FINAL SCORE: 33/40 or 82% or B

Halsin

Sex appeal: To be honest it looks like he's wearing something a size too small, Halsin, hun, give your crotch room to breathe. 6/10 Description: Why does it smell like a herb garden? So at least we know he keeps it clean? Unless HE smells like a herb garden… have you considered that? 10/10 Bulge/clam protection: Keeping everything close and tight to minimize damage. Genius. 9/10 Bondage appeal: They can be worked into bondage easily. Halsin provides the vines. 10/10 FINAL SCORE: 35/40 or 87% or B

Jaheira

Sex appeal: The mesh-y vest-y look on the bra, hello? 9/10 Description: Embroidered with little ducks. ….WAIT A MINUTE is that why Halsin likes ducks?! 10/10 Bulge/clam protection: Not very protective, but she goes cougar mode anyway (yes I know it's a panther, I just need that joke in there) 8/10 Bondage appeal: They can be worked into bondage easily. But she's got to be in charge. 9/10 FINAL SCORE: 36/40 or 90% or A

Minsc

Sex appeal: It is Minsc 10/10 Description: Tight, aerodynamic, and built for maximum breathability. Humidity is no friend to hamsters. MINSC PLEASE DO NOT PUT HAMSTERS IN YOUR UNDERPANTS. THINK OF LEMMIWINKS 1/10 Bulge/clam protection: No protection, the hamster is a liability 2/10 Bondage appeal: Lemmiwinks 1/10 FINAL SCORE: 14/40 or 35% or F

Minthara

Sex appeal: It is Minthara 15/10 Description: Woven with as much toughened cobweb as cloth. It is an evocative mental image 10/10 Bulge/clam protection: Spidersilk stronk, but coverage could be better 7/10 Bondage appeal: It is Minthara 10/10 FINAL SCORE: 42/40 or 105% or S

[morihaus]

while taking those geography quizzes that've been going around i was like "lol it'd be funny if there was one for elder scrolls. probably not though it'd be really easy" but then i looked and there IS one for cities in tamriel

despite my confidence i did miss a few cities that i reasonably should've known, including a few from mainline games. 77 IS a lot to remember. perhaps you can take the challenge...

[aboxofcereales]

Currently trying to collect all the information about our companies’ life before the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. Mainly, about their family and age. Any suggestions/editing will be very much welcome.

Huge thanks to everyone who aiding the cause in comments and reblogs.

Last update - 10 April 2024.

Wyll Ravengard: is about 24, has left the city when he was 17, in origin introduction states that he’s been exiled for 7 years. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, he's in fact 24 & Neutral Good. Apparently his dad, Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard, raised him by himself, Wyll’s mother, Francesca, passed away in childbirth, when Wyll was born, as stated by Ulder’s longsword description, Wyll mentions her during a romance scene in Act 3, also calls himself “a single son to a single father”. According to Murder in Baldur's Gate: Ravenguard has never married and has no interest in domestic matters, moreover the said sword description calls Wyll's mother Ulder's love, not wife, which makes me think that Wyll was born out of wedlock. Supposed to have 3 uncles. I’ve seen a note about Wyll diving to see a mermaid as kid, written by his dad, in the high security vault. Florrick seen him grow up, had a crush on Stelmane as a kid, also during his childhood enjoined fishing with his dad, but sucked at it. Also, Ravengard's Scourger states that "Duke Ravengard's father was the sort of man who works with his hands, and communicates in grunts. In his heart his son vowed to do better. But when Wyll was born, Ravengard felt a strange gravity that drew him away from his son.", that strange gravity might be Francesca's death in childbirth(?). Generally, I strongly advise to take him around the city in act 3, as he tells plenty stories of his boyhood.

Gale Dekarios: still not sure if there any information about how old he might be, but I estimated around mid-to-late 30s, though it doesn’t really sit well with him meeting Mystra as a kid (btw there’s an absolutely wonderful post on this topic by @lairofsentinel, check it out), still I’d like Gale to be on the older side, alternatively, he may be around 28-30 due Mystra's return year. Personal headcanon - he's 37. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, he's 35 & True Neutral. He casted his first spell as a babe - a score of rabbits in the panty. Apparently lives separately from his parents in his tower, at least as kid had them both (mentioned when he first tells about his friend-tressym, Tara), thou in his origin (at least as much as heard and played myself but @vitanithepure confirmed it) only his mother gets mentions, the state of the other parent is unknown. Has a very tender relationship with her, but didn’t inform her about the orbe for her own safety, her name may be Morena (godsblessdataminers), Mrs Dekarios really wants him to find someone to settle down with. Also, Tara hates his beard.

Shadowheart (Jenevelle Hallowleaf): is about 50, comments that Viconia documented about 40 years worth of her life at the hands of Shar, in the same note she writes that Shadowheart was able to keep her heart true to her child self, and was hard learning Shar lessons. As I understood when she was kidnapped, she was about 10-13, kidnapping was directly by the Shar command.According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, she' 48 & Lawful Neutral. Personal headcanon - she's 51. After her abduction made friends with tiefling named Nocturne (they might have be more than friends?), had a pet mouse for sometime called Nibbles. There’s a grafiti somewhere behind Jaheira house which she has drawn. Shares a questionable taste of romance literature with Wyll and his father. Her parents’ fate, Emmeline and Arnell Hallowleaf: is up to you decisions. Her mother mentions that they wanted Jen to have siblings.

Karlach Cliffgate: early 30s I think, the way she speaks about Gortash makes me thinks she was practically a teenager when she started working for him and spend 10 year serving Zariel. Personal headcanon - she's 29. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, she's 30 & Chaotic Good. Her parents, Pluck and Caerlack, she moved them from Outer City to a nicer place. Her mom died due to fewer when she was a teen, dad a couple years later due to road accident. Both died before she met Gortash. Her mom seems to be behind her love for Minsc, Jaheira etc. You can meet her friend near Baldur’s statue.

Lae’zel of K’liir: seems to be barely 20. Githianky reach adulthood in their late teen, and as Lae’zel was yet to present a mindlflaer’s head, I think she’s the youngest in the party. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, she's exactly 22 & Lawful Evil. Personal headcanon - she's in fact 20. She hates owls due to their necks, Karlach agrees.

Astarion Ancunin: according to translation of his grave he only lived for 40 years before becoming spawn, spend 200 year as such. Safe guess - there's definitely smt wrong with his grave stone or/and translation as it messes the current year - from 220 to 250. According to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, he's 263, which doesnt seem right, & Neutral Evil. According the artbook he was a corrupted magistrate, which seem to be true atleast to pre-release version.

Halsin is 350, his family is from the High Forest, thou they are all gone. Spend 3 years captured by drow, loves honey and curving ducks. Jahiera is about 150-160, as she was a child in 1347. Has atleat five foster children: half-elf Rion, half-orc druid Jord, three humans - Jhessem, Fig, and Tate. Minsc was a statue from 1409 to 1480s.

[ooffmlsorry]

One Piece Men Driving (you around)

monster trio

A/N: I don't know a lot about Kid but I thought I'd give a shot anyway :I I'm really sorry if he's OOC

LAW

Would make a great get away driver honestly, like he genuinely has a great understanding of driving/the road and hardly ever gets lost and he knows you think that's hot

He drives SO FAST like WHERE ARE YOU GOING??? This man actively considers the speed limit a challenge

For that reason he's either always early or on time to pick you up...but somehow suspiciously late getting you home 😉

8/10 times he's in charge of the music, it depends on your taste and his mood honestly. If you don't have the same music taste, he'll grin and bear it because he loves you, really you're torturing this man

Yeah he drives really fast but never in a school zone or neighborhood, he takes that really seriously

Acts like it's a big pain to drive you around but secretly loves it and always claims he was headed that way even if he wasn't

Loves late night drives with you that end in some empty parking lot to talk for hours or make out or both

The two of your are menaces to late night convenience store clerks

Loves holding your hand or keeping a hand on your thigh while driving

Keeps his car pretty clean except for all the coffee cups and energy drink cans on the floor in the backseat that he thinks you don't notice

KID

His car > you sorry not sorry

Drives a loud, obnoxious hot rod

Drives like a MANIAC and LOVES IT. Fuck it we ball, if y'all die then y'all die. This man is not afraid to take a risk and you know that

That being said he'd probably never put you in real danger

"Oh look, y/n there's some kids riding their bikes. LET'S HIT 'EM!!" does not actually hit the kids but definitely keeps a point score in his head as if he did. "You know I just missed 40 points for you, tricycles are worth more."

Doesn't let you drive it but thinks you look totally hot behind the wheel

Gets there when he gets there, babe, but wherever you're going you're going in style

Genuinely loves blasting the music when he's near you so you know he's on the way

The best part of driving with him is being obnoxiously loud and wild and free together

Acts like he's gonna crash just to mess with you a little

Drag races for sure

Secretly prefers your company over everyone else's while tinkering with the car y'all have definitely fucked on top of it like he just likes having you in presence while he works, it kind of puts him at peace

There's definitely some kind of detail that's an homage to you and any sort of decoration you buy that he can put in his car he will

ACE

I'm so serious DO NOT distract this man

It takes every last brain cell he has not to fuck up

Like when he's alone he's fine, but as soon as another person's in the car with him he gets so distracted especially with you

He can't help it he's just so happy to see you and talk to you and look at you and whoops! There was the exit he was supposed to take

He's either picking you up a half an hour early or twenty minutes late there's no in between

Y'all share the music but he can listen to just about anything just don't put on anything boring

You already know the deal, if y'all end up going out to eat you're driving home because he's absolutely asleep

Definitely prefers back roads and intentionally takes the "long way" so he can spend more time with you

Of course there's a 50/50 chance y'all are gonna get real lost anyway so either way he's spending more time with you

Gets really embarrassed anytime he fucks up so don't backseat drive because it'll only make it worse

King of Normalize Hitting the Curb™️

Loves a good snack run

[melefim]

Dead Boy Detectives full soundtrack!

(Or at least all the ones I could find)

I’ve seen several soundtrack playlists floating around, but unfortunately a lot have other songs added or are missing some that were used in the show, so I went ahead and made my own!

Below the cut is a full listing of when each song was used during the show, timestamped as accurately as I could manage.

Please let me know if there are any songs I missed, and I’ll add them ASAP! Score will be added if/when it’s released. If anyone would be interested in separate posts for each episode, let me know and I’ll get right on it!

Enjoy!

🎥Promotional🎥:

“Psychobilly Bandits” by Alibi Music: Teaser trailer

“Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance: Full trailer

“Young and in Love” by Fast Forward Romance: Meet the Characters teaser

🔮The Case of Crystal Palace🔮:

“Doorman” by slowthai, Mura Masa: Hotel hallway chase scene. (2:33-2:47)

“Hang on to Yourself” by David Bowie: Prep for Crystal’s case. (11:59-12:30)

“Bad Feeling” by Cobra Man: What Crystal is listening to on her headphones in the subway before the David the Demon fight. (12:36-13:04)

“I’m Telling Your Mum” by Danny Farrant, Paul Rawson: Jenny’s introduction. (21:46-22:44)

“It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones: In the Malt shop after they find Esther’s house and after Crystal sees David the Demon. (26:42-27:38, 29:24-29:47)

“Bones of Rock” by The Boneless Ones: In the background during Crystal and Jenny’s talk in the alley. (34:03-35:07)

“Take the Rest of Me” by Brocklesby Crooke: Dandelion sprites- Crystal meeting Niko. (36:39-36:51)

“Deal Wiv It” by Mura Masa, slowthai (instrumental): Meeting David the Demon flashback. (38:36-39:10)

“So What?” by NOISY (instrumental): Planning Becky’s rescue in the butcher shop. (41:34-42:19)

“White Teeth” by The Screaming Gypsy Bandits: Record playing inside Esther’s house. (43:33-44:30)

“Surfing in the Sky” by The Vaccines: Fight in Esther’s front yard. (49:08-49:50)

“Missing” by slowthai (instrumental): Sending Becky home, heading back to the butcher shop. (51:23-52:34)

🌼The Case of the Dandelion Shrine🌼:

“Take the Rest of Me” by Brocklesby Crooke: Dandelion sprites- Niko faints outside the bathroom and attracts attention in the butcher shop. (12:48-12:52, 28:29-28:57)

“Natural Successor” by Pictish Trail: Turning Monty human. (47:22-49:16)

🪓The Case of the Devlin House🪓:

“Free Tonight” by Skymachine: Charles & Crystal walk into butcher shop, just a few bars on radio before anchor talks about the storm. (8:13-8:15)

“Oceans” by The Yada Yada Yadas: on radio after anchor talks about the storm while Charles and Crystal are asking Jenny about the Devlin murders. (8:21-8:50)

“Owner of a Lonely Heart” by Yes: Devlin house time loop, repeated multiple times. (First full loop 19:06-21:09. Loop repeats: 21:31-23:05, 23:36-24:38, 25:02-25:35, 26:52-27:17, 29:04-29:55, 30:22-31:24, 33:17-34:30, 34:34-35:35, 35:48-37:01, 37:18-38:55, 39:28-40:50. Final loop: 42:23-42:36)

🌊The Case of the Lighthouse Leapers🌊:

“RoMaNcE” by ShitKid: Jenny reading letter from her secret admirer, gets rent from the girls. (1:16-2:40)

“Fire Escape” by Nine One One: Jenny reading letter before finding the Night Nurse upstairs. (29:06-29:32)

“The Wellerman” (original music box version): Charles winds up music box, hits Night Nurse with it, kicks her into Angie. (43:07-43:49)

“Young Blood- White Sea Remix” by The Naked and Famous, White Sea: End of episode- Niko starts to read letters from mother, Charles and Crystal kiss, end credits. (48:22-50:59)

🐉The Case of the Two Dead Dragons 🐉:

“Thunder” by ZEE MACHINE: Interviewing students about Brad & Hunter. (14:24-15:11)

“Apocalypse” by Cigarettes After Sex: Jenny and Maxine mid-date. (26:54-28:04)

“Melting” by Kali Uchis: Jenny and Maxine late date until stalker reveal. (36:25-38:10)

“Disorder” by Joy Division: End credits. (49:49-50:41)

🍄The Case of the Creeping Forest🍄:

“Who’s Ur Girl?” By The Mysterines: Niko redecorates her room. (1:15-1:29)

“The Wellerman” (original Music box version): Sea calming music box, playing inside Angie. (13:45-14:07, 15:35-15:49)

“A.T.T.A.C.K” by Arre! Arre!: Niko tries to get Jenny to forgive her in the butcher shop. (20:49-21:57)

“Shakedown” by Infamous Stiffs: End credits. (51:17-52:11)

🕷️The Case of the Very Long Stairway🕷️:

“Under the Milky Way” by The Church: Charles’ memories of his death. (11:06-13:15)

“Dinner Jazz” by Tony Kinsey: Limbo/Hotel lobby in Hell. (17:27-18:27, 44:13-44:30)

“Revolution Action” by Atari Teenage Riot: David turns on lights and music in abandoned bowling alley. (30:20-30:48)

“Window Shopping” by Robert Foster: Gluttony/Café when exiting Hell. (43:13-43:35)

“Circle In The Sand” by Belinda Carlisle: Jenny singing in Crystal’s head while possessed. (31:43-33:50)

“Burning” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Monty flies away from rooftop, Esther works on her machine, Jenny sleeps while Niko looks at Cursed Magic 8 ball, Night Nurse knocks on supervisor’ door, Crystal eats first memory marble, end credits. (52:37-55:16)

🐍The Case of the Hungry Snake🐍 :

“Standing In The Way of Control” by Gossip: Crystal’s first memory marble. (1:18-2:04)

“I’m What You Want” by Walt Disco: Crystal Club fight memory. (8:35-8:48)

“When I’m Gone” by Ging: Crystal says goodbye and leaves the butcher shop. (16:18-18:13)

“Sleeping On Grassy Ground” by The Heavy Heavy: Charles and Edwin wake up in Esther’s house. (25:55-27:43)

“Who’s Sorry Now” by Connie Francis: Niko and Crystal break into Esther’s house. (30:35-31:17)

“Loss & Relax” by Black Belt Eagle Scout: Talking in Niko’s room. (40:44-42:59)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And if you like lists of things like I do, you can check out my other Dead Boy Detective ones here!

When Charles’ shirt color changes

George Rextrew’s Edwin comic inspo board

Moves, Incidents, and Cases masterlist

Swearing Stats Masterlist

First pass at finding where the songs in the score are used- full post with timestamps in progress.

[kwanisms]

SETTLE THE SCORE — y.kihyun

After the events of her story, Y/N has had her curse broken and succubus powers removed, allowing her to live a normal life. She has managed to keep a low profile, getting a job in a diner, her entire world is turned upside down when one of the men she was tasked with seducing in her previous life shows up at the diner late one night with a bone to pick with her. incubus!Kihyun × fem!Reader

» back || m.list || taglist « ❑ WORDCOUNT — 13.6k ❑ WARNINGS — adult language, female reader, shorter reader, mentions of: self harm, suicide, suffering, torment, demons, food consumption; sexual content (18+ mdni), see smut warnings under the cut! ❑ CONTENT — angst, smut; supernatural, fantasy, demons & angels, biblical, restaurant setting, small town vibes; non idol au, demon au ❑ NOTES — here to kick of the Valentine's Special is Kihyun's piece which is a sequel to this Monsta X series I wrote nearly 7 years ago. It's not entirely necessary to read the entire series before reading this but it will help you understand a little better! The next part is going to be Hongjoong's! The taglist is still open and will close on the 7th of February at 11PM CST. Thank you so much for reading and as always, this is a work of fiction and all characters are not reflective of their respective irl counterparts. for entertainment purposes only.

MINORS WILL BE BLACKLISTED & BLOCKED. AGELESS BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED. 

❑ SMUT WARNINGS: unprotected sex (do not), oral (f receiving), praise (f receiving), fingering (f receiving), mild anal play (f receiving), dirty talk, mild daddy kink, rough sex, piv sex, cum inside, use of pet names (baby, kitten, etc.), and that should be all of them! If I missed any, let me know!

Your footsteps echoed in the night, carried by the icy wind as you walked with determination towards your destination. The road ahead of you was empty as you continued, staying on the sidewalk and out of harm’s way. In the distance, you could see the bright red neon sign of the diner. As you approached, the old building came into view. 

It was an old fashioned diner, something straight out of the 1950’s. The main body of the restaurant was a repurposed train car that had been modified and added onto. Many of these styles of diners popped up in the 40’s and were popular into the 50’s but began to decline in the 60’s. What was left were some of the businesses that lasted out of sheer spite.

The one you worked at, Ray’s, was located along a popular highway, albeit in the middle of nowhere. It had an attached gas station which was the primary purpose for its flow of customers. Most of your visitors were vagrants, coming in for a cup of hot coffee, or travelers passing by and stopping for gas and a bite to eat before continuing on their way. Most of the success was due to the diner being open twenty four hours.

As you crossed the parking lot, a car pulled in and rolled to a stop in front of one of the pumps. You paid no mind as you headed for the door, pulling your coat tighter around you, the chilly wind whipping around you and stinging your nose.

Upon reaching the door, you opened it and darted inside, relishing the warmth of the interior of the diner. As you entered, a woman behind the counter looked up and smiled as you walked in, trying to shake off the cold. “You’re early,” she said as she returned her attention to something on the counter. You approached, unbuttoning your coat and glanced down to see a book full of crossword puzzles resting on the counter top before her, a pen in her grip as she read the clues.

“There wasn’t anything else to do,” you replied as you glanced around the mostly empty diner. There were a few patrons seated at the counter, spaced out and not even looking at one another, instead busying themselves with their food, books, or devices. You turned back to the woman behind the counter. “Anything I need to know about today, Beth?” you asked, leaning over the counter as she looked up.

She was an older woman, maybe in her mid sixties. She had been working at the diner for a long time, longer than any of the other servers. She was the boss when it came to everything not related to the kitchen. She made the schedules for the serving staff and made the rules. She was a no nonsense kind of woman but she wasn’t a total stick in the mud. She had a great sense of humor, it was just hidden under layers hardened by years of customer service.

“Ray’s in a good mood,” she noted as she jotted down letters into the squares of her crossword. “Ray’s always in a good mood,” you pointed out to which Beth scoffed. “You’ve got a point there,” she said with a low chuckle. “I swear, I’ve never seen that man so much as raise his voice even slightly.”

You joined in her amusement before your soft laughter subsided. “Who are we working with tonight?” you asked suddenly. Without looking up, Beth answered your question, filling in another answer to her puzzle. “Ava.” A slight smile graced your lips. 

Ava was a sweet young woman. She was in her late teens and an incredibly hard worker. From what Beth had told you, Ava hadn’t had an easy life. Soon after she was born, her mother took off, leaving her with her grandparents. Her grandmother was an alcoholic and her grandfather was a tough, ruthless man. Ava had suffered a multitude of abuses at their hands but despite that, she grew up to be kind and sweet. As soon as she finished high school, she ran away from home with her boyfriend, Cody, and the two of them settled down in the nearby town, renting a small studio apartment.

Ava was taking courses at the local community college while her boyfriend was an apprentice under a logging company. They were both low level employees but they made enough to make ends meet. You’d met Cody on a number of occasions when he would come to pick up Ava and he always struck you as a quiet but polite and very kind person.

You glanced up at the clock on the wall and sighed. “I guess I better go clock in,” you murmured as the face read it was almost time for your shift to begin. Beth said nothing, merely nodding, as she continued her puzzle. You stood up and headed for the end of the counter, walking around to the side where the bar opened up. You flipped up the counter and stepped behind, dropping it back in place behind you before pushing open the door to the back.

Soft jazz played in the kitchen, floating through the air towards you and as you passed the dishwashing station, Ray came into view, preparing for the overnight shift and dancing to the music. You held back the urge to chuckle and turned the opposite direction to where the dry storage was. Back here was a place for employees to stash their bags and coats, a small coat rack in the corner between metal shelves that held bags of flour and sugar.

You removed your scarf and hat, tucking them into your coat pocket before pulling it off and hanging it up with your small purse. Once you had that done, you walked into the office, grabbing an apron and tying it on, checking the pockets for your usual pen and pad and grabbing an extra pad of paper and  a few pens. You left the office, waving to Ray when he caught sight of you before pushing the door open and entering the bar area.

Walking over to Beth, you grabbed one of the styrofoam to go cups and filled it with ice and water, placing a lid on it and writing your name on the side of the cup in pen. Once you were done, you leaned against the counter, taking a sip as Beth grabbed the sign in sheet, housed in a black binder, and set it on the counter for you.

Grabbing one of your pens, you opened the book to the sheet for the overnight shift with the day’s date on it and signed your name and the time before shutting it and sliding under the counter to sit on the shelf with the other books ranging from accounting books to a phonebook. You  watched Beth mess with her crossword for a few moments. “Ava is usually here by now,” Beth muttered under her breath, checking her watch.

You glanced up as the sound of a car pulling into the lot caught your attention. It was a black truck, an older model. The passenger door opened and out hopped Ava, no doubt calling a goodbye to Cody before she shut the door and headed for the diner entrance. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” you whispered jokingly, prompting Beth to raise her head as Ava entered the diner, eyes wide, nose red from the cold, and an apologetic smile on her face.

“I am so sorry, Beth!” she exclaimed as she walked towards the counter. Beth offered only a kind smile. “You’re not late,” you said, glancing at the clock. “You’re still 5 minutes early.” Ava apologized again and Beth merely waved her off, sending her to get her ready and signed in.

Beth finally finished her crossword puzzle and moved onto the next one. Ava joined you up front, tying her apron on. “Sorry again,” she said softly as she finished and you handed her the sign-in book. She quickly jotted down her name and time into the sheet before shutting and handing the book back to you.

“Today is our anniversary and we wanted to go for dinner. It ran longer than I expected,” Ava said as she quickly tied her hair up with a scrunchy, her bangs and a few face framing strands falling back down. “You have nothing to apologize for,” You said, taking another sip of your water through the straw. “And happy anniversary.” Ava smiled, her cheeks turning pink as she thanked you.

The next hour consisted of you and Ava taking turns taking booths and ringing in their orders. As usual, business didn’t pick up until well past midnight. The night travelers came in for a bite to eat or a much needed cup of coffee before filling up their vehicles and continuing on their way. The menu of the diner was varied and consisted of hamburgers and fries to breakfast items like pancakes or french toast and the usual suspects like ham, bacon, sausage, potatoes, eggs, and grits.

It had already been several hours into your shift when “the rush” as Beth called it was dying down. You were due off at any moment when Ava approached you. “Hey, Y/N,” she said softly as you were refilling napkin holders. You glanced up to meet her gaze and immediately, you knew you weren’t going to get off early. “I really hate to do this but do you think we could switch cuts? I’d really like to spend more of my anniversary with Cody before we have to go to bed and he gets up for work.”

You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t been looking forward to getting off early to go home but unlike Ava, no one was waiting for you. Just your bed and a few houseplants. You figured you could also use the extra money. With a sigh, you set the now full napkin holder down and grab the next empty one.

“I suppose so,” you said with a smile, looking up at Ava in time to see a wide grin break across her face. “Oh thank you, thank you!” she said excitedly, throwing her arms around you in a tight hug that caught you off guard and off balance. Ava apologized, steadying you with her hands. “Thank you so much!” she said again. You nodded, waving your hand as you playfully dismissed her. “Enjoy your night,” you called as she moved to sign out of the book and head for the back.

She had already finished her side work before asking which was nice. Beth was behind the counter brewing more coffee when Ava returned, bundled up. “Can I place an order to go, Beth?” Ava asked. The older server finished setting up the coffee maker and turned to face Ava. “I need a slice of cherry pie and some ice cream,” Ava said. “One slice?” Beth asked, looking up at her. Ava nodded, looking down at her hands. “I’d like two but I’m short on money so one will have to do!” she exclaimed with a smile.

You finished filling the last napkin holder and started to grab them to put them back on the tables. As you approached Ava and Beth. “Give her a whole pie,” you said as you set a holder on the counter beside Ava. “I’ve got it covered,” you added, giving Ava a wink. Unshed tears shined in the young woman’s eyes as you continued past. Beth put in the order, calling back to Ray who appeared in the window. “A whole pie?! For two people?” he asked incredulously.

“Oh, who cares?” you called as you returned to the counter. “I’m paying for it, so it shouldn’t matter!”

Ray rolled his eyes and disappeared as you moved around to enter behind the counter. “The sugar caddies need to be filled,” Beth said as she grabbed the supplies from under the counter. “Bring me the caddies, I’ll fill them. Can you refill the ketchup and mustard?”

You nodded as you grabbed an empty tray and moved back, starting to collect all the small black containers from the tables and brought them to Beth who immediately began wiping them down. You then gathered up all the ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles and moved to the back to grab the containers to refill them.

Ava watched as you worked, bobbing her head to the music that played lightly over head. The door behind her opened and a man entered. He wore a leather jacket over a sweatshirt, a trucker hat, and light wash jeans with heavy work boots. Outside parked at the edge of the parking lot was a massive gray pickup truck with a large trailer attached to the hitch.

“Hi, welcome in,” Beth said, looking up and fixing the man with a smile. “Have a seat anywhere and we’ll be right with you!” The man thanked her and moved to take a seat near the end of the bar closer to where Beth stood. She moved over to stand in front of him and get his order while you worked on refilling the ketchup bottles.

“Can I ask you a question?” Ava asked suddenly. You glanced up for a moment before returning your gaze to your work. “Sure,” you replied. Ava hesitated before asking. “Have you ever been in love?”

Her question caught you off guard and you hesitated to answer. Love was a concept you’d never really had the opportunity to explore. Before you came to the diner, your life was very different. You’d never divulged your past to your coworkers and for good reason.

There was no way they would believe you were a former succubus and that before becoming human, you had served the legions of hell in your own twisted way. Nor would they believe you if you told them of the deal you made in exchange for your freedom.

[flashback] “Collect souls for me.” You looked up at him. “What?” He chuckled. “Not forever, obviously. How about seven? You mutilated ten men, …sooo let’s say ten male souls and we’re even?” He smiled at you and you looked around.

“Just ten male souls? That’s all?” you asked. He thought for a moment. “….how about this? You get me ten souls. I’ll forget this,” he motioned around at the carnage surrounding you before continuing, “ever happened. And, I’ll free you from Lily’s bond. How’s that sound, sugar?”

You jumped to your feet. “You’ll free me?” you asked quickly. He smiled at you. “I’ll free you. You have 10 human years. One soul per year.” He held out a hand and you took it, shaking once. “You’ve got yourself a deal, mister?” you asked. “Just call me Sam,” he smirked.

[back to present] “Y/N?” Ava’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. “Sorry,” you murmured. “No,” you continued, a little louder. “I’ve never been in love.” ‘It’s always been in lust.’ Ava’s smile fell slightly. “Oh,” she said softly. “That’s a shame.” Silence fell over you, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock behind you on the wall above the kitchen window.

“Is it?” you asked, tapping the bottom of the ketchup bottle in your hand against the counter top. Ava met your gaze and you could tell she was trying to work out your reasons for saying what you said. “I’ve never had my heart broken,” you continued. “I’ve never been a slave to my emotions, no offense,” you added with a smile but Ava shook her head. “None taken,” she replied.

“I’ve always been my own person. Never been told what to do, free to make my own choices,” you added. That part was only partly true. It was only after you were freed from Sam’s deal that you were allowed to make your own choices. Lucy had set you free after punishing Sam for his illicit dealing. 

You felt Ava’s eyes on you once more and offered her a smile. “I’m alright,” you said, noting the concern on her face. “You keep spacing off,” Ava noted. “You let this faraway look, like you’re being transported somewhere else,” she added. You chuckled, nodding as you screwed the cap back onto the last ketchup bottle. “You could say that.”

“So there’s never been anyone?”

Another memory floated to the surface of your mind. Seven memories in fact. Flashes of seven faces that sometimes still haunt your dreams. A family man trying to move on after a nasty divorce, the personal trainer who finally got out of a toxic relationship, the virgin you met in the university library, a shopkeeper of a quaint little bookstore nestled in the heart of the city, the two best friends celebrating a birthday and the bartender by night, med student by day. Each one had left a mark on you that you could still feel, even if you couldn’t see it.

“No,” you finally answered with a smile. “There’s been no one.”

Ava’s pie came up to the window, packaged up nicely with a small pint of vanilla ice cream. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect as Cody’s truck pulled up right as Beth set the pie and ice cream on the counter to bag them. 

Waving goodbye as Ava exited, you returned to your side duties as a few more late night stragglers came into the diner, one taking a seat at the bar and another taking up one of the booths with their partner. You quickly got their orders and brought their drinks before finishing your side work. They ate quickly and left, no doubt on a long journey and eager to get wherever they were going.

As you took your dishes to the back and hopped in to start filling the dishwasher, Beth’s head appeared in the kitchen window to inform you that you had another table. You quickly finished your task and wiped your hands on a towel before exiting to the front.

The booth in the corner near the bathrooms was now being occupied. You glanced outside to see it was now snowing, thick flurries falling to the ground and silently you cursed, knowing you would have to walk home in this. Putting on a polite smile, you pulled out your pad of paper and a pen and walked over to greet the guest.

“Evening,” you said as you reached the table. “What can I get for…” you trailed off as the man looked up. Your eyes widened in shock at the familiar face looking back at you. He looked slightly different from the last time you’d seen him almost a lifetime ago. The same cat-like eyes, piercing and staring into your soul. There was something different about them, something not quite …human. 

His hair was different, bright orange but it still suited him somehow. His skin was just as flawless but there was an inhuman glow to it. Almost like yours had been back… then.

“Hello, Y/N,” he said, his voice just the way you remembered all those years ago, back in the nightclub he worked in. “Long time, no see.” You stared back at him, hands shaking. 

“K-Kihyun?”

A smile spread across his lips. “Aww, you remember me, I’m touched.” 

His words deceived the smile he wore. It was laced with contempt and sarcasm. A thousand questions ran through your mind. Most of them were along the lines of how was he here and how did he even find you?

Kihyun glanced at the pad of paper in your hands before looking back up at you. “Aren’t you going to take my order?” he asked, a hint of a smirk on his face. You cleared your throat and glanced up to find Beth watching you with a mix of curiosity and concern. You wetted your lips and forced a smile. “What can I get you?” Your question came out forced but you were trying not to lose your shit.

Kihyun barely glanced at the menu before ordering a coffee, black. He kept his eyes on you when ordering and you could have sworn when he said the word black, his eyes flashed black. The entire eye, sclera included, flashed to black. Your heart skipped a beat, your blood running cold but as quickly as it happened, his eyes were back to the same brown.

“Anything else I can get for you?” you asked. Kihyun didn’t move, merely stared at you with those same piercing eyes. “Just the coffee while I decide what else I want,” he said simply and you moved away, thankful to put some space between you. You approached the counter, lifting the flap and moving behind to get the mug of coffee. Beth watched you approach before her eyes went back to Kihyun.

“I don’t like that man,” she whispered softly as you grabbed a clean cup and the handle of the coffee pot. You opted to say nothing, instead moving back to Kihyun’s table, setting the mug down wordlessly before pouring the dark, scalding liquid into the ceramic. He stared up at you as you did and you only looked at him after you finished pouring. “I’ll be right back to take your order,” you said flatly and walked away without giving him a chance to speak.

As you returned to the counter. Beth stopped you. “Do you want me to take this?” she offered, noticing your obvious unease. You shook your head, swallowing the lump in your throat. “No,” you croaked before clearing your throat and offering her a smile. “No,” you repeated more clearly. “I got this.”

You swiftly returned to Kihyun, pen in hand. “So, have you decided?” you asked. Kihyun, who was currently looking at the menu, did not look up. Instead he spoke while looking at the menu and keeping his voice low so only you could hear him. “Sit down,” he ordered. You glanced at Beth who was busy cleaning the counter tops.

“I can’t sit down while I’m working,” you told him. Kihyun sighed, eyes shutting for a moment before he opened them and looked up at you. Stifling a whimper, you noticed his eyes. Black surrounding red irises. “Sit. Down,” he ordered again, his voice not sounding like his own. There was something terrifying about it and you did as he said, taking a seat across from him at the booth.

His eyes went back to normal and he smiled at you as he reached over to grab a couple of the creamers kept in a small dish on the table. “It’s been a while,” he noted as he opened the creamers one by one and poured them into the black liquid. You said nothing, watching as he stirred the cream into his coffee. “Six years?” he asked as he grabbed a couple packets of sugar, ripping them open and dumping their contents into the swirling liquid. “I-I lost count,” you whispered, watching his movements.

Kihyun looked up at you as he stirred the coffee, mixing the sugar and cream into the blackness, watching it turn light brown instead. “You’re looking well,” he said as he set the spoon down on his napkin and brought the coffee up to his lips and inhaled. “Very well, in fact.”

Your heart hammered in your chest. “Have you decided on your order?” you asked softly, noticing Beth in the background turn to watch your exchange with scrutiny. Kihyun, despite not turning his head once, took notice of Beth's change in demeanor.

“If she disrupts us, I won’t hesitate to kill everyone in this diner,” he warned, eyes flashing dangerously. “This is between us.” You glanced at Beth who started to walk forward but you waved her off, dismissing her and signalling you were fine. Beth nodded but still watched on with concern. Kihyun took a sip of his coffee and sighed. “Much better,” he said.

You swallowed thickly, watching as he set the mug down and looked up to meet your gaze, his expression blank. “I’d like the breakfast platter,” he finally said. “Eggs scrambled, bacon and sausage, toast on white bread, potatoes instead of grits, and two buttermilk pancakes,” he continued. You quickly scribbled all of that down and got up. As you passed, he reached out, grabbing your wrist tightly.

“Once you put that order in, come back. We have a lot to talk about and tell no one what I said. I will not hesitate to kill every single person in this diner,” he said in a dangerously low voice. Once you nodded wordlessly, he allowed your wrist to slip from his grip and you hurried over to where Beth was starting a fresh pot of coffee. You quickly rang in Kihyun’s order.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Beth asked in a low voice, leaning in so only you could hear her. “Mhm,” you answered with a nod. “That man gives me a bad feeling. Should we call Bart? I know it’s late but he’s on shift, maybe his presence will—” You shook your head. “No,” you said quickly. “I-I know him.”

Beth’s eyes widened. “You know that guy?” she asked. You nodded. “He’s someone I haven’t seen in a long time. I’m just shocked. I never expected to see anyone I know so far out here in the middle of nowhere,” you said, letting out a nervous chuckle. Beth’s concerned expression changed immediately. “You looked uncomfortable earlier so I thought something was wrong,” she replied. You shook your head. “No, just really surprised to see him all the way out here. It’s been years since I’ve seen him.”

Beth’s smile widened. “Well, go catch up with him!” she urged. “I got the rest of these orders. I’ll call you when his order comes up.” You thanked Beth and returned to Kihyun’s booth, taking a seat across from him as he took another sip from his mug and glanced outside.

The snow was falling heavier now, white blanketing the parking lot save for the tracks of tires that had driven into the lot for either gas or the diner. You wondered whether Kihyun had a car out there. “You’re a good liar,” he said finally in a low tone. You glanced at him to find him already watching you.

“Tricking your coworker into believing I’m not a threat. No different than the way you tricked me six years ago, is it?” he asked, tilting his head. Your breath caught in your throat. “About that,” you quickly tried to explain yourself. “I was trapped in this deal. I had no choice. It was that or death.” Kihyun sighed, leaning back against the back of his seat.

“If it was just casual sex, I could have understood. I wanted you so much back then. When you sat down at my bar, all I could think about was bending you over it and taking you right then and there, my job be damned. I wanted you so fucking bad,” he said, leaning forward, placing a hand on the table as he stared you down.

“But I decided that I should wait. Maybe get to know you better. So I went home. I went home and I was good. And then,” he hesitated, staring into your eyes, his gaze burning into you. “You infiltrated my dreams. My mind. You played with me,” he hissed, his hostile tone making you wince. “You fucking played with me and then disappeared leaving behind only a trace of you which I later learned was your mark. You fucking marked me. And then they came for me.”

Your eyes widened. “They what?” you whispered. “They came for me,” Kihyun repeated. “Said they were coming to collect.” Your stomach dropped as the realization dawned on you what he was saying. “That’s… not possible,” you whispered. “They said the deal was off and the marks were gone.” Kihyun’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what they told you?” he asked, a scoff escaping him.

“How naive have you become?” 

You looked up at him before leaning forward. “I was told by the Queen of Hell herself that the deal was off. They never should have come for you.” Kihyun scoffed once more. “And demons are always so truthful, right?” he asked, narrowing his eyes and you knew what he was implying. “I never once lied to you,” you snapped, making sure to keep your voice down. “I never lied to you. We barely even spoke,” you added. “A little flirting and light banter but I never once lied to you.”

Kihyun snorted as he grabbed the mug of coffee and lifted it to take another sip. “You lied by omission,” he countered. “You never told me that you were there to put some sort of demonic hit out on me.” You winced at his tone. It was icy much like the air outside. “I was in a bind,” you explained. “I wanted to be free and the only way to do that was to collect the souls of 10 men. I was supposed to kill you.”

Kihyun raised his eyes to meet yours, a dark and sinister look on his face.

“When I’m finished with you, you’ll wish you had killed me.”

Before you could respond, Beth called your name. Looking up, you met her gaze and excused yourself, getting up and walking over to the counter where Beth set a plate loaded with eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and toast and another plate with two buttermilk pancakes. “Everything okay over there?” she asked, checking in and under any other circumstances, you would appreciate it. But you were afraid she was going to catch on if she kept watching. “Yeah, we’re just talking about the past,” you told her. “You don’t have to worry,” you added. “If it looks like things are getting heated, it’s fine. He’s harmless.”

Beth nodded and you thanked her, moving to carry the plates over to Kihyun, setting them down in front of him. “The breakfast platter. Anything I can get you?” you asked in a normal voice. Kihyun looked up at you and you felt your stomach twisted at the way he looked at you. It wasn’t unlike how he’d looked at you all those years ago.

“Could you be a doll and refill my coffee?” he asked, showing you the empty mug. You nodded wordlessly but before you could walk away, he grabbed your wrist to stop you before sliding his hand down to yours, taking it and bringing it to his face. Your heart raced as he pressed your palm against his cheek, eyes fluttering shut at the feeling. “Get yourself a mug while you’re at it,” he added softly.

You glanced up to see Beth was watching and it suddenly made sense. He was putting on a show. “Fresh coffee, coming right up,” you said, pulling your hand away from him and walking over to the counter, slipping behind it and moving to the coffee pot, grabbing the pot and a clean mug. “That didn’t look like ‘nothing,’” Beth said softly as she watched you. You looked over at her, forcing a smile.

“It’s complicated,” you replied. “You told Ava you’ve never been in love,” she countered. “And I haven’t,” you answered. “I’ve never been in love.” Beth’s eyes wandered over to where Kihyun sat eating. “He’s clearly harboring something for you,” she said. You shook your head. “Maybe lust,” you answered. You looked over, meeting her quizzical gaze. “Like I said,” you continued. “It’s complicated.”

You left the counter and returned to Kihyun, pouring more coffee into his mug before setting the clean one down and pouring the black liquid into it. You returned to the counter, setting the pot down which Beth took and placed back on the warmer. You returned to the table as the last guest left the diner, opening the door, letting in a blast of cold wintry air.

You walked faster and sat down across from Kihyun as Beth cleared the other table, wiping the surface down and returned to the counter before disappearing into the back. “And then there were two,” Kihyun said softly. He held out a piece of bacon. “Bacon?” he asked, offering it to you. With a perplexed look, you shook your head, declining his offer.

“What do you want?” you finally asked as he ate. “Why are you here?”

Kihyun swallowed his food before taking a drink of his coffee which he had mixed more cream and sugar into while you left yours black. “I thought it was obvious,” Kihyun said as he set the mug down and looked up to meet your gaze. “I want to settle the score.”

Your blood ran cold at his admission. ‘Settle the score? What does that mean?’

“Wh-what does that mean?” you asked softly. “It means,” Kihyun started. “That I want to settle the score. Do you have any idea what happened to me? To all of us?” You shivered slightly. You knew the inner workings of the circles of hell. You knew exactly what happened to the souls unfortunate enough to be sent there. 

“They tortured us. I was tortured. Made to endure horrible, physical pain, for a thousand years,” he explained. “All because of you.” You fought back the urge to cry, refusing to meet his eyes. He’d been through the same thing you had. Inhuman torture for a millennium until they gave you a choice. “And then one day, they offered me a choice,” Kihyun continued as he finished the food on his plate and pushed it aside, pulling the pancakes towards him and starting to cut them up.

“I could either continue to endure the torture for eternity,” he said. “Or join their ranks,” you finished for him, making him look up at you. “It’s the same choice they gave me,” you explained, raising your gaze to meet his. “I was also tortured but the difference between us is that I was tortured for thousands of years. Not a thousand. Thousands. Three millenia passed before they offered me the choice.”

Kihyun stared at you as you recounted the torture, the physical pain. “They…” you trailed off. “They punish you until you have no choice. They do it until they know you’ll break and accept their offer. Anything is better than the knives, the hooks, the burning…” you trailed off again, looking down at the mug of hot coffee in your hands, steam slowly rising from the surface.

“Anything is better than that.”

Kihyun leaned back, setting his fork down. “Three thousand years, huh?” he asked. You looked up at him, fresh tears pooling in your eyes. “Three thousand fucking years,” you hissed. “They sliced and stripped bits of my skin away, leaving the muscle exposed. Dug hooks into my flesh and hung me up like a slab of meat. Pulled teeth one by one, ripped finger and toe nails off one by one until I was little more than a lump of meat and then they did it all over again. Whips, hooks, spears, knives, acid baths. I experienced it all,” you explained as Kihyun stared at you.

“So forgive me for choosing to end my suffering. I never would have had to mark you had Sam not been following me that day,” you muttered. Kihyun tilted his head to the side. “Sam?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious. You looked up at him, a single tear falling from your eye and down your cheek.

Kihyun leaned forward, reaching out to take your chin in his hand before wiping the tear away. He sat back against the booth. “Who is Sam?” he asked. You let out a sigh. “He was Lily’s husband. The Father of all Incubi,” you explained. “Lilith is the Mother.” Kihyun nodded slowly. “I know Lily. I’ve never heard of Sam,” he replied. 

“Sam, or Samael as he was also known, was Lily’s husband,” you started. “He was following me one day, I don’t know why, but saw me being cornered by a group of human men. This was after I’d already accepted my life as a succubus and I was in danger. I blacked out and when I came to, I’d slaughtered all the men. Sam saw me and threatened to tell Lucy,” you continued, recalling the moment when you were caught.

“In exchange for not telling Lucy what I’d done, Sam offered me a deal. Collect 10 human souls for him and he would free me,” you whispered. “I was scared. I didn’t want Lucy to know what I’d done. I thought she would end me or worse, send me back to be tortured for all eternity.” Kihyun nodded slowly, eyes narrowed as he listened to your story.

“So you accepted his deal to collect 10 souls for him?” You nodded wordlessly as he picked up his fork and continued to eat his pancakes. “He gave me 10 human years to collect them. One soul for every year. I never actually collected them. Instead I marked them. I seduced ten men and marked them for Sam to collect. I wasn’t going to be responsible for the actual killing of 10 men.”

Kihyun let out a scoff. “You’re just as guilty. You might as well have killed us,” he spat bitterly. You winced at his sharp words. “Maybe,” you said softly. “But when I met with Sam after the last mark, Lucy and Lily showed up. I’d managed to get a message to them about what was going on and tell them what Sam was doing. I had no idea that Sam was trying to undermine Lucy and was planning to overthrow her and take her throne. Lucy figured it out and in the end, she killed Sam for it.”

Kihyun’s eyes widened slightly. “I thought she was going to kill me, too,” you continued. “I expected it but instead, she told me I was free and that the deal I had made with Sam was null and void and that the marks had been removed. I had no idea that wasn’t true,” you added, looking up to meet Kihyun’s gaze.

“If I had known—”

“What? If you had known, what would you have done?”

You fell silent at his accusations. He was right. Deep down, you knew you would have done nothing. Not against the queen of hell. You merely ran and ran until it was all behind you. “I don’t know,” you whispered. Kihyun sighed, pushing his now empty plate away. “Like I said earlier, I’m here to settle the score,” he explained as he pulled out a black leather wallet and opened it, pulling out a few bills and tossing them down onto the table. He then looked at you.

“Give me your pad and a pen,” he demanded. You looked up at him and quickly pulled out your pad and a pen, handing them over. He flipped to a clear page and scribbled something down. “Come to this address after your shift,” he said as he placed something against the page and closed the pad before giving it and the pen back to you. He got up and you watched as he grabbed his coat from the bench.

It was only when he stood that you could see what he was wearing. A dark blue button down under a black suit jacket and black trousers. He pulled his coat on before pulling a scarf out of his pocket and wrapping it snugly around his neck. “If you don’t show up tonight,” he started as he buttoned his coat, looking down at you. “I’ll be forced to come to your place,” he continued.

“And you really wouldn’t like that.”

With that, he turned and headed for the door, pushing it open and stepping out into the icy wind and snow that was coming down even more. You watched as he walked out past the cars and into the parking lot, following his orange hair until the darkness swallowed him up. You grabbed the plates from the table and took them to the back, coming back for the cups.

Once the table was clear you picked up the money he left and went to ring him out. His total came to barely fifteen dollars but he’d left sixty. You were gobsmacked. He’d given you a 45 dollar tip. You cashed out his bill and put the rest in your apron pocket.

Beth finally returned and the rest of your shift went by without incident but your mind was on Kihyun. He’d tracked you down after 6 years. Did that mean the other nine would come to collect as well? Your thoughts raced as the rest of your shift ticked by, the clock counting down the minutes until you were free.

When your relief finally came in at 3 am, you were beyond terrified to get off work. You went through your side work, trying to extend it as much as possible, prolonging the inevitable but finally, Beth forced you to clock out. Gathering your things from the back, you contemplated not even going home. You remembered the address in the pad and grabbed it from your apron. 

As you pulled the pages apart, you found the page and something fell out of it. Whatever he’d stashed among the pages. You bent down to pick it up. It was a crisp 100 dollar bill. He’d folded it and stashed it in your pad of paper. You picked it up and pocketed it.

When you left, the snow had let up slightly but the ground was still covered and you were going to have to walk in it. Beth offered to give you a ride but your home was in the opposite direction and you didn’t want her to risk it. You started the long walk, snow crunching under your feet as you walked.

The silence was deafening and eerie. Snowy nights always managed to creep you out because of the lack of sound and activity. You shrank in on yourself some more as you walked, trying to preserve the heat. As you neared your home, you wondered if this was to be your last night on this Earth.

Turning and walking down the snow-covered dirt road to your home was quiet and the dim yellow street light at the end of your driveway bounced off the snow, providing a little more light than usual but even so, you still pulled your phone out of your purse and turned the flashlight on to complete the walk.

You reached your small cabin, climbing the steps and pulling out your keys to unlock the door. Once inside, you removed your shoes and unbuttoned your coat, pulling it off and hanging it by the door. You moved through the cabin, turning on the lights and moving to the fireplace. You were about to start a fire when you remembered what Kihyun had said.

Instead, you moved to your bedroom, slowly stripped out of your work uniform and instead of pulling on your pajamas, you changed into some thermal base layers. You bundled up until you were confident you weren’t going to freeze on the walk to wherever you were going. You pulled out the paper and your phone, putting the address into the maps app to find out where you were going.

It was about a 20 minute walk from your place. Glancing at the clock, you sighed. It was nearing 4 am. Deciding it would be better to just listen, you pulled your boots over your layered socks before putting on your coat, your scarf, a hat, and ear muff for good measure. You checked the directions on your phone once more before pocketing the device and slipping on a pair of gloves.

You exited the cabin, locking the doors and headed down the steps, pulling a flashlight you grabbed from the shelf and turning it on. The walk was silent from your cabin to the road and from there you followed the directions, walking down the side of the road in the opposite direction of the diner.

As you walked, you wondered if you should be doing this or if you should just run. You had to admit, the idea of just leaving everything behind and running sounded appealing but knowing what you did about demons, it would only be a matter of time before you were tracked down again and next time, Kihyun might not be so courteous. No, this was the best course of action.

After about twenty minutes, you checked your phone to see you were close to your destination. You followed the directions. Your path took you to a fence and metal gate with a sign that read ‘no trespassing’ and you instantly were worried about getting caught by security. You found a gap in the fencing and squeezed through it, making your way across the abandoned complex until a large square shaped building came into view, appearing out of the darkness.

It looked to be a school of sorts. You stared up at it, taking note of the broken glass windows that littered the facade of the building until you noticed a dim light coming from one of the top windows that wasn’t broken. ‘Is that him?’ you wondered. ‘Only one way to find out.’ 

You walked towards the door, wondering if you’d even be able to find a way in but luck it would seem was on your side and you found the front door propped open despite the heavy, rust covered chains looped through the metal door handles and poorly holding them together.

You managed to wriggle your way through the doors and out of the wind. It was still cold but being inside and out of the snow and wind made a huge difference. You walked down the central hall, looking for a lift or some stairs. Some way to get up to the top floor where you’d seen the light coming from. At the back of the hall, you found a door and pulled it open, the bottom scraping against the tile floor until you were able to peer inside, shining your light in to find a set of stairs.

You pushed your way inside and started climbing them, taking care to tread lightly. You kept climbing the flights of stairs, stopping part of the way up on the landings to catch your breath. When you finally reached the top, you walked down the hall until it reached an intersection. To your left was nothing but darkness but to your right you could see a faint light.

You started in that direction carefully. As you inspected the walls, your suspicions on the building being an old school were confirmed with yellowed pieces of paper, drawings long since faded away hung from old, crumbling bulletin boards. Approaching the door, you could hear faint music coming from the room beyond. You reached the door at the end of the hall, finding it cracked and carefully pushed it open.

Inside, the room was bathed in the dim golden glow of a lamp. The walls indicated this was an old classroom. The walls had a few old posters, all faded with age. As you looked around, you caught sight of the source of the light and the music. All the old classroom furniture, the desks, chairs, teachers desk and filing cabinets had been pushed into the middle of the room, creating a sort of partition wall. On the other side was a makeshift apartment.

There was a table and chairs, a couch and table where the source of the music sat, a record player. Two end tables on either side of the couch had lamps that were the source of the light. Beyond the living area was a bed that looked well slept in and surprisingly comfortable. There was also a cast iron stove with a fire in the corner near the bed providing some much needed warmth.

You looked around but couldn’t seem to find the occupant which you could only assume was Kihyun as he had given you this address. As you moved further into the room, the sound of rustling could be heard. You looked around for the source of the noise but saw no sign of movement. Straining your years, you could tell it was coming from the corner opposite the cast iron stove.

Upon moving closer, you could see there was an opening in the wall which you could only assume was a closet. The rustling grew as you neared the open doorway. Glancing around, you saw something metallic lying on one of the old desks and grabbed it, realizing immediately it was a pipe. You held it tightly in your hand as you approached the closet, heart beat rising as you drew closer.

With one final surge of confidence, you rounded the corner and held the pipe high above your head but found the closet was empty. No sign of anything alive. As you lowered the pipe a voice rang out from behind you.

“What are you doing?”

You jumped, letting out a panicked yelp and turned quickly, finding a pair of familiar eyes staring at you. You raised a hand to your chest, placing it over your heart where you could feel it hammering in your chest. Kihyun gave you a puzzled look, noticing the lead pipe in your hand. He walked towards you slowly as you tried to regain your composure. 

Carefully and gently, he took the pipe from you, keeping a hold on your hand as he tossed the metal aside with a dull thud as it hit the floor that was littered in a layer of newspaper. “Come here,” he said softly, guiding you over to the couch and sat you down, kneeling in front of you and watching as you gained control of your breathing.

“I see you still know how to make an entrance,” he joked as you tried to will your heart to calm down. You let out a nervous laugh at his attempt to amuse you. “I could say the same thing to you,” you quipped back. A smile spread across his face. It was completely different from the ones he’d given you earlier in the diner. Something about his demeanor had changed since then.

“You came,” you finally noted, not moving from his crouched position before you. “You didn’t really give me much of a choice,” you reminded him. Kihyun’s smile turned into a frown. It wasn’t a scowl or out of anger, more out of disappointment though you couldn’t fathom why he would feel that way.

“I uh, actually want to apologize,” he said softly, lowering his gaze as he reached up to scratch the back of his head. You stared at him, silence permeating the air as you waited for an explanation for his apology. “When I entered the diner earlier, I was angry. I was livid. I wanted to ruin everything for you,” he explained, a hint of anguish in his voice. 

He looked at your hand, the one he held in his hand, and slowly removed your glove, exposing your skin. With the glove off, he turned your hand over and looked at your palm and wrist, taking note of the faint scarring. He glanced up at you, a look of surprise in his eyes. You looked away from him, from the reminders of your past.

“But I can see now you’ve suffered as much, if not more than, me,” he continued softly. “We’re not so different.” You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye as he ran his thumb over the scarring on your wrist. “When did this happen?” he asked quietly. He fell silent after asking, the sound of the fire in the stove being the only sound you could hear. He was waiting for you to answer him.

“A few months after Lucy set me free,” you finally answered, your voice breaking. “I… was wracked with guilt,” you continued. “Guilt for the atrocities I committed while in service to them. I was plagued with terrible night terrors. I couldn’t stand it. I tried to…” you trailed off, taking a deep breath to keep from crying. Kihyun looked up at you. “I was unsuccessful,” you said, blinking away the tears.

You met his gaze and the tears came back. “I am so sorry for what happened to you,” you said, your voice breaking even more. “It wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” The sobs you’d been trying to hold back finally broke through and you doubled over, the tears finally flowing freely. Kihyun didn’t move. Instead, he reached up, placing a hand on the back of your head, gently stroking your hair. “All I wanted was revenge,” he said softly. “Wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine but I don’t think that will make things right.”

Another sob escaped you, your body shivering. Whether it was from the cold or from your emotions, you couldn’t tell. You felt his hand move from the back of your head to cradle your chin and lift your head until your eyes met his. “I don’t think I need to tell you that I’ve changed my mind,” he said softly. “You’ve suffered enough.”

Through broken sobs and tears you nodded, clearing your throat before speaking. “We both have.” Kihyun took your face in his hands. “I promise you right here and now that after tonight, I won’t come back. I’ll leave you to live your life,” he whispered, wiping away your tears. “But you must do something for me.” Your eyes looked between his eyes, wondering what he could possibly need from you.

“Don’t fight me,” he said softly. “Give in to me.”

You felt your worries and anguish slowly melt away, replaced by a growing desire as you stared into his eyes. You knew this feeling. You knew this tactic. You’d used it plenty of times. He was clearing your mind in an attempt to seduce you. Fighting against it, you pulled back from his grip. “You don’t have to do that,” you stated quietly. “If you want me, just tell me.”

You could see his lips quirk into a small smile. “Fine then,” he said, sitting up on his knees, grabbing the front of your coat and pulling you towards him. “I want you, Y/N. Since laying eyes on you in the diner, I’ve wanted you. I need you. Please let me—”

You cut him off by pulling him into a kiss, your arms wrapping around the back of his neck as his hands fumbled with the buttons of your coat. You pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He broke away a moment later, still fumbling with your coat. “You’re wearing too many layers,” he mumbled as he managed to open your coat. “It’s freezing outside,” you fired back, letting go of him long enough for him to push your heavy winter coat off of you.

You kicked off your boots as he pulled at your layers, pulling off the first sweatshirt and tossing it aside. Your pants joined them before he leaned in, capturing your lips in another heated kiss as you tugged at his clothes, undoing the buttons of his shirt. “Lift your hips for me,” he murmured, fingers pulling at your leggings. You did as he asked and he pulled the fleece lined material down your legs, tossing them aside before going for your top, the final layer.

He pulled it off over your head and dropped on the growing pile of clothes. His eyes raked over your form, taking in a sight he hadn’t seen in nearly six years. You took his momentary lapse to finish pulling the buttonholes of his shirt loose off the buttons and push the dark blue fabric off him. He was similar but at the same time, it was entirely new. It was clear that as an incubus, his physique had changed slightly, he was more muscular but still the same lean frame you remembered all those years ago.

Kihyun’s hands moved up your thighs to your waist. His words failed him as he continued to drink in your appearance. “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered,” he finally whispered, one of his hands moving up your body, ghosting over your chest to your neck. His fingers danced along your skin until his hand cupped the back of your neck and pulled you forward, crashing his lips against yours.

As he parted your lips, you let out a soft groan, your core aching to be touched and your arousal starting to pool in your panties. You felt his tongue slip past your lips, finding yours and tasting you. Your hands moved of their own accord, sliding down his torso to his pants and starting to undo them. Kihyun moved to grab your hands, holding them before he pulled back to look at you.

“Sit back,” he ordered. You did as he said, leaning back against the plush of the couch cushions as he released your hands and leaned in, pressing feather light kisses against your collar and moving down, leaving a path of kisses down the valley of your breast. His lips traveled further, skipping over your clothed sex as he grabbed your hips and dragged them to the edge of the couch.

He glanced up at you through his lashes before turning his head and kissing the inside of your thigh. Your head fell back as you felt his lips and tongue against your skin until he sank his teeth into the soft flesh and you let out a gasp that quickly turned into a moan as he sucked lightly.

Your hand moved to his hair, combing through the orange locks as his lips moved towards the apex of your thighs. Your breath caught as he neared your aching heat but he teased you, skipping over it again in favor of kissing and teasing the inside of your other thigh.

You squirmed under him, chest rising and falling as he nipped at the sensitive skin of your inner thigh. “K-Kihyun,” you sighed, tugging gently at his locks. You felt him smile against your skin. “Patience,” he murmured as he looked up at you. “I’m not going to leave you unsatisfied but you have to be patient.” You let out a low groan of frustration but followed it immediately with a gasp as you felt his tongue press flat against your cloth covered cunt.

He added pressure, pressing your panties against your throbbing clit. Instinctively, your legs spread and hips bucked towards him. Kihyun pulled back, watching your reaction as you whined, hips chasing his mouth. He chuckled softly and slipped his hands under your backside, grabbing your panties and pulling them down. You lifted your hips without prompting to help him get them off faster.

Once discarded, Kihyun took his time, inspecting your wet sex, spreading your folds, exposing you to the cool air. “I wonder if you taste just as good as I remember,” he murmured, not giving you a chance to respond before his tongue was dragging over your clit, making your body jolt. He groaned against you, tongue teasing the sensitive bud before lightly sucking.

You gasped out a curse, hands moving to his hair as he chuckled and pulled back. “Don’t stop,” you whined. Kihyun shifted, lifting your thighs over his shoulders before diving back in, his lips attaching to your clit, the tip of his tongue swirling around it. The sudden onslaught had you gasping, back arching off the couch. One hand carded through his hair, gripping it while the other found purchase on the couch cushion.

Each pass of his tongue over your clit had your body shaking. Your thighs were starting to tremble when he pulled back, ignoring your protests as he kissed up your stomach to your chest. He quickly undid the clasp of your bra and removed it, not caring where it landed. His mouth was on you immediately, taking one of your pert nipples into his mouth.

You felt his hand dip between your thighs, the tips grazing your folds before spreading them and gathering your wetness. Without warning, he slowly pushed two fingers into you aching heat, giving you some relief as his tongue continued to tease and circle your nipple. Once his fingers were buried past his knuckles he started to move them slowly, scissoring slightly before pumping them in and out of you.

It was a slow, torturous pace that had your hips chasing his touch. Kihyun never gave in, keeping the same pace as he suckled on the skin of your breast, letting your saliva-covered nipple fall from his mouth. He left a trail of wet kisses up your collar, kissing up the side of your neck and to the spot just under your ear. His fingers curled inside you, making you moan loudly. You heard him chuckle breathily against your ear.

“You sound so pretty,” he whispered. “Just like how I remember.” At this, he picked up the pace, fingers moving faster in and out of your sopping hole. You let out whimper, your grip on his hair tightening as your back arched, pressing your chest against his. “If you think this feels good, wait until I’m filling you with my cock instead, sweetheart,” he mumbled, nose bumping against the shell of your ear.

You moaned, walls clenching around his fingers as he moved them even fast, stopping to curl them deep inside you. “You want that?” he whispered. “Want me to stuff my cock in this tight pussy? Want me to split you open?” You nodded fervently, whimpers and moans of his name falling from his lips as you slowly came apart on his fingers. “Beg for it,” he growled in your ear. “Beg me to fuck you.”

A cry escaped your lips as you felt him press his thumb against your clit, rubbing in tandem to the fingers thrusting inside you. “Come on, baby,” he muttered. “Beg me to fuck you and I will.” You tried to refrain from it, not wanting to give in so easily but when he slammed his fingers into you harder, rougher, making you cry out, you couldn’t hold back anymore.

“P-please,” you gasped. “Please fuck me.” Kihyun chuckled against your ear, his breath hitting your skin and causing goosebumps to erupt over your skin. “Please fuck me, what?” he cooed. He hadn’t given you instruction for this or any direction so you went with your instincts. You tugged his head back to force him to look at you. “Please fuck me, daddy.”

The sound he let out was almost animalistic as he pulled his fingers from your heat. His movements were quick, standing up and pulling you up. He grabbed you by the neck, carefully guiding you towards the bed where he forced you back onto it. You stared up at him as he finished your work of removing his pants and kicked them off along with his shoes. He climbed onto the bed, following as you scooted back until you were against the pillows.

Kihyun settled between your thighs, staring down at you with darkened eyes. “I won’t go easy on you,” he said softly, hands pressed against the mattress on either side of your head. “But I’m not going to hurt you this time.” You nodded, looking up at him, feeling his hot and hard cock pressing against the inside of your thigh. “I won’t break,” you whispered, reaching up to run your fingers through his hair. 

“I promise.”

Kihyun dipped down, taking your lips in a surprisingly soft kiss at the same time he reached between you, guiding the head of his cock to your slit. He slowly rubbed against you, coating the tip with your arousal and spreading some of the precum that had gathered. “Safe word?” he asked, making your heart skip a beat. He hadn’t asked for one last time, granted you didn’t need one. It was strange having someone ask you. You wracked your brain for a moment before a smile spread across your face.

“Crimson,” you answered. Kihyun’s confused expression dissipated and without warning, he pushed into you, his cock slowly spreading your walls and filling you. Your eyes rolled back at the feeling. There were obvious changes to his body after becoming an incubus and this was one of them. His cock was bigger than it had been when he was human.

You choked out a moan as he continued to push into you, giving you every inch of his cock you could take until he finally stilled, the tip of his cock kissing your cervix. “F-fuck,” he cursed, head hanging as he tried not to pull back and slam into you, instead letting your body adjust to him. “You’re much b-bigger than I remember,” you choked out, making him chuckle. “Sorry about that,” he mused, lifting his head to meet your gaze. You shook your head. “D-don’t be,” you replied. “Feels good.”

Kihyun’s brow rose and he slowly pulled back, his cock sliding out of you before he thrust back into you slowly, making you moan loudly and unrestrained. “Yeah?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Feels good?” You nodded quickly. “Yes,” you gasped. “Feels so good.” Kihyun repeated the same motion before setting a slow but steady pace, thrusting into you carefully.

“Kihyun, please,” you begged. “You can go harder. I’m not gonna break.” 

With your encouragement, Kihyun obliged, pounding into you a little harder, a little rougher. You cried out, head thrown back as he rocked into you, his breath shaking as he was clearly holding back still. “Kihyun,” you whined. “Please don’t hold back.” He shook his head, eyes fluttering shut. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he groaned, his voice barely audible of the sound of skin against skin filled the room.

“Please,” you whispered, pulling him down into a kiss. “Please fuck me,” you whispered against his lips. Kihyun’s resolve melted immediately and he pulled back, grabbing the back of your thighs and pushing them down against your stomach as he threw all inhibitions aside, slamming into you roughly, making you scream out in pleasure. “Oh fucking hell,” you gasped, feeling his cock hit your cervix with each thrust. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you cried out. 

Kihyun let out a growl as he held you down, his cock pistoning in and out of you at an inhuman speed. He was struggling to keep the pace, his thrusts becoming erratic. He let go of your thighs and put his full weight on you, keeping your legs in place as he thrust his cock down into you.

The only sounds filling the room were your wanton moans, his grunts, and the wet sound of his cock pounding your tight hole. “Fuck, I have to stop,” he groaned. “M’gonna cum if I don’t.” You shook your head. “No, no, no,” you whimpered. “Don’t stop!”

Kihyun ignored your desperate pleas and pulled out of you with a growl. You whined at the sudden emptiness. Kihyun sat back on his heels, breathing heavily. “Sorry,” he breathed. “I didn’t want it to end.” You propped yourself up on your elbows. “It’s fine,” you gasped. Kihyun stared down at you, moving to hover over you, taking you in a searing kiss.

You pulled him down, chest to chest, kissing him back. Your lips parted and his tongue immediately slipped into your mouth. You weren’t sure how long it lasted but you kept kissing him and allowing his hands to wander, gripping your thigh, your ass. One of his hands snuck between your bodies, cupping your chest. He pulled back, pressing light kisses down your neck to your collar. His hand continued to knead and squeeze your breast until he lifted his head.

“Roll over for me,” he finally said and pushed himself up. You did as he asked, rolling onto your stomach. His hands immediately smoothed over your backside, squeezing and spreading your cheeks. You let out a giggle as he lightly smacked your ass, watching it bounce back. “I don’t think I told you how much I love you body,” he said softly as he grabbed your hips and pulled you up onto your knees. You pushed your chest up and peered over your shoulder at him.

“No,” he said quickly, placing a hand on your back and pushing your chest down so your ass was up. You stayed like that for him, head turned to the side and cheek pressed against the bed as his hands ran along your sides and back to your ass again. You felt him spread your cheeks once more and let out a gasp as you felt something wet against your hole. “What would you say if I said I wanted to fuck this hole?” he asked, thumb spreading the drop of spit he left over your hole, smearing it around the skin.

Before you could respond, you felt him push his thumb into your ass and you let out a groan, fingers digging into the sheets. “Would you like that?” he murmured, grabbing his cock in his free hand and rubbing it against your cunt. “You want me to fuck your ass, baby?” You moaned as he pushed the tip of his cock into your pussy, wall eagerly sucking him back in. He kept his thumb in your ass as he bottomed out in your pussy, digging deeper into your walls and his cock pressing fully against your cervix. 

“Maybe after I’ve used up this tight little pussy,” he muttered as he pulled back slowly, snapping his hips forward and filling you in a single thrust. You gasped, moaning out as he set a much faster and more relentless pace. He kept his thumb in your ass as he fucked you, using his free hand to hold your hips and pull you back against him as he buried his cock into you.

“C’mon, baby,” he urged. “Meet me halfway.”

You pushed back against him, driving his cock deep into you, making you cry out as the tip hit your cervix again. “Fuck,” Kihyun groaned, stilling as he guided you back on his cock, making you fuck yourself on him. “Just like that, kitten,” he whispered, watching his cock disappear inside you, a faint ring of your juices at the base of the shaft.

“Keep going,” he said, tightening his grip on your hip until it was almost bruising. “That’s it baby, fuck yourself on my cock. Good girl.” His eyes fluttered shut as you moved, ass hitting his hips but his thumb stayed firmly in place. He started to meet your thrusts, moaning when your walls clenched around him. “Yes, fuck,” he groaned. “That’s it baby. Keep going. You got this.”

You whimpered into the sheets, drool falling from your parted lips but you couldn’t be bothered to care, not when his cock felt so good, was hitting all the right places, and stretching you so deliciously. The feeling of his thumb buried in your ass was adding to the pleasure. “Come on,” he urged through gritted teeth. “I know you can go faster than that.”

You lifted your head but kept your chest against the bed as your grip on the sheets tightened and you pushed back against him, meeting his thrusts and making you see stars. Your face contorted in pleasure as your orgasm approached quickly. “F-fuck,” you gasped. “M’gonna cum!” Kihyun let out a strangled moan, feeling your walls constrict around him. “Let go,” he moaned. “Come for me, baby.”

You let out a high pitched moan as your orgasm washed over you. Thighs shaking as waves of ecstasy rolled over you, heat spreading throughout your body from the tips of your fingers to your toes. A blanket of euphoria enveloped you, white stars filling your vision as you came. Your climax spurred Kihyun’s on as he fucked you through most of it before he finally came with a growl, burying his cock as deep into you as he could, thick ropes of hot cum filling your cunt and painting your walls.

You continued to clench rhythmically around his cock, milking him for every drop he had and emptying his entire load into you until it started to spill out of you. The feeling of his sticky seed sliding down the inside of your thighs already coated in your own release sent you over the edge again and you came once more, hole pulsating with him still inside you and pushing more of his cum out of you.

Kihyun sighed, pulling his thumb from your ass and running his hands up your back to your shoulders. He gave you a sharp, deep thrust, making you cry out. He wasn’t finished. His cock still hard and throbbing inside you, he started a relentless and merciless pace, pounding into you as if his life depended on it. After just a few moments of this, he sent you spiraling with another orgasm before his second release exploded, filling you much more violently than before. Your stomach ached as his seed seeped into your womb, filling it with an impossible amount.

By the time he finally finished, there was a small bulge just under your navel and the inside of your thighs were coated in his thick release. He slowly pulled out of you, more of his cum spilling out of your spent hole until his cock finally slipped free and you winced. Your body slumped over as Kihyun got off the bed and disappeared for a moment. 

When he returned, he had a cloth and was wiping the inside of your thighs, cleaning the remnants of his mess. Once that was done, he climbed onto the bed, pulling back the covers and laying you in the depths, covering both of your bodies up. “Kihyun?” you called softly and he pulled you close. “Yes?” he asked just as softly. “Will you still be here when I wake up?”

He hesitated to answer. The truth was no, he would not and somewhere deep inside yourself, you knew that but you didn’t want him to leave. You wanted him to stay. Opting to feed into your delusion, Kihyun pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “Yes,” he whispered into your hair. “I’ll be here when you wake.”

You settled into his arms, eyes shutting as sleep took over your form and everything went black.

The snow crunched underfoot as Kihyun walked towards the building, looking up at the high rise. The city wasn’t his favorite place and he hated it ever since his return to the surface. The building was unoccupied, allowing him to climb the stairs from the ground floor to the top. He climbed the last flight of stairs, pushing open the door leading to the roof.

The wind whipped around, blowing his coat in the wind as he walked towards the figure standing near the edge. He stopped a few feet away, squinting in the brightness of the snow blanketing the city. The skies were a dull gray, conveying the feelings stirring deep inside him. The contempt he felt for the person who stood with their back towards him.

“I’m not doing this anymore,” Kihyun said plainly. “I’m done playing your game.”

The figure didn’t move but Kihyun didn’t need them to, he’d said his piece. He started to turn but the figure finally spoke.

“You’re done?” they asked. Kihyun turned his head slowly to look at their back. “You think you can just decide when to listen to orders?” The figure turned to face him. Her black and yellow eyes gave him the chills but what scared him even more was the wicked grin on her face. “I told you to collect,” she said, her voice dangerously low. 

Kihyun narrowed his eyes. “No,” he snapped. “Get someone else to do your dirty work. I’m done.” As he started to turn away, he was suddenly grabbed around the neck by a blackened, clawed hand and lifted off the roof.

“You’re done when I say you are,” a deep, animalistic and demonic voice said. It sounded like a thousand voices were speaking at once. “Go fuck yourself,” Kihyun choked out, grabbing at the hand around his throat. “Sorry,” she said with a sarcastic grin. “You aren’t my type.” She dropped him, stepping over him as he crumpled to the ground.

“Don’t make me tell you twice. Get. It. Done.”

Kihyun got to his feet and started after her. “Lucy!” he shouted, making her stop and turn to look at him. “I said find someone else,” he growled as he reached her. She glared up at him. “How dare you—” Kihyun caught her hand as she tried to swing at him. The woman’s eyes widened as Kihyun overpowered her, throwing her back across the roof, following as she rolled and quickly scrambled up.

“I told you,” Kihyun said, pushing her back, making her stumble towards the edge of the building. “Find someone else. I am done.” Lucy stopped at the edge, glancing back at the city below. “I’ve collected plenty of souls for you,” Kihyun started. “Pick someone else to be your little lap dog. I’ve served my time.” Lucy glared at him again, eyes narrowing. “I am the Queen of Hell,” she snapped. “You are my servant. You will do as your queen commands.”

Kihyun ignored her and started to turn away. Again, Lucy lashed out but Kihyun was prepared, easily dodging her attempt to grab him once more and simply pushed her. The woman’s eyes widened in shock as she struggled to maintain her balance but Kihyun gave her one final push, shoving her over the edge. As she toppled over, plummeting towards the city below, Kihyun watched her for a moment.

“Long live the queen,” he murmured before turning away and making his way back to the roof access door.

You awoke with a start, eyes snapping open and sitting up quickly. You looked around, finding yourself in familiar surroundings. Your cabin. A wave of sadness washed over you as you looked around. Your clothes were in a pile on the floor next to your bed and you were entirely naked under the covers. A small fire had burned throughout the night and only the embers were still lit.

You shifted, turning towards the rest of the cabin and finding it entirely empty.

‘He lied,’ you thought to yourself. As you started to scoot towards the edge of the bed, you heard a sound you hadn’t picked up on before. The sound of water running. ‘The shower?’ you wondered and slipped out of bed, pulling the sheet with you as you moved towards the bathroom door. You carefully pushed it open to find the room full of steam and the shower running.

You peered in, finding a figure in your shower. You glanced back towards the door and found not only your coat hanging up but another one. Your eyes went to the knife block sitting on the counter in the kitchen and contemplated running to grab one. As you were contemplating this, the glass door to the shower rolled open and a voice called out.

“Oh, you’re awake!”

You turned to find Kihyun looking back at you. All tension disappeared as you stared back at him. “What the…” you trailed off, looking at him in total shock. He smiled at you. “I know I promised I’d be there when you woke up,” he said. “But I really needed a shower.” You let out a laugh of relief. “So, you gonna just stand there or you gonna join me?” he asked, nodding at the sheet you held around your body.

You glanced down and then back up to find a smirk on his face. “Oh,” you said. “Right, lemme just put this back.” Kihyun let out a chuckle as you returned to the bed and braved the cold air of the cabin in your nudity to join him in the shower. You stepped into the stall and shut the door behind you, turning to face him.

Immediately, he enveloped you in a warm, wet embrace, pulling you under the hot stream of water. He peppered your face with kisses. “We only have so much hot water, might as well share it,” he said in between kisses, making you giggle. His lips trailed down the side of your neck. “Already?” you asked as his hands moved, sliding down your wet body. Kihyun chuckled against your skin, pulling back to look at you. “Why not?” he asked softly, reaching up to cup your cheek. “We have all the time in the world.”

Your cheeks burned under his heated gaze, his thumb brushing over your bottom lip. Eyes fluttering shut, you leaned into his caress before looking up at him. “Yeah, but we don’t have all the hot water in the world.” Kihyun laughed, throwing his head back. “You’re right there,” he said. He pressed a kiss to your lips. “Remind me when we’re done in here to call a contractor out here,” he murmured against your lips.

“Why?” you asked as he pulled back. “If we’re going to live here together, we have to make a few changes,” he answered. “Live here?” you asked. “T-together?” Kihyun’s smile fell. “Do you not want to?” he asked. You shook your head. “No, I do,” you answered quickly. “I just… wasn’t expecting you to actually be here when I woke up.” Kihyun took your face in his hands pulling you into a sweet kiss.

“Well, I’m here,” he whispered. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

A smile spread across your face. “Ever?” you asked. He nodded, pulling you closer against his body.

“Never, ever. You’re stuck with me forever.”

©️ kwanisms 2018 - 2025 | all written and artistic works on this blog are protected under copyright. reposts, continuations, and translations of my works are not permitted. All graphics made by me.

[rottenpumpkin13]

because I like to make my beloved stinky red poetry boy suffer, what would happen if Genesis had a stroke pre CC? A&S reactions?? degradation begins?

I bring you yet another sad AU that I won't write lmao

The lights above the combat sim blink, indicating that it's ready for him. Lazard asks if he's ready, and Genesis almost jokes that he was born ready, but holds back. He doesn’t want to jinx it. It’s not that he's worried. He only needs to match his previous score from last year, but he's confident he will surpass it. After all, he's only gotten better, sharper, his movements more calculated. He has no need to worry. It's just a standard performance review.

Genesis spends a moment in the silence while the program boots up, offering a few prayers to the Goddess as his thumb traces the hilt of his sword. No need to worry.

The gray walls dissolve into a forest. Again he pays attention to the details; the scent of pine, the low hum of the materia threatening to come to life in his bracer, the crunch of the leaves beneath his boots. He's ready. From the shadows, grotesque figures begin to materialize: monsters slithering through the underbrush. 1-2-3-4. Genesis knows the task at hand is simple, which is why he doesn't falter: kill them all. 5-6-6-8. They keep coming. 9-10-11-12.

His senses sharpen. 13-14-15-16. He launches into action. The red rapier slashes through the first wave of them, flames flaring from each blow. 17-18-19-20. Each maneuver is precise. It has to be, each strike calculated, he can't falter. 21-22-23-24. He knows eyes are on him—evaluating, scrutinizing, judging. 25-26-27-28. The pressure to perform fuels his need to get the job done quickly.

He becomes a blur of crimson, blood mixing with the color of his coat as he moves around the simulation. 29-30-31-32-34. The chime overhead signals that he's matched his previous record. He could stop now, rest on his achievements, but he can't bring himself to do it.

The excess adrenaline coursing through his veins urges him to continue. He pushes forward, the rapier cleaving through flesh and bone. 35-36-37-38. He's reaching Sephiroth's territory now, the skill level escalating. He knows he can do it, knows he can match Sephiroth’s record. 39-40-41-42.

Lazard's voice sounds over the speakers, urging him to stop, but Genesis ignores it. 43-44-45-46.

He ignores the alarm blaring in the background, the warnings flashing across his vision which grows blurrier by the second. He's consumed by the fight, by the need to prove himself. 47-48-49-50. His blood boils hot and thick in his veins, matching the heat that clings to him and makes him hungry for the release of the cooling aftershock once he reaches his goal. He needs to make it to 70.

He reaches 58 when his body betrays him. Exhaustion hits him with the force of a monster's jaws clamping shut on him, swallowing him whole as his limbs grow heavy and his movements sluggish. He falls to his knees, his heart racing uncontrollably as he fights to catch his breath. 58. So close.

The heat is unbearable, and he peels off his coat, desperate for relief. The simulation halts, the forest and monsters dissipating as the combat sim becomes blank once again.

Angeal, Sephiroth, and Lazard rush in as the doors open.

He's informed that he did surpassed his previous record, though he hasn't matched Sephiroth's. Still, the progress is undeniable. Genesis feels a swell of pride mixed with his fatigue as he nods in acknowledgment. This is fine. He just needs to rest now. He's tired but pleased, rising to his feet with his mind already drifting to creature comforts like a long, hot shower, apple cider, and then curling up in bed with a book. He just needs to get back to his apartment. He's done here.

Sure, he's walking a bit strangely, but he’s done here. Yes, his vision is blurry, but it's just the aftershock of the fight. He's fine.

He doesn't understand why Sephiroth is calling out to him, why his face looks so concerned, or why he keeps asking him to raise both arms above his head. Genesis complies, thinking it's so dramatic. And now Angeal is asking him to smile—also dramatic. Of course, he can smile, but he has no reason to now.

And now they're yelling for help, and Sephiroth is coming towards him. They're so dramatic. Of course he isn't having a stroke. He was fine only a minute ago. He beat his own record; they all saw. He's fine. His entire body feels numb, but he's fine, just tired.

He's trying to tell them that he's fine, but his words aren't coming out as intended. He's slurring his speech, and now they're dragging him away. He can't understand what's going on or why they're all yelling or why he's being taken to medical.

Suddenly, he can't understand anything at all.

All of that happened four weeks ago. Genesis slipped into a coma shortly after it.

Hollander says he was supposed to wake up two weeks ago, and they all expect to be there for him. It's the aftermath of a stroke, and Angeal and Sephiroth know there will be changes. Genesis will be angry, he will be upset, but they are going to be there for him. So why isn't he waking up?

That's the question Sephiroth asks Hollander one day. Hollander—who always acts as if he wants to say something whenever Sephiroth is around—hesitates.

Sephiroth is aware of the mutual disdain between Hollander and Hojo, and knows that in Hojo's eyes, Genesis is as good as dead under Hollander's care. Still, for Genesis' sake, Sephiroth has placed his trust in him. He's been consumed with guilt, blaming himself for the overexertion that caused Genesis' stroke. If he hadn't set an unattainable record, Genesis would never have tried to match it.

This time, Hollander grants him the courtesy of explaining what's really going on—that Genesis is degrading while in his coma.

Sephiroth asks about the degradation, if there's any way he can help. And Hollander smiles. He asks if Sephiroth really doesn't know. Of course, Sephiroth doesn't know. He doesn't know what's happening to Genesis, but he does know that whatever it is, he is going to help. He'll do anything in his power to cure him.

Anything.

Even if it means deserting Shinra after learning about the true horrors of what led Genesis to that state, that Angeal is next, that their whole existence has been a carefully concealed lie, and that he now needs to find the cure—or rather, as Genesis once said, the gift of the goddess.

[radigalde]

Pippa Accident guide (Polo Club route)

So far, the only way to get Pippa outright dead is to choose to become possessed during the spooky segment in the horse trailer (#I poke my head out the window to see what's really going on outside..., unavailable for already possessed MC and MC with fear phobia) while either not feeding at all or overfeeding Adrian's horse during your conversation before the trailer.

For overfeeding Foreshadow either give him all 7 of your carrots one by one each time he asks for it, or give the entire bag of treats at once. You can check it by the achievement "Pigging Out on Treats".

Dead Pippa also results in Adrian getting badly hurt (-20 HP for him).

In all other outcomes Pippa survives.

To save Pippa with the best outcome MC has to go to the rescue, grab the reigns (#I loop the reins around my left hand and lean as far to the right as humanly possible as I reach for Enchanter Moon's bridle. or #Full speed ahead! for the second attempt) and pass the stat checks. Note that in order to go to the resque in the first place you'll have make sure that your fear level is less than 10 (some options allow to bypass it with having greed vice). And your horse's saddle should be buckled properly (relevant only for Midsummer Knight's Dream and Knight Rider who will try to trick you during the preparations).

To pass the first rescue attempt (#I loop the reins around my left hand and lean as far to the right as humanly possible as I reach for Enchanter Moon's bridle.) you'll need to:

choose Knight Rider or Midsummer Knight's Dream as your horse or just give a treat to any other horse (do not give them all 7 carrots or entire bag at once!);

and either have body stat of 30 or more or have the combined score of body and charm to be 50 or more.

To pass the second rescue attempt (#Full speed ahead!) you'll need to:

choose Queen of the Knight or Fly by Knight as your horse or just give a treat to any other horse (do not give them all 7 carrots or entire bag at once!);

and have body stat of 20 or more or have the combined score of body and charm to be 40 or more.

Both body and charm stats start with 5 and are gained through the first chapter (yes, including the club routes). On the stats screen body stat is "Physical Strength + Athleticism", charm stat is  "Charisma + Diplomacy". Percentage equals to the score (i.e. 5% is the score of 5).

MC with luck talent and changeling MC get additional chance after failing the second rescue attempt, but you are at RNG's mercy here, since the success requires a dice toss. MC with both luck and changeling childhood gets slightly higher chance of success in this toss, but it's still pure RNG.

The best outcome (for both successful attempts) gives a huge boost to relationships with other club members, small boost ot relationship with Adrian, and fear stat reduction (-3 for success on the first attempt and -2 for the second). However, it also results in HP loss both for you (-10 HP and injured shoulder) and Adrian (-5 HP).

For the second-best outcome you'll need to leave rescue to Adrian while feeding (but not overfeeding) his horse beforehand. For that either don't chase Pippa at all (this includes voluntarily possessed MC who can't help either way), back off from the rescue after the initial failure, or fail both attempts.

With the second-best outcome MC can avoid HP losses (except for the voluntarily possessed MC who fell off their horse and MC who failed rescue), and Adrian will loose 10 HP. Some versions of this outcome (depending on how you achieved it) also give a small fear reduction.

Every other outcome not covered above (mostly achieved with hungry Foreshadow or overfed Foreshadow) will result in saved Pippa but badly hurt Adrian (-20 HP) and possibly MC (depending on them falling off their horse).

Damn, Adrian, feed you goddamned horse yourself, would you?

[pumpkinrootbeer]

On the subject of Mikko contact extension because y'all are stressing me out! It's unlikely to be done anytime soon for several reasons:

first, Mikko's agent just got Draisaitl a huge contract extension that's makes him the highest paid player in 2026. he's going to want to get Mikko the same kind of caliber deal, especially with how Mikko has been playing this season.

second, most NHL contracts these days are negotiated on cap percentages and not exact sums. Meaning if Nate is currently getting paid 15% of the current salary cap than Mikko's agent might make the case for 14% of the new cap or so, which would put Mikko at around 13 million (depending on how much the cap is raised)— more than Nate is getting paid now. Even if it's not necessarily overpaying mikko, right now he has about 15 percent of the teams points and 18 percent of the teams goals not to mention the two hat tricks and is on pace for another 100 points season, they're just not going to want to pay him that much.

third, the Avs are not going to want to pay Mikko more than Nate. Just as a non starter. Nate's the MVP, so he's going to be the benchmark for how much to pay anyone. If Mikko's team is arguing for more than Nate (even IF they're technically putting him below Nate in cap%) it's going to be a very, very long contract negotiation just inherently.

fourth, there's cap issues in colorado. trying to find a way to fit every player in has been a struggle and why we see Ivan Ivan getting ricocheted back and forth between the avs and the eagles every game. They're trying to conserve their salary cap, and with Gabe potentially returning sometime next year it's only going to get harder to balance every player. Meaning Mikko's contract is just going to be a bit of an issue no matter what.

fifth, Mikko is not the only one who was set to become a free agent. Georgie's contract is also set to expire, and LOC just got his resigning done. Not to mention all the injuries and Val's suspension at the beginning of the season. It's been a chaotic time.

Now! Does this mean I'm worried? Yeah, a little bit inherently. But really, genuinely afraid they're going to trade Mikko? No. Obviously, for numerous reasons, the Avs are not going to want to hand over a player of Mikko's caliber. It's not the move a team trying to stay in the cup window does. Mikko already has that natural chemistry with Nate making them one of the most successful duos in the NHL, not to mention how he plays with Cale and everyone else. Mikko has the most goals scored in a season for an Avalanche, one of the fastest to reach 50 goals, the third most goals for a finn, one of four players *this century* to have 40 goals 50 assists and 13 pp goals in consecutive seasons... I mean I don't need to tell you guys he's a great player! They're not going to want to lose him!

And I genuinely don't think Mikko is going to want to leave. Yes, he's said he wants to stay in Colorado but obviously you can take that for a grain of salt. What an athlete says and what they actually do are going to be two very different things. But from everything we've seen, heard, and read about him I don't think he's the type of guy to just up and leave this team for a couple more million dollars. Gabe has talked about how much he's a team player and how he's the last guy who would ever jeopardize the team for his own interests the last time we were in Mikko contact hell. I think he's going to get resigned, because neither side wants to leave. They both want this to work out, but both sides have things they're not going to be willing to cave on. But both sides have also said they're not worried about it and they're going to let things play out. It's just going to take time.

in conclusion:

^front office preparing for contract negotiations

[polo-drone-084]

The Golden Army Poker Tournament

Another Sunday with the Golden Army meant another contest. This week it was a poker tournament. The team of over 100 between the bros and Polo Drones took the time to just have some fun and bond. Talking at the tables and reading their bro's facial expressions.

Even the fully transformed drones could appreciate the camaraderie of playing with the team, even as they processed their decision to call, raise, or fold.

Plus it was a casual event and intermingling between drones and Golden bros was encouraged. Have fun with the whole team.

PDU-084 had taken over its host, Grayden, for the event. The drone's logical processing was even faster when uninhibited by human emotions. PDU-084 continued to play at a table with two other polo drones and two golden bros. Watching as the volunteer announcer and score keepers would lower the number of remaining bros down.

130 dwindled to 110, 100. 90. But PDU-084 knew that the team members were bonding, bros and drones alike.

PDU-084 could see at another table that PDU-001 was racking up a big stack of chips at his table. That drone would be a formidable rival, if both made it to the final table.

Looking around more PDU-084 analyzed some shirtless bros. His calculations couldn't establish if strip poker rules had been activated or not.

PDU-084 just kept watching the table it was at. As one bro went all in and lost to another drone at the table, he stood up and exchanged a handshake and friendly hug with the drone. The board of remaining players just kept dwindling 75, 50, 40.

Each table looked a little different, but no one could deny the brotherhood in the friendly competition.

Then PDU-084's thoughts were interrupted by the announcer, "And with that Captain Brody is eliminated. Bringing us down to 20 players left."

PDU-084 had not calculated that. Its predictions, expected Captain Brody to make the top 10 at least. The drone was surprised that its table still had four people. Some tables had been combined and some of the eliminated bros had gotten drinks and started chatting as they watched.

More and more players got eliminated, some even offering to strip off their golden jersey tops for a few extra chips. Polo drones had to remind them that wasn't how the game worked.

10 players left quickly became 9, 8, 7, 6. Before PDU-084 could even compute he was at a table with PDU-076, PDU-001, and Captain Herc. They were the last four standing. Three polo drones and one of the Golden Army's captains.

PDU-084 couldn't quite read the other drones, but Captain Herc had a tell. PDU-084 wasn't sure how no other drones had picked up on it yet, but the captain was prone to bluffing big when he had a weak hand to try to scare opponents. Herc's muscles were also quite intimidating. PDU-084 watched as PDU-076 fell for the bluff, losing a significant amount of its chips.

PDU-084 tried to play cautiously, but noticed Captain Herc was quickly racking up chips from the other two drones. Most of the team, led by defeated captain Brody, cheered captain Herc on.

To which Herc responded, "Brody, bro. I got this."

PDU-084 thought Herc was underestimating the drone's intellect. But PDU-084 couldn't manage to keep much of a lead. PDU-076 dropped out in fourth losing to Herc and PDU-001 wasn't far behind.

The two drones walked over to the viewing tables getting cheers, high fives, and hugs from their fellow drones and team members. You could almost see a smile in the emotionless drones.

PDU-084 wouldn't fall quite so easily though. However in heads-up poker, Captain Herc was an even more formidable opponent. Calling him, regardless of it he was bluffing would come at a cost.

The two went back and forth hand after hand. The chip leader changing to Herc and then back to PDU-084, then back again. Neither was giving up ground. Eventually Herc got a lucky turn on the river and scooped up a big pot, his lead was huge. But it wasn't insurmountable. PDU-084 tried to keep up, folding when needed to not let Herc strong-arm him.

But who won you might ask? The Golden Team and Polo drones for bonding over the activity.

Oh you wanted the real answer? Well PDU-084 tried its hardest, but Herc's aggressive play style along with the blind bets wore the drone down. Eventually it had to go all in and it failed to pull out a victory against the muscular, studly Captain Hercules.

Want to bond with the bros and polo drones? Or interested in learning more?

Contact our recruiters, @goldenherc9 @brodygold and @polo-drone-001 .

[bluejay-writes]

It's not just about the Grimm

Rating: T Prompt: Mammon Pairing: Mammon/Nia (MC) Wordcount: 922 Summary: Mammon takes Nia out for an arcade date. Set between DD/HM and the as-yet untitled Fic 3! Belated post for Day 2 of the Obey Me! Advent Calendar (See @om-adventcalendar for more fun!)

The doorbell rang as Nia walked down the stairs, and she chuckled as her sisters scrambled to answer it, to Mama Marnie’s chagrin. 

“Walk ladies.” Marnie called after them, as though it would do a lick of good. Nia of course knew who was at the door - it was her date for the evening, who she’d summoned upstairs and had then climbed out the window to go knock on the door like a responsible demon.

The door swung open and there was dead silence for a moment.

“Hi girls, I’m here to pick up your big sis for our date.” Mammon said, as always leading with the easiest way to get her teased.

“Ooooh!” Avery said, grinning. “A daaaaaate!!” She looked over her shoulder at Nia who was rounding the corner. 

“I don’t know if you’re cute enough for Nia.” Aubrey said, eyeing the model demon carefully.  He sputtered.

“Wait a minute, I—“

“Girls, would you let Mammon come in? I promised Mama Marnie she could meet him before we left.” Nia said, pleased when they backed off. They’d tease her more once they met more of the brothers, she was sure. Mammon walked up to her as though he was going to kiss her, but then stopped, and Nia wrapped her arms around him. “Good to see you, Mams.” She said into his chest. “Come meet my other mom.”

Marnie had walked over to them, and Mammon held a hand out to her. “Ma’am. You’re Jake’s mom, right?”

“Correct. And you’re polite, and too pretty. Nia, be careful with this one.”

Mammon puffed up, and then deflated. “I can’t help how I look, ma’am. And I won’t be rude to you, so…”

Nia just stared at the both of them. What even was this conversation?”

“Alright, Mammon. Have Nia home by ten.” Marnie said with a wink.

Nia looked at her phone. “It’s like 1, and we’re meeting you for dinner…”

“Come on Nia! I always wanted to say that, and do you really think it’s going to work on Jakey?”

Nia laughed. “No. It will not.”

“I’ll have her to dinner on time ma’am. Promise.”

“Okay, okay, as long as you never call me Ma’am again. Marnie’s fine.”

“Okay Marnie.” Mammon saluted her, and herded Nia out the door as fast as he could without being impolite.

Mammon looked around the arcade like a kid in a candy store. And he practically was.  Wall-to-wall amusements of a gambling variety were right up his alley. She made him promise from the start not to break anything. She couldn’t stop him or fix it if he broke that promise, but she knew he was good for it.

Nia started him on some of the more classic games, which provided her with endless entertainment.

Mammon was complete garbage at pinball. His inexperience combined with his poor impulse control (and the distracting lights everywhere) meant he often hit the flippers early.  When he demanded Nia do better, and then she did better, he was shocked. Nia was practically a pinball wizard, though, in comparison. She loved the game, and hit ramps and targets, triggered multi-ball, and in general showed him up.

Skeeball was the opposite experience. Nia loved the game, it was her mom’s favorite thing so they played it every time. She was decent, hitting 40s and 50s, but she knew never to go for that 100, it was a trap. However… Mammon was very good at physical games of sport, and putting a ball in a specific hole after a roll was right in his wheelhouse.  He nailed the 100 target with every ball, and when Nia didn’t believe he could do it again, he did. Twice. Three times, after he drew an incredulous crowd.  The manager of the arcade actually came out and gave him an enamel pin as a prize for hitting the top possible score on a game machine. Mammon was so incredibly proud he even got a text from Lucifer asking how his date was going.

They played their way around the arcade with similar results, Mammon determinedly paying for more credits any time they ran out, and not hearing a word of it from Nia, so she just started kissing his cheek any time he did it, and considered his ridiculous blush calling it even.

Finally, they got to the game where Nia’s sisters got all of their tickets.  It was a coin pusher, and neither Nia nor Mammon were naturally gifted with the finesse to make it rain tickets the way her sisters did.

“Man, I wish I had more of the dang coins per credit! Six is not enough.” Nia pouted.

Mammon reached out to pet her hair with a similar frustrated look which morphed into one of shock as coin-pusher tokens rained down on Nia’s head from his outstretched hand. Not enough to be obvious, more like he’d collected a double handful (with his large hands) and dumped them on her head.  Enough to earn chuckles from neighboring players and a bemused look from the prize girl, but nothing expressly bad.

“Mamms!” Nia said, pulling coins out of her ponytail and looking at them - they were perfect versions of the game tokens. “You can do that?”

Mammon opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. “Apparently, I can do that. I wonder if I can do it with other non-money currencies.”

“This calls for science.” Nia said with a feral glee. “But first, I’m going to play all of these tokens.”

[thefirstknife]

The funniest/most annoying thing about Destiny sweats bithcing about the game needing to be harder and that they shouldn't be forced to do self imposed challenges is:

Like literally no other gaming community is.like this. Self imposesd difficulty challenges is a tried & true & beloved asoect of many game communities.

From Pokemons Nuzlocke challenge, so many WoE, Runescape, and other MMOs, even notoriously hard games like FromSoftware projects to Cuphead and Celeste like

Those communities not only love self imposed difficulty but the ones that achieve it and master it are celebrated!

Like I'd be more impressed with Streamers choosing a stupid loadout and taking on a Raid and winning then some Career gamer having the most optimal load out

Yeah, literally. Same.

At the end of the day, no matter how much they want to deny it, these people just want to keep their place on the top and to retain their prestige and power. They want things nerfed because they have infinite time, professional gaming rigs and their pro buddies and it doesn't affect them. They don't want an even playing field and they don't want anyone else to have fun or get achievements. They mald over more people getting an emblem. Who give a shit. Grow up.

To me, Day 1 races are just completely off-putting to watch at this point. They all just mute streams, blur half of their screens and there's literally no content. To me, these events should be us watching the best players mess around, trying to figure out how to solve puzzles and entertain us while they go through content that's too hard for most other players. lt should be a light-hearted contest that's fun to watch. But no. Now it's just sweats basically streaming nothing while they read datamined guides and run full god roll meta loadouts that they later complain about making things easy.

Bro. That same loadout doesn't make the game easy for 99% of us. I'm glad you can do solo flawless Ghosts of the Deep in 40 minutes with bonk Titan, I can't. It took me three days and 60 deaths per run and a 3 hour run to just do the solo. I copied the "god roll" loadout. It didn't make shit easy. It doesn't need to be nerfed. And if that's easy to you, do it with a different loudout. It being "easy" literally only affects 50 people.

These guys would never survive playing any other game tbh. I guess Bungie should just give them difficulty options, but no special rewards for them, that would defeat the purpose. If you put a beautiful shader or adept weapon behind the hardest difficulty option, then people will want it and it will be deliberately gatekept and the gap between the pros and the rest of us will just widen. If you truly just care about the gameplay experience and experiencing super hard content, then simply experiencing that content is your reward. I've ran GMs for fun for zero rewards before because I just enjoy the challenge. I ran duo GMs for fun only. I've re-run master raids to help others despite there being nothing in it for me. Literally it's so easy to not be a babyman gamer bro. You guys play games for a living, you scored a jackpot, take your privilege and shut up.

[pleaseholdfor5hours]

Random middle school memories: part 2

(Link to part 1)

There was that familiar feeling in the air throughout Isaac's classroom. The feeling that this wasn't going to be a laid back day today. Every student knew what was going to happen today. Today was the day of the test that will count for 30% of their grade.

Should be simple, right? Take everything they have learned from the current unit they were just taught and hope they remember it all. The tests aren't that hard, but not too easy either. Expect for today.

Issac was going around the classroom, handing each student a paper of the test. He makes at least three different versions of the test to prevent students from cheating off another. "Alright kids, you know the drill. No notes, no talking, no Morse code, and no electronics during the test. If I find you cheated during the test, it's a automatic zero. Anyways, you may begin." Issac announced to the class one he gave the last student the test and went back to his desk.

The class room was silent, the students picking up their pencils or pens, and writing their names. But the silence wouldn't stay for long as a bunch of students make confused noises and a bunch of, "huh?". Either all of them were stupid and didn't learn a thing from this unit, or Issac has made the test harder on purpose.

Question 1 didn't look familiar to anything they were taught, nor was question 2, or 3, 4, 5 and so on. Basically no one knew a single thing on the entire test. And the test was 2 pages with 40 questions. This was bad, no one knew what to do.

Some students look at Ikari, who sits somewhat near the middle back row of class. They gave him a look trying to say, "Do you know anything on this test?" And you KNOW it's bad when Ikari makes the most exhausted and confused face know to man, because he was the smartest kid in the class and if the smartest kid in the class doesn't know the answers then that means everyone is screwed.

The test was long, took longer than it needed to be. The students were finally free for lunch, and they chatted about the test as they headed down to the cafeteria.

"What sort of test was that? I swear I guessed everything on that test." Girl A said to girl B.

"I have no clue, but I'm sure we'll all have a bad grade because of it now... Hey Ikari what did you think of the test?" Girl B said to Girl A befor turning her attention to Ikari who was walking past them.

Ikari was munching in a blue lollipop, he looked stressed and tired. The lollipop wasn't even there, it was just the stick left. "............. worst test of my life. My brain hurts...."

"Yikes." Both the girls said.

Meanwhile, in his classroom, Issac was already starting to grade papers, not wasting any time. He grades the students' papers by last name alphabetically. Meaning he always grades Ikari's paper first because Ikari doesn't have a last name. Issac gave a confused look as he graded Ikari's test, giving him a grade of 60.

"Huh, Ikari is normal better than this. Did he have a off week? Did I not teach him properly?" Isaac mumbled to himself as he continues grading the papers. Eventually he stops halfway once he noticed at majority of the students are getting a score under 50. Thats when it dawned upon him.

He accidentally gave them the next unit test, something they haven't been taught yet, instead of the current unit test. This was his mistake and apparently he had been on autopilot all day today. It was awkward that day telling the students after lunch that their teacher might have accident gave them the wrong test.

Yeah, they weren't so happy about the news.