#and Eden of course and all the other producers

[gemstarstarlight]

ATEEZ just had a comeback and I’m about to make it everyone else’s problem.

[cryptoseraphim]

I missed an entire week of work because I had an upper respiratory infection and needless to say I am very glad I am going back to work tomorrow lmao

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez and KQ Entertainment - A Summary

When it comes to K-Pop companies, anyone who's been a fan of any group for a while will know the majority of them are awful, greedy, and will sacrifice the health and safety of their artists for profit in a heartbeat. It's an awful industry built on the backs of underpaid, overworked young people who've been shamed and exploited since they were trainees and oftentimes bullied into plastic surgery, eating disorders, and mentally damaging competition with their peers. Many idols end up with chronic health issues, especially heart problems, long before they'll ever reach the average retirement age.

So what about KQ? Are they any different? Should we view them as one of them? Or are they an outlier like KOZ Entertainment which was founded by Zico, an active idol and former Block B member who has since signed his own group, BoyNextDoor?

Side note, and for the sake of completeness: After Block B, which means all members including their parents, were exploited by their former agency Stardom Entertainment, it was KQ who created an agency (Seven Seasons) solely for Block B so they could continue activities - a job they were definitely not prepared for so there was mismanaging going on and Block B fans don't look upon that time fondly. Since then most, if not all, members eventually stopped renewing their contracts.

However, these days, we've got Ateez, Xikers, Maddox, Eden and everyone else under the company refer to KQ as a family. Why is that? Let's gather what we know.

The Beginning: Accepting Hongjoong as a trainee

Most Atinys will already know the story of how Hongjoong joined KQ as their first ever trainee back in 2015. He's shared this story many times over the years (recent examples: Zach Sang Show interview, K-Star Next Door, I.M on the Beat interview, T-TIME : Grrrgak!) but for those who've never heard it, here's a summary of how it went down:

Hongjoong wanted to make music so he put a bunch of self-composed songs on a mixtape and sent it to several companies, including the big three. His reason for targeting KQ specifically was his love of Block B's music, which made him disregard the fact that KQ wasn't looking to sign anyone else. In fact, they were only a management agency at the time so they weren't even in a position to accept trainees.

Regardless, he sent the tape together with a letter, telling them they should reach out and contact him if they'd like to work with him. Whoever received that letter at KQ tossed it aside, unopened, and a year went by. The company then moved buildings and, while packing up, someone came across the tape and letter.

Intrigued, they listened to it (untrained rap and all) and heard the potential, which led the CEO to make a judgment call and give Hongjoong a chance. KQ called him to ask if he still wanted to do music. Of course, Hongjoong said yes and took the risk of signing with them.

Ateez's lives as trainees under KQ

While it was Hongjoong's music school principal who initially gave him the idea of not just being a songwriter but also an idol, it was KQ who further encouraged him.

However, as their first ever trainee, Hongjoong had a difficult time. First, with Eden initially trying to push him to quit music because KQ had put him in charge of training Hongjoong as a producer and Eden had zero interest and training to be a teacher. (Of course, those feelings didn't last too long and Hongjoong wormed his way into Eden's heart fairly quickly.)

But even without that, he struggled with being lonely because most other trainees who walked into the practice room, never stayed. Additionally, KQ was quite poor at the time, so Hongjoong only ate fried rice most of the time which he quickly grew tired of. Many of you may remember this story from Hongjoong's mother's letter shared in this video last year:

In late June 2024, during a live, Hongjoong also shared he was diagnosed with two separate conditions during his trainee days, orthostatic hypotension (drop in blood pressure when standing up or sitting down which leads to fainting) and vasovagal syncope (fainting caused by triggers such as emotional distress, the sight of blood, etc.) which he's learned to manage since. However, this was something he forced himself to learn to deal alone since he didn't want to worry the company or others.

During these early days, KQ was broke and Ateez had a food budget (which they sometimes maxed out, leading Hongjoong to pretend he was dieting and push the others to use his budget for themselves) and weren't allowed to use their phones in the dorms, likely to discourage them from getting distracted and sleeping too little but, aside from Hongjoong, no one seems to have followed that rule. See, the famous clip of Hongjoong talking about being salty when he discovered Seonghwa's two hidden phones:

However, KQ famously never enforced any sort of dating ban unlike most other companies which later gave us one of the funniest headlines of all time:

And they were also some of the first idols who proudly showed off their tattoos while many others were still banned from even getting them.

Ultimately, they already went viral predebut thanks to their outstanding dancing and Jongho's ability to split apples with his bare hands while singing.

Something I can't source but remember: Yunho, I believe, once shared the practice room used to be tiny and in terrible condition before they moved to a bigger building right before San joined the company.

Investing in and defending Ateez

During their trainee days, KQ flew Ateez (plus their then maknae, who wasn't ready to debut in 2018 and presumably moved on to another company) out to LA where they received rigorous dance training so they could become the performance group we all know and love today. They documented the whole thing here:

Something worth noting about this time is: they've been consistently providing English subtitles for all their content which was definitely a huge contributor in how much more popular they've always been overseas compared to domestically.

In an attempt to get Ateez more exposure, KQ took the financial risk of paying for Ateez's participation in Kingdom: Legendary War all the way back in 2021 which was, honestly, a hellish time for the fandom - even KQ acknowledged that in a lawsuit they filed against some false rumors being spread about Ateez around the time, stating:

However, we have decided that the current situation, in which false information is misunderstood as true, can damage not only our artists’ reputation which has been achieved through hard work but also our fans' mental health, who are our artists' biggest supporters.

Participation in the program was deeply exhausting for Ateez (who were without Mingi at the time - more on that in a bit), but did prove worthwhile when it garnered them a significant amount of new fans thanks to their positive attitude regarding the competition which had the vibe of "We're just here to make friends and put on a great show."

Regarding this part of their history, it should be noted that, in the wake of Kingdom: Legendary War, additionally information came out, exposing severe mistreatment of Ateez at the hands of Mnet:

After constant disrespect, a Korean Atiny [...] made a lengthy post of all the times Mnet had treated the K-pop group poorly. The final straw might have been Ateez not getting a single nomination for any award on Mnet's award show, MAMA 2021, despite the channel calling them ‘performance kings’. On top of it, fans found it humiliating that Ateez, the only group that was not nominated, performed at the award show too. [...] Korean Atinys claimed that Mnet’s staff would scream at Ateez while filming their reality shows. They were not told about the venues where they would be performing like the outdoor festival event and their makeup room was the smallest during the ‘Kingdom’ shoot. While other participating groups were given sofas, Ateez members were given stiff office chairs.

However, this is not something to blame KQ for - Mnet is famously hated by all idols and is even known to mistreat Hype artists, who are far more influential. They abuse the power they hold over all artists since everyone depends on them for promotions. One company alone, especially one on the small side, doesn't have the power to take them on. It'd take collective action on all companies' parts.

In the year that followed, 2022, KQ sued an infamous gossip YouTuber, who'd been spreading lies and rumors about idols for years, reaching all the way back to first gen idols. Even other fandoms cheered on KQ at the time for finally doing something against her.

Excerpt from the article:

The YouTuber has been criticized in the past for starting false rumors about idols. NMIXX‘s Sullyoon, BTS‘s Jungkook and RM, actress Han So Hee, And NCT‘s Jisung are just a few of the celebrities the YouTuber has targeted. According to reports, the person behind the Sojang YouTube account has been actively writing about rumors since K-Pop’s first generation. Before YouTube, the netizen had been active on online communities, Facebook, and Twitter. According to reports, it is believed that Sojang is a woman in her mid-to-late forties. This isn’t the first time the YouTuber has been sued. EXO member Xiumin has previously sued her, and BTS’s V had threatened to sue the YouTuber last December.

Again in 2022, they also took strong legal action when a tracking device was placed on one of Ateez's cars, stating "The defendant asked for leniency, but the company has not agreed to any leniency or settlement to prevent further damage and set a precedent for those who think of downplaying privacy violation offenses."

KQ has also proven themselves willing to back their artists' personal dreams financially, like when they paid for Hongjoong's non-profit photo exhibition which gathered money for charity and supported his wish to have a busking event, and got Seonghwa to meet his favorite ASMR YouTuber.

Recently (June 2024), Hongjoong also shared they're now getting paid extra incentives, as of last year (2023), as a thank you for all they've done for the company and the sum doesn't seem to be all that small.

Of course, there are also the most tangible and noticeable investments: creative marketing both locally and overseas, high quality music videos, regular vocal and performance training, booking music show and interview appearances and, notably, appearances on platforms outside the usual K-Pop sphere, i.e. React in 2019.

Ateez and the rest of KQ - family relationships?

We all know that famous clip of DJ Yunho calling KQ the best best company while Wooyoung's trying not to choke on his laughter:

And we also know Ateez and their respective families all get along - all their parents seem to have become friends and adopted the rest of the Ateez members as their own kids. Especially Wooyoung seems to call everyone's parents "mom" and "dad" and San's dad is deeply invested in everyone's health and well being. Hongjoong has even involved his brother before to help him choreograph for his MAMA performance.

Outside their immediate family, they all also have a group chat as Ateez with their CEO where he refers to them as his kids and he also watches their lives sometimes, attends concerts, etc.. Someone made a compilation here back in 2022 but they still imitate and quote him to this day:

And it's not just their CEO, they all seem to really love their managers and vice versa with this guy going viral for his adoration of Yeosang on multiple occasions and this clip between Wooyoung and his manager going viral more than once. You can find many compilations of the dynamics between Ateez and their staff but here's an example.

And here's an example of how Xikers and their staff treat each other (spoiler: it's adorable chaos).

We've also seen the hair and make up staff goof around with them and we also know how close they are with B.B.Trippin, the dance crew who create the majority of their choreos, who've been fostering an unbroken relationship with KQ since the early days due to their ties with Block B.

Today, they continue to tour with Ateez despite how sought after they are by other companies with JM, their leader, even stating in response to the question "What are your favorite groups to choreograph for?":

"Of course it’s ATEEZ! Right now I’m not making the choreography myself, I’m only working as the general director. But I’ve been with ATEEZ since the members were first together and we talk a lot, so we fit well and I like working with them."

And, of course, we know how close they all, but especially Hongjoong, are with Edenary and Maddox from not just Ateez's content, but also Maddox's:

How KQ handles health issues

In the beginning, Ateez were severely discriminated against in the industry, as is true for all groups of small companies. As a result, they pushed themselves extra hard during what limited performance time they had in order to leave an impression and slowly grow their Korean fanbase. To quote Mingi: "When we just debuted, we were known for the madness."

During their first tour in 2019, Yeosang broke his finger during a performance and set it again by himself without ever leaving the stage or even slowing down.

Seonghwa, in an equally bonkers move during the same tour, cracked his ribs while coughing and still chose to perform. At the end of Hala Hala, when they all pretend to snap their necks and collapse, his rib kept him from being able to get back up, leaving Yunho and Yeosang to basically carry him off stage.

After those incidents, KQ became far more vigilant and ensured Ateez watches their health and safety more closely, with Seonghwa sitting out a performance in 2020 due to an injury. Their statement stating:

During a recent modern dance lesson, Seonghwa experienced pain near his hip joint. He went for an examination at a medical clinic specializing in that area, and he has been diagnosed with a mild sprain. While it is a minor injury, he has been advised by the medical team to avoid intense movement for about two weeks, in order to avoid the worsening or relapse of the injury. Therefore, Seonghwa will only be taking part in the Meet & Greet segment of ‘KCON:TACT 2020 Summer’ on June 26, and it would be difficult for him to take part in the performance.

In November of 2020, the same year, roughly two years after debut, Mingi developed some severe anxiety which led to him getting tested and diagnosed before he went on a (back then) indefinite hiatus to get rest and regain stability in his life.

During this time, he didn't participate in any public activities but stayed in close contact with all the members and even San's dad who checked in on him regularly since he's San's dad's favorite.

He returned in mid-2021 after about half a year of intermittent schedules to get back in the swing of things and under the clearance of his therapist. His mind was made up that he wanted to keep on doing this and he seemed happy to be back:

Jongho, too, had a more severe injury in August 2023 and needed to get surgery to fix it. Thankfully he, too, recovered fully after a hiatus that lasted a couple of months which was followed by him sitting on a chair side-stage during performances for quite some time until his knee was fully healed.

More recently, we've also heard Seonghwa share that they used to struggle severely while touring, even requiring oxygen masks backstage to keep themselves going, which led the CEO to put together a team of pro athlete trainers to ensure Ateez can physically meet the demands of the industry without sacrificing their health any further.

Most recently, it was Wooyoung who needed to sit out for a bit when he developed cholinergic uriticaria. Thankfully, he's already back in the swing of things as well, though we may not see him participate in outdoor schedules during the summer or in the south.

Most Common Criticisms of KQ

1 - Ateez are overworked!

This is undeniably true for all successful idols. It's a brutal, brutal industry and unless all companies slow down, there is no way to take time off without being forgotten and losing out on future opportunities because a lot of fans are quick to move on whenever a group disappears for a bit. Many don't even stick around for more than one comeback to begin with.

Especially during the end of the year award period, all idols are deeply overworked which is why we saw Ateez get time off around early April. They also take breaks for holidays and Hongjoong has said before that they're adults and know what they're doing when a fan told him they're being overworked (I wish I could find the clip right now).

I also remember Seonghwa saying during an interview that KQ never makes decisions without talking them through with Ateez so they understand each other's reasoning and no decisions get made over their heads (once again, I wish I could find the damn clip but all I remember is Seonghwa had longer black hair and his outfit and the set were kept in black, white and gray tones).

2 - KQ is controlling!

If you've read the whole post, you'll already know Ateez have a lot of freedom compared to other idols, especially now. They get to do lives without supervision, pursue solo projects (including quality music videos for their covers and original songs), Yeosang was an MC for The Show for a long time where he got to show off solo, while Yunho and Hongjoong got to be Idol Radio DJs for a long time where they got to be mentors, show off as dancers and make new friends. On top of that, Yunho, Jongho, San and Seonghwa all four starred in a drama (with Yunho being a co-lead) criticizing the abuse and mistreatment idols face in the industry which Ateez reference to this day.

Hongjoong also gets to work with Xikers now, giving them guidance Ateez surely wished they'd had in their early days, and he even collaborated with Chungha on her first album in her new agency, while Wooyoung got to work on a dance passion project with Watcha which was close to his heart just last year.

On top of all of that, they get to goof around constantly while a lot of bigger names in the industry have much more scripted content. We've also heard Ateez be extremely honest with fans when it comes to their wellbeing, including when they're tired or struggling. They've even told stalker fans off on live with zero consequences from the company on multiple occassions.

Their freedom goes double when it comes to their music where we know all members get to participate in both the song and choreography from recording all the way to live performance.

3 - Wooyoung and Yeosang don't get enough lines!

From an outsider's perspective, this is true. However, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes outside of what they tell us. For example, Hongjoong shared just recently that all members sing the whole song and then lines get distributed based on who suits which parts best.

It's also worth mentioning that the distribution is balancing out more and more over time. A trend which will surely continue now that both Wooyoung and Yeosang have released more covers to flex their vocals and 'Will - The World' included subunits so they could all show off and try out writing lyrics for themselves.

In Conclusion

I think, when it comes to Ateez, a lot of fans who raise concerns about KQ don't look at the bigger picture or lack some of the information needed to make a fair judgment. Though there is of course also absolutely valid criticism.

Please be aware I'm definitely not saying "Be a company stan, they deserve it!". The primary focus should always be on the artists themselves, not the people managing the funds in the background, but what I am saying is: "Trust Ateez."

There are so many idols out there who hate their companies, who are on the brink of collapse from exhaustion (P1harmony, NCT Dream, Enhypen, to name a few) and it's noticeable. They say it, they want fans to create a ruckus and demand better treatment, but Ateez isn't one of them.

All eight are very outspoken people and, from what we've seen and heard, so are their families. If KQ weren't full of decent people, Ateez wouldn't involve their siblings and parents in projects, they wouldn't spend time together outside of schedules.

There have definitely been instances where trending hashtags were justified, such as when there was lacking airport security because KQ had underestimated how many people would show up to welcome them, but there's a lot of unjustified complaining going on as well which can be easily debunked.

I hope this roundup of base information will help some people get a clearer picture of what the company dynamic is like so everyone can come to their own conclusions.

[materlux]

The Priestess and The Swordsman - Chapter 1: A Xianzhou stowaway.

Eden: A planet mostly avoided by travellers, due to their obsession with their aeon and their tendency for human sacrifices. The planet is lush and the soil is fertile, they produce more food than they could ever eat, and it’s all thanks to their ‘benevolent’ god, Yaoshi, the Abundance.

The Garden of Auri: The garden was once well kept and beloved by the nearby residence, then like a sudden switch, the residence abandoned the garden. It has been left to its own devices since then, to this day no one knows what happened.

Honkai Star Rail | Main Masterlist

CW: Angst, break down, hurt/comfort, mentions of: Blood, death, Jing Yuan. 3.8k words

The Xianzhou Luofu, one of six Xianzhou Alliance ships owned by the Hexafleet, traverses the endless universe in search of Denizens of the Abundance. Dedicated to The Hunt, Lan, and shares THEIR hunt for the Abundance, Yaoshi.

   The Luofu is led by the Six Charioteers of which only three members are known; Yukong, the Helm Master of the Sky-Faring commission, Fu Xuan, Master Diviner of the Divination commission, and Jing Yuan, General of the Cloud Knights.

   Of these three people you don’t know who you’d rather have met first, or at all if you could choose. You’d been hiding out on the Luofu for less than a few days, but people had already taken notice of your strange behaviour, and so for the last couple days you felt like you were being watched. And you were, by the cloud knights, see some store owners must have thought your strange behaviour was a sign, a sign of theft or plans of theft.

   Being watched by the cloud knights only made your behaviour worsen, how were you supposed to know that they thought you were just a kid up to trouble, and not that they had figured out that you were from Eden.

   You’d been hiding out in an uninhabited house in the back of some garden that most people avoid, the garden in question you’d later learn was called Garden of Auri. It’s not necessarily overgrown, but some bushes could use a trim and some flowers were growing out of their beds. You didn’t mind, if anything the extra plants made for good cover, you felt safer among them, they also offer good test subjects.

   Plants no longer grow inexplicably around you, flowers don’t bloom in places or at times in which they’d surely die, you were free. And yet this didn’t feel like the freedom Kaira and Lethe had shown you, or the freedom you had dreamed of and read about. 

   The mark on your arm, the one that was burned into your bones, has spread further. Long black tendrils like water running along your skin, reach from the palm of your hand, down the back of your forearm and onto the front. It doesn’t burn anymore, but your arm is getting weaker and sore, you still cover it the best you can.

   The Alchemy commissions healers offer little help, in their defence it’s not easy helping a patient, who won’t tell or show you the problem. The best they could offer was a recommendation, a specific kind of herbal tea sold in Aurum Alley that is supposed to soothe soreness and help with sleep.

   Aurum Alley, the street most tourists are drawn to, with its friendly atmosphere and many options in delicacies native to the Luofu. It’s here you buy most of your supplies, given its more laid back nature and the openness of the area, and of course the lack of on guard cloud knights. 

   By now you know these streets like the back of your hand, you use the small streets and back roads to stay out of sight. You buy your recommended tea from Du’s Teahouse, Boss Du has by now given up on convincing you to buy some of his other ‘teas’. Maybe your mistake is that you got too comfortable in these streets, that you don’t notice the people following you.

   Running through the near empty alleys was not your plan, you had hoped to lie low for at least a couple more days, maybe even a few weeks more, before you became part of the normal society. You aren’t out of shape per se, but you’re very thankful for your knowledge of these streets and your agility.

   The cloud knight following you doesn’t have trouble keeping up speed wise, but you keep turning down a new street that at this point they don’t know where in Aurum Alley they are. In the end you lose them in the winding near identical streets, and you make your escape out of Aurum Alley.

   On your way to the garden you nearly collapse, it’s odd that’s never happened before. You sit on the ground against a wall in the shade, this road isn’t frequented so there aren’t many people around, you’re on your own.

   Your breathing becomes laboured and shallow, your vision is blurring at the edges, and it’s suddenly far too hot despite the usual weather of the Luofu being a comfortable temperature. You close your eyes, but this only makes everything spin slowly, it makes your stomach churn. You hunch over your legs and hold them close as you breathe in deep.

   The world around you gets tuned out, you don’t notice the sound of boots and clinking metal, it stopping abruptly then coming closer. You only notice this person when a warm hand is gently placed on your upper back. Your breathing stutters for a moment, you lift your head to look at the person, you squint but can’t make out any distinct features with your blurry vision.

   It takes you a second to tune the world back in, so you can hear what they’re saying. “What?” You ask in a quiet voice, so quiet the word is nearly lost in the wind, but they hear you. 

   They adjust and repeat themself, “are you okay?” They ask, their voice like honey in your ears, it takes a moment before the words and their meaning register.

   “Mhm,” you hum and nod once, the action makes your head throb with a dull pain. You breathe deep and carefully, your knees slide away from your body to make the action easier.

   “Are you sure?” They ask, there’s concern in their voice, it makes you uneasy. “You’re shaking,” they add.

   “I’m sure,” you breathe, but you are shaking, you notice, and you cradle your arm to yourself like it hurts. It does hurt, the feeling hits you like a ton of bricks, the pain spreads from your hand to your shoulder. The burning feeling is back in your bones, it almost makes it numb. You fight back tears, you don’t want to cry in front of this stranger, you can’t trust them yet, you can’t show them weakness that they can use against you.

   The hand on your back moves soothingly along your shoulders, you try to focus on it. “Breathe,” they instruct you, their voice is soft. “Let me help you.”

   “No, it’s fine.” You try to shake your head, but it hurts too much.

   “It’s not fine, you need help.” Their right, you know their right, but you can’t trust them. “C’mon, let’s get you somewhere safer, somewhere you can get help,” they say, but you make no attempt to move. They stay by your side, waiting for something, for you to give in to their offer of help and you do.

   “Fine,” you mutter, closing your eyes again to ignore the world spinning faster. They watch you for a while longer before they mutter a quiet apology, it barely registers in your mind before you’re pulled into warm arms. You don’t get to protest as they stand up with ease, and turn to make their way down the road.

   Your mind becomes more muddled and you start dozing off, they speak a few more words, most don’t register in your swimming head. You think they introduced themself, something with a title.

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   You wake up 3 hours later, in a clean bed, in a sterile room. This must be the Alchemy Commissions infirmary, despite having been here at least twice, you have never seen the inside of the building outside of the consultation rooms.

   A woman, foxian, with dark hair and eyes checks on you when you wake. She sets a glass of water down on the small table beside your bed, and offers to fetch you some food, you’re about to decline when there’s a knock on the door.

   The woman opens the door, a child walks in followed by an imposing man, he looks down at the child with an apologetic expression as she scolds him. The foxian woman leaves the room, the two new people continue their conversation, like you aren’t even there.

   You reach out for the glass, your hand shakes weakly and you feel heavy. You can barely hold onto the glass, the shake in your hand gets worse with the weight. You end up attempting to place the glass back on the table, it almost doesn’t go wrong, almost. Your shaking ends up knocking the glass over, water spills over the table onto the floor, at least the glass didn’t break.

   The room is quiet, you note, you look up and the two new people are looking at you. They both look sympathetic, you hate that look it reminds you of the priest, but there’s something more in the man’s eyes. It’s like he knows something about you, it makes you want to shrink in on yourself, and you do a little, sitting against the pillow behind you with your head hung.

   The child sighs and walks over, she grabs the empty glass off the table, then excuses herself and leaves the room, presumably to get more water. The man observes you from afar, before moving closer. He stands at the foot of the bed with crossed arms, you study his attire but avoid his face.

   “Priestess,” his voice is stern, but you recognize a softness in it, he’s the stranger. With one simple word you are reduced to a meek pile of anxiety, he knows, you repeat those two words to yourself over and over again. Someone from the Xianzhou Alliance, someone dedicated to The Hunt’s mission to kill the Abundance, someone knows who you are, where you’re from, what you did.

    “Priestess,” he repeats, you shake your head, tears line your eyes. You shouldn’t have stayed on the Luofu for this long, you only wanted to lose the people hunting you before you moved on. “Priestess?” He sounds closer now, a warm hand grasps your shoulder, it makes you flinch.

   “Sorry.” The word comes out in a muddled mix of coherent speech and a sob, tears stream down your face in warm lines.

   “Hey, look at me.” His voice has softened and lost its stern edge, he hovers by your side. You shake your head and lean away.

   The child comes back with the refilled glass of water, she places it on the small table and takes in the scene before her. Your distressed disposition meets her analysing gaze first, then the man by your side whose hand now hovers over your shoulder.

   “General,” she starts in a stern tone. “I told you not to stress out my patient.” She puts her hands on her hips, like a mother scolding her son. The General looks guilty, “Lady Bailu,” he tries. She points to somewhere further in the room, and like a kicked puppy the General of the Luofu steps away from your side.

   “Breathe child,” Lady Bailu tells you, she walks around the room and comes back with some tissue papers to dry your eyes. “Here, drink.” She pushes the glass closer to your bedside, you heed her command and pick the glass up gently, you have to focus hard not to spill it again.

   Lady Bailu turns away from you and sends the General a glare, she ushers him to a corner of the room, the two engage in a discussion of sorts, Lady Bailu scolds him and he lets her.

   You hold the glass in both hands, sipping at the cold water carefully. You sniffle and regain control of your breathing, the glass is cold in your hands and it grounds you. The room is quiet, save for the muttered discussion in the corner, they must be discussing what to do with you.

   You feel heavy and weak, you were never this meek when you were a child, but you also weren’t a wanted criminal on a ship full of people dedicated to hunting your aeon. You suppose anyone would become meek in such a situation.

   “Child?” Lady Bailu catches your attention, there’s something comical in this woman who looks younger than you calling you child, but based on the horns and tail she must be vidyadhara. You look at her, she stands by your side, the General keeps his distance.

   “The General wants to talk to you,” Lady Bailu tells you in an even tone. “Do you want to talk to him? You don’t have to, not now.” She looks deep into your eyes, you mull over your options, is it really okay if you deny the General? You know you’ll have to talk to him eventually, now that you have been found out, it will be near impossible to get off the Luofu.

   You decide to rip the bandaid off and get it over with, the General has to be a reasonable man, maybe if you explain everything to him, he will offer you some leniency. “It’s okay, I don’t mind,” you tell Lady Bailu, she nods and shoots the General one last warning glare before leaving the room.

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   The chair is settled on the floor with a dull thud, the General takes his seat by your side, you don’t look at him. The room is quiet, the air is dense and you shift in your seat.

   “Tell me,” he starts, “are you from Eden?” It’s a stupid question, he already knows the answer, he knows who you are, it’s meant as an ice-breaker.

   “Yes.” You don’t offer much in your reply, it’s soft, barely piercing the air.

   “Eden is a planet favoured by the Abundance, right?” The planet is untraversed, but not unknown. “It is.” You still won’t look at him.

   “You are part of the cult of the Abundance-”, “were,” you correct without thinking, it dawns on you that you just cut off the General of the Luofu. You shrink a little. “You were part of the cult of the Abundance?” He wonders out loud. “Yes, I left.” You didn’t really leave, more so fled the place after your crime. 

   “Why’d you leave?” He asks, you don’t know what to say, you don’t know if you can tell him the truth about the cult. Not because he can’t know, but you don’t know if you can retell it, to relive it. Repressed memories float around the forefront of your mind, the blade you should have discarded long ago, the blood, the feeling, the pain, the scar aches.

   “Why’d you leave?” He tries again, this time softer. He must sense your nerves, your tense shoulders and uneven breathing. “You don’t know?” You ask instead of answering.

   “I believe I do, but I want to be certain.” He keeps an even tone, he wants to hear it from you, you know, but you can’t say it. “What do you believe?”

   “You’re wanted by the High Council of Eden for the massacre of the cult of the Abundance, including a priest held in high regard.” That’s the story the Council is going with, it’s not wrong factually, but it lacks your motive. “That’s true.” You feel small next to him.

   “Why did you do it?” He asks, how could you ever articulate what you saw that day, what words could ever do it justice. You can’t find any, but it seems your silence speaks more than you intended.

   “They did something to you, didn’t they?” He asks tentatively, you just nod along, words elude you at this point.

   “Did they hurt you?” His tone grows darker, but somehow you get the feeling it’s not because of you. You nod again, and the General takes a deep breath, he thinks over the information and which questions work best. He doesn’t want to stress you out again, but he has questions that need to be answered.

   “Is that why you did it?” The it stays unspoken, but you know what he means. Was it revenge? Yes, was it revenge for what they did against you? “No.” Your short answer hangs in the air, the General’s brow furrows.

   “Then why?” He asks, you think it over, how can you tell him everything in the simplest way. It has to be simple, because if you make it complicated you might not finish. “For them,” you answer, your voice rises slightly, like you're not just telling him but yourself as well.

   “The two underage victims?” ‘Victims’, the word leaves a bitter taste on your tongue, if it wasn’t for you they wouldn’t be victims, if you could’ve just accepted your fate they’d still be alive. “It’s my fault.” It’s your fault, you used them for your own desire to be free. It’s your fault, they stayed longer than they should, you walked out too far. It’s your fault.

   “But you didn’t kill them,” he states it like it matters, like that fact alone means you weren’t a part of the problem. “They were there because of me.”

   “That doesn’t make it your fault,” he reasons. “But.” You want to argue, tears spring to your eyes, you can’t argue with him.

   “It’s not your fault,” he reassures. “They chose to be there, they chose to be with you.” His hand hovers over your own, warmth radiates from his palm. “But.” The word comes out choked as tears begin to fall down your cheeks.

   “It’s not your fault.” He holds your hand gently, the warmth and rough texture grounds you to the present. “You didn’t know what would happen, neither did they.” Your breathing stutters, the blanket in your lap soaks up your tears.

   “It’s not your fault.” You can’t hold it in anymore, you didn’t intend to break down in front of the Luofu General, but sobs wrack your body. You cry freely, he holds your hand the whole time, his thumb begins to gently stroke over the unmarred skin on the back of your hand.

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   After you’ve calmed down the General leaves your side and Lady Bailu comes back, she offers a soft pat on your hand. You feel icky, but a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

   Lady Bailu stands at your bedside opposite of where the General sat, she holds out her hand. “Let me see your arm,” she instructs, you hesitate, but let her inspect the black tendrils. They’ve grown in quantity since you last looked at them, their beginning to resemble a broken spider web.

   She hums to herself, deep in thought. “Does it hurt?” She asks, you shake your head no. “Do you know how you got it?” She asks, you think back to the statue. “Yes, the statue in the church was crying. Drops of water from it landed in my palm, it burned.” She nods along as you explain, studying the marks more closely.

   “A crying statue,” she mutters more to herself than you. “Did the statue represent a specific god?” She looks around the room, she spots whatever she is looking for on a nearby cabinet. “Yaoshi.” Lady Bailu returns with a wet cloth, she gently dabs it on the markings, you sigh in contentment, you hadn’t realised the marks were so warm. “The Abundance.” She nods to herself.

   “Is it possible that the Abundance has cursed you through the statue’s tears?” It’s the best theory, it explains the odd marks and the strange reason for their occurrence. “Yeah, Yaoshi would do that as punishment for what I did.” It makes sense, you disrespect THEIR church during a ceremony, that would anger any god and cause retaliation.

   “Then I’m afraid there isn’t much I can do then,” she says, she seems genuinely sorry. “That’s okay,” you assure her, she offers you a smile.

   “Is there anything I can do to help?” You think the question over, the incident that led to you being in the infirmary is the first of its kind. “Do you have anything for pain or soreness?” You ask instead, it was just a fluke you assure yourself, it won’t happen again. “Pain and soreness, yes I think I have something for that,” Lady Bailu says before she leaves the room.

   Lady Bailu comes back with a small container, she opens it to show you the salve inside, she smears it over your arm and makes sure to cover the marks. She then finds some gauze and wraps it around your arm, she gives you the salve and a few rolls of gauze, along with instructions.

   Leaving the infirmary you make your way through the Alchemy Commission’s streets, once you make it back to the road where you collapsed, you’re met with a familiar face. The General smiles at you, he seems much more relaxed now.

   He walks along with you in silence for a while, he notes the small container and gauze in your hands. “Did you figure out what the marks are?” He’s making small talk, you look down at your bandaged arm and think back to Lady Bailu’s theory.

   “The theory is that Yaoshi cursed me for my crime.” He nods along.

   “I would advise that you don’t say THEIR name out loud,” he warns, you hadn’t realised you were doing that, it was like second nature for you to call them by name. But it makes sense that it would be taboo to do so on a Xianzhou Alliance vessel, you’ll have to keep that in mind for later travels.

   By the stairs to the garden you turn and begin your ascension, the General looks on in confusion. “Priestess?” He calls after you, the title makes you freeze. “Please don’t call me that,” you ask, looking back at him.

   “Then what should I call you?” It’s then that you realise that you never introduced yourself, you laugh to yourself and offer him your name. “Was there something you needed?” You ask him afterwards.

   “Why are you going to the Garden of Auri?” He looks at you, seeming perplexed, you’d think the General of the Luofu would know every part of the ship, you muse to yourself. “I live there.”

   He observes you for a moment, like he’s thinking what you said over. “General?” You ask with a raised brow. “Please, just call me Jing Yuan,” he replies, he shakes away his thoughts and bids you farewell, you watch him leave before continuing up the stairs.

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[shuuen-no-cimory]

Also of course, it ain't me if I don't crossover my current hyperfixation with my ultimate current hyperfixation. So... Degrees of Lewdity x ProjectMoon! (This post is full of me yapping as I explain each drawing, so I guess, be ready?)

First, I'll go hard with Whitney as R Corp. 4th Rabbit Team. The initial idea was that he reminds me so much of RHeath LMAO But eventually I love the idea because I think he'd go along with Myo well. Plus... Somehow imagining Whitney in Rabbit Team Hatchery shenanigans seems... Interesting.

Next is Eden. If anyone notice, I originally designed him based of 2 Abnos: Der Freischutz and Big Bird. Der Frei was, of course, a nod to his title as a Hunter, and a marksman as well. For Big Bird... Yeah definitely there's the Big Bird in DoL, yet I think temperance-wise, Eden does felt similar to Big Bird. A creature living in a forest, thinking they protect others by doing the action that definitely doesn't seems to be out of protection. As for RRH, oh think about this: Being hunted down while getting marked. One by a hunter, and another by a wolf. Oh isn't it just reminds me of something...? Right

Funny enough, before I designed the school LIs properly, I reimagined them as The City's feathers. "If they're living in the City and has to work with one Wing, which one they'll work on?" I've talked about R. Corp Whitney earlier so I'll talk about the others! Robin, L Corp. - I can imagine him with the pressing needs to survive under the weight of Bailey's rent ends up either being sent or signed himself up as an agent for L Corp. The Wing doesn't ask that much requirement as per Hokmah's story while the agent supposed to have a great pay (being a wing and all). Hence, I think he might work for L Corp. Sydney, K Corp. - The idea was that after graduating, Sydney might follow Sirris path in science. Being the obedient child she is (as we sees on the game before they get corrupted), she probably choose to do what Sirris might do hence her as K Corp. researcher. Oh anyway, truly this is just a fyi that doesn't seems to be related to anything, I reimagined Harper as Dongrang in this scenario, with the whole Teary-Thing problem exist. Oh, lucky enough for Sydney to help producing K Ampule that definitely just as seen in the canon Limbus story. Just saying. Kylar, W Corp. - This one actually a rather fun idea. This is set with the idea that Kylar work as the Clean Up Member, with parents that's definitely unaware with how their child work but nevertheless proud with him. They'd even use WARP Train solely to be sent off by Kylar each time, much to Kylar silent dismay. If only they know what Kylar has to clean up among the 6 seconds they went into the train... Read one of the reblog tag and yeah. It has to do with Love Town. And pretty much how Kylar had to regularly assemble his parents again and again each trip they made.

LCB! SYDNEY LET'S GOOOO!!!! This idea came as I made my LCB-esque ID Card for Sydney. The idea of LCB Sydney's background was that it's pretty much what happened in the game, but make it The City-esque and seen from Sydney's eyes. It's fun imagining her as a Dieci Fixer who was caught in a complicated issue which she rather dip out from as she hasn't fully grow the backbone to face it yet. Oh right, in this AU I reimagined Ivory as Abnormality and both Sydney and Kylar got their EGO. Sydney got their Longing Phase EGO (HE, Gloom) while Kylar got the Haunting Phase EGO (WAW, Wrath). I actually had a draft of how the EGO works and its gimmick but let's talk it later on lol

When Yield My Flesh event is up on Limbus, my head doing the funny by thinking, "Damn... Jun Wren sounds cool..." then I remember Tingtang exist like jfgdjfgbjd HE FITS BETTER AS TINGTANG WHY DIDN'T I THINK ABOUT IT ON A SIDE NOTE, I also had the thought on how Bailey MIGHT kills it as either a Kurokumo or a Middle. After all, Middle never forget... Just like how Bailey never forget your rent LOL

And last but not least: Sydney and Robin as L Corp. Agent! Robin will be a high Temperance agent which work for Safety Team, while Sydney is the high Fortitude, high Prudence Disciplinary Team Captain. Oh, if you do notice: I made Sydney's cross looks like Penitence EGO Weapon. It's actually based of this idea of how One Sin and WhiteNight's dynamic thematically fits Sydney the Faithful and Sydney the Fallen. The name of both Abnos' EGO Set-- "Penitence" and "Paradise Lost" respectively, both fits the image of each Sydneys. Hence, I draw them in both EGO Sets!

[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You're My Muse [Chapter 22]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.3K

You walked into KQ, fingers drumming against your coffee cup nervously. You felt like you couldn't sit or stand still. Even as you stood in the lift, your foot tapped against the floor impatiently. This was too much stress for you.

"Indi. You're going to turn blue. Breathe." Hongjoong said as he met you outside the lift. You had texted him, telling him you were feeling so nervous you felt like you were going to throw up.

"If they hate all my songs, they're going to cancel my contract." You whimpered. Just the thought made you dizzy.

"Stop that." Hongjoong scolded, fanning your face.

"Did you sleep at all?" Hongjoong asked.

"No... I couldn't sleep, thinking I should have sent in another song." You sighed. Hongjoong placed his hands on your shoulders, massaging them to try and help you relieve the tension.

"What would calm you down now? I would offer you a shot but you shouldn't drink now." Hongjoong tried to lighten the mood.

"You're terrible at comforting people." You wailed.

"I don't know how to do this! Seonghwa is the one that comforts the kids, not me." Hongjoong panicked, patting your back to soothe you. He led you to your studio first to at least put your bag down. You grabbed your laptop and iPad, sipping the remains of your coffee and grabbing an energy drink from the fridge.

"Umm, maybe you shouldn't..." Hongjoong gulped as he watched your empty two cans of energy drink into the empty cup where your coffee was previously.

"I need to keep awake and focused." You closed the cup and took a sip, cringing at the taste.

"I don't even like energy drinks." You groaned.

Today was the big producer meeting. You had submitted your tracks last week for the deliberation of the KQ executives. They will be discussing which songs made it into Ateez's next album.

"Are you sure you can't be there?" You asked. Both Mingi and Hongjoong couldn't go for the meeting because all the boys had a recording schedule.

"Haven't you done song evaluations before though?" Hongjoong asked from his seat on your couch.

"No... People usually come to me and tell me they want my song. Now it's the other way, I'm convincing them to use my songs. I don't know how I'm going to do that." You hung your head.

You didn't know why you were so nervous when you were usually nonchalant and calm about this. As much as you knew he would have brought comfort, you even told Mingi not to come over last night. You just needed to be on your own.

"It's out of your hands now. If they pick it, that's great. If not, we'll try next time. You're not getting fired." Hongjoong assured.

"Can you and Seonghwa be there when I'm done, please?" You requested. Of course you would want Mingi there but you didn't want to make it too obvious.

"We'll be back as soon as the schedule is over." Hongjoong held your hand. You nodded with a forced smile.

"I have to go now. Will you be okay?" Hongjoong tilted his head.

"Yeah. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Don't psych yourself out." Hongjoong wrapped an arm around you to give you a tight hug before leaving your studio. You ran your fingers through your hair and sat down in front of your desk.

"Indigo? You good? Hongjoong came and told me to check up on you." Eden poked his head in through the open door to your studio. You pulled your mask up and turned around to face him. That was when he saw the expression on your face and let out a laugh. He knew that nervous look all too well.

"Are you nervous? I can see it in your eyes." Eden asked.

"I've... never done this before. What if I suck?" You gulped. To that, Eden laughed again.

"If you suck, I wouldn't have convinced the bosses to bring you in to work with Ateez. It's okay to be nervous for your first album meeting." Eden chuckled, folding his arms.

"There have been times where they didn't like any songs we submitted and made us redo everything. It happens." He comforted.

"I'm usually collected with such situations. I don't know why I'm so nervous." You confessed.

"It's normal to feel that way. I'm sure they don't have such evaluation meetings underground, do they?" Eden smiled. You shook your head, sipping your energy drink.

"After the meeting, go home and head straight to bed. You need to sleep." He said. You nodded in agreement. Once this was over, you were going to sleep and hopefully have Mingi there with you. You had to admit you slept better with him around.

"Thank you, Eden." You looked up at him. In that moment, Eden saw you as just a kid, not the mysteriously aloof underground Producer Indigo.

"Don't mention it. I'll come get you later so we can go for the meeting together." He patted your head.

While waiting for the time of the meeting to come, you decided to work on your OST project. Hongjoong had given you some great tips and Maddox had also given some input and advice.

'Prod Indigo: You have 1 pending chat'

Since you weren't too busy, you decided to click on the chat. This was an online chat where people usually got in touch with you.

'Is this really Prod. Indigo? - Anon'

'Yes. Profile is verified. - Prod. Indigo'

*User has changed their username*

'Hi, Indigo. It's Pdogg from Big Hit Entertainment. It's nice to meet you. - Pdogg'

'Likewise, you've brought a lot of recognition to the producing scene for the work you do with BTS so it's an honour. What can I do for you? - Prod. Indigo'

Pdogg was known everywhere as BTS' producer. He was probably the highest paid producer in the country, gaining a lot of recognition for his hits with the globally famous group. While you didn't know much about BTS, being in the producing scene, you definitely knew of Pdogg's work and the other Big Hit and HYBE producers.

'You're very talented and we have a spot open on the producing team here at Big Hit. I'm basically reaching out to ask if you would like to join us here. - Pdogg'

'I understand you like your identity to remain anonymous. We will do anything to ensure your identity remains hidden. - Pdogg'

'Wow. I expected the proposal of a collaboration. Not the offer of a job. - Prod. Indigo'

'Hahaha, we like your work and think you would be a great addition to the team. Now that you've started working with more Kpop groups, we thought it would be a good time to reach out. - Pdogg'

'Thank you for the offer. I'll definitely consider it. - Prod. Indigo'

'I understand you're currently on a freelance contract with KQ, right? You're working with Ateez. - Pdogg'

'Yes, I'm working with Edenary on their comeback. I'm surprised, I guess news does travel with producers. - Prod. Indigo'

'Alright, let's talk again when your contract is up. We'll keep the spot open for you so no rush. Or if you'd like to join us now, I've cleared it with the higher ups and HYBE Labels is willing to pay the severence fee to KQ. - Pdogg'

'Thank you for the offer but I will be staying with KQ, at least until my contract here is up. I won't go back on my word. But we'll be in contact again. - Prod. Indigo'

'Great. Speak to you soon! - Pdogg'

'Have a nice day. - Prod. Indigo'

Closing the chatroom, you let out a sigh. You knew deep down that this was a big opportunity for you.

"They've worked hard for me to just leave like that." You looked over to the group picture of you and Ateez on your desk, taken during song camp.

For now, you were just going to keep this to yourself. It didn't involve anyone else except you since the offer was for after your contract with KQ finishes. But the idea of being signed to a company 'permanently' was daunting. You pushed the thought aside and continued working on your OST project.

RINGGGGGG

"Hello? Mings?" You answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hey. I heard from Hongjoong hyung that you were really nervous about the meeting so I wanted to call and ask if you were doing okay since I couldn't see you last night."

"Honestly just hearing your voice now is making me feel so much better. I should have asked you over last night." You said.

"You'll be fine, okay? Trust me. Breathe, calm yourself down. I'm there with you."

"I really hope they pick the group song. You guys worked so hard on it and I just want them to give it a chance." You sighed.

"That's what we want too. But we know that the decision isn't up to us. If they don't pick it, it won't be your fault. We understand that there are a multitide of reasons."

"I should have come over last night... Made sure you at least got a few hours of sleep."

"No, Mings. It's not your fault, I wouldn't have been able to sleep at all. But can I see you after your schedule? If it's bad news, I might need you comfort me. If it's good news, I need you to celebrate with me." You requested.

"Of course. I'll see you later today then. Good luck."

"Thank you. You too, be safe while you're recording." You smiled softly at the phone before he hung up. Now that made you feel slightly better.

"Indigo? Ready to go?" Eden came.

"Yeah." You saved your work before you packed up what you needed and left with Eden.

"The last time I was here. I was signing a contract with you. Today, I feel like my contract is going to be dissolved." You tried to make a joke but it somehow made you feel worse.

"They aren't going to dissolve your contract. Calm down, you're only scaring yourself at this point." Eden chuckled.

"Ready?" He asked, putting a hand on the door handle. You took a deep breath and nodded, putting your best game face on to hide your nerves.

"Good morning." You and Eden greeted the executives as you entered. While waiting for the other Edenary members to come in, you opened your laptop and got your iPad ready to take any notes that you might need.

"So Indigo, how has it been working with Edenary and the Ateez members?" The CEO, Kim Kyuwook, asked.

"They've all been great, all very hard workers. I've learnt a lot from working with them, both the producing team and the Ateez members themselves." You replied.

"Glad to hear. They're good boys, all 8 of them, with great potential." Kyuwook smiled.

"I agree." You said stiffly.

"I hear you've been doing great work with them. I'm happy to hear that." He wouldn't be so happy to know you've been in an unsaid courtship with one of the members. You gulped at the thought.

"Sorry, we're here. Let's begin." The last members of Edenary entered the room and the executives turned to CEO to start the meeting. He began to recap the main concepts that was discussed with Eden the last time they met. Eden had conveyed all of this to the team, including Hongjoong and Mingi.

"This is our marketing executive." The CEO introduced and sat back down in his seat.

"So we've received and thoroughly reviewed all the songs that have been submitted last week." The marketing executive stood up to speak, taking over from the CEO.

"These are the songs we have picked. The star indicates the title song and the rest will be the b-side songs." He explained.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong were waiting outside the conference room for you. They were in their plain clothes but didn't bother to remove their make up.

"Thank you for your time."

"Looking forward to see your work."

The two straightened up when they noticed all the producers bowing and exchanging niceties with the executives as they exited the meeting room. But Hongjoong and Seonghwa didn't approach, remaining unseen by their bosses.

"Indi." Hongjoong called out to you. You looked up, your face void of any emotion. Seonghwa cast Hongjoong a worried glance.

"Let's go to my studio." You spoke. The two nodded and walked with you to your studio.

"It's okay-" Seonghwa was ready to comfort you when you fell against him, your legs giving out from the rollercoaster of emotions you've been experiencing the entire day.

"They liked it..." You said softly.

"What?" Hongjoong couldn't hear.

"They loved it. The group song from song camp, everything. They want it to be the secondary track for promotion." You looked up at Seonghwa and Hongjoong.

"They really liked it? That's great news, princess." Seonghwa stroked your head while Hongjoong cheered and jumped excitedly.

"I'm so happy. It's all thanks to you guys, your hard work and dedication. The CEO loved it and knew the fans would appreciate it. And they want my other song to be the title song. So 2 songs out of 3 got picked." You added. Hongjoong and Seonghwa both hugged you like proud parents.

"You did it! We knew you could do it." Hongjoong grinned.

"We're so proud of you." Seonghwa kissed your forehead. Hongjoong took his phone out to call the others.

"Indigo did it! Our group song is going to be in our next album! And our title track was also one of the songs that we submitted." He said into the phone.

"They liked our song?!"

"Woooo!!!"

"Knew you could do it, Indigo!"

You heard cheers of happiness and congratulations through the chaos on the other end of the call.

"Thank you. Everything aside, I'm just really so happy they liked to group produced song. You guys worked so hard while we were at song camp to produce that song, that's why they could feel your dedication." You said.

"We have to celebrate this win! For our track and for Indigo's own track being chosen as the title track." Seonghwa suggested, earning cheers of approval.

"Yeah! Let's have Korean beef! Hongjoong hyung's treat."

"Yah, Choi Jongho. You're very good at giving out money that isn't yours." Hongjoong scolded the maknae.

"Hyung, you have to show your support and love. Even if you don't play into the family thing, you said she's practically the little sister you never had."

"I'll do that but that doesn't mean I have to pay for you guys too. She's the one that got the achievement." Hongjoong scowled.

"But we're a family, hyung."

"I'm hanging up." Hongjoong didn't even let them protest before he hung up on them, putting the phone in his back pocket. Your phone buzzed in your pocket and you didn't need to check to know who the text was from. Thankfully Seonghwa and Hongjoong didn't hear. You knew Mingi was texting you.

"Your hardwork paid off. See? I told you they won't dissolve your contract or fire you." Hongjoong patted your head, making your cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Fire you? Yah, Indigo ah... You seriously scare yourself too much." Seonghwa clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"I'm grateful I have the two of you here with me. I don't have parents but who cares when I have the two of you who always encourage me. Thank you." You wrapped your arms around them to hug them.

"We're glad we can support you and give you the confidence you need." Seonghwa smiled.

"Okay! Time for you to go home and sleep. We will celebrate tomorrow or this weekend." Hongjoong said.

"You really didn't sleep last night?" Seonghwa's eyes widened.

"Why are you still surprised?" Hongjoong scoffed but he meant it more as a disapproving scoff to you. Seonghwa shook his head with a small frown while you shrunk back.

"We're supposed to be celebrating! Not focusing on my bad working habits." You squeaked. However, you did pack up your bag and the two made sure that their manager sent you straight home before they went back to the dorm.

'Hwa and Joong sent me home. I'm going to sleep for a bit. You can let yourself in if I'm not awake. - Indigo'

'Alright. Sleep tight. - Mings'

You threw your work back in your studio before going to take a shower. As you stood under the running water, you couldn't help but the soft smile on your face.

"We did it." You said to yourself, letting a sigh of relief. All the hard work and stress paid off.

You were happy to be able to prove yourself since this was technically your first project 'above ground' and working with an actual company, not through a ghost serve like usual.

"Haneul!" You were drying your hair when you called Haneul.

"Unnie! Did you win?" She asked. When you told Haneul you had an important work thing, she could only liken it to a competition.

"I guess you can say that." You chuckled. As much as you tried to explain to her that it wasn't a win/lose type of competition, she still didn't really understand it. But she was so adorable in cheering you on to 'win' and 'get first place' that you didn't bother correcting her anymore and let her be.

"Yay! Unnie is the best!"

"I was only able to win because I had you cheering me on. We'll celebrate when I go meet you this weekend, okay? Eat delicious food and play." You melted.

"Okay! Will the oppas be there too?" She asked excitedly. Now Haneul wanted to involve Ateez in all your plans.

"If they aren't working. No promises on that." You replied. She hummed in acknowledgement.

After speaking with Haneul, you went to sleep. The previous night of not sleeping and the nights before that of broken sleep finally caught up to you. When you woke up, it was past 8pm.

"Is Mingi not here yet?" You rubbed your eye, checking your phone. But there was no text or call from him.

"Mings? Are you here?" You turned on the living room lights. Your eyes widened as you froze, seeing your living room all decorated. There were balloons and a cake on the coffee table. Soft hip hop music played in the background.

"Mingi? Where are you? What is this...?" You went up to the cake to read the writing.

'Will you be my girlfriend?'

Someone cleared their throat and you whipped your head around to see Mingi standing by the kitchen with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He pushed up the glasses that was slipping down his nose.

"Mings..." You were speechless.

"I know I said I would wait for you to talk about us. But I felt that I should at least properly ask you out first." Mingi said.

"I see... Wow, this is definitely a surprise. I was so deep in sleep I didn't even know you came in and did all this." You gestured to the decorations in the living room. Mingi rubbed the back of his neck.

"I was careful to be quiet and not wake you. Do you like it?" He asked. You nodded in confirmation.

"You don't have to say yes or no right now if you're not ready to talk about it. I just wanted to ask you in case you thought I wasn't serious or anything." Mingi rambled nervously. You laughed, stepping up to him to receive his flowers. You were grateful that Mingi patiently waited for you.

"Thank you for waiting. And yes, I'll be your girlfriend." You giggled. Mingi broke into a big grin, wrapping his arms around you to lift you up. You squealed as he spun you around excitedly.

"I can finally call you mine." Mingi put his hands on your cheeks and pressed his lips against yours.

~

Series Masterlist

[direquail]

One of the other things I think about from time to time is how. Camilla is 21? She was 20 in Gideon the Ninth. Palamedes died at 20, but continues to be around and accumulating experience. How likely is it that either of them had ever left the Sixth before?

So like, framing their idealism and their insistence that they have to save not only the Oversight Body but also all the House soldiers from the populace of New Rho and the populace of New Rho from the Resurrection Beast--

It's really easy to skim over because it draws on tropes or ideological perspectives that we as the audience are probably familiar with from other media. It feels Heroic(TM) in a way that's familiar, especially with Pyrrha's insistence that they have to just save themselves and those they really care for as a foil. But also, I don't think that Muir is going to tell that kind of story just... on accident or out of habit, so is there anything else that she could be saying? She already said that Harrow the Ninth is something like "gifted kid goes to college and struggles", and 21 is not a ton older than 18. It's still well within that college age.

Because like. They're 21. They're 21, there's never been a mystery they couldn't solve before, a riddle they couldn't figure out, given resources and a little time. Camilla is the best fighter on the Sixth. Palamedes may be one of the best necromancers the Sixth ever produced.

And they have, effectively, decided they're going to Solve War.

And like. It's not going well. Of course. Pyrrha's objections start to sound less like the voice of cynicism and more like a warning that they may have bitten off more than they can chew. They might have talent, and they might have audacity, but this is a fundamental Problem in the universe and some Very talented and powerful people have tried to fix it before and wrecked themselves on it.

And Camilla is 21. She's 21, she'd never left home before she was 20, and within a month of that, she'd lost the most important person in her life, the person she was sworn to protect, and been kidnapped by insurgents that she'd probably been aware of but also probably didn't know much about, concretely. The world came apart under her feet. She adapted, she tried to do the right thing--and then Blood of Eden betrayed them and held their entire House hostage.

And she's 21. She's 21. Sure, Nona thinks the world of her, and her House was willing to leave the Dominicus system and the Empire on the Master Warden's word, and he's a few months younger than her. Camilla is great! Awesome even! Badass, for sure! But she's also a fairly young adult. And their insistence on fixing everything starts to look different, in that light.

And even though Nona is so new (and so not human) she doesn't really comprehend the scale or the situation, Camilla is also. A young, extremely talented person who is out of her depth. Who has failed in her primary duty, and then led her people into a trap.

Sure, she's great a surviving. She is. Really, really good. She's not cocky for no reason. I don't think she should be infantilized.

She's just so human, and so young.

[angrelysimpping]

what would briar bailey eden and remy do if they found a fairy pc

oh my god SO

Contents: bodily harm; farm shit; Eden being the fucker we all know and love; dubcon; probably noncon tbh

standard "Fairy"

small

tiny

oh so little

wings

Bailey

weird

fuck it, they don't care, not really

just wants to figure out how to make money off the situation

otherwise, they couldn't give a shit

are there more of these fuckers? do they have to, like, call pest control or something?

Briar

oh interesting

they're sure they can use you in the brothel

surely there's some perverts out there willing to pay a pretty penny to see something like you, maybe even try to fuck something like you

and you're oh so tiny, can you really fight anyone off?

don't think they're not above clipping your wings

Eden

rip fairy pc

threatens to clip your wings a lot, will do it

this fucker will rip your wings off if you keep leaving them

doesn't like you leaving the cabin, like, at all

will okay you going into the clearing around their cabin after a while but keeps an eye on you

has to really like you to even bother with keeping you, tbh

a lot of work goes into keeping your tiny ass safe and Eden has a lot on their plate already

Remy

Alex's Farm

lol

the fuck is this?

they're going to have their men target you during raids

crush you literally

Farm

lol

also tries to make money off you

you produce fairy dust like tinker bell from the disney version of peter pan? prepared to get shaken up every night

tries to cow-ify you

fairy cow, cute

would like to keep you in like, a jar on their person, i think?

show you off, yknow?

this could be my wishful thinking, though

def has Harper look over you

keeps you quarantined for a while from the other farm goers, just in case

also a wing clipper

Riding School

what???

no, they're not teaching you???

go away????

you're gonna get crushed and they're not dealing with that mess

The Fae

can't lie

can't touch iron

shouldn't accept their gifts

doesn't like being told "thank you"

name stealer

Bailey

oh, they do not wanna get near you

tries not to interact with you as much as possible

wears iron

fuck you

they don't want to deal with fae contracts and they're doing their best not to

but, well, they will if they can make a good bit of money off it

but they're not enjoying it for a single second

Briar

tbh, i think they'd like it

they like trying to outwit you, make loopholes for themself

wants you to work at the brothel, of course

pretty thing like you, you'll attract crowds

doesn't mind too much if you trick customers but don't drag them and the brothel into it

you make a contract with a customer? you take their name? well, that's on them

don't steal their money tho

Eden

knows a good deal about the fae

careful around you, wears iron for a long time until they trust you

this does not stop them from fucking you, btw. iron chain across their neck burning against your skin as it hangs down while Eden is on top of you, iron rings stinging against your thighs where their fingers squeeze

keeps iron across the doors and windows until they trust you, too

Remy

also knows a bunch about the fae

Alex, Eden, and Remy know the most about the fae, i think

not in that order

mmmm

Eden and Remy might be tied, but maybe Eden a little over Remy

then Alex

(maybe Sydney after that, from reading purely though, they don't believe any of it)

Alex's Farm

oh, fuck you

hates having to deal with you

doesn't want to even talk to you

again, has their men target you during raids

they want you out of the picture, asap

Farm

breaking in cattle speed run

don't fucking talk to them

will lose their shit if you escape

wears iron

has iron around your stall

so pleased if you become an obedient beastie

your milk is so sweet, so thick and creamy

the best of the best

might keep you extra close to them, just in case

Riding School

no

wants to refuse service

can't figure out a polite way to do so

lets you in as a student but tries to keep their interactions with you to an absolute minimum

[saintsenara]

I’m obsessed with your unhinged ship opinions! They’ve really gotten me thinking about interesting combinations which is such a fun activity for the subway

My submissions:

- Narcissa Malfoy/Petunia Dursley

- Voldemort/Molly Weasley

- Nagini/Crookshanks

- Walburga Black/Barty Crouch Sr.

ahhh, thank you so much @epigaea-repens - light of my life and producer of the finest piece of fan art i've ever seen - i'm genuinely delighted to discover that somebody other than me gets something out of doing these.

narcissa malfoy/petunia dursley

i'm oddly partial to a bit of draco/dudley - entirely because the idea of vernon trying to out-pompous lucius is funny to me, as is the fact that they'd clearly both think harry would care and harry's actual response would be 'who's draco?' - and i have to confess myself partial to this too.

narcissa's narrative mirror is molly weasley - both of these women share a certain fierceness [and, especially, a fierceness and strength one might not expect of them at first glance], but they also share a certain disconnection from the rest of their family, and an undercurrent of loneliness can be detected in their characterisation.

this is present in the way petunia is written too - the implication of canon is both that she's married "up" in terms of social class and that vernon is quite a bit older than her.

[and her fandom reception is a victim, i think, of the aging up of the adult cast of the films - petunia is, at most, twenty-four when lily dies. like her sister, she marries and has children young, even by the social standards of 1970s/1980s britain, and having to take on harry changes the trajectory of her life when it's only just started - i am absolutely wedded to the idea, for example, that harry being placed in her care means that she gives up a plan to have a second biological child.]

she is, of course, also confined in a prison which is directly of her own making - the bland domesticity of her perfect little house, all of which is an artifice constructed so she doesn't have to admit how deeply she once longed to be magic. narcissa experiences the same - i always read her as someone who leans heavily on the gendered conventions of the wizarding world as a way of coping with how utterly both of her sisters defied them, and as being someone who is very concerned with keeping up appearances [hence why her wildness and desperation when she goes to see snape in half-blood prince is so shocking]. i think you can imagine that she runs malfoy manor to have the same nothing-wrong-here vibe as number four privet drive, and i think you can do something very interesting indeed with the idea of two women who live behind masks being forced to drop them when they find each other.

lord voldemort/molly weasley

does, in fact, exist, in the form of a story i will recommend to everyone - come slowly, eden by paimpont - which, like all the best rare-pair fics, takes two implausible characters and creates a genuinely meaningful love story between them, through a lovely character study of molly and her ability to notice when people [and, especially, when people who are very much in want of a mother] are hungry.

nagini/crookshanks

i had to look up crookshanks' gender for this - which is a wild thing to say on a weekday afternoon - so that i could confirm... flopping. nagini's a lesbian, crookshanks misunderstood when she said she liked pussy.

it's fine in the end, though. nagini's got something happening with one of the malfoys' peahens, and crookshanks can go back either to the enemies-to-lovers thing he's got going on with mrs norris or to the soulmates thing he's got going on with sirius.

walburga black/barty crouch sr.

i am completely obsessed with this concept, i don't even think it can be considered a crack ship, and i would like to see it written immediately.

debilitating grief at the son you thought you knew disappearing - whether literally or metaphorically? delicious.

[halsinzine]

In Search of Eden: Halsin's Reverie is a charity zine project set up to celebrate the beloved druid Halsin from Baldur's Gate 3.

About the Zine: This project was inspired by the community and its warmth, and seeks to rally the love for everybody's favourite bear to help with causes in need of support. The two charities that have been chosen for this zine are Save the Children and Re:Wild.

The zine is planned to be released in both digital and physical copies, with some other merch add-ons. Following community feedback, the Zine will be primarily SFW with an optional NSFW add-on for those who purchase it, the latter provided that we receive enough contributors in the NSFW category. The zine is scheduled to be produced over the course of 6 months, with preorders launching sometime in late October, and the full release being planned for November.

Full website | twitter

Meet the mods!

Meet the Contributors!

Other blog resources:

Fanart

Fanfic

Merch

memes

gifs & screenshots

video clips & sounds

(These tags include fan content from all across tumblr about our favorite bear man, it is not necessarily exclusive to our contributors but they are heavily featured)

[teecupangel]

Since I have a balance complex, !unnamed employee bleeds with quite a lot of templars over the course of their career under abstergo, (they are a corporation and are all too willing to cut corners) producing the most effective templar/assassin hunter maybe ever, as a cost for Desmond getting to live.

We can do this to a canon character, if you’d like.

As far as we know, Numbskull is still working for Abstergo and is, for all intent and purposes, a Templar.

Not only that, they already started with Shay Cormac’s memories, a well known Assassin hunter. So we can just keep it coming.

They still had records of Subject 17’s genetic memories which can be used to let them relive Haytham Kenway’s memories next although Berg might say no to that because of how Haytham Kenway’s life ended. It might be too risky to have them get Haytham’s Bleed as they may become ‘affected’ by Desmond Miles.

And that’s the reason why they’re making other people relive the memories of past Templars.

Because Desmond Miles’ continuous appearances were slowly destroying the Templars’ foothold.

Sure, his methods may be old school (sabotage, assassination, the occasional arson) but it was working. He was known as a terrorist but no one could track him down because of the boons he received from both his Bleeds and the Apple currently under his possession.

No one in the Inner Circle even knew that the Apple could be used the way he did.

So Numbskull becomes one of the ‘test subjects’.

And the only one to survive.

Other than Shay Cormac, they decide to have them relive Robert de Sablé’s memories.

It was still pending if they should have them relive a Borgia and which one, Rodrigo or Cesare?

Other possible Templars for them to Bled as:

one of the Sengoku Period Templars for their martial and military prowess, either Mochizuki Chiyome as the leader of a band of highly skilled kunoichi or Uesugi Kenshin, known as the Dragon oe Echigo (also could double as Abstergo’s bet in finding a Sword of Eden). Of course, depending on when this is, we can also go for Shimazu Saito for a closer connection (and maybe get Shimazu Sei as part of this project)

Vali cel Tradat, an Assassin turned Templar that they should have records of using Ezio’s memories

Micheletto Corella instead of one of the Borgias because he is a trained Assassin.

Élise de la Serre, trained to be a Templar at such a young age and a capable one during her time, Abstergo higher ups might question this considering her relationship with an Assassin (also… if they can find enough DNA of her to use)

Lucy Thorne for both her intelligent and strength… as well as her tenacity.

[hasumilvr]

☆⠀𓈒⠀Eden. - Their love language.⠀⠀꒱⠀⠀ 🌷 ⠀

୨୧ Wc : 1000+

I actually really love ibara and Hiyori they are so silly. Need to wrap Eden up with fluffy blankets like burritos

Nagisa R. - Quality time

｡˚ Nagisa… still needs some time to understand the concept of love… But his heart feels fluffy and warm everytime he sees your angelic smile, and he can’t help but be a little selfish – he loves spending time with you. Maybe that’s love, he tells himself.

｡˚ He promised to stay with you during your highs and lows, and man sticks to his words. When you’re busy with schoolwork or dealing with the menacingly large amount of paperwork on your desk, he stays with you. There’s a comfortable silence between you two – he doesn’t want to interrupt your work, afterall, but the slow and light breathing makes you know he’s there, he’s there for you.

｡˚ Nagisa always makes sure his weekends are work-free if possible! He wants to spend more time with you, no matter watching a movie while holding hands on the couch, going for a late night walk accompanied by the quiet footsteps of yourselves or reading a book while sipping on coffee, he wants you to know that he loves you by spending all the time in the world with you.

｡˚ Of course, it’s not just you who enjoys the company of your significant other. Nagisa finds himself relaxed and his tense shoulders hurt less when you’re here with him. It’s always a relief to see you after an entire week of a busy schedule, because things always get better when you’re with him.

｡˚ He’s not very good at expressing his love verbally, but as he strokes your hand softly while you rest your head on his lap, you know he adores and cherishes you. Do return the sentiment by giving him a kiss on his forehead, okay?

Ibara S. - Gift Giving

｡˚ Since Ibara is well known as a workaholic who wouldn't give up on starring at his computer until his own body gives him up, he can't spend that much time with you (which makes him slightly sad, not like he will admit though).

｡˚ But does that mean he doesn't love you? Definetly not. Ibara tries to squeeze in breaks from time to time just to see you and leave a kiss on your forehead, and when he can't, expect to find a little something from the producer by your bedside in the morning, with a little note taped on it.

｡˚ ''Sorry I can't spend the weekend with you again. This is a pack of sweets from the gift shop in the place Eden went for the promotional event last week, and I thought you might enjoy it. Have a good week, producer dono. Salute ~☆ ( ・∀・ )ゞ" says the note, with "Ibara Saegusa" delicately signed at the bottom right corner.

｡˚ Geez... Ibara's such an idiot. It's not like you don't understand how busy he is, but he still feels sorry for not being able to be by your side. Next time, please tell him you love him for who he is, and even if work keeps him away from you, your hearts are still connected.

｡˚ With that said, Ibara is the type to buy you gifts from time to time to make up for his absence from your side! It's usually something small but sweet - sometimes it's an omiyage from the placce he last visited for work, and sometimes it's a bag of tea leaves or coffee powder, because he knows you're running low on them. From the snake who is still learning how to express love and affection, you deeply treasure everything he gifts you, no matter how tiny or silly it is.

Hiyori T. - Words of affirmation

｡˚ As expected from the prince of love and sunshine, Hiyori loves praising you and showering you with vocabularies of love! He compliments your hair and your outfit you picked specially for your date with him, which makes your heart does a little dance - just so you know, he sees how much effort you put in your outfits during your dates, and appreciates how much you value your time together dearly. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

｡˚ ''Oh, my lovely sunflower, you look sooo lovely today! Well, you're lovely everyday, anyways! I missed you so much... Hiyori demands cuddles from his darling, right here right now!" He's childish and selfish when it comes to you. In a good way, though.

｡˚ Oooooo he showers you with so much words of love oooooooo it makes you blush from head to toe like a strawberry everytime he does it ooooooooo (which just gives him another reason to call you cute. The pink shade of blush really compliments the color of your outfit today, making you look so cute he wants to kiss you so badly.)

｡˚ When you're upset, he tries to talk to you to cheer you up! Communication is the key to everything, and the same goes for expressing love and affection - that's what Hiyori believes. He doesn't like seeing you sad, and doesn't want to cross your boundaries, so instead of giving you a tight high straight away, he asks what's wrong first, before listening attentively to what you have to say. It's then that you feel Hiyori's warmth from his two arms wrapped tightly around you, and soft whispers of ''It's okay''s and ''I love you''s.

Jun S. - Acts of service

｡˚ Jun's way of expressing love is special. He loves doing little things for you. A massage after a tiring day from work? He has your back! It's nothing too touchy, but he just wants you to know that he loves you from his actions - that he deeply cares.

｡˚ Sometimes you feel like you don't deserve him taking care of you. Little do you know that he enjoys doing so! Running errands with you, for example, is a great way for him to spend time with you. He gets a break from his work, and sees his favorite person. When he helps you carry the heavy grocerries you collect from the supermarket, he adores how cute you are when you try your best to carry them all on your own, then give in and let him take one of the bags.

｡˚ Jun isn't that good with words too, so he depends a lot on ''showing'' instead of telling. It's the frequent help he offers you that makes your heart skip a beat... Jun has a very gentlemanly side, especially when he's with you.

｡˚ He just really loves doing small things for you to brighten up your day, so don't feel embarrassed, yes? He loves you deeply and geniunely, and he thinks you deserve all of his love and devotion.

[salute-desire]

Haiieee :3

Yea they all apply to me, explanations for my case below the cut if anyone somehow cares

So funny story. This Just recently happened. Xday (3 copies) -> Sugoroku (just Ibara, max copy) -> SS Fin on EN (Nagisa 3 copies) -> Absolute (in the process of max uncap, currently 3 copies). Am I still alive? Yeah. Am I miserable as fuck? Very.

Fragment without being obsessed over Bogie Time is like an angel without its wing. I was NOISY as fuck about Bogie Time for like 6 months until it drops on EN, I was fixating on optimising the grind for max uncap so much that I ended up in the top 20 by the end of it

If anyone dares to ask Fragment about anything related to gameplay, they will get a nearly incomprehensible essay on said specific topic. This has happened I-can't-count-with-my-fingers times

Big fan of Alkaloid but do I look like I will still be alive if I have to produce 14 characters. (Glances at Phantom Airship being the current EN event)

...Unfortunately I'm somewhat of an ENGstarrie (Tomatoes are thrown at me) I made my account during Bigbang and I somehow haven't missed a single event so... Yeha...

Remember point 3? Yeah those essays are made on the spot. I internalised them too hard.

...So I made a spreadsheet counting the total number of cards for each idol for personal use and currently planning to start a project by the end of this week to find out if live skills on DLFS are true RNG or if your performance during the prod. course determines the range of RNG. Yeah that sounds incomprehensible

DID YOU KNOW EVE FUCKING HATE ME? NOW YOU KNOW! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I BEG THEM TO COME HOME AND YET THEY FUCKING DON'T. REMEMBER THE GUESSING GAME FOR 8TH ANNIV? YEAH THEY REFUSE TO LET ME GET ANY TITLE DURING THAT. ADAM WERE MUCH MORE TOLERABLE, GENEROUS EVEN (ignoring LNY Nagisa that dodged like 100 pulls.). DID YOU KNOW THAT OUT OF 4 SERVERS I'VE PLAYED, THEY'VE COME HOME THROUGH GACHA IN NONE. NOW YOU KNOW! NOW YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HAVE TO FUCKING SUFFER IF I WANT EVERY SINGLE MEMBERS OF EDEN TO HAVE REMOTELY CLOSE NUMBER OF CARDS BECAUSE THE ONLY FUCKING WAY FOR ME TO GET THEIR CARDS IS THROUGH EVENTS. NOW YOU KNOW WHY SOMETIMES I JUST CALL MYSELF AN ADAMP BECAUSE EVE FUCKING HATE MY GUTS AND WANT ME DEAD

The only 3 other times I've seen someone else have the same hc as me are searching on Twitter dot com and the specific disorder tag on Tumblr. Good news is good to know there are people out there who agree on me about NPD Hiyori and Ibara. Bad news is that's it?

I have nothing to say other than I'm mentally ill and have dedicated too much time on this fuckass game.

[seangelfish]

Make me laugh!

Ibara Saegusa x Platonic! Reader (Also Platonic! Eden x Reader)

Genre/s: Fluff

Word count: 2,084

Plot/summary: Eden and Ra*bits were participating in a game show called Bogie Time and you had a part in it as well. Your task for the idols was to make you laugh. You wondered how Ibara, your childhood friend, was going to take this...

After their previous round, Ibara had taken a break on his bed, his arm covering his eyes as he muttered complaints to himself. Hajime watched him quietly, wondering if his teammate was alright.

“Um… Saegusa-san,” he began. “Are you okay?”

Ibara sighed, but assured him that he was fine. He just didn’t want to be a part of this game show. They were already so far into it though, so sulking at this point was pathetic.

Ibara got up from his bed and walked over to the table in the middle of the room to join Hajime, who was already on his phone looking at the new announcement.

“This one’s from (Y/N),” Hajime stated which caused a furrowed eyebrow from Ibara.

“(Y/N), huh…?” Ibara murmured. “Whatever game she brings up might be bad…”

Ibara knew everything about you, being childhood friends after all. He was always by your side, but not until you decided to attend Yumenosaki instead of Shuuetsu. Of course, he didn’t mind it, and he even helped you with your application. So, it was a pleasant surprise you decided to apply for Cos Pro instead of the other three agencies. You were his closest friend, one that he loves dearly.

But knowing you, you might make his experience at Bogie Time even worse.

Hajime giggled nervously, “I-I’ll just read it.”

Ibara listened attentively as Hajime read the announcement out loud:

“(Y/N), an idol and producer at Cos Pro, has tasked the participants to make her laugh!”

Ibara blinked and stared at Hajime for him to continue, but that was the end of the announcement.

“‘To make her laugh,’” Ibara quoted. “I think I know where this is going.”

Hajime smiled, “So do I.”

The next day, the participants gathered around together at the Bogie Time stage. Hiyori did his bit with introducing the new episode, and afterwards, Jun introduced you to the audience.

“Hello, everyone!” you greeted excitedly, both to the participants and to the audience. “How are we feeling today?”

Ibara sighed, “(Y/N), please don’t act like the host.”

“Oh, my beloved Ibara,” you teased. “I was just having fun, hehe!”

The rest of the Eden members were happy to see you. You were really close to them and you would annoy them a lot with work at Cos Pro. You knew of Ra*bits too, since you attended Yumenosaki, so you immediately latched yourself onto Hajime who didn’t mind the affection.

“Anyways,” you began, letting go of the Ra*bits member. “The task I want you to do today is to make me laugh! So, let me tell you my rules…”

You proceeded with your conditions:

• Make (Y/N) laugh in under 30 seconds. Each member of a team has one chance.

• You can make (Y/N) laugh by the means of your actions or words, but you mustn't touch her (i.e. tickling).

• If you successfully make (Y/N) laugh, you earn 800 points. If you don’t by the time 30 seconds are up, you lose 300 points.

“That seems easy enough,” commented Jun.

“Mhmm,” Ibara agreed.

And as they both seemed like they read each other’s mind, they said, “Because (Y/N) laughs at almost everything.”

The first team to go up against you was Team God, Nagisa and Mitsuru.

“Are you ready for this, (Y/N)?!” exclaimed Mitsuru excitedly.

You would’ve smiled at his enthusiasm, but you were already in the zone of not trying to laugh, so you nodded eagerly without the emotion.

“Give it your best, Tenma-kun,” said Nagisa.

"Alright, here I go!" Mitsuru began. "Try to guess who I'm impersonating, (Y/N)!"

Oooh, an impersonation? you thought. That's a clever idea.

Mitsuru got into position. His eyes were closed as he took in a deep breath. Then out of nowhere, he went, "Waa! I need to get these done before the deadline which is months away! I'm going to keep working even when I need rest!"

Mitsuru was running around the place, pretending that he was working on a clipboard. This made you smile slightly as you already knew the person he was trying to imitate.

You burst out laughing when Mitsuru pretended to drop his 'glasses' and tried to find them on the floor.

"HAHAHA!" you laughed. "It's Tsumugi, right?!"

Mitsuru stopped acting to tell you that your answer was correct. He was indeed impersonating Tsumugi Aoba, his senior that he was roommates with.

"And Team God is awarded 800 points!" announced Hiyori. "This challenge seems easy, but we can't underestimate Cos Pro's beloved idol and producer. Maybe things will get harder! Who knows?"

It was Nagisa's chance to make you laugh. As he was getting into position, Ibara whispered his thoughts to Hajime.

"We might have a chance to come back around," he told him.

Hajime nodded in agreement, "Yes, I won't let you down!"

It wasn't hard for Nagisa to make you smile. He was so effortlessly funny without meaning to be. He was thinking of what to do to make you laugh, but you had immediately started giggling at his thinking expression.

"(Y/N), you didn't even give me a chance," he said, but he wasn't annoyed or anything. Nagisa gave you a soft smile as you spouted out your apologies.

In the end, Team God was awarded 1600 points. When it was Team Bunny's turn, Hiyori and Nazuna had a different strategy in mind. Hiyori was hoping to just tickle you, but Nazuna had to remind him that they weren't allowed touching. So, they ended up trying to woo you instead.

Now this was hilarious. Although you didn't laugh at Hiyori's attempt at wooing you, you couldn't stop your chuckles from escaping when it was Nazuna's turn.

"(Y/N), no fair!" Hiyori cried. "You didn't laugh when it was my turn!"

"That's because you always act that way around me!" you retorted back. "But Nazuna acting like that? That was so unexpected, hahaha!"

Nazuna was kind of embarrassed, but he was also proud of himself. Team Bunny was rewarded 800 points, but they technically only went up 500 points since Hiyori lost the 300.

Team Hyena was the same because you were finally getting serious. You laughed at the joke Tomoya tried telling you, but you kept a deadpan expression when it was Jun's turn.

"(Y/N), are you doing this on purpose?" Jun asked you, ruffling your hair in teasing frustration. "You tried your hardest to not laugh at my joke, I saw you!"

"No, it just wasn't funny!" you lied.

Lastly, it was Team Snakey's turn. Hajime had already thought of something to make you laugh with, but Ibara was still having trouble.

"You can do what I do!" suggested Hajime. "Just follow my lead!"

Ibara was surprised at the confidence his teammate was emitting.

"Alright, let's see what you have to offer," he said with a smile. "Good luck."

Hajime approached you, but stopped a metre away from you. He took in a deep breath and you could see that he was kind of nervous.

You can do it, Hajime! you cheered on in your mind.

Hajime suddenly straightened his back and saluted, "totsugeki; shinryaku; seiha!" at the top of his voice. The other participants were quiet and so were you. This wasn't what they expected coming from a little guy like Hajime.

But after a few seconds of Hajime trying to impersonate his teammate, you started laughing and wouldn't stop. You tried to cover your mouth and everything, even slight tears started to form in your eyes.

Ibara was absolutely baffled.

"HAHAHA!" you guffawed. "That was amazing, Hajime! I'm literally crying...! You did so well. I loved it! You sound so much like Ibara, hahaha!"

Ibara was kind of irked by your reaction, but Hajime was proud that he was able to make you laugh.

"T-Thank you, (Y/N)-san!" he replied happily.

The other Eden members had let out chuckles too. They agreed with your statement that Hajime did sound like Ibara. Unfortunately for Ibara, he couldn't defend himself as he was on TV, so he stayed quiet.

Hajime noticed his teammate's reaction and tried apologising, but Ibara was having none of it.

"Don't apologise," he said. "You did a good job. You actually did nail that impression."

"Oh! Um, thank you, Saegusa-san!"

"Alright, it's my turn now," Ibara sighed as he approached you.

"Yes, good luck!" cheered Hajime. "You can do it!"

Ibara stood in front of you and locked eyes with yours. You smiled at him, but in a way that would annoy him. You wondered what he was going to do for his act to make you laugh. You wondered whether he was able to make you laugh like the others because it was usually the other way around with your friendship with him.

And Ibara knew that too. You're the one who would try to make him laugh especially on rough days. You were a ray of sunshine and he was a dull, dark day that pretended to be sunny. He always appreciated your company and the warmth it provided him. But this time it was his turn to make you smile, and he really hoped you would smile from his words.

Despite Hajime's suggestion of just following his lead, Ibara decided not to do an impersonation of his teammate, and decided to do something more up your alley.

He decided to sing you one of your songs.

Yes, since you were an idol too at Cos Pro, you had songs of your own. You would usually write your own songs too, so they had a lot of meaning towards you. You gained a lot of popularity because of these songs as they were considered unique and new to the industry.

And Ibara was singing one of them right now — even dancing the choreography!

You were absolutely stunned and so were your fellow idols. They watched his performance without a word and when he was finished, he looked at you with a look that said, "So?"

You honestly didn't know how to react, but a smile appeared on your face and it wasn't because you found it funny though.

"That was so cute!" you laughed.

It was a genuine laugh, a laugh that told Ibara how much you appreciated him. Ibara stared at you in surprise. You actually liked that?

"That was a beautiful performance," you commented. "Let's collab together someday, okay?"

Ibara smiled, "I'll think about it."

Hajime congratulated Ibara on successfully making you laugh. The other members of Eden on the other hand teased him.

"With the challenge coming to an end, Team Snakey gained 1600 points!" Hiyori reported to the crowd. "We all did well everyone, so give yourself a round of applause!"

As Hiyori continued to announce who was in the lead (it wasn't Team Snakey), you walked over to Ibara to congratulate him.

"But we didn't win," he replied.

"Yeah, but it seemed like you were having fun there for a sec," you said. "I hope you continue to have fun. It's nice to see you act carefree, you know?"

He responded to your statement with a small smile.

[Extra]

A few days after all the stages have been completed, you found out that Ibara's team had lost. Hiyori had invited you to check out Ibara's punishment and of course you wanted to see what it was!

And there Ibara was, sitting at one of the tables wearing what seems to be a really cute outfit! He was also wearing extensions and jewellery. He really looked like a pretty girl!

You couldn't contain your excitement.

"Ibara, you look beautiful!" you squealed as you hugged him from behind before gasping at your inappropriate reaction. "Please cut that out!"

"Ugh, I hate this so much..." Ibara hissed from under his breath.

"But you really do look pretty," you tried complimenting.

"Yes, but a bunch of men had already approached me with greasy smiles... It was revolting," he started. "So I showed them no reaction whatsoever even when they called out to me."

You were about to say something to this, but he continued, "I bet that's how you feel almost everyday, right? I get it now. It's irritating."

You couldn't help but smile at this.

"Ibara, you've always been really understanding," you said. "It's something that I really like about you! But nevermind that, let's take a picture together! ...Please?!"

Ibara wouldn't allow it, but you took a quick selfie with him anyway. You were going to treasure this picture forever even if it angered him.

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist | Rules

[rems-writing]

Ateez as cards

I was bored one day and then my brain cooperated with me and said, "Hey here's this idea. Write it out asap before you forget it." So now here I am lol

@blossomnet

@mirohs-aurora-society

Thank you to @owlbeforesunset for helping and discussing with me on this. I had a lot of fun writing this out. Btw, if things go well, I might make separate oneshots of these

Clubs - Yunho and San

The club, or clover, is the symbol of luck.

If you're a hotteok, then you obviously know exactly why I placed Yunho in this suit. For those of you that don't know. Allow me to explain. Yunho is considered to be the luckiest member of the group. Of course he works hard for what he earns, yet it can't be helped. Whenever he competes in a game with the other members, he always wins by a longshot. Whether he tries or not, he always comes out as the victor.

I was originally going to put San in the hearts category since he has a huge heart and cares for his members, but I didn't want to leave Yunho by himself so to keep things chronologically fair, I paired San with clubs as well. I guess you can say he got extremely lucky when he was able to debut in Ateez despite having no singing or dancing skills to begin with. And in order to show that gratitude to this luck he was granted, he worked hard every day to make sure he stays on top of his game. For this, I admire him.

Diamonds - Seonghwa and Yeosang

The diamond is the symbol of wealth.

And when you see Seonghwa being a whole rich ass mother, you'd immediately think, "Oh yeah. I can see him decked out in a whole bunch of diamonds." I honestly wouldn't be surprised if on his next live, he shows off something that is chrome silver with a bit of diamonds encrusted somewhere.

The diamond is also the symbol of royalty. When you think of royalty, you think of kings and queens being decked out in a shit ton of diamonds or princes and princesses coming out with diamonds by their side or decked out all over their royal clothing. Yeosang fits that perfectly. He looks like a damn prince after all!

Hearts - Mingi and Wooyoung

The heart is the symbol of love and general human emotions. I immediately thought of these two when I was discussing this with a fellow moot of mine.

Mingi wears his heart on his sleeve and he values friendship a lot with his member. He's also not afraid to express his emotions through his songs.

Wooyoung is different. He basically shows his love to his members 24/7. A lot of them act like they hate it, including Yeosang, but I know deep down that Wooyoung is someone who is irreplaceable. Wooyoung is someone who will also call you out on your bullshit if you try to take them down and make yourself seem better than them. Wooyoung is a kind and caring guy, but if you get on his bad side, you might as well bury yourself into your own grave. Don't test his loyalty.

Spades- Hongjoong and Jongho

The spade is a unique suit. It is the symbol of power and death. But we'll focus on the power aspect of the spade. The spade happens to be my favorite card suite as well. When I was thinking of who to fit for spades, Hongjoong and Jongho were the first to come to mind.

As you know, Hongjoong is the captain of the group. He basically has power radiating off him. Even though he's the kind and caring father of Ateez, don't let this cute twink fool you. He has singlehandedly, alongside his fellow producers like Eden and Maddox, produced every one of Ateez's songs. He has worked day and night to make sure Ateez's name is known to the world. Nothing can stop him and Ateez from world domination.

If you're a ribo, then you know exactly why I placed Jongho in the spades category. From his crazy ass vocals to showcasing his strength through breaking apples, beating the members in arm wrestling, and having a hand strength of 49.1 kg, this baby bear is not to be underestimated. As an additional note, in that one Vanity Fair video, he said to his members that as he speaks, power exuded from him and I honestly find that sexy.

[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You’re My Muse [Chapter 5]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.3K

[A/N: I know the Ateez members don’t stay in one dorm anymore but for the sake of this story, let’s assume that they do. Their old arrangement of Matz in one room, Mingi in his own room, San & Yunho in one room and the other 3 in one. ]

After you were finished, you left with Mingi and Hongjoong for movie night at their dorm. But of course, the others demanded that you make a quick pit stop to get snacks before going to theirs. 

“We’re here.” The van stopped in the basement carpark of the apartment complex and you all climbed out. Hongjoong held his hand out to you to help you get down. Mingi didn’t say a word, taking your laptop bag for you so you wouldn’t have to carry it. 

“Thank you.” You smiled at him. You rode the lift with them to the house. Mingi couldn’t even finish putting in the passcode when the door opened.

“Indigo!” Wooyoung yelled excitedly, throwing himself at you to hug you tightly. You caught him, surprised by the sudden attack. 

“Shh, Wooyoung! You’re going to disturb the neighbours. Let’s go in.” Hongjoong scolded. Wooyoung let go of you but held your hand to lead you into the dorm. 

“Glad you could make it.” San smiled. 

“Thank you for inviting me.” You bowed your head. Wooyoung pulled you further into the dorm. 

“Are you okay? Didn’t get chased by paparazzi?” Wooyoung asked, worry suddenly written all over his face. You knew he was referring to the article with Dean. You were a little surprised that they all knew about it.

“Oh, that. Don’t worry, I’m fine. I just went out for some drinks and people were probably excited that Hyuk had emerged again. No one has recognised me so far. Except those who know what I kind of look like, like you guys. Producer Indigo is still a ghost, I’ve not been photographed anywhere else.” You assured him. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness. I thought someone would have recognised you or started some fake news about you.” Wooyoung smiled.

“Thank you for your concern.” You gave him an eye smile. 

“Of course, we were all worried for your safety, even asked Eden hyung about it. But he said you’ve been at the studio the whole day with no disturbance.” Yeosang added as he walked past. 

“I’m sorry if I’ve inconvenienced any of you with this. I’ll be more careful in the future.” You turned to whoever was around and bowed.

“Inconvenienced? What are you talking about? Never.” Yunho scoffed. 

“Let me go wash up first since I’ve been at the studio to whole day.” You told them, a little flustered by their affection. Wooyoung led you to one of the bathrooms in the dorm. 

You locked the door and removed your mask to wash your face. Since you were not outdoors, you removed your beanie to put your hair into a loose bun, not wanting your hair to be in the way. Before exiting, you put your mask back on.

“Wow, you really look like Hongjoong hyung.” Jongho stated.

“What are you talking about? Indigo is pretty, don’t keep comparing her to me. It’s insulting to her.” Hongjoong snorted.

“But hyung, you’re good looking!” Wooyoung chased after the captain to the kitchen. You chuckled and walked to the living room area. Yunho and Seonghwa parted to make space for you on the couch. Seonghwa asked you about the progress of the producing today and you gladly shared with him how it was in the studio with Hongjoong and Mingi. 

“I’m excited to work with all of you in the studio when the time comes.” You said to the two. 

“We’re... not the quietest group, if you haven’t noticed. It will not be different even while recording. The chaos is just as bad. That’s why the captain tries to split us up into smaller groups.” Yunho warned. 

“Like that ever works. He puts Wooyoung, Mingi and Jongho together. Might as well send the whole group.” Seonghwa snorted. 

“I’m guessing those are the troublemakers?” You asked with amusement.

“Even ATINY knows. Me, Yeosang and San are the good kids.” Yunho smiled proudly while nodding his head. Seonghwa rolled his eyes, everyone in Ateez had their own kind of chaos.

“Is there anything I can help with?” You stood up when you saw those in the kitchen preparing the snacks and drinks. 

“Nonsense, you’re our guest. Besides, we can handle it. Now go relax in the living room.” Wooyoung placed his hands on your shoulders, turning you around and gently pushing you out of the kitchen. You turned back to look at the kitchen with uncertainty. 

“They say they’re handling it but I swear I smell something burning.” You scratched your head. Seonghwa burst out laughing, patting your shoulder before going to check on those in the kitchen. 

“You can help us pick a movie.” San and Yeosang said from their spots on the ground. They reminded you of kids, it was quite adorable. 

“Sure.” You nodded and headed over, sitting with them.

“We would give you a tour of the dorm but the rooms are too messy.” Yeosang said, a little too honestly, making Yunho hit the back of his head. San also slapped his arm.

“Why would you tell her that?” He hissed.

“I don’t know about you guys but my room isn’t messy.” Hongjoong shrugged, emerging from the kitchen, having been kicked out by Seonghwa.

“Because you room with Seonghwa hyung. He would never let your room get messy.” Jongho said. Soon, Mingi, Wooyoung and Seonghwa came out with trays of snacks and drinks. 

“Can I have an iced tea, please?” You requested, sitting up on the couch. Mingi reached out to take the bottle, pouring it into the glass with ice cubes. What you didn’t expect was for him to take out a straw and put it into the glass, making it easier for you with drink with your mask on. Then he carefully handed it over to you.

“Oh, thank you...” You said, touched by his actions, receiving the glass with two hand and a bow of your head.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled and turned back to the snacks. Instead of sitting on the couch, Mingi sat himself on the ground, in front of you.

“Am I blocking?” He turned back. You shook your head with a thumbs up.

“Can I sit with you?” Wooyoung asked. You nodded, patting the space. He grinned and sat down, draping a blanket over you and himself. The movie that was picked was a Studio Ghibli movie. 

“Everyone comfortable?” Hongjoong asked. 

“Yes!” Everyone replied. Hongjoong went to turn down the lights while San started the movie. 

Throughout the movie, you would sneak snacks under your mask. Wooyoung would sometimes help you lift the blanket to cover the lower part of your face for you to eat, while his eyes were trained on the television screen. It was so comforting you hadn’t realised you fell asleep.

“That was a good movie.” Seonghwa stretched his arms as the credits rolled. Mingi sat up and looked behind to see you and Wooyoung fast asleep against each other. He reached out to adjust your mask first.

“She’s asleep.” Mingi said to the others.

“Jongho ah, go to bed. Go.” Yeosang gently woke his roommate. The youngest groaned, frowning slightly at being disturbed. 

“Come on.” Yeosang pulled Jongho up by his arms and moved him to the room, bidding everyone goodnight at the same time. Seonghwa moved the sleeping Hongjoong to their shared room as well. 

“Should we leave them? Rather than move them and risk them waking up.” Yunho asked. 

“It’s okay if Wooyoung wakes up, not her. I’ll let her sleep in my room. There’s more privacy.” Mingi offered since he was the only one that had his own room. 

“I’ll carry her.” San said. The other two nodded, trusting their member’s strength more than their own. You must have been in deep sleep because you didn’t even flinch as San slipped his arms under you.

“Careful.” Yunho cautioned. Mingi opened his room door and San gently placed you down on the bed. 

“Let’s go.” San ushered everyone out. He draped the blanket over your body and they turned off the lights before closing the door. After that, Yunho retreated to the room while San went to wake his best friend to move him back to his room as well. Wooyoung whined, grumbling as San lifted him up and guided him to his room.

“You can sleep in my bed, Mingi. I can bunk with Wooyoung or Jongho.” San told the taller male, who sat on the couch. 

“It’s okay. Sleep in your own bed. I’ll stay up for a bit more and sleep here.” Mingi patted the couch. San stopped, uncertainty written all over his face but Mingi just waved him off.

“Go on, I’m fine. Goodnight~” Mingi wished. San nodded and bowed before shuffling to his room. 

You jolted awake, looking around at your unfamiliar surroundings. Your hands went to your face and realised that your mask had fallen off in your sleep. While reaching for it, you saw something on the nightstand beside you. 

‘Here’s a new, clean mask.’

You saw the note beside the new mask but no one signed off. Putting the note in your pocket, you wore the new mask. The room had some merch with ‘Song Mingi’ over it so you guessed that you were in his room. But the tall male was nowhere in sight. Opening the door, you poked your head out.

“Ateez?” You whispered but the dorm was pin drop silent. You quietly tip toed out to see Mingi sleeping soundly on the couch, the blanket you shared with Wooyoung last night covering his body.

‘Thank you for letting me use your room and sleep in the living room, as well as the new mask. I owe you one! - Indigo’

After placing your note on the back of Mingi’s phone, which was beside his head, you carefully wore your shoes and left the dorm to go home. 

“What time is it?” You checked your phone as you entered your house. 

‘Thanks again for the movie night, Ateez. It was really enjoyable after a long day of work. I’m sorry I fell asleep, I promise to try to stay awake until the end the next time! - Indigo’

‘Next time?! Does that mean you would come again? - Wooyoung’

‘If you’d have me over. - Indigo’

‘Of course! And don’t apologise for falling alseep, we know how hard you’ve been working in the studio. - Seonghwa’

‘Plus your lack of a sleep schedule. - Jongho’

With a chuckle, you put your phone aside.  You removed your clothes and jumped into the shower since you didn’t get to shower after work. Your intention was to come home after the movie and shower but you feel asleep at Ateez’s dorm. While your hair was drying, you made some breakfast food for yourself, which was french toast. 

“Thank goodness there are off days.” You fell face first onto your bed. Tucked under the blankets, you scrolled on your phone, glad to finally have some time to relax and not need to think about work. 

Mingi was the last one to wake up. He sat up, momentarily forgetting that he was sleeping in the living room. 

“Oh, Mangi, you’re awake.” Wooyoung said, cup of coffee in his hand as he came out of the kitchen.

“Indigo still sleeping?” Mingi asked, stretching his long limbs. 

“Nah, she went home while we were all still asleep. She texted that she was home when we just woke up.” Wooyoung explained before going back to his room. Mingi blinked and picked up his phone, seeing your note. 

“Owe me one?” He laughed. Putting the blanket aside, he went back to his room to see the bed perfectly made. Even he doesn’t make his own bed so neatly when he sleeps there.

“Mingi, want breakfast? The others want eggs and sausages.” Seonghwa poked his head into the room. 

“Sure, hyung... Just save me a plate. I think I’m gonna get a bit more sleep.” Mingi replied to the oldest’s question. Seonghwa nodded and closed the door. Mingi yawned and dove under his covers to get comfortable, hoping to get few more hours of sleep. Luckily there was no schedules today.

“Hmm~” As he scrolled on his phone, he found himself humming the tune that you and Hongjoong were producing yesterday. Chewing on his bottom lip, he opened his notes app and began typing away. 

“Captain, breakfast.” Seonghwa called. Hongjoong sat up, ruffling his hair as he stared into space blankly for a few seconds. He came down from his bed and went to wash up.

“Indigo?” 

“She went back way earlier, hyung. We were all still asleep when she left.” Yeosang said as he set the table. Hongjoong nodded his head. 

“I’m glad she got home safe. I hope she enjoyed her time here yesterday.” He asked as he sat down. 

“Yeah. I think she did, even if she fell asleep. She mentioned a ‘next time’ so that’s a good sign right?” Wooyoung asked, taking his seat beside San. Hongjoong nodded in reply. 

When you woke up, it was slightly after noon. Thankfully you didn’t spend your day off sleeping. You went to the bathroom to wash up and change your clothes. You grabbed your bag, adjusting the cap over your head and the mask over your face. Checking the time once again, you left your house and made your way to the train station. 

“One ticket for the 2:30 train, please.” You went to the counter. The lady nodded and handed you the ticket as you slipped the money under the glass.

‘You’re welcome, I just hope my bed was comfortable enough. No need to owe me.  - Mingi’

‘Also, no one saw your face. I made sure to adjust it. - Mingi’

‘Come on, let me at least buy you coffee next time or a meal. And thank you for doing that. I removed my mask in my sleep at some point and wasn’t sure if anyone saw. - Indigo’

‘I want to assure you that the others and I have no intention of ‘un-masking’ you or taking advantage of you to remove your mask. - Mingi’

‘I know, I trust you guys. - Indigo’

With a soft sigh, you put your phone down and leaned your head against the train seat to look out the window. The train ride wasn’t too far away, it was only a hour’s journey. You took your laptop out to do some work. 

“Hello?” You picked up your buzzing phone. 

“Indigo! I heard you left early this morning.” You heard the captain’s voice.

“Oh, Hongjoong. Yes, when I woke up, everyone was still asleep. I didn’t want to disturb anyone so I let myself out.” You replied. 

“Ah... Don’t worry about that. We can sleep like logs. I hope you enjoyed the movie night with us yesterday, as chaotic as the boys are.” He chuckled, much to the shouts of protest of people in the background. You couldn’t help but laugh, Hongjoong probably had you on speaker.

“After knowing you guys for two weeks and seeing how you are, I think it would be weird to see you guys not chaotic and energetic. It is practically a norm now.” You smiled.

“Thankfully we didn’t scare you off then.” 

“It’s going to take a lot more than that to scare me off. And thank you for having me over, I had a great time with all of you.” You said. 

“We’ll do it again some time-”

“Are you out now? I hear a train!” Wooyoung must have snatched the phone from Hongjoong. You could hear Hongjoong scolding the mischievious boy while Wooyoung ignored him and laughed playfully. 

“Mhmm. I’m on a train.” You nodded, even if he couldn’t see you. You didn’t give too much away as to where you were or where you were going.

“Stop disturbing her and let her enjoy her day off! And give me back my phone!” There was the sound of a tussle and Wooyoung screaming before the call cut. You looked at your phone in shock. You couldn’t help but laugh, covering your mouth with your hand over your mouth to prevent your laughter from being too loud and disturbing the other passengers. 

When the train announced your stop, you got up and exited the train. Although you didn’t get to work during the train ride like you intended, you were grateful for the call with Ateez. 

“Ahjumma.” You greeted as you pushed open the gate. The old lady that was sweeping the ground looked up, a slight frow on her face. But she never said anything more, turning to head into the house.

“Haneul?” You called out. There were little footsteps and giggles from behind you. Bending down, you caught the little girl in your arms, hugging her tight and lifting her up. As she wrapped her arms around you, you inhaled her scent.

“Hi, baby.” You whispered.

“Unnie!” She grinned, both hands reaching out to pull your mask down. You didn’t stop her, just continuing to smile softly at her.

“I missed you.” You pushed her hair away from her face. From the back of the house, you heard a lot more children laughter but decided against going there. You were here for Haneul and Haneul only, she was your priority. You straightened up and held her hand.

“Hold on first, yeah?” You told her to wait as you went into the house. The old lady from earlier sat in front of the television, a bored look on her face.

“Here is Haneul’s living expenses.” You bowed, holding the envelope of cash in front of you. She wordlessly sat up and took the money, stuffing it into her pocket before waving you off. 

Haneul was your cousin, who you decided to care for in their stead. They were going to give her up for adoption but you stuck a deal with the orphanage owner.

While you worked, the lady that owns the orphanage helps you to take care of her. In return, all you have to do is give her money for Haneul’s living expenses and her schooling. Unlike the other kids, Haneul goes to public kindergarten. 

She doesn’t care much but at least she continues to hold up her end of the deal, using your money to care for Haneul and not putting her up for adoption with the other children. 

“Are we going to your house today?” Haneul looked at you. 

“Not today, baby. I’m sorry. Next week, you’ll stay with me for two nights.” You promised. Her eyes lit up as she nodded excitedly. 

“Can we go to the zoo?” She requested.

“Of course, we’ll do anything you want.” You said. When Haneul came to the stay with you, you always made it about her. You brought her to a nearby park and brought her ice cream. 

“Do you like it?” You asked. The 4 year old nodded her head happily. Haneul was your world, she was the only thing that motivated you to continue doing what you do. Soon, you hope to get her out of the system and have her live with you like she’s supposed to. But your job needed you to work 24/7, it would be unfair to her if she was with you and you couldn’t be there for her.

“I love you so much, you know that?” You smiled down at her. She held up her ice cream to you to share it with you. 

“I love you too, unnie. Even if I don’t see you every day, I like that we can still video call! And I like staying over at your house with you.” She giggled while you wiped the ice cream off her lips. 

~

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