#asked for this poll for chaos reasons

[freakinator]

its been 7 hours in the poll so far and i saw the who ppl want to win coming but i wasnt expecting the who they think will win ngl, like i was expecting it to be a little more even but nope lol

[johnwickb1tsch]

the reason I asked...

(in reference to this poll X) is because I was having a little half-asleep brain rot about bittersweet AUs, like, what if...

reader managed to actually escape John, maybe after Dante attacked the house the first time? you waited for the paramedics to arrive to stabilize him, and then in all the chaos of the 911 response you slip out and steal the RangeRover. ( @sweetwolfcupcake has brilliantly pointed out that Reader would want to escape if for example, John betrayed her trust and followed thru on that spanking 😱😱 Like this version of John is more clinically unhinged)

you drive alllll the way across the country, as far as you can get from New York. surely you can disappear in a huge city like L.A.?

when you try to sell the Rover to a chop shop for cash it backfires on you. you find yourself a captive again. thinking you're a rich kid runaway, they plan to ransom you, but you won't tell them who you are.

lucky you, these bad dudes have been on Tom Ludlow's radar. he raids the shop and kills them alllllllllll. off the books of course. then he's left with the problem of what the hell to do with you?

you wake up at his house, in his bed. at first you're scared of course, but he talks you down, shows you his badge, and explains the tricky situation you're in. he framed the massacre as gang on gang violence. are you going to rat him out?

of course you're not, you're not stupid. you raise him one better when you tell him the situation you just escaped. no, beFORE the gangsters. yes, you really were being held captive [in luxury] by a retired Underworld hitman. no, you don't know if he survived, but if he did you know he'll be looking for you eventually.

Tom does you a solid and offers to get you a new identity. a fresh start. you're floored by his generosity. why would he do that for you? he says he's just trying to do some good in this world that's mostly bad. it's a losing war, but sometimes he wins a small battle, and it keeps him in the fight.

you're so grateful that while you wait for his guy to come through with your new papers, you clean up his messy bachelor pad of a house. you find old photos and lots of empty liquor bottles, and you reason he's either divorced, or a widower.

when he comes home to a clean house and the smell of real food cooking in the kitchen you kind of knock this unflappable man off his feet. he is touched by the gesture, and stunned by how much he likes it, and how much he missed it. maybe towards the end, his wife gave up on trying to have dinner on the table for him because he was never home when he said he would be.

you don't know it, but you've ignited a little fire in Tom, awakening something he thought was long dead. he doesn't act on it. he feels like a piece of shit for even thinking about it. you’re a good kid, and you've been through so much. but a part of him understands why a man who is damned to the darkness would covet a piece of your warmth and your light for himself.

he tells you that you can stay as long as you want. but you feel bad, invading his space. you need a job. a place of your own. to get out of his hair. so he helps you with that too. you find a job at a cute little coffee house in Santa Monica. hey, its what you know. you sublet a room from someone Tom seems to trust. when you move out you kiss Tom on the cheek in thank you. you have no idea how much it kills him to let you go.

you feel like you have a new lease on life. you like your job. you like the warm weather in L.A., and being so close to the beach. Tom still comes in to check on you now and then. This is where you meet a handsome young S.W.A.T. officer named Jack Traven. He comes in sometimes for a flat white and a bran muffin. his smile could stop a woman’s heart at twenty paces. maybe you do flirt with him a little, but you keep it light. then…he starts coming in every morning.

Tom sees the two of you bantering and batting eyes one morning. you cannot know the way it feels like getting shanked between the ribs for him. of course he rolls his eyes with a smirk, putting up his usual front. “Don’t believe a word this guy says, sweetheart, he’s just a meathead from SWAT.” but deep down, Tom realizes he is jealous.

maybe you run into Jack at the bar down the street one night when you're feeling especially lonely. he’s celebrating a successful hostage release. no one died, not even the perp. he invites you to hang out with his friends and fellow officers. you lean on Jack’s [ridiculously muscled] arm, listening to the stories they tell with that devil-may-care bluster cops need to keep going to such a dangerous job day after day. it squeezes your heart, that he risks his life for people he doesn’t even know, because he truly cares. even if deep down you know its a bad idea, you end up going home with him that night. 

Jack continues to come see you at the coffee house. he tries to ask you out on a proper date. you can tell he wants you to be his girlfriend, he wants to treat you right. maybe Tom calls him a meathead, but there is not a cell of fuckboy in this man, bless him. he told you about how he just wants the simple things in life. a good woman. healthy kids. a little postage stamp of grass to mow. for a crazy three seconds you allow yourself to think about it. what would it be like, to be the one he comes home to? gentle kisses in the morning. date night trips to dinner and the movies. a little house. a dog. a picket fence. you could take your babies to the beach, and maybe nothing bad would ever happen… you know it’s not possible for you, and the unfairness of it churns as sharply in your belly as if you swallowed a bag full of glass. he's so sweet, so good, but there is a curse on you, and you're afraid something bad might happen to Jack if he gets involved with you.

what would John Wick do, if he found you living happily with another man? he’s still out there, somewhere. Tom checked for death certificates in New York [and how stupid are you, that a part of you is glad he's not dead?]. your only hope is to keep flying under the radar, living like a ghost. it kills you inside to tell him, “I wish I could. But there are things you don't know about me.”

he's not as surprised by this as you thought he might be. “I'm a cop, y/n. I kind of have a sense for when people are in trouble. you can talk to me.” what he doesn’t say is he has a sense for when people are hiding things. this boy has an incurable case of the White Knight Syndrome, and you can tell he's not going to give up easily. 

you really do try to keep him at arm’s length, but it’s humanly impossible to resist the impulse to flirt with that man. of course, Tom would come in on the day Jack saves you from falling backwards off a ladder–with a hand on your ass. they don’t even exchange words, but somehow the tension in the room between these two men is electric.  

a week or so later you're returning home at night when you find Tom Ludlow leaning on the wall outside your apartment. you can tell just by the way he's standing that he's a little drunk. “out late with Meathead?” he grumbles, his disheveled hair in his dark eyes. 

you stop a little ways from him. you can tell he's in a mood, but maybe underneath that, this man is a little fragile. you have a feeling you might be the only one who gets to see it. “What’s wrong, Tom?” he sighs, shuffles to you, rests his forehead against yours, and you let him. this man saved you when you had no one. this is the least you can do for him–and you have a soft spot for this cranky cop who bends the law to do the right thing.

but maybe you are a little surprised, when he draws back to look at you, those soulful puppy dog eyes fixing on your mouth a moment before he presses his lips to yours. you have to say you definitely don’t hate it, and you're breathless when he pulls away. “shit. y/n…i’m sorry.” “that’s ok.” you reach up to touch his cheek, and he leans into your hand like a needy puppy that doesn’t realize how big he is. you could taste the vodka on his tongue. you’d found the bottles before, of course, but in that short time you’d lived with him he didn’t really drink much. you wonder if he’s slipped backwards again. “where’s your car? I’m going to drive you home.” he grumbles something into the bend of your neck, but in the end he hands over his keys. 

driving in L.A. is a lot easier in a muscle car with a lightbar on the roof. people just magically get out of your way. you bundle Tom back into his home with an arm around his waist. as soon as you get through the front door you see his house is in disarray again, since you haven't been here. some men really do revert back to savages, without a woman to keep them accountable. struggling under his weight, you somehow manage to stumble/drag him to his bed, laying him down in the sheets that obviously haven’t been washed since the last time you laundered them. “I missed you, so much,” he groans, half passed out, as you unlace his boots. 

“Tom…” it truly breaks your heart, to see him living like this. the impulse to try to save him is as strong as it is misguided. but sometimes…people just need a little help, and that’s ok. He doesn’t ask you to, but you lay down in the bed beside him and wrap your arms around his solid trunk of a torso, moulding your body against his. you know there is something healing in just snuggling with another human being–and you’re lonely too.   “Are you sleeping with Meathead?” he slurs, on the edge of sleep.  “Why do you call him that?” you counter, trying to keep things light, and not answer direct questions about Jack. “You’re just as built as he is.” you squeeze his bicep appreciatively, winning a sound that suddenly reminds you of a lion in his den. he turns to you, a dark light in those brown eyes that makes your heart stop in your chest.  “Yeah?”  you have to try twice before you find your voice. “Yeah.” this time, maybe it’s you that cranes your neck for a kiss that curls your toes, and he can’t stop himself from rolling onto you with a moan, his solid weight pressing you down deliciously into the the bed. but then he makes himself stop again, resting his forehead against yours with a sigh. “You don’t owe me anything, babygirl.”  “I do,” you counter, “but that’s not what this is about.”  “What’s it about, then?”  “Well. I kind of like you.”  he snorts, that glitter in his eyes that drives you a little crazy inside. is it stupid, that you feel like he isn’t in as much danger as Jack? is he more lethal, or do you callously just feel deep down that he doesn’t have his whole life ahead of him, the way your pretty SWAT hunk does? you’re not really sure, but when Tom’s big hand dips into your jeans you’re not strong enough to say no. 

you’re there at the coffee house, the day the bus blows up on the street outside. The news crews swarm, interviewing anyone they can for a sound byte. you try to stay off the cameras, but it’s too late. there are too many before you’re allowed to go home, and you end up on the national news. 

hardly a week goes by, before you are at work again, some of the windows boarded up, still broken from the blast. you’ve got your back turned, putting the lid on a café mocha, double checking that it's tight when you sense someone is at the counter. “I’ll be right there,” you call over your shoulder. 

a quiet voice from your past sends a chill to the bottom of your soul. “I think I’m in the mood for something sweet.”  you jump, spilling the scalding hot mocha all over the counter. slowly you turn to find him, the way you’ve always feared you would, handsome as the devil himself in an all black suit. he doesn’t seem angry, but there is a glint of sharp steel in his black eyes that warns you not to try anything cute.  “John,” you whisper, your voice utterly failing you in the face of your doom. With panic in your eyes you look around at all the people in the shop. All the witnesses. “Please…don’t.”  “Come quietly, and I won’t.”  he sounds so reasonable. you know it’s just a facade. 

you’re so filled with fear that you feel like you’re in a daze, like you’re not really in control of your own body, as you nod, wipe your hands, and make your way around the counter to him. he doesn’t grab you. he doesn’t even have to touch you. he just nods at the door, and you follow him out into the bright California sunlight. you know immediately which car is his, the midnight-black ‘69 Mustang parked in the alley on the side of the building. 

you’re ten paces from the muscle car when you hear another voice you know all too well behind you. “Freeze, motherfucker! Hands where I can see them!” 

No no no no please don’t not for me please God not for me...

the two of you turn slowly and your heart falls to see not only Tom Ludlow with his service pistol drawn, but Jack Traven as well... 

[restlessmaknae]

favourite sight // leehan

When the annual summer class trip means a visit to Busan and staying at Leehan’s family’s hotel, you know that it will be total chaos, you just don’t expect to fall for your arch nemesis, the most popular boy of the year - Leehan himself.

➳ Characters: class vice-president!Leehan x class president!female reader/you

➳ Genre: boarding school au, summer class trip au, enemies to lovers (but not really), rich kids au, fluff, comedy

➳ Words: 6.7k

➳ Warning: mentions of food, reader can't swim and almost drowns in one scene, academic pressure, playful banter between reader and Leehan in which Leehan is called a show off, stupid tall with stupid long eyelashes and stupid long legs (because she's oblivious duh)

➳ A/N: This story is the second installment of my 'love map' multifandom series which features 3 different idols and 3 different stories that take place in 3 different countries. The stories can be read on their own though.❤️

Check out the KOZ International High series masterpost!

Header taken from this WHY Concept Film

➳ Dedicated to: @dat-town ❤️

➳ Taglist: @s00buwu, @emmylksblog, @0310s, @hansuo

When the annual summer class trip means a visit to Busan and staying at Leehan’s family’s hotel, you know that it will be total chaos, you just don’t expect it to be this chaotic. Alas, you also end up falling for your arch nemesis, the most popular boy of the year - Leehan himself.

You weren’t supposed to stay at the hotel of Leehan’s family. You were supposed to go somewhere else, some place that had nothing to do with him, but the arranged accommodation went back on your request when they decided to take on organising a business event for an international company. Not that you could blame them; they were probably better off serving cocktail after cocktail to rich business people than babysit students who were not allowed to drink alcohol and bring in any either.

Like the show-off he was, Leehan rang his parents the moment your homeroom teacher announced that she would need to look for another accommodation, and asked for your help - you as class president and Leehan as vice-president. The boy was done within a few minutes, and your homeroom teacher looked like she was on the verge of crying when he confirmed that his family’s hotel had enough rooms for their class. She had already been stressed over organising this whole trip to Busan on her own while trying to accommodate all the parents’ requests, she probably already thought that she had to cancel the whole trip because of this.

The only reason you held yourself back from snorting was because of Miss Lee, otherwise, you would have made a comment on how Leehan always ended up playing the hero, and how he knew ‘someone’ wherever he went. Sure, everyone was famous and rich in one way or another at KOZ International High School as it was a private boarding school, the number 1 for university admission rate success in Asia and number 5 worldwide, but he just seemed to be everywhere.

Plus, since you were the class president and he was the vice-president, you just had to put up with it all the time. Even if it meant having to shoo away shrieking girls when they caught sight of him in the library as you two were picking up books for the next class or rolling your eyes when you collected mobile phones at the beginning of the day and yet another girl made a joke about how Leehan could keep their phone if it meant that they could have his heart.

You already knew that this class trip would be about him when Busan came out as the most voted destination in this year’s poll, the first Korean city after the last two years - it was Hanoi the summer after freshman year and Shanghai the summer after sophomore year. You just didn’t expect that it would be about him to this extent.

“Were your rooms really not sold out for that week during summer?” You quirked an eyebrow as you exited the teachers’ room, shooting the boy a glance. He didn’t seem to be offended by the implication behind your words, he merely said:

“The hotel has a separate building for events where mostly weddings take place and wedding guests can sleep, and it was coincidentally not booked yet. Wedding season starts a bit later into summer.”

“Of course,” you mumbled under your nose, not like you knew anything about the hospitality industry. Your parents owned a private clinic, the furthest thing from his family’s line of work.

“I’d say it was supposed to happen this way,” he shrugged his shoulders casually, the tie around his neck a bit looser than usual, and you had this inexplicably annoying urge to reach out and fix it for him. You wanted to save your dignity though, you could already imagine the teasing remarks you would get if you willingly did something like this for him, so no thanks, you would rather jump off a cliff.

“Are you that happy to go to Busan?”

“I mean, there’s the seaside, there’s my parents’ hotel, what’s there not to love?”

Everything, you wanted to say, but when you turned a corner, the hustle-bustle of the corridor filled with the students’ chatting blocked out all of the snarky thoughts in your head, and instead, you saved yourself from another 15 minutes of having to witness the boy’s popularity to yourself, and told him that you would go ahead and set up the Physics lab for next class, he could do it next week.

He didn’t protest, he merely gave you a bob of his head and a lazy half-smirk, something that made girls go crazy over him, except you.

The hotel was enormous, to say the least, and you weren’t even in the main area. You really had a separate building to yourself that had a dining room, a dance room and a karaoke room on the ground floor. You had the feeling that they turned a bar into the latter because there were shelves that seemed similar to shelves that held fancy bottles of alcohol, but nothing seemed out of place. You even had an outside pool and a direct view of the seaside, something that made everyone impressed.

“Dude, why didn’t you tell us about this place in the previous years? We should have come here every summer before,” Yechan exclaimed as he took out his phone and started recording, probably filming a new video for his Youtube channel. It seemed that every mundane person was either too curious or too bored to get a glimpse into a boarding school student’s daily life because his channel had already accumulated 2 million followers, and he had only started last year. Though it definitely helped that he was half Canadian, half Korean, so he could speak both English and Korean and provide subtitles for both languages.

“I thought you said you wanted us to go to your parents’ hotel next time,” Jungwon chirped in, but the Canadian boy shook his head.

“Nah, Toronto is too cold for summer trips.”

“Can we use the pool too, Miss Lee?” Millie inquired after the two boys settled on dismissing Canada as a possible destination for next year’s class trip. Thank God next year’s trip will be the last one, you didn’t know how you would survive these events any longer. Plus, all the money that you spent on this summer trip should have been donated to charity in your opinion, but alas, it was mandatory.

“Of course, but only until 10 PM, and obviously, be responsible. Some of you can’t swim, so no pushing, alright?”

“Who can’t swim?” You heard Gyuvin ask with his jaw comically dropping, but his question was muffled by the cacophony of suitcase spinner wheels, dropped bags and the usual lively chit-chat of soon-to-be senior year students.

“How do you like it?” Leehan asked, leaning closer to you, so you could hear him, but you gave him a death glare for doing so, and stepped backwards. Too bad that a lamp pole was also there, and you almost bumped your head into it if it hadn’t been for Leehan’s hand taking the hit.

For a moment, you just blinked up at him and his stupid height, too embarrassed for your own good. You were the class president, for God’s sake, you were the person of order and responsibility, you couldn't randomly bump into lamp posts!

You could see from the corner of your eyes that Taesan - Leehan’s friend - thought better of waiting for him, and awkwardly turned around to walk towards the hotel, but you didn’t dare look for his full reaction. You were sure that your face was flushed as it was, you didn’t need anyone else’s reaction on top of Leehan’s.

“Are you okay?” The boy asked uncharacteristically gently, his voice void of any playfulness, which was almost a first for him. Why did he even have to have stupid long eyelashes? Ones that fluttered oh so beautifully while he was looking down at you.

“I’m fine. Never been better. You should just… keep your distance from me,” you warned him as you pushed him away, at least enough, so that you could grab your suitcase again and start walking towards the hotel. It didn’t take him long to catch up to you with his stupid long legs.

“I can see that my closeness is having an effect on you even though you clearly claimed in sophomore year that you are immune to boys like me.”

“I am. It’s not my fault that you sneaked up to me like that, and that lamp post was there behind me,” you pointed out defensively, and kept your eyes on the back of the last two students from your class.

Miss Lee got Mr Brown with him - your English teacher -, so that they could supervise your class, but they were at the front, and you and Leehan were always at the back at events like this, so that no one could get lost (like Yuma and Jo on a company visit to Samsung in sophomore year) or hide in a bush ever again (Gyuvin once tried that during a class trip).

“Well, this is my city, and I’m going to make sure everyone has the time of their life, including you,” Leehan announced triumphantly, flashing a smile at you that was akin to the ones he used when he was campaigning to be voted as the vice-president again after last year. No wonder Rei didn’t get the title even though you would have preferred to have her instead of Leehan.

“Sure. Good luck with that,” you wished with an eye roll, and urged Ricky in front of you to keep moving instead of checking his hair in the hotel’s glass door.

If Leehan’s idea of having the time of your life was handing out shark-shaped gummies and bringing giant Sony party speakers to the pool - the ones that even had microphones attached to them, so you could have a karaoke - on the second night, you would have a pretty miserable life.

Nevertheless, you were only there because Miss Lee and Mr Brown were on duty at the entrance, checking if no one tried to sneak alcohol into the hotel, so you didn’t even bother with a swimsuit, you merely wore a flowery summer dress. Much to some girls’ dismay, most of the boys didn’t go shirtless, they had long-sleeved yet tight swimwear and shorts, the ones people used for some water sports. Though since Ricky’s parents owned the brand they wore, you had an idea why.

Anton was on lifeguard duty since he was on the national swimming team, and he would probably rather jump in to save a drowning student than manoeuvre himself around guys playing with plastic water guns and girls chatting in the pool instead of outside of it. You asked him if he needed anything - something to drink or to take a break -, but he said that he was fine, so you didn’t need to worry.

You acknowledged his answer with a bob of your head, and turned around just in time to be splashed by a huge amount of water by Pierre who had just jumped in. You stood there, frozen, your summer dress completely sticking to your body, and you were in the middle of blinking the water out of your eyes when you heard someone yell ‘class president’ and then you were pushed into the water with the kind of force that you could not resist.

It’s not like you couldn’t get any wetter than this, but you couldn’t swim, and your flailing hands didn’t do a thing to keep you up. You were about to throw every kind of rationality out of the window as your basic survival instincts kicked in, but you could feel strong hands pulling you to the surface in no time, Anton’s body emerging from the water beside yours.

“Are you okay?” The boy inquired with big, bright eyes, his damp hair hiding most of his face before he reached out to push his hair back. 

Still struggling to breathe properly, you mumbled something akin to an answer, and blinked rapidly, taking in the silence around you and the concerned or curious eyes of your classmates.

The only one who wasn’t surprised to see you struggling was Anton since he had gotten the names of students who couldn’t swim in case no one else would jump in to save a drowning student - a list you had volunteered to put together and pass onto him. Never in your wildest dreams would you have thought that you would be the first one who had to be rescued by him, and that the whole class would know about the fact that you couldn’t swim already on the second day of the trip.

You, the straight A-student, class president since sophomore year, speaking three languages fluently and playing the violin professionally. You, the daughter of the owners of the most prestigious private clinic in not only Seoul but the whole country. You, who was not supposed to have any weakness or fear.

You could faintly hear someone apologise and Anton asking if you needed him to ask for a medical staff, but you shrugged everyone off. Your flip-flops were probably in the pool somewhere after your fall, and you couldn’t be bothered to go back and fetch them. Instead, you furiously trampled back into the hotel barefoot.

It wasn’t just the dress sticking to you, it was humiliation too, something that you had not experienced on such a wide level after being told in front of the whole class that you had messed up a basic equation during a Maths test. No one would have guessed that you had been ill the whole week before the test because you had not let them know about it.

When you heard footsteps behind you, you already knew who it was before you turned to face him in all your wet glory, pitiful compared to his beautiful shoulder-length hair, softest of the brown of chestnuts and fluffiest of the ruffable kind.

“What do you want? I can go to my room on my own, thank you so much,” you told him off before he could have given you an answer, but then, he draped a towel over your body without saying a word.

You were about to shrug it off, but he pulled it tighter around you, holding the ends of the towel with his fists. You looked up at him, eyes throwing angry daggers, and maybe that was what prompted him to justify his actions.

“Your dress… it’s kind of see-through now,” he blurted out as if it was difficult for him to say something that could have been - under different circumstances - borderline flirty. But this was in no way a time and place where you would have wanted to be told that the white flowery dress of yours that should have not been in contact with any kind of liquid was now showing everyone what was underneath. How stupid of you, how stupid of those stupid boys to still act like dumbass kids and push others into the water.

Even if it was not Leehan who did this to you, his remark set something off within you, like when the countdown is up on a ticking time bomb or the trigger is pulled.

“You see, that’s why I didn’t want to come here. It’s not enough that now the whole class knows that I can’t swim but they also saw my underwear. Great. I’m really having the best time of my life, Leehan,” you spitted out furiously, pushing his hands away before pulling the tower tighter around your body, and walking back to your room, drops of water and mortification following your barefoot steps.

Of course, the news of the incident reached your teachers pretty quickly, and both Miss Lee and Mr Brown were knocking on your door as soon as you managed to get changed and hide the remains of your tears with an embarrassing amount of concealer. You reassured them that you were fine, but they told you to take it easy for the rest of the night, they would ask Anton to look over the students in your place since he was already monitoring the pool either way.

Then, Noah also came by to apologise for pushing you into the water. It wasn’t even the most embarrassing part that he had to come by to do it, the most embarrassing part came when he gave you that pitiful look, that ‘oh, I didn’t know you can’t swim’, something that almost made you curse him out right on the spot. Instead, you told him to keep himself in check for the rest of the trip because you wouldn’t help him out in Biology if you ever heard him joke about this incident. He scurried away like a wounded animal, but at least, he came by.

When the third knock on your room came, you seriously contemplated not opening the door. After all, you could be listening to music with your noise-cancelling headphones on, or you could already be sleeping, or even crying in the bathroom like you had done so an hour ago. In the end, you didn’t want to be a coward, and opened the door, but the last person you wanted to see there was Leehan.

“Look, before you ask what I’m doing here, I want to say that I got some stuff for you from the kitchen because Miss Lee said that you didn’t come down for dinner, and I thought you might be hungry,” he started, holding up his hands in front of his chest as if saying that he knew you were about to ask him these questions. You were, and even if he thought that  you were moping in your room (which you did) because you were still embarrassed about what had just happened (which you were), you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of agreeing to him.

However, he beat you to it, and continued his monologue before you could even open your mouth to protest.

“It’s not because I think you wouldn’t come down after what happened, but if you’re worried about the others, don’t worry. There is already bigger news such as Kit confessing to Millie and Gyuvin stepping on a bee and getting stung, so everyone’s already over what happened with you. Maybe except Anton who kept asking if you were alright, but that boy is too kind-hearted not to do so,” he said so in such a conversational manner that someone walking by might have thought that you were talking about the weather.

Maybe it was the drowning experience getting to you or the genuine consideration in his words and actions, but you found yourself smiling, and before you could hide it, Leehan also noticed it.

“Oh great, you’re smiling! Now, eat your dinner or you won’t get tall,” he teased you as he reached out the plate of food he brought. There was a sandwich, some veggies, crisps and a napkin on it, plus a bottle of smoothie in his other hand.

“Yah, I take after my mother in terms of height. She would be sad if she heard you criticising my height,” you pointed out, puffing your chest out like you wanted to take pride in your frame. Not everyone could be so stupidly tall as him (and many other boys in the class, by the way).

“Alright, alright, I’ll take it back.”

“Well, thank you,” you retorted a bit playfully before looking down at the plate in your hand. “And for the food, too,” you added a bit more seriously while you looked back at him. He just kept staring at you, the ends of his lips curling upwards in somewhat of an affectionate gesture, and it was so unlike the Leehan that you knew that you found it difficult to form coherent words.

“And the towel, too,” you found yourself admitting, a bit struck by that never-seen-before smile of his. Even his dimples popped off when the smile reached a certain height, and suddenly, you had no idea what to say.

“Well then, I guess my duty’s done for today. Good night, Y/N!” Leehan broke the silence first, breaking the serene moment, but you were actually thankful for him. For a second, you were scared that if you saw more of this side of him, you would start falling for him, and you couldn’t allow yourself to.

“Good night, Leehan!” You wished with a smile that you would not take responsibility for, before closing the door on him.

It’s not that you and Leehan were enemies as per se. It’s more like you were usually of a different opinion, and as class president and vice-president who had to work together pretty much all the time, it was quite bothersome to put up with it. Not to mention the crowd of fangirls following him everywhere.

At first, you thought that he was just a pretty face, joyfully swimming in his glory, but from time to time, you could catch a glimpse into how taxing it was to act like he did so on the daily - reacting to girls with a kind smile no matter what they said, playing along with their flirty remarks and always trying to say the right words to avoid getting into trouble. When some students’ inquiries were far too personal or pushy, you tried to step in, and made excuses for you two, so that you could leave the scene, and far too often, Leehan thanked you for it. He didn’t have to know that you didn’t do it for yourself (which you claimed that you did) but for him.

However, after the events on the second day, you didn’t know what to do with yourself when you were around him. After all, he had no reason to pay you a visit and to bring you dinner. He didn’t even have to confirm it with Miss Lee that you hadn’t come down to get dinner. So why was he going the extra mile? Your first thought was that he wanted something from you, but when the next day passed by without any favours, just a day of going to the aquarium, walking along the seaside and a moderate pool party at night, you grew suspicious.

On the fourth day, when you were done with sightseeing for the day, the teachers gave you three hours of free time to look around by yourselves, and it was the perfect chance to ask the boy about it while the students around you were busy deciding on their activity.

“Do you want something from me?” You posed the question at Leehan straight-forwardly, and the boy furrowed his eyebrows in question, appearing perplexed.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean… you’re awfully kind to me these days. Perhaps… did you do something to my locker before we left for the trip?” You guessed suspiciously, suddenly being reminded of the time he put a heart-shaped sticker on your locker with the words ‘class president’ written with ink in the middle of it. It was after you were selected class president for the second consecutive year, and it was his first time being the vice president beside you. Needless to say, it was impossible to remove that sticker no matter how hard you tried, you could only manage to wash off the ink, and now it seemed even more embarrassing to have a random heart-shaped ticker on your locker from no other than Leehan.

The boy must have found it extremely amusing to see you suspecting him like that because he let out that endearing giggle of his that was both boyish and innocent.

“Now that you mention it, maybe I should have…” He teased you with a lopsided grin, and you were about to smack him in the side when Gyuvin, Ricky and Taesan came up to you to ask where you were thinking of going in your free time. You heard Millie, Liv and Selina say that they would go shopping, and Leo said something about wanting to try fishing (though you had no idea if it was allowed at this part of the seaside), you didn’t know about others’ plans.

Truth to be told, you had no idea about yours either, you would probably just find yourself a cosy little café and take a breather because it was hot and stuffy out here, but you didn’t want anyone else to follow suit, so you didn’t say a word.

“Taesan, you know that place that I’ve told you about? You should go ahead with the guys, we need to discuss something with Y/N about tomorrow’s activities,” Leehan answered first, and you gave him a side eye. What more did you need to discuss with him other than the ones you already did?

Taesan seemed somewhat perplexed for a moment, but then, his features smoothened, and he coolly told the others to follow him. Even though Gyuvin suggested that they could wait for you, Ricky patted his shoulder and dragged the lanky boy with him, so it was just you and Leehan again.

“What more do we need to discuss?”

“I want to show you something,” he announced, scratching the back of his neck a bit shyly. Since you were awful at reacting normally to surprises, you merely said:

“Is this the part where you will take me to an abandoned warehouse and leave me there, so that you can be the class president next year?”

Leehan let out a deep, joyous laughter hearing your question, and reassured you that no, he wouldn’t want to run for class president because that was your title, and no, he wouldn’t take you to an abandoned warehouse. He explained that the guys might not enjoy what he was about to show you, but if he remembered correctly, you would do so.

You eyed him for a good thirty seconds before letting him take you where he wanted. After all, it was his city, he knew his way around, so you followed him, and soon enough, you found yourself in the Busan Arboretum with one of the prettiest glasshouses you had ever seen in real life.

You were waiting for the boy to crack a joke or say something teasing, but instead, he merely declared:

“I remembered you making a presentation about the functionality of glasshouses and ending it with different glasshouses in the country, and I don’t know if you remember, but this was one of them.”

“I do, but how do you remember that?” You turned the tables, turning to look at him, to look him in the eyes because you didn’t get it. How did he remember such an insignificant detail from a presentation you had given years ago?

Leehan smiled at you gently as if he was looking at a child, ready to say something, but then, he decided otherwise and averted his eyes to the plants in front of him. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and asked if you wanted to take pictures. So you let him take a few shots of you in exchange for doing the same for him, and it was all fun and games, acting silly and joking about pushing the other into a cactus when a sudden realisation hit you like lighting:

Were you falling for Leehan?

On the fifth day, you went to the Gamcheon Culture Village with its picturesque murals and quaint alleys, soaking up a mixture of art and history while listening to the tour guide who was assigned to your group. There were many pretty stairs, vibrant art installations and even a statue of the Little Prince and its Fox looking over the houses that were clumped together as if they were meant to be. The tour was supposed to last 4 hours, but it was close to 5 hours by the time everyone stopped posing for pictures and halting at every possible corner.

You must have been visibly in awe because Leehan joked that you should close your mouth, but when you admitted that you didn’t expect Busan to be this diverse, you caught sight of a proud smile stretching across his lips. He reminded you that he told you that he would make sure everyone has the time of their life, but you rebutted by stating that the itinerary was mainly Miss Lee’s work, not his. To that, he didn’t say anything, just kept smiling to himself like a fool, giving yet another reason for Taesan to give him a side eye.

After finishing the tour with a lunch break in between, you picked up some ice cream before the tour bus picked you up and took you back to the hotel. That night was BBQ-themed and there was also a campfire, something so movie-like and childish, yet it had a special feel to it because most of you had never had a campfire. Your families weren’t the typical families that took you camping for vacation. Most of you flew to other countries to visit a store from your parents’ chain or to accompany your relatives to important events. Having a BBQ where you could take part in grilling the meat, preparing the veggies and side dishes, and singing songs around the campfire weren’t exactly the kind of activities that you were used to, but no one complained. Not even Ricky who ate his hamburger with a knife and a fork because he hated getting his hands dirty.

It was also fun listening to all the different songs your classmates sang in all the different languages - from French to Spanish, Vietnamese to Korean -, how different they sounded, yet how much you enjoyed them all despite not understanding the words. One thing that you liked about your school - and your class - was that it was so diverse, you never had to worry that you would stand out because of your skin colour or hair, everyone was welcome. Whilst that didn’t lift the weight off your shoulders that the academic pressure put on, you were grateful that you had the chance to be exposed to such a supportive learning environment.

“Wanna play Truth or Dare?” Zack asked enthusiastically after it seemed like everyone was out of songs, and even Miss Lee dared to sit beside Mr Brown, reassured that no one would set the grill on fire (though Leo was close to it at one point).

“Really? We are almost seniors, that’s for kids,” Yechan refuted with a huff, rolling his eyes in a sassy way.

“Does that mean you have something to hide?” Wonyoung asked with a playful grin, and that was all it took for Yechan to give in and join the game. You passed on it, not wanting to be the victim of any of the ‘dares’ which - based on last years’ games - always included doing aegyo, a popular girl group dance (for both boys and girls), reenacting drama scenes, doing 50 pushups, chugging down Coke within 1 minute or kissing someone. You didn’t want to be a victim of any of it.

The others only protested for like a minute before they forgot about it, and let you walk away from the circle of students sitting around the campfire. You walked up to the edge of the property, leaning against the railing and taking in the scenery. You were so used to the huge skyscrapers in the capital city and the magnificent walls of your boarding school that times like this reminded you that there was a world outside of the little bubble you existed in for most part of the year, or at least the school year.

“Guests always get surprised when they see this view because they initially think our description of a beautiful view of the sea is an overstatement,” Leehan remarked in a conversational manner while he was walking up to you, and halted beside you, only an arm's length away. His hair was seemingly freshly washed, some unruly locks escaping his earlobe and falling into his eyes instead. Even though he did tuck them behind his ears dutifully, you were itching to do the same for him.

Gosh, you were really going insane, weren’t you? And yet… falling for him never seemed so thrilling.

“There are a lot of scams nowadays,” you hummed, pointing out that a lot of accommodations did indeed lie about beautiful views and such, so that people would choose them. His family didn’t lie though. “It’s so pretty,” you admitted quietly, watching as the setting sun painted different streaks onto the surface of the water, colours ranging from grape purple to princeton orange. You usually didn’t notice the sunrise or the sunset when you were scooped up in your room or the library, so having to witness such beautiful installations in the sky for the past week was kind of moving.

“You are prettier.”

When the words rolled off Leehan’s tongue, you snapped your head back to look at him, but just like his tone, his expression was gentle, too. He appeared so soft, so dreamy in that moment with the sunset painting colours onto the canvas of his skin, that for the first time in a while, you were completely speechless beside him. As if you were enchanted or starstruck. Both of which could actually be true.

Leehan though, he took note of your silence, too.

“I don’t even get an “oh, that’s too cheesy, stop it”?” He asked, now with a lopsided grin, and you let out a light-hearted giggle in return. Something weightless bubbled up inside of you when you simply stated:

“I would tell you that if I didn’t know that you like me.”

The boy’s eyes widened to almost twice their size, his lips slightly parting. He looked so baffled, almost as if you had told him that you wouldn’t run for class president next year - something that everyone took for granted after your first year together.

“Y-you know?”

“I mean, I had a feeling after the second day when you checked up on me and brought me dinner, but I became certain after the arboretum visit,” you confessed, somewhat easier now that you saw his reaction, and he didn’t deny it. Maybe the only one who needed convincing about one’s feelings was you about your own. “You didn’t even tell me why you remembered that glasshouse presentation of mine, so after I did some analysing and calculating of our three years together, that’s the conclusion I reached.”

Despite your voice not wavering, your heart was going wild, thumping against your ribcage. You didn’t know why because you knew he liked you, and you liked him too, but still… You could barely process your own feelings, let alone his feelings towards you, and now you saw all the little interactions you had with him before in a whole new light.

“And is that a satisfactory conclusion for you?” He quirked an eyebrow, both amused and uncertain, and the way he played along was all there was to say about your dynamics.

“Yes, because I feel the same way.”

“What kind of same way?” Leehan teased as he took a step closer to you, purposefully making you say it out loud. You heaved a sigh, looking away from his gorgeous face to be able to pull yourself together before you looked back and said:

“You know… I like you, too,” you blurted out as fast as you could, and you were awarded with his cutest toothy smile, dimples popping out, eyes turning into little crescents. Something that you had not seen him display around any girl before, and the fact that it was for you made you feel a bit emotional.

“Of course,” he mused as he reached out, and his fingers started playing with yours resting on the railing, testing the waters. Maybe a few days ago you would have said that you were unable to move because it was so sudden, so unexpected, but now you knew that it was because it was him, and because one touch of his electrified you from head to toe. “I knew you weren’t immune to me either,” he added playfully, and you were about to smack him in the chest, but he caught your hand, and intertwined your fingers instead.

And you let him tease you as much as he wanted, at least for now.

Next day rolled by quickly, and it was already time to leave. You couldn’t deny that you came here, hating even the idea of being in this city, let alone Leehan’s family’s hotel, but now, you were reluctant to leave because leaving meant leaving him behind.

“It’s just for the summer, Leehan,” you reminded him when he was sulking to you in the hotel lobby, but it seemed like he wasn’t convinced. He tried to make you stay for at least a few more days because he wouldn’t go back with the rest of you to Seoul, but you told him that you were invited to a few events with your family in the next week, so you had to go back. Plus, you were volunteering during the summer at the children’s ward in a local hospital, but you reassured him that you could squeeze some time in to come back to Busan.

“But still… we’ve only just begun,” he whimpered like a child, his fingers playing with yours as you were standing face-to-face. Even yesterday, he could barely let go of you when he walked you back to your room, and today, he was being clingy, too. No wonder the whole class knew by now that you two were together.

“You know, there’s this thing called technology. We can text, videochat, whatever you want.”

“But it won’t be the same as seeing my pretty girlfriend in person,” he protested with an all too cute pout, and even though you should have been prepared for compliments like this from him, you weren’t.

Yechan walked by you with an audible cough, followed by Ricky and Gyuvin. Gyuvin’s eyes widened comically when he saw Leehan’s fingers holding onto yours, and he turned to his friends, asking since when you two were a thing.

“Dude… you’re like three years behind,” Yechan snickered into his hands, watching Gyuvin’s meme-like surprised face with amusement. Ricky just looked at him, probably wondering how they ended up becoming friends.

“Wait! Have they been together all these years?”

You couldn’t help a laughter bubbling up in your chest as the three of them walked out of the hotel. There were a few girls afterwards who giggled when they saw you two so close to each other, but no one said anything hurtful. Maybe they indeed knew all along.

“I really gotta go now. You know, since my vice-president won’t be with me, I’ll have to do the attendance check alone.”

“Since when was I ‘your’ vice-president, hmm?” Leehan asked with a smirk, leaning closer to you to watch your face crumble from up-close, then flush, dressing your cheeks in a ruby-red cover.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Oh, you did.”

“I didn’t, you heard it wrong.”

“I heard it very clearly, you called me your vice-president, and I-”

Whatever Leehan was about to say was muffled by the kiss you planted on his left cheek in an attempt to shut him up and leave the topic as it is. However, the boy completely froze, and he only managed to pull himself together when you eventually walked away from him to get on the school bus.

Then, he was in full-on puppy mode, waving at the bus with his toothy smile, his eyes turning to little crescents again. Your favourite sight, you decided right then and there.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this story of mine! Let me know what you think!

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Hope you have a lovely day/night! Take care! ❤️

[moonlitcelestial]

Chapter 6 Remastered

Beyond the Lens - Logbook Videographer!Reader x OT8 Ateez

W/C 6,741

🎥 Series Masterlist 🎥

☽ Masterlist ☾ 

Inspiration Pictures

Pinterest Board Masterlist

Previous Chapter (Chapter 5)

Disclaimer: This story is purely a work of fiction. It is not meant to assume or mock anything about Ateez, Atiny, or anything relating to what I do not know about being a videographer. I will be attempting to keep it as gender neutral as possible but it will have she/her pronouns.

The logo in the center is mine. Please do not reuse or copy.

I strongly recommend looking at the inspiration pictures (which will be updating as the story goes on).

Warnings: slow burn, cussing, conflict, possible angst, fluff, and obliviousness. 

This list will be updated as the story goes on. 

A/N - Here is the long fic! Thank you to everyone who voted on the poll for helping me decide if I was going to split this in two! This story has been set while they were filming for Golden Hour Part 2. That being said, I have this set as late spring as the MV shoot was in the summer and they released it in November. This will follow similar events of the production behind video for Ice on My Teeth.

Thanks for reading <3 Moonie

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It has been about a week since your first day. You were settling into being around the boys and their chaos. You were currently sitting in the studio monitoring the recording of their recording. You were the only one that came to KQ today because there was no need for all of you to be away for just simple filming. You had agreed that you would be the main person to do these because you had a setup that was easier to tote around. You had set yourself up behind the directors desk. You had let all of your clients know that you had been hired for a large company and that your production time would slow down a little, that you would not be in the office as often, and that you will not be accepting as many jobs. Thankfully they were very understanding and were very happy for you. 

It was just before 10 a.m. you had already been there for about an hour making sure the cameras were set and they were streaming to your laptop. You had made sure they were at good angles before turning them on shortly before Hongjoong came in. He greeted you and asked you to set something simple up so he could record the introduction to the video. You had set up your small camera up on the table with a short tripod to give him a better angle. Once you had it at a good angle you turned the viewfinder around to face him so he could see himself. He checked his appearance before giving you a thumbs up. You had given him a nod as the camera started recording. He was always easy to film for, generally once your things were set up he didn't have you fiddle with the cameras like so many other people did. He recorded for about ten minutes before signalling he was done. You turned off the recording and smiled at him. 

“You're a natural in front of the camera, you know that?” You picked up the camera to set it aside. Stealing a glance at him you took in his bare face, he wasn't even looking at you but you could see his small blush. You put your head down and smiled at the effect you had on him. Eden and a couple of other directors came into the room and you bowed politely. All three of them returned the gesture and sat in the chairs in front of the computers. They were discussing some things about the sound of the track and how they wanted it to fall together. 

A couple of minutes later Wooyoung appeared with a large smile. He was the first one to go in the booth. You let him know about the three cameras in the booth and where they were positioned before he walked in. You also pointed above your head to the wide angle camera that you recorded the outside looking in shots with. The reason you had a wide angle was so you could capture everything and then edit down the shots into more appealing angles. As he walked into the booth you double checked that all of the cameras that were streaming to your laptop and made sure they were still recording. The laptop extender that you had was one of the smartest purchases you had made for days like today. Your laptop was situated in the middle and you had one screen set up vertically and one set up horizontally. (See the Inspiration Pictures under equipment for a reference) The first time the boys had seen it they were baffled, they never had seen anything like it. They asked so many questions about how it worked and how you utilized it. You gave Wooyoung the thumbs up that all of the cameras were ready. He stepped into the booth and started his recording. 

Shortly after he stepped into the booth Hongjoong came and sat beside you. He was watching all of the cameras with intrigue. “How did you get all of them to stream to your computer?” He asked his eyes never leaving your screens.

“I have a wireless receiver that is connected to all of the cameras and my computer.” You pointed to the white receiver you had set on the floor next to the couch.” Which allows the cameras to stream directly to my computer over the wifi. Its companion software is currently recording the streams. It was kind of complex in the beginning of using it but it has saved me the pain of having to go back and save all of the footage individually. Once we have all of it ready we are able to take clips from it and edit them together, which will turn into one of the behind the scenes videos. ”

“That is so cool! I love being able to see all of the angles of the camera. You have some more advanced equipment than some of the other videographers I have seen.” 

“Generally that is how that goes, we are fortunate enough to have the money to be able to afford such niceties.” you watched as Wooyoung took some instructions from the directors that were sitting in front of you. You both sat in relative silence while you watched Wooyoung and the directors. After Woo was finished Hongjoong stepped into the booth. You watched how animated he was while he was recording his parts. You could really see how his mind worked in the moment. He had made a comment at the outrageous camera angle you laughed at him, he always needed to be at his best angle. While it may not have been quite flattering it was good for some of the other shots of them while they were farther away from the mic; almost like a mic pov. The creation of the dubbs made you giggle, a couple of the directors also laughed with you. 

You felt the couch dip next to you and you looked at Yeosang who was wearing a tanktop. By god was this man trying to kill you? You quickly looked away from him to cover your blush. He watched your computer screens and listened to Hongjoong intently. “Good morning Y/n-nie, the way you have things set up is so cool. I love that I can see everything at the same time.”

“Thank you Yeosangie. This is going to be how your recording behind the scenes will be from now on.” You were sitting shoulder to shoulder with him and you could feel his warmth seeping through your red cardigan. You had decided to add a pop of color to your black tee and black ripped skinny jeans today. Yeosang had become very comfortable with you the past week. He was so sweet and always perceptive of you. He might seem like he is always confused or not paying attention but you think he is more than likely listening to absolutely everything around him and can't focus on one specific conversation.

“You are really talented. I can't even fathom how you multitask with all of these windows open on your screen” He said looking at you and back to your computer. You blushed and looked at your computer. You were never great about taking compliments. 

“You are one to talk, Mr. Doberman have you heard your voice, it's like heaven on earth and the visuals are immaculate” you sniped leaning away from him and holding your fingers out to frame his face from your perspective. He looked at you like a deer caught in the headlights. You laughed at his reaction and pulled him to you with an arm around his shoulders. “Don't dish it out if you can't take it back Sangie.” 

You heard Hongjoong huff out some laughter as he was walking out of the booth. “What are you huffin for Captain? You aren't any different, your vocal range and rapping is some of the best I have heard. Don't even get me started on your gorgeous face.” You said snickering. He had looked at you with his nose scrunched and eyes squinted before plopping into the chair next to the directors. You and Yeosang burst into fits of laughter. These were some of your favorite moments with these boys. You could be goofy with them and they completely accepted it. San decided that it was the best moment to make an appearance just to check in on how everyone was doing. 

“What are you three on about?” He asked, looking at you and Yeosang doubled over in laughter and Hongjoong pouting. 

You whipped your head to look at him, “and YOU, Mountain Choi, Your tone is so special and your range is amazing. Don't even get me started on your muscles, your shoulders are as wide as the Korean Peninsula and everyone drools over you.” He looked at you flabbergasted and the other two burst into heavier laughter; even the directors were quietly giggling at your antics. Hongjoong was about to fall out of his chair, and Yeosang was practically crying on the couch clutching his stomach. You couldn't help yourself but to fall into a fit of giggles at his reaction too. You collapsed over Yeosang dramatically as your laughter turned silent.

He shook his head at all of you and walked out of the room muttering “They’ve all finally lost it.” 

Yeosang went in after he collected himself from your giggle fit. He briefly checked himself in the camera and asked if he looked okay, you wanted to steal the mic from the directors and shout yes. Yunho came into the room not too long after Yeosang went into the booth. He plopped down on the couch and rested his arm over your shoulder while you worked. He had picked this up as a habit with you after showing you around the studio on the first day. You turned to look at him and gave him a quick smile. Your computer chimed and all of you jumped, you looked to see that Aurora had sent you a message asking a question about one of her projects. You typed quickly on your computer replying to Aurora’s question before turning down the volume. 

“Your work is always so fascinating, I have no idea how you do it with all of the cameras streaming to your computer.” Yunho said, looking at your monitors.

“Don't start that,” Hongjoong said, not even looking at the two of you. “It turned into a compliment battle earlier and none of us could handle her.”

Yunho chuckled at the thought. “I don't think we can handle her any other time either.” You stuck your tongue out at him and turned back to your monitors. Shortly after checking the angles you leaned on his shoulder and sighed. 

“Hi Yuyu,” you murmured, rubbing your temples. Your brain was starting to hurt after staring at a screen for so long and or possibly from hunger. 

“Hi Y/n,” he replied back to you in an equally soft tone. He started rubbing circles on your shoulder. You relaxed into his warmth and continued watching Yeosang. You and he both listened to Yeosang sing; you were thoroughly impressed with his raw vocals. You may have had a thing for deep voices. Once Yeosang finished he stepped out of the booth and started speaking to the camera above your head. He nodded his head at the both of you and walked out to presumably go to the cafeteria. Yunho separated himself from you and you pouted at the loss of warmth. You wrapped your cardigan around you a little tighter and grabbed the small blanket that was laying over the back of the couch. Hongjoong turned to look at you and smiled, he loved that the small blanket had come in handy for you. One of the staff members had gotten the Aniteez blanket for them as a joke but they had put it in their studio to use whenever they needed. Most of the boys were space heaters so they did not tend to use it very often. You were so focused on watching the recordings that you hadn't noticed him staring at you but you did feel it. You looked up over your laptop and smiled back at him. He quickly turned his head back forward to hide the growing blush on his face. You laughed as one of the directors went in to fix the height of the mic for Yunho. You put a small bookmark on that spot, knowing Atiny would love it. Once they were all satisfied with the height Yunho began his recording. You watched as he was bopping, you found yourself doing the same thing without realizing it. While they were cutting things together you giggled at the scissor motions he was making. He continued on for a little while making sure that it was perfect. 

“Lunch break time!” Hongjoong said as he lifted himself off of his chair. You looked up from over your monitors as your stomach growled. He laughed at you and shook his head. You looked at him and shrugged.

“Is it okay that I leave my things here?”

“Yeah, we will be back in here to finish up recording anyway.” He held out a hand to help you up off the couch. 

“Perfect, thanks Joongie.” taking his hand you stood up and stretched; you leaned back to pop your spine which let out a loud series of cracks. Hongjoong looked at you with slight horror. “Being curled up on the couch while hunched over my computer always does a number on me.” He nodded and started ushering you out the door with a hand on your lower back. You looked at him with a smile. He had taken to escorting you around like this a couple of days after you started. It was sweet; he was so gentle with you and knew that you had a hard time navigating still. You turned and saw Yunho following you looking at his phone. He looked up briefly and smiled at you before returning to it. He must have been texting everyone that you were taking a lunch break. Once you got to the cafeteria you saw Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Seonghwa sitting at a table. You went to the counter to order and waited to get your food before heading over. As you approached you took everyone in, Yeosang had unsurprisingly gotten chicken; Wooyoung and Seonghwa were silently eating. 

“Yeo, your chicken smells so good! Whoever made it did an excellent job.” You said as you sat next to him. He smiled at you with a closed smile. He picked up a piece and offered it to you with a hand under the chopsticks. Your eyes widened, you had never expected him to share chicken with anyone, let alone you who had only been around them for a week. You opened your mouth while he gently put the piece of chicken in your mouth. You covered your mouth as you said “thank you,” with a small bow.

“Hi Y/n!” Wooyoung said with a smile to you and then he immediately turned to Yeosang. “Sangie, why didn't I get a piece when I said the same thing earlier?” he whined pouting. That switch up was absolutely crazy. 

“Hi Woo!” You responded after finishing your bite of chicken.

“You aren’t Y/n.” Yeosang said with a deadpan look and a monotone voice. Your eyes widened at his response, nonetheless you stuck your tongue out at Wooyoung before you took a bite of your ramyeon. He let out a noise of protest at the both of you before crossing his arms and pouting. He was such a child.

“What’s going on over here? Why is Wooyoung pouting again?” Hongjoong asked, taking the seat next to you at the head of the table. Yunho sat at the opposite end of the table on the other side Yeosang. 

“Y/n is Yeosang’s favorite and he is mad," Seonghwa said with a smirk. Hongjoong and Yunho let out a chuckle at that fact. You could see the mischief in all of their eyes. You shook your head at their banter and continued to eat. This is one of the few reasons you have started to feel at home with these men. 

You made your way back to the recording studio with Hongjoong and Seonghwa. The other three were off to do their own things. Hongjoong’s hand was at the small of your back and Seonghwa walked a couple of steps ahead of you. You saw Seonghwa stop to speak to the directors who were just coming out of the recording studio. Once you got to the room you took your spot on the couch, you could feel your eyes drooping and your mind slowing. Now was not the time to fall asleep. You shook your head in an attempt to focus but that didn't help as your head was still hurting and starting to get foggy; hunger hadn't been the reason for it then. Maybe caffeine would help. You looked toward the door when San came in. He looked at you with a raised eyebrow like he was wondering if you were going to pull your shit again. You smiled innocently at him before turning and addressing the room. “I need caffeine or sugar, is there somewhere I can get some?” 

Hongjoong and Seonghwa looked at you and went to speak but before they could, San spoke up.“I can show you where you can get some, I think there are some in vending machines in the cafeteria.”

“You're an angel,” you said, grabbing your wallet and getting up to make your way toward him. “Lead the way Mountain Choi," you said, throwing your hand out to motion to the door. Even though you weren't directly looking at him you could feel his eye roll. He linked his arm around yours and practically dragged you out of the room back toward the cafeteria. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

“She fits in so well with us.” 

“She does. I have actually discussed that with a few of the other boys and they had said the same thing. Some of them even admitted to having a crush on her or developing more than friend feelings toward her.”

“I think I can add to that statement. Wooyoung has been adamantly trying to get her attention with his flirting but because she knows that he is flirty by nature, she hasn't realized his advances. She hasn't realized any of our advances really.” 

“She is so smart, but kind of oblivious.” 

“Either that or we aren’t being forward enough.” 

“She seems to be the missing puzzle piece we never knew we needed.”

“I agree, I couldn't help but feel like us meeting her was some kind of fate.”

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

You smiled at San who had brought you to the energy drinks in the cafeteria. You got a Monster and proceeded to chug it down. San looked at you with wide eyes. “I have never seen someone chug down an energy drink that fast.”

“Honestly it doesn't quite affect me like it does others, but if I don't drink something with sugar or caffeine I will fall asleep and I have too much shit I need to get done.” You said with a sheepish look at him.

“You sound like Hongjoong hyung. You both need to get better sleep. In fact I think you need a nap before you hardcore crash.” He said as he started walking back toward the studio. 

“It is not my fault that my body and mind hate me and don't let me sleep.” You whined.

“You just made my point whiney,” he said, giving you a halfhearted glare. You could see right through him, he was worried about you like your team got when you really struggled to sleep. You heard his phone ping and he quickly checked it and responded before putting it back in his pocket. He opened the door for you and you stepped in the room to see Wooyoung sitting on the couch. 

“Hi Noona, Hongjoong hyung and Seonghwa hyung just went to take care of something.” Wooyoung said as he smiled at you and grabbed your hand to pull you down next to him. 

“We have a bit of a break, I think you should utilize this time to nap even for a short time.” San said from his spot on the other side of Wooyoung. 

“Noona are you not sleeping well again? You can take a nap here, we don't mind. In fact most of us have napped on this couch.” Wooyoung rambled. He had been calling you that on and off, and you couldn't help but to accept it as he was just too cute to say no to. 

“I never sleep well Woo, I have things I need to monitor otherwise I would.” You said leaning away from him to wake your computer back up. 

“How about I make you a deal?" Wooyoung started. “You can nap on me and when they get back from their errand I will wake you.” You could feel both pairs of eyes on you basically searing through you as you internally debated the pros and cons of a nap. Maybe it would get rid of the headache that was starting to bloom near your temples, if you didn't get this headache under control you would wake up with a migraine tomorrow.  But you wanted to seem professional in front of the directors. 

You sighed. “Fine, but if any of you hooligans touch my setup I will personally kill each and every one of you in your sleep.” 

“Okay, whatever you say, grumpy.” Wooyoung said as he reached up to your face to take off your glasses and place them on the table. He then helped you maneuver to lay your head on his lap. Once he was sure you were comfortable he threw the small blanket over you. He proceeded to card his fingers through your hair giving you a slight scalp massage making sure to gently detangle it as he went. You turned up to look at his blurry form, you could swear that he was looking at you with love, but you chalk that up to you being half awake and practically blind. 

“Thank you two for putting up with me, I know I am a handful,” you murmured as you snuggled up under the blanket. You were out like a light in just a few minutes. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

“Why did you make her a deal and insist on her taking a nap?” San asked in a whisper looking down at the two of you. 

“She needs the sleep and I knew it was the only way to get her to agree," Wooyoung said, leaning his head on San’s shoulder. San placed a gentle kiss on Wooyoung’s forehead and wrapped his arm around him. 

“Isn't this a sight to come back to, how did you get her to agree to that?”

“She is going to be pissed at you when she wakes up.”

“I think I can handle her, she's just a dark scary teddy bear just like Jjong but with better style.”

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

After what felt like only a few minutes you woke up with Woo gently shaking you. “Hi Noona, everyone just got back, you have been out for about an hour.”

“What?” You asked groggily, sitting up and reaching for your glasses on the table. You finally smacked into them and grabbed them to put them back on so you could actually see. You looked at the clock on your monitors and it read well past when you expected to sleep. 

“You sly bastard. You knew they would be gone for a while didn't you? ” You said as you poked him in the sides. He leaned away from your poking and into San. 

“Hi sleepy,” Hongjoong said, looking at you with a soft smile. You waved at him with one hand and covered your yawn with the other. Your head had actually felt better. 

“Hi, sorry I slept so long.” 

“Don't be sorry, you needed it.” He looked at the door as Seonghwa entered the room. Seonghwa moved toward the booth and started checking himself out in the camera. You and WooSan watched with giggles as he said "Appearance Check!” He continued on as if nothing had happened. As the time went on he was chattering with the directors. 

“I wanted to seem hip today so I wore a watch.” Everyone burst into laughter as he showed the watch to the camera. You moved forward to put a small bookmark on the shot so you knew where it was later. After a little while Seonghwa finished up and San got up off the couch which shifted both you and Wooyoung. You giggled lightly as Wooyoung almost fell over from the shift of weight; which in turn made you almost fall because you were leaning on him. You sat up and leaned over to the arm of the couch. Once you were settled you opened your arm up to let him lean against you; that way you both would not topple over again. He gratefully leaned into you and kept an eye on your monitors. You could tell he was enraptured with San. The both of you were listening as San was explaining how he wanted his part to sound like the Prince. You could envision what he was saying and were thoroughly impressed that he had made his idea come to life through his singing. Woo had grabbed onto your hand that was over his shoulder and started messing with your fingers.

San had finished his recording and asked if you would be willing to film their goodbye. You nodded and let Wooyoung resituate himself before getting up. You grabbed your camera and followed them out into the hallway. You got the camera set up with a tripod and flipped the viewfinder to them so they could check their appearance before they started speaking. They both leaned in and were checking themselves out, San had snuck a kiss to Seonghwa’s cheek. Seonghwa looked at him with mild disgust but eventually smiled at him. You watched the whole interaction with a smile. You had almost wished you were a part of their relationship, alas that was never going to happen. Could you imagine even being in a relationship with eight men? Especially these eight gorgeous men who had such amazing chemistry on and off stage. They gave you a thumbs up and you started recording, you signaled them in with a wave of your hand. Both of them took turns talking about their parts and the ones they wanted. You listened to them discuss and wondered how the process went for them to be picked for the parts. Maybe that was something you would eventually find out. You tuned back into their conversation as they were waving at the camera. You turned it off after they wandered a little ways from it. After the camera was off they approached you, San gave you a large hug that trapped your arms down by your sides and lifted you up off your feet. Almost as soon as he put you down Hwa swept you into a gentle hug. You could actually react and wrap your arms around his middle. He sighed as he laid his head on your shoulder. You gently patted the back of his head over his hood. After a couple of seconds he pulled away from you and waved his goodbye as he was walking away with San. 

You went back into the recording room sadly your cuddlebug Wooyoung had left. Mingi had shown up shortly after you went back in. You watched your monitors with a smile as he took a picture and introduced himself to your camera. This man was so cute. It's always the cute ones that are the crazies though you thought as he started recording his parts. Throughout the recording you snickered to yourself as you watched him raise his hands while recording. Hongjoong turned to look at you with curiosity. You cocked your head to the side and threw your hands up in the air. He snickered at you and shook his head trying to stay fairly quiet for the directors. You felt a dip in the couch, you turned to look who it was. Jongho smiled at you with a large gummy smile. 

“Hi Apple Boy, how are you?” You asked, trying out the new nickname. You heard someone choke from the director's desk. You looked up in horror at Hongjoong who had just taken a sip of water. The director next to him patted his back. You covered your mouth to attempt to keep your laughter at bay. 

“Apple boy?” Jongho was looking at you with raised eyebrows, his head was cocked to the side. You could tell he was trying to keep his smile at bay. You simply nodded, not trusting yourself to open your mouth without interrupting the recording. “It's because I split apples, isn't it?” He was almost hiding his smirk, you nodded again and he rolled his eyes at you. You could still hear Hongjoong struggling to keep it together. You took your hand away from your mouth when you were certain that you wouldn't laugh your ass off. You grabbed your phone quickly and changed his contact name from The Best Singer that he had originally put in your phone to Apple Boy. Shortly after it had finished updating you realized that you didn't have a contact picture for him.

“I need a contact photo for you. Want to take one for me or am I going to have to download one off of the internet?” you asked. He sighed like you just asked him the most complicated thing in the world. After pondering it for a second he threw his arm around your shoulders; which was very out of character for him. He pulled you close and offered his other hand to you in the shape of half a heart. You felt your heart stop. 

Holy shit is this happening? Act NORMAL Y/N. 

You completed the heart he offered to you and brought your phone up to take a selfie with him. What you didn't notice however was Hongjoong taking a picture of the two of you. You snapped a few and saved the best looking one as his contact photo. You made sure to send them to him just in case he wanted to do the same with you. Mingi walked out of the booth just as you sent the pictures to him. Jongho had gently helped you readjust and got up. You could feel the heat creeping up your face; what a big teddy bear. Mingi flopped down next to you and put his head in your lap.

“Hi Minki, you sounded really good in there” you said brushing some of the hair out of his eyes and starting to massage his scalp. He smiled up at you and closed his eyes before muttering a small thank you. A few minutes later you pulled your hand away from his hair and he made a small noise of protest. You looked at the man that was cuddled up in your lap who had reopened his eyes to stare into your soul. He grabbed your hand and put it back on his head. You chuckled at him and started massaging his scalp again; you made sure to comb your fingers down the rest of his hair to get some of the small tangles out. He hummed contentedly and promptly closed his eyes again. Returning to look back at your laptop you smiled at how Jongho had perfectly executed the high harmony to Yeosang’s part. You resisted the urge to clap animatedly at him. You were so proud of him. About thirty minutes passed by, Mingi had left; not before giving you a large sleepy smile and a half hug. 

Jongho stepped out of the booth and you smiled at him. You stood up and got ready to film the ending segment. You stepped out into the hall and set up your camera with a tripod. Just like always you let him check himself out in the viewfinder before recording. Once he was satisfied you started the recording, you stepped back into the recording room and started the process of shutting things down. You moved over to your laptop and made sure to save the progress and started turning off the recordings and the cameras. Once you collected everything you started packing it up into the backpack. Hongjoong and the directors were talking as you went into the booth to take down the three cameras. Jongho stepped back into the room and waved at you from the doorway. You waved back with a camera in your hand, you set the last camera in the bag and zipped it up. Next as your laptop, you had gently taken off the extender before putting it in your laptop bag. Once you had deconstructed everything you threw your filming backpack on and your laptop bag over your shoulder. 

“I am all set to go, I am going to drop the cameras off in the office and then head home. I will get the footage edited as soon as I can and we will wait to post the behind the production video until dance practice is finished” You said to the room. Thankfully as a part of your contract your team was in charge of their marketing and posting schedule too. Willow had taken up the head of that front, you were just her videographer and editor, she was the one who decided what to put out when. “Thank you for a productive day,” you bowed to everyone and walked out of the room. On the way you grabbed the camera you had left out for Jongho, as you were walking you turned off the recording and shut down the camera. You meandered the semi familiar route to your KQ office. 

“Y/n!” You heard someone shout behind you, you turned around and spotted Hongjoong almost jogging to catch up with you. You stopped in your tracks to let him catch up to you. He immediately put his hand on your back and started escorting you the rest of the way to your office. You smiled at his actions. This man, god he was so sweet and thoughtful. “I wanted to make sure you got to the office and your car safely, it is already semi-late out.” 

“Thank you for thinking of me.” You replied as you got to the door to the KQ office. You opened the door and flicked the light on. You saw several things scattered about from when you and the team were here for an early meeting the other day. You gently stuck the bag of equipment next to your desk out of the way. Hongjoong had wandered in and started looking at all of the cameras that were on the shelves behind the desks. 

“I didn't know that there were so many cameras or lenses. I've never seen some of these.” He gestured to some of the smaller, more vintage cameras. 

“Those ones specifically are more for looks, I am a little bit of a collector of cameras. Some of them you cannot even buy the film for anymore unless you want to go somewhere ancient.” He nodded continuing to look at all of them, he was particularly enamored by a small vintage polaroid camera. You watched as he hesitated to touch it, he was being respectful of your cameras which you admired him for. You walked over to that one and took it off the shelf. 

“Want to take a couple of pictures?” You asked him while making sure it still had film in it. You looked back up to him and smiled at his wonder.

“I would love that,” he responded. You stood close to him preparing to take the picture holding up a finger heart. He wrapped his arm around your waist and did the same pose as you. You felt the chill run up your spine at the unexpected contact, sure he had escorted you around with his hand on the small of your back but he was never this close. You snapped the picture and waited for it to finish before taking it out of the camera, you gently set it face down on the shelf while it developed. 

“Aren't you supposed to shake them while they develop?" he tilted his head at you. 

“That is actually a common misconception, if you do that you risk messing up some of the chemical processes that make the photo appear. It can cause uneven pictures and sometimes lead to blemishes. In fact, you are actually supposed to lay it face down on a flat surface to get the best result.” You motioned to the picture and how you set it. 

He glanced at the photo and nodded, “Really? I didn't know that, I guess I won't be shaking my polaroid pictures now. Thank you for telling me about that Shutterbug. The last videographers we had would have scoffed at me and offered a half ass answer.” You could feel the heat creeping up the back of your neck at the new nickname. No one had ever really cared enough to come up with cute nicknames for you, other than your team. 

“I'm glad I could help you learn something today Joongie, I am always open to help someone learn about what I love. Do you want to take another so each of us can have one?” He nodded yes and pulled you closer for the picture, he offered his hand to you with a half heart, much like Jongho had earlier. You laughed at the situation and snapped the picture. You followed the same routine with this one as you did with the last. Hongjoong gently grabbed the first picture and smiled at it, he showed it to you and you also smiled. It had come out perfect with the warm vintage tint. “I am so keeping this in my wallet,” you said as you dug into your computer bag to grab it. You gently took it from Hongjoong and put it in one of the picture slots. You turned around your wallet and showed it to Hongjoong. It was among several other pictures of you and your team. 

“I am doing the same," he said as he took the other picture off the shelf. He showed it to you and you smiled at how well it took. Both of you were smiling like idiots at the camera. It came out more candid than the first did. 

“Okay, it is getting late for you, we need to get you to your car.” He said, closing his wallet. You nodded and let him escort you out of the room. As you walked by you switched off the light and closed the door. He walked you to your car and made sure you got in and settled before closing the door. He took a step back and waved at you. You returned the gesture and started pulling out of the spot. As you were driving away you made sure to see if he made it back into the building. You knew that he would be here for another few hours at least. 

It took you about forty five minutes to get back to your house. You parked in the garage and wandered in, you made sure to take off your shoes before heading directly up the stairs to your room. You messaged the groupchat you had with your team and Ateez that you made it home. You had created the group chat to effectively communicate with everyone and affectionately named it Ministry of Chaos. You were often tempted to change it to People I See Too Often but you knew at least two or three of them would throw a fit. Setting your phone down you started your nightly routine, once you finished you crashed onto the bed. Toothless was the first to get on the bed and snuggle with you. Beans and Mocha followed shortly after. You fell asleep with loud purrs drowning out everything else. 

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Next Chapter (Chapter 7)

Taglist:@breadedloafs @a-short-ass-disappointment @ateezswonderland @staytinyluv @cherryangel-coke @11glitch11 @neivivenaj

[mostlysignssomeportents]

When prophecy fails, election polling edition

In Canto 20 of Inferno, Dante confronts a pit where the sinners have had their heads twisted around backwards; they trudge, naked and weeping, through puddles of cooling tears. Virgil informs him that these are the fortunetellers, who tried to look forwards in life and now must look backwards forever.

In a completely unrelated subject, how about those election pollsters, huh?

Writing for The American Prospect, historian Rick Perlstein takes a hard look at characteristic failure modes of election polling and ponders their meaning:

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-09-25-polling-imperilment/

Apart from the pre-election polling chaos we're living through today, Perlstein's main inspiration is W Joseph Campbell 2024 University of California Press book, Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in US Presidential Elections:

https://www.ucpress.edu/books/lost-in-a-gallup/paper

In Campbell's telling, US election polling follows a century-old pattern: pollsters discover a new technique that works spookily well..for a while. While the new polling technique works, the pollster is hailed a supernaturally insightful fortune-teller.

In 1932, the Raleigh News and Observer was so impressed with polling by The Literary Digest that they proposed replacing elections with Digest's poll. The Digest's innovation was sending out 20,000,000 postcards advertising subscriptions and asking about presidential preferences. This worked perfectly for three elections – 1924, 1928, and 1932. But in 1936, the Digest blew it, calling the election for Alf Landon over FDR.

The Digest was dethroned, and new soothsayers were appointed: George Gallup, Elmo Roper and Archibald Crossler, who replaced the Digest's high-volume polling with a new kind of poll, one that sought out a representative slice of the population (as Perlstein says, this seems "so obvious in retrospect, you wonder how nobody thought of it before").

Representative polling worked so well that, three elections later, the pollsters declared that they could predict the election so well from early on that there was no reason to keep polling voters. They'd just declare the winner after the early polls were in and take the rest of the election off.

That was in 1948 – you know, 1948, the "Dewey Defeats Truman" election?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Defeats_Truman

If this sounds familiar, perhaps you – like Perlstein – are reminded of the 2016 election, where Fivethirtyeight and Nate Silver called the election for Hillary Clinton, and we took them at their word because they'd developed a new, incredibly accurate polling technique that had aced the previous two elections.

Silver's innovation? Aggregating state polls, weighting them by accuracy, and then producing a kind of meta-poll that combined their conclusions.

When Silver's prophecy failed in 2016, he offered the same excuse that Gallup gave in 1948: when voters are truly undecided, you can't predict how they'll vote, because they don't know how they'll vote.

Which, you know, okay, sure, that's right. But if you know that the election can't be called, if you know that undecided voters are feeding noise into the system whenever you poll them, then why report the polls at all? If all the polling fluctuation is undecided voters flopping around, not making up their mind, then the fact that candidate X is up 5 points with undecided means nothing.

As the finance industry disclaimer has it, "past performance is no guarantee of future results." But, as Perlstein says, "past performance is all a pollster has to go on." When Nate Silver weights his model in favor of a given poll, it's based on that poll's historical accuracy, not its future accuracy, because its future accuracy can't be determined until it's in the past. Like Dante's fortune-tellers, pollsters have to look backwards even as they march forwards.

Of course, it doesn't help that in some cases, Silver was just bad at assessing polls for accuracy, like when he put polls from the far-right "shock pollster" Trafalgar Group into the highly reliable bucket. Since 2016, Trafalgar has specialized in releasing garbage polls that announce that MAGA weirdos are way ahead, and because they always say that, they were far more accurate than the Clinton-predicting competition in 2016 when they proclaimed that Trump had it in the bag. For Silver, this warranted an "A-" on reliability, and that is partially to blame for how bad Silver's 2020 predictions were, when Republicans got pasted, but Trafalgar continued to predict a Democratic wipeout. Silver's methodology has a huge flaw: because Trafalgar's prediction history began in 2016, that single data-point made them look pretty darned reliable, even though their method was to just keep saying the same thing, over and over:

https://www.ettingermentum.news/p/the-art-of-losing-a-fivethirtyeight

Pollsters who get lucky with a temporarily reliable methodology inevitably get cocky and start cutting corners. After all, polling is expensive, so discontinuing the polls once you think you have an answer is a way to increase the enterprise's profitability. But, of course, pollsters can only make money so long as they're somewhat reliable, which leads to a whole subindustry of excuse-making when this cost-cutting bites them in the ass. In 1948, George Gallup blamed his failures on the audience, who failed to grasp the "difference between forecasting an election and picking the winner of a horse race." In 2016, Silver declared that he'd been right because he'd given Trump at 28.6% chance of winning.

This isn't an entirely worthless excuse. If you predict that Clinton's victory is 71.4% in the bag, you are saying that Trump might win. But pollsters want to eat their cake and have it, too: when they're right, they trumpet their predictive accuracy, without any of the caveats they are so insistent upon when they blow it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jDlo7YfUxc

There's always some excuse when it comes to the polls: in 1952, George Gallup called the election a tossup, but it went for Eisenhower in a landslide. He took out a full-page NYT ad, trumpeting that he was right, actually, because he wasn't accounting for undecided voters.

Polling is ultimately a form of empiricism-washing. The pollster may be counting up poll responses, but that doesn't make the prediction any less qualitative. Sure, the pollster counts responses, but who they ask, and what they do with those responses, is purely subjective. They're making guesses (or wishes) about which people are likely to vote, and what it means when someone tells you they're undecided. This is at least as much an ideological project as it is a scientific one:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-09-23-polling-whiplash/

But for all that polling is ideological, it's a very thin ideology. When it comes to serious political deliberation, questions like "who is likely to vote" and "what does 'undecided' mean" are a lot less important than, "what are the candidates promising to do?" and "what are the candidates likely to do?"

But – as Perlstein writes – the only kind of election journalism that is consistently, adequately funded is poll coverage. As a 1949 critic put it, this isn't the "pulse of democracy," it's "its baby talk."

Today, Tor Books publishes VIGILANT, a new, free LITTLE BROTHER story about creepy surveillance in distance education. It follows SPILL, another new, free LITTLE BROTHER novella about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/26/dewey-beats-truman/#past-performance-is-no-guarantee-of-future-results

[babybatss-blog]

A REUNION LIKE NO OTHER

totk!link x f!reader, 2600 words

authors note: Buckle in, it’s a long one! I went against the poll and wrote both the first and second voted pieces WHOOPS. Anyways, took a lot of creative liberties here due to my strong ass baby fever atm hope we enjoy :)

cw: reader is pregnant and married to Link, One used of Y/n.

summary: When your husband goes missing, you're determined to find him no matter what.

Things are never ordinary with your husband Link. Afterall, he is the hero of Hyrule, but from the moment he appeared bloody and battered on your doorstep things have never been normal. You followed him across the reaches of the world to save the society you love, settled in Hateno village together and eventually married there. You even fell pregnant with his child and was happier than ever. That was, until he disappeared.

Your husband was gone on another expedition with the Princess, yet this time he was more reluctant due to your impending birth date. You assured him you would be fine, giving him a sweet kiss on his forehead. Your charming husband, always so compassionate till the end.

Three days later you are knitting some baby mittens when a strong rumble knocks the cottage. Shrieks are heard from the village and birds erupt from the luscious trees, as a sturdy stag leaps out of the brush to gallop on your front lawn. Chaos ensues, but you have no reason to focus on the absurdities. Clutching your heavy belly as you burst indoors, you hide under the table for cover. The cottage still rumbles violently underfoot, but all you can think about is your husband and unborn baby. You can’t live without them, you just can’t.

But the earthquake is gone as fast as it came, and the small quaint town is quiet once again. Deep breath in, deep breath out. You’re safe, you’re fine and everything is normal. But of course, you can’t get up. You struggle and twist, trying to get up but you just cannot seem to. Going against the growing embarrassment in your mind, you call for help. After two hours or so of incessant yelling, Dantz the local farmer appears at your doorstep.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” He asks, after promptly helping you up. “Was that an earthquake?” you ask, expecting a nod or affirmation in response but instead, you are faced with an empty, almost regretful face. “What was it Dantz?” A long silence ensues, as he looks at his shoes, seemingly searching for an answer in their mud and holes.  

Finally, he looks up, meeting your eyes with an intensity and fear you have never seen before in the once solemn man. “The castle it… It floated…” Surely he’s joking right? Because Link just went there with Zelda and- “Link…” You realise, the emotions hitting you like a brigade. “What about him?” “He was at the castle with the princess! Are you sure that’s what happened?” He nods, and your heart sinks. “Yes, I’m sure. I was hunting up in the mountains when it rose, I had a view as clear as day. I swear the thing just lifted up, with the evil smoke joining it and the heavens opening up above. But he must be fine, he is the sworn hero of our land after all.”

Tears swell in your eyes. What does this mean? You’re no stranger to your husband’s strength and talent, but you can’t help but fear the worst in this situation. A few of the village women burst through the doors, surely knowing of your distress with the situation. “Oh sweetheart…” One empathises, sitting you onto a chair and wiping away the now gushing tears on your face as the other sends the man to find out more news. You were never really close to the people of the village, as you were in a strange in-between age and kept yourself in a quiet haven with Link. But in this moment, they felt like mothers to you, reassuring you and keeping you and the baby safe.

The next couple of days were agonisingly slow, with no news of Link or Zelda’s whereabouts. The women assured you that it’s because they are still exploring, but you had the wits to know otherwise. When Link had to go on the mission, he swore he would be back as soon as possible. “I’ll be safe, I promise.” He said, sadness in his deep blue eyes despite your assurance you will be fine.

But now you may never be fine. No one will let you leave the house, pampering you with food and gifts just like Link used to do. Whenever they come to visit you the first thing they say is “no news” because they know that what’s on your mind. So, when you gain wind of a group of people from the village going to Hyrule field to begin a search you leapt at the chance to join them, just wanting to find your husband and return to normality once again.

No one stopped you. You may be nine months pregnant, but you are still the woman who aided Link in his journey and have a piercing stare that could scare a bear into defeat. A complex woman you are, sweet but strong, empathetic but harsh. So, packed onto carriages with others hoping to find Link and supplies to set up a temporary camp your journey begins, just praying for his return to be soon. You’ve heard about falling rocks, sinkholes leading to the unknown and the resurrection of Ganon’s monsters, but it wasn’t until you laid your own eyes on them that it became real.

Multiple bokoblins and some sort of monstrosity lead bokoblin interrupted your journey, causing a few men to become injured. One of these unfortunate men fell into a satanic dark goop, which caused him severe immobility. You pray to Hylia that Link will know how to fix this once he comes back.

And there it was, the castle in all it’s infernal glory. As the others set up the camp, you sit starstruck at the sight above you. Not that you could help anyways, with a human growing inside you. Deep down, you already know what you are faced with. This is a great evil, worse than ever before and ever will be. If Link couldn’t prevent this, you fear no one can.

Although you desperately want to stay hopeful, the week following your arrival shows no light at the end of the tunnel. You can barely sleep, gathering information from those around you on all the recorded sightings of Zelda. No Link though. A chef at the lookout tells you that perhaps it’s just a coincidence no one has seen your husband, although you’re not so sure. He’s strong, so strong in fact that if he was alive, he would be with you right now. But he’s not, instead you are on your own praying for his arrival.

Two weeks have now passed, and you sit in the bunker where everyone sleeps at the dead of night. So many of your new friends have become sick from this substance you now call gloom, it seems as if an apocalypse is upon you. Purah has been making towers to survey the lands easier, which you hope sheds a new light on your expedition. If it doesn’t, you don’t know what to do with yourself. Staring at the goddess statue, you have nothing left to do but pray.

“Oh goddess Hylia, please grant me your blessing to find my husband. Our child will join us any day now, and I do not what them to live without him. Without knowing his smile, his voice or his warmth is something I would never wish on our child. What kind of mother would I be if I willingly raised a child in the pits of hell such as this? Please grant this grace to my child, if not to me.” Tears now stream down your weak face, such desperation you have never felt before this moment. You tried to stay quiet in your prayers, but at this point you just give up, wailing and choking on the force of emotion. A crowd soon surrounds you, failing to sooth your despair, but all it does it make things worse. If Link were here, he could calm you down. In fact, if Link were here none of this would have even happened, and you would be safe and sound at home. You are now filled with intense rage at this fact, because in the end he has left you all alone. How could he? He promised, he promised, he promised, he-

Thick wet liquid drips onto the floor, and your hyperventilation subsidies. Oh no… You’re giving birth! Another woman beside you also connects the dots, and jumps into action effortlessly. “Quick, get the nurse, she’s giving birth!” She says, as you pant at the pushing sensation that overcomes you. A couple of men lead your staggering body over to a bed, where you lie down. “Link…” You call, somehow expecting him to appear at your side. But he doesn’t, your alone, with no husband here to aid you…

You push and you scream and you kick, just wanting this Hylia forsaken thing to get out of you. Someone grabs your hand to soothe you, but you soon push them away. It’s no use, you feel as if you are dying, your insides splitting and spilling forth. Strings of curses leave your mouth as the final wave of pain subsides about three hours later, and is replaced by the piercing screams of a newborn baby.

“It’s a girl!” The nurse exclaims, which is followed by the ruckus applause of the landing members. You were never one to thirst for attention, and now is no exception, as you anxiously await holding your daughter in your arms. As the nurse is cleaning up, she asks what the babies name will be. “Navi. Link has always loved that name, it seems only fair that’s who she is.”

Baby Navi overtakes your life, almost causing you to forget why you gave birth so far from home and without Link. You don’t forget it though, because every moment you look to your side or call his name he isn’t there, and grief over takes your body. A month has gone by, and no one will let you join the search. Therefore, you spend most days sitting with Navi outside of Lookout Landing telling her about her father.

“He has blonde hair and blue eyes, just like you. They sparkle when he laughs like yours too, but he doesn’t scream nearly as much as you do. In fact, he’s quite the opposite. He’s a quiet man, but if you’re lucky he’ll tell you a story about his travels. I’m sure he will tell you everything soon, he won’t shut up once he gets to know you.” The sweet girl laughs, acting as if she understands what you are saying. At only a month old, she already is so cheerful and loud. You wish Link was here to see her.

You get lost in this thought, looking up at the castle. If only they let you join them, you could find him, surely. Although, they don’t have to let you do anything. If there is one think your husband taught you, it’s to do what makes you happy. Despite his great responsibility, Link found joy and determination in the littlest things. He would go on impromptu expeditions and quests, even if it made him seem insane because that’s what he like doing. Helping others, and having fun.

So why do you have to listen to them? You go inside to the camp and stride over to nurse who has been helping you with Navi. “Are you able to babysit for a second? I just want to go on a little walk.” You ask, a sweet smile plastered on your face. She graciously agrees, thus giving you a moment to yourself. Trekking up the hilled path of the castle, you go over in your mind exactly where he may be. If he was underground and the castle lifted up, would he still be underground or was he taken up in the ruckus? It’s most likely that he is underground, but he does often climb up to peaks to survey the land.

“Ma’am, what are you doing here?” Hoz, the leader of the expedition asks, with a group of men in tow. “Oh, I’m just here to help. And no, you needn’t worry about me. I’m perfectly fine to join you” You rebut, giving them no time to argue with you. “Are you, sure? I wouldn’t want you getting hurt, and neither would our hero Link.” “No, I’m fine. I know the most about Link, I even travelled with him. I am the most equipped to search.” “Okay then, if you insist. Well, we are all splitting up into different areas to cover more ground. Why don’t you go with my team to the east?”

You go with the group to the designated spot, leaving no time for pleasantries. Once you stop on an out perch, you deliver the needed instructions. “Okay men, here’s what’s going to happen. Five people are going to go to that section, five there and the rest with me. I think Link climbed to the top of the castle to get a view, and we may find some clues there. Otherwise, checking the armour room may be a good idea. If he’s been inside there will be some weapons missing. Any questions?” You scan your eyes across the group, but no one seems to be paying attention. Instead, their eyes seem to be lying behind you, with a bewildered look on their faces.

Rolling your eyes, you turn around. You should have just gone on your own, instead of with these boys who just want to- behind you stands a man, short in stature but with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes piercing your soul. They swell with tears, a soft smile on his pink lips.

“Y/n.” The man says, who could only be your husband. You ponder the idea that he is merely a figment of your imagination, but once he says your name everything crashes down. Blinded by his face you sprint forward, as he runs towards you also. You throw your complete weight onto the man who stumbles backwards, but he doesn't seem to care as he laughs and you cry, spinning you around and around.

Finally he puts you down, eyes stuck on yours and the largest smile on his face. “Oh Link I was so worried! I had the baby and I missed you so so much!” “You, you had the baby?” He asks, stepping back to look at your stomach. You nod furiously. “She’s a girl.”

“Navi?” He asks, already knowing the name which causes another nod in response. Your just so happy, you don’t even notice the crowd forming around you. You grab his arm, looking down at your gorgeous husband to see…

“Link!!” You jump back, shocked by the sight of a green warped arm on his body. He nods, looking down also. “We were attacked. I don’t know where Zelda got to, but she teleported away and I woke up with this strange arm.” You look back up at his eyes. They’re full of regret and remorse, as if he somehow failed a mission from long ago. You know he didn’t fail though, because he tried so hard to keep both her and everyone safe.

It doesn’t matter though, because he is here with you. Your family is reunited, in a reunion like no other.

[respectthepetty]

Pride Petty Watch

Long story short, I owe the BL gods, so I'll be watching TWO series from my Petty List during the month of June. This list includes shows I haven't watched for purely petty reasons, so I'm asking the crowd to pick the two shows I will watch from all the MAME series, some censored Chinese bromances, a few sexual tension-filled Korean bromances, and one wild card.

I'm making my first ever poll, so whichever two series get the highest numbers will be the two I watch. And for all the kind people in the crowd, this is not the time to think about me. Pick your favorite. And for all the people who I annoy on the daily with my wild ass takes that piss you off, pick TharnType. But there is a possibility of a secret thirteenth option that would hurt me much worse . . .

The petty ass reasons are below the poll.

Disclaimer: If you're going to read the petty ass reasons, I need you to understand these are PETTY ASS REASONS, so don't try to hit me with 2,000 words about why me not watching censored bromances is a problem or why me not liking your fave hurts your feelings. Nah. Pick a show!

MAME

Love By Chance

This show came out at the end of 2018, and I watched the first episode, maybe first two, and thought it was boring. Then, in 2019, I saw a GIF of the locker scene, so I recommitted. I made it past the first episode just when the PerthSaint drama started spilling out everywhere, so I chucked the deuces and haven't returned since.

TharnType

For some reason, I couldn't find the first episode when it aired. Then, I found out how the first episode ended. Then, I found out about Type's past. Then, I just kept finding out more awful stuff until eventually the MewGulf shit finally hit the fan, and I was still reeling from the PerthSaint drama (and the emerging ZeeSaint chaos). At this point, I've built this show up so much that I'm afraid to see what it is actually about.

Don't Say No

A story of another GIF of a locker room scene sucking me in! After the first two MAME pairs blew up, I believed her shows were cursed, so I opted out of watching this one even though I thought it would be the one to vibe with me the most. But the biggest reason was because the main characters came from TharnType, so I felt like I would have to watch TharnType to understand this show, which was a big hell nah.

Love in the Air

I watched this through mutuals on my dash, so I feel like I did watch it. It is also the highest rated MAME series, so I had faith in it. However, when I found out about Sky's past, TharnType's ghost popped back up, and I realized this demon of a show is gonna haunt me in every MAME series.

The Wedding Plan

Y'all hated one of the leads so much while it was airing that I now hate him, and I don't think I can let that go, so I'm coming in with pre-hate and TharnType's ghost, but on top of that, some of y'all said it was boring. But what is boring in a MAME series? Consent? Not kidnapping someone? I never got answers, so I'm very conflicted about this show.

Censored Chinese

The Untamed

It's color coded, but FIFTY FUCKING EPISODES! What is this shit? Grey's Anatomy? The fuck! Second, once China pulled Addicted, I was holding grudges for life because it crossed from entertainment censorship into real-world oppression, so I could not bring myself to support media from a country that openly discriminates against the queers when I live in America where our highest court is just one Supreme Court Justice away from making us all live in the damn Mojo Dojo Casa House.

Word of Honor

It's color coded, but THIRTY-SIX FUCKING EPISODES! What is this shit? Supernatural?! The fuck! Second, I don't know the difference between this and The Untamed. Both are color-coded, one of them has a lot of uncles (?), one of them has awful facial hair, and they all have pretty outfits. Every time someone makes a reference about these shows, I just nod the same way I do when people mention Star Wars because none of it makes sense.

Guardian

I spent two years believing Killer and Healer was Guardian. I haven't watched either, but I thought they were the same show. Honestly, if this show wins, I might just watch Killer and Healer because I will forget they are not the same show. Don't they both solve cases? And because it's China, past lives must be involved, no? I'm looking at their MDLs as I write this, and I'm still not convinced they are different.

Stay with Me

It's color coded, but I know how it ends, and word on the street is that IS the ending since a second season seems unlikely. China couldn't just let me be hurt over Addicted, the original. No. Gotta hurt me again with Addicted, the remake. Rude af.

The Spirealm

First off, SEVENTY-EIGHT FUCKING EPISODES! What is this shit? Law & Order: SVU?! The fuck! I know how this ends, and it ain't happy! I don't care how people are trying to spin it, so to sit through SEVENTY-EIGHT DAMN EPISODES just for that ending already has me irate. And don't try telling me Viki combined episodes so it's only thirty-four. That's still a lot. However, everybody who has watched it says it's phenomenal, so is the pain worth it or are these people all lying so they convince themselves it was worth it?

Korean Bromance

Beyond Evil

With most Korean dramas, I feel like I missing something important. Like some part of the story does not click with me and I stay lost for the rest of the show. I suck it up for the queers, but the not-queers-but-it-is-queer shows . . . nah, and especially one about cops . . . (-_-). Also, The Worst of Evil just showed, and it was another reminder that I need these cops to quit their jobs and just screw each other. Embrace "Be Gay. Do Crime"

The Devil Judge

I know enough about Kpop to know GOT7 would not let one of its members kiss a man in this show. I looked at those GIFs of Jeff Satur and Jackson Wang on their show knowing damn well that if Wang got too close to Satur, an entire management team would have ascended from hell and kidnapped both of them, so the promo for this show was so wild because it felt queerbait-adjacent, and I was salty about it.

WILD CARD!

This option will be automatically unlocked IF this stupid little poll gets 216 votes, so I have high hopes this will not happen since I ain't that popular and I hate this wild card which is . . .

SOTUS

This show is my original TharnType. It came out in 2016. I watched it live. I watched the sequel. I remember neither. New was in it? Off was in it?! WHAT?! I have no memory of this show except Krist wiping his mouth, and I have carried that with me for eight damn years. I loved Be My Favorite, so I thought I moved past whatever strange grudge I was holding against this man who doesn't know I exist nor care, but then I saw that trailer for The Ex-Morning, and unlike Elsa, I can't let this shit go, so I'm willing to play Jumanji and go back into the jungle to finish this once and all.

So what it's gonna be, mi gente. Which demons am I facing for Pride and what shows do I get to stay petty about? Help me decide!

[mim16s]

Arcade — Se-mi x fem!reader

From the beginning, you knew the relationship was a losing game, but obsession and attachment were stronger than reason, making it impossible to simply let it go.

Winning story of this poll

English is not my first language, so there may be spelling errors, but I hope you like it.

---

— Why do you keep pushing me away? You're my girlfriend, but you act like a stranger. — Your voice broke as tears streamed down his face. Semi was there, just a few steps away from you, but she felt more distant than ever. She wouldn’t look into your eyes, staring at the wall instead, as if ignoring your pain was easier than facing it. 

— You're overreacting, — she said, her voice low, almost indifferent, but you knew there was something more hidden beneath it. 

— Overreacting? — Your breathing became uneven, as if indignation was consuming you. — Damn it, the last time you kissed me was a week ago! I don't even remember the last time we slept together. You spend the whole day out, barely look at me, and now you can't even face me. Is there someone else? Is that it? — The words came out fast, your voice breaking at the end as fear and insecurity took over. Your words were enough to finally make her look at you. 

Semi’s eyes met yours with something between shock and pain, as if you had just said the most absurd thing in the world. 

— You know I would never do that. — Her voice was firm, but there was something broken in her tone. — I've just been… working. These debts are taking all my time. 

— I know! — you shouted, the desperation inside you growing. — And I'm helping you with that, but that doesn’t give you the right to push me away like I'm not part of your life! 

— That's the problem. — Her voice came out almost as a whisper, but every word cut like a blade. 

— What? What do you mean by that? — you asked, feeling the ground disappear beneath your feet. Your voice trembled, full of fear for the answer you were about to hear. 

She hesitated, as if the next sentence was an unbearable weight to carry. But then, she let it out: 

— Maybe… maybe we shouldn't be together anymore. 

Everything stopped. The world seemed to freeze around you. The silence was so deafening it screamed inside your head. You could almost hear your heart pounding, aching, as if it was struggling to keep beating. You stood there, staring at her, tears falling uncontrollably, unable to find the strength to speak or move. 

Semi also seemed surprised by her own words, as if they had hurt her just as much as they had hurt you, but she didn’t take them back. Her eyes were filled with sadness, but behind them was a cruel determination. She grabbed a jacket that was thrown over the couch and, without another word, walked out the door. 

You collapsed onto the floor as soon as you heard the door close. The weight of the moment was unbearable. Your knees gave out, and you broke down, tears blurring your vision. It was as if reality had crumbled around you, leaving behind only an unbearable pain. 

On the other side of the door, Semi finally allowed her tears to fall. The salty taste of each tear was a reflection of her decision, of everything she had just lost. She knew she loved you more than anything, but that love was dangerous. She owed money to people who didn’t forgive, who would do anything to collect their debt. And if you stayed by her side, you would be in danger too. 

She had already seen the end of your story before it even began, but still, she had taken the risk, betting everything she had. And now, she was paying the price. As much as she wanted to fight, reality was relentless. You deserved more, deserved someone who could give you security, a better life. And she couldn’t offer that. Not with those debts. Not with the chaos she was caught up in. 

— I should've never started this. I could never give you what you deserve. 

But that didn’t make the decision any less painful. Every step she took away from you felt like it was breaking her a little more. Because deep down, Semi knew she was walking away from the only good thing she had ever had in her life. 

---

— Y/N? What are you doing here? — A familiar voice came from behind you, making every hair on your body stand on end. The sound shattered the fragile silence you had carried in your heart since the day she left. The same voice that had destroyed you but still lived in every corner of your chest, as if it had built a home inside you. 

You turned around, and there she was. Semi. The woman who had broken your heart but never really left it. 

— Semi. — Her name slipped from your lips in a whisper, heavy with months of hurt and longing. 

Semi stood still for a moment, surprised to see you there. Her eyes scanned you with a mix of relief and despair. 

— You shouldn't be here, — she said, stepping closer quickly. — It's too dangerous for you. 

Before you could react, Semi grabbed your hand. The touch you had longed for so long was finally there. Memories, laughter, soft touches, passionate kisses, whispered promises that now seemed so distant flooded your mind. But along with them came reality. You pulled away from her touch, and the look of sadness she gave you almost broke your heart all over again. 

— It's okay, I deserve that. — She averted her eyes, but only for a second. Since she had left you, Semi hadn’t spent a single day without thinking about you. She had wondered how you were, if you had moved on, if you were happy. And now that she was in front of you again, all she wanted was to be selfish for a moment, to forget why she had left and beg to come back. 

But she knew it wasn’t that simple. 

— You do, — you answered, your voice firm but filled with pain. — But not just that, Semi. You destroyed me. I shouldn't even be here, shouldn't even be talking to you. You ended our years-long relationship without even giving me a reasonable explanation. 

The words hit Semi like knives she knew she deserved. She took a deep breath before finally speaking. 

— You're right. I owe you an explanation. — Her voice trembled, but she continued. — I… I never wanted to break up with you, but I had to. 

You stayed silent, waiting for something that might finally make sense of what she had done. 

— At that time, I was… I was in debt with loan sharks. — Semi looked down, as if it was hard to confess. — And I couldn't pay them back. They started threatening me… and threatening you. I couldn't let them do anything to you because of my mistake. That week, they told me that if I didn’t pay up, they would hurt you. I had no way out, Y/N. The only thing I could do to protect you was to push you away. 

You froze. For months, you had wondered about the reason, and now, hearing it felt surreal. 

— I swear I didn't want to break up with you. — Semi’s voice cracked, and tears began streaming down her face. — But I had no choice. I love you too much to let anything happen to you because of me. 

You could barely process her words. Seeing Semi cry was rare. She had always been so strong, so resilient. But now, there she was—broken, vulnerable, in a way you had never seen before. 

— You should have told me… — your voice came out low, still in disbelief. 

— And get you even more involved in this? — Semi answered quickly, her tone almost desperate. — That was never an option, Y/N. I just… I just wanted you to be safe. I'm sorry. 

Tears now fell silently from her face, and the strong facade she usually wore was crumbling. Every angry speech you had rehearsed for this moment… vanished. 

You stepped forward and hugged her, holding her as if time hadn’t passed. Semi wrapped her arms around you, squeezing you so tightly it felt like she was afraid to lose you again. 

— I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… — she murmured, her voice choked with emotion. 

You stroked her hair as you cried too. No words could fix everything, but for that moment, the embrace was enough. Two wounded souls, trying to find refuge in each other. You didn’t know if there was a future for you both, but despite everything, she still felt like home. Because even after all this time, the love you shared was something that not even time had been able to erase.

——

You were now in the second game, trying to form a team. Your hands were still intertwined with hers when you noticed a shy guy standing off in the distance, watching the other players. He seemed to be gathering the courage to ask to join a team. You looked at Semi with the expression of someone asking to adopt a puppy, and she, unable to deny you anything, just nodded her head.  —Hey, do you want to join our team?— you asked.  The guy hesitated for a moment, but soon agreed with a shy nod.  —Yes, please—he answered with a slightly shaky voice, almost desperate, bowing slightly in respect.  You smiled, gently tapping his shoulder.  —No need to bow—you said kindly. —I’m Y/N, and this is Semi.—You gestured toward her, and she gave a brief wave. —And you? —Minsu. My name is Minsu Park.—He replied, trying to smile as well.  —Why did you join the game?—Semi asked, but before he could answer, a voice called out from behind you.  —Señoritas, excuse me.— You turned around, finding a man with purple hair. He had a confident posture, but something about him seemed... off.  —Come play with me, huh?— said the stranger. Beside him, a friend nudged him, as if trying to stop him.  Semi immediately wrapped an arm around you protectively, and you could feel the tension in the air.  —Why?— Semi asked, suspicious.  —Don’t you know who I am? I’m the rapper Thanos."  —Wait, we don’t even know what the game is yet. And they’re women, man—commented his friend in a derogatory tone. You held back the urge to roll your eyes.  —Thanos will protect you— he said confidently.  —Oh, really? Thanos, did you collect all the Infinity Stones?—you teased, with a touch of sarcasm.  —Of course!—he replied, showing his painted nails in the colors of the stones. You blinked, trying to process this. He seemed... high? Definitely out of touch with reality.  —From now on, I’ll destroy anyone who gets in my way—he continued, gesturing exaggeratedly.—If you stay with me, you’ll be safe.— He looked directly at you, but Semi quickly pulled you closer, making him look confused for a few seconds.  —Actually, we were thinking about joining someone else’s team— Semi answered.  —No problem. Who?—he asked, curious.  You moved aside so he could see Minsu, who looked like a scared kitten hiding behind you.  —What’s your name?— asked the purple-haired man.  —It’s... Minsu—The guy replied, almost stuttering.  —What a stupid face...— muttered Thanos’ friend, stepping forward, but was stopped by Thanos.  —What's up? Nice to meet you, my brother. Welcome to the Thanos world— he greeted Minsu with an exaggerated hug.—You’re cute, come here. Although you felt this group wasn’t the best choice, there didn’t seem to be many options or time to think. Reluctantly, you agreed, but the discomfort with the long-haired, dark-haired man wouldn’t go away. 

---

You finally finished the game and sat close to each other, watching Namgyu acting like a total idiot with Minsu. The growing feeling that he didn’t seem like a good person only increased.  —How many people do you think are left?— Namgyu asked in a mocking tone.  —What?—Minsu, who was all curled up, asked.  —Yeah, how many are there?—Namgyu with the long hair repeated. —How many worms do you think are still here?— You watched as Minsu looked around, trying to estimate the number of people.  —Uh... two hundred, I think. —How do you know? Count them one by one. —Now?—Minsu asked, and Namgyu nodded positively. You felt sorry for him; he was too innocent for this place. When he was about to get up, you were about to intervene, but Semi was faster and stopped him.  —Sit down, what are you gonna count for? What a dumb thing to do, soon the masked guys will come and say...—Semi spoke, and Namgyu glared at her for questioning the authority he thought he had.  —Shut up, you bich —Hey, don't talk to her like that!— you said, already getting pissed off with his attitude. When he was about to respond, Thanos interrupted.  —Stop it! What’s your name?— He asked, looking at the shyest one.  —Minsu. —How old are you? —I’m twenty-seven— Minsu replied, his hands placed nervously in his lap.  —Twenty-seven, why are you obeying him? He’s your age. Hey Namsu, are you twenty-seven? —It’s Namgyu— you almost laughed at that. He walks around like a little dog behind someone he doesn’t even know the name of? Pathetic.  —Okay, Namgyu. Are you twenty-seven?—Thanos said, not caring about the correction.  —Yeah—Namgyu confirmed.  —See that? Leave him alone, man. We’re together, okay? How old are you?—Thanos asked Semi and you.  —Twenty-eight—she lied.  —Twenty-seven— you lied as well, not wanting to admit you were the youngest and risk having problems with Namgyu thinking he could boss you around.  —So, that’s it. You three are the same, and you’re the old lady.—He pointed at Semi. You let out a small laugh, and she looked at you, also laughing.  —Hey Namsu, call her old lady—Thanos said, and Namgyu laughed too. 

---

After eating, you sat very close to each other in a discreet corner where few people were around. The few who were there were far enough away that nothing else mattered except the two of you.  —I missed you...—you whispered, your voice full of longing. Semi held your hands tightly, as if wanting to make sure you were really there.  —I missed you too... There hasn’t been a day I haven’t thought of you. But now that we’re together again, I promise to be the girlfriend you always deserved. —Semi...—Your eyes searched hers, so full of sweetness and desire.—You’re already everything I could want. You’re perfect for me. Semi’s gaze slid over your lips before returning to your eyes, and her voice came heavy with desire and urgency.  —I really want to kiss you right now... She moved closer, her arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you closer, your bodies touching in a silent promise of everything you felt for each other.  —People can see...—you murmured, but the warmth of her touch made your body give in, your will dissolving in the desire to feel her even more.  —And you care? Because I don’t—Semi replied, her voice hoarse, full of longing.  Before you could say anything, her lips took yours, and the world around you disappeared. The kiss was intense, urgent, as if both of you were starving for each other. It was like a dance that only the two of you knew, each movement in perfect harmony, each sigh echoing like an intimate melody between you. Semi pulled you into her lap, and your hands slid over her face, holding her as if you never wanted to let her go. Your fingers trembled with the need to feel her more, to imprint every detail of the moment.  The air soon became scarce, and you pulled away just enough to breathe. But Semi didn’t want distance. She chased your lips with small kisses before burying her face in your neck, spreading slow, lingering kisses across your skin. Her arms tightened around your waist, as if she feared you’d disappear again.  —I missed this so much... I love you.— Her voice was muffled against your skin, full of emotion.  You smiled and held her face, lifting it so your eyes could meet.  —I love you even more...—you whispered before sealing your lips in a tender kiss.—Semi, let’s play just one more game so we can leave soon. She nodded, but her eyes said all she wanted was you.  —Just one more game...— she repeated, but before letting you go, she stole one more kiss, deep and full of promise. As soon as you left, she didn’t just want to kiss you... she wanted to rediscover you completely.

---

You woke up to loud music echoing through the speakers. Your body was still intertwined with Semi's, your head resting on her chest, while her arms held you tightly, as if refusing to let you go. The warmth of her body was comforting, and for a moment, you wished time would stop right there.

With a gentle touch, you softly shook her to wake her up. Semi blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the light, her face relaxed as if she had slept deeply for the first time in a long time... actually, since the last time you two had been together. She felt recharged, as if being with you was all she needed to feel complete.

When your eyes met hers, a light, sleepy smile appeared on her lips, almost as if she had forgotten for a moment where you were.

—We need to get up... the game is about to start— you murmured, your voice low, almost reluctant to break the moment.

Semi nodded, but before allowing any distance to grow between you, she slightly lifted her head and captured your lips in a soft, slow kiss, filled with affection. Her fingers slid over your skin before, with some hesitation, she finally let go of you.

You got up first, feeling the cold take the place where her warmth had been. Semi watched you for a moment before sighing and getting up right behind you, her eyes still filled with a silent desire to pull you into her arms once again.

"Players, welcome to the third game. We’re about to begin! Today’s game is called Socialize."

The robotic voice echoed through the environment, cold and impersonal.

—There’s a carousel! It’s going to be awesome, right?— Thanos said excitedly, but you just stared at him. "Awesome" didn’t seem like the right word. Not here. You just wanted this to end soon.

"Pay attention to the game rules. Players, please head to the center of the platform. When the game starts, the platform will begin to rotate, and a number will be announced. You’ll have 30 seconds to form a group with the exact number of members corresponding to the number, enter a room, and close the door."

You tried to convince yourself: It will be fine as long as we’re together.

"Attention, the game is starting."

The platform began to spin. The floor trembled under your feet, the movement destabilizing you. Semi held your hands tightly, keeping you steady.

—So we don’t get separated—she said, her eyes determined.

"Ten."

There were five of you. You needed five more. Your heart raced. Without wasting any time, you grabbed random people and ran to an empty room. Semi never let go of your hand, her fingers squeezing yours as if her life depended on it.

The countdown ended. The door locked.

And then came the gunshots.

The screams were worse. High-pitched, desperate, suddenly cut off. You felt your whole body shiver. The sound of bodies falling to the ground echoed outside. Semi pulled you close, and you curled up against her.

When you left, you were back at the carousel. The children’s music played as a cruel contrast to the brutality of the game. Thanos and Namgyu danced, oblivious to the tension that made your chest burn. You tried to breathe deeply, but you felt like you were suffocating.

The rotation stopped.

"Four."

There were five of you.

Your stomach sank.

—You go, I’ll find another team.—Semi said, trying to release your hand.

You squeezed tighter.

—No!

—We don’t have a choice. I’ll see you later.— She pulled away and ran, shouting for someone who needed another member.

Your chest burned as you watched her disappear into the crowd. Panic gripped your throat, but Thanos pulled you into a room. The door closed, and you threw yourself against the small window, your eyes frantically scanning the area.

Gunshots.

Screams.

Your heart beat so hard it hurt. Your eyes burned, but Semi wasn’t among the fallen bodies. She made it... of course, she did. Semi is clever. She wouldn’t lose. But that thought wasn’t enough. You needed to see her.

When the door opened, you found her in the crowd. Without hesitation, you ran to her and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

—You’re okay.—Your voice came out shaky, hot tears escaping before you even realized it.

Semi ran her fingers through your hair, her warm, steady presence against you.

—Of course, I am. I’m not leaving you.

You held onto those words.

The platform spun again.

"Three."

—Hey, who’s staying?— Namgyu asked, laughing, as if this was just some game.

—Play rock-paper-scissors!—Thanos suggested, mocking.

You felt a weight in your chest. Something was wrong.

—Stay with us.— Semi reached out to Minsu, confident.

He hesitated for a second. And then made "scissors."

Your stomach churned.

—Minsu, you bastard! He threw scissors!— Namgyu laughed.

—Minsu, you win!— Thanos pulled Minsu into their group, leaving you and Semi behind.

Betrayal.

Your body went cold. Semi still stared at you, stunned, but soon averted her gaze.

There was no time for hate now.

—Let’s go.— You said, pulling her to find someone else. Your heart still burned from the betrayal, but survival took precedence.

You found a lone player and ran to a room. More gunshots. More deaths. But you made it.

The game moved on. Rounds passed. And then...

"Two."

This time it was easy. You and Semi ran together, your hearts pounding, the desperation pushing you into the room. When the door closed, you looked at each other, still breathless.

—It’s over!— you said, and Semi smiled.

She pulled you into a tight hug. You made it, but the game still wasn’t over.

The dormitory’s atmosphere was heavy, filled with death. But the relief of still being alive was the only comfort.

—Let’s vote for the X this time.— You said, and Semi nodded without hesitation.

The voting began. You and Semi pressed the X.

Namgyu and Thanos cursed at you, furious. Semi just raised her middle finger at them.

Minsu also voted for the X. When he got closer to you, Namgyu seemed even angrier.

But you didn’t care. It meant you had more chances to get out this time.

Or at least, that’s what you thought.

The tie came like a punch.

Your stomach sank.

Now you would have to wait another day.

But what made your body tremble wasn’t the vote. It was that bad feeling, the one that had been there for some time... and was only getting worse.

You and Semi were in bed. She noticed your restlessness and wrapped her arms around you.

—It’s okay, baby. Tomorrow we’ll make it. We’re getting out of here.—You swallowed hard.

—Do you promise?

Semi hesitated for a moment. You both knew it was an empty promise. But still, she tightened you against her and murmured,

—I promise.

Time seemed to drag on. You stayed there, wrapped in each other’s warmth, as if the heat of each other was the only real thing in that place.

Then the speakers blared.

"Player 230 eliminated."

Your heart froze.

A fight broke out in the bathroom. Dead. Several.

The players who returned were arguing, accusing each other.

This wasn’t a good sign.

—Tonight... we have to protect ourselves. There’s going to be a fight for sure.—Someone said from a distance.

You exchanged a look with Semi.

For the first time, her fear was visible.

And you knew this night could be the longest of all.

The lights went out, and you hid together, your hearts pounding in unison. But when the fight started, chaos spread like wildfire. Panic roared around you—screams, blows, the smell of blood in the air.

Then, you were surrounded.

Namgyu appeared with another man by his side. Namgyu lunged at Semi, and the other man came straight for you.

You didn’t think, you just reacted. You didn’t know where you got the strength to fight, but you grabbed the first object you found, a shard of glass forgotten on the floor. The adrenaline pulsed through you like thunder as you drove it into the man’s ribs. He let out a guttural groan, stumbling backward. You knew you hadn’t killed him... but the bleeding would do that for you.

But none of that mattered.

Because when you turned around, Semi wasn’t by your side anymore.

Panic struck you like a punch to the stomach.

Your gaze swept the room frantically, your heart pounding in your chest. People were fighting around you, but everything became a blur. You could only think about her.

And then you saw her.

Cornered. Fighting against Namgyu.

Your body froze before charging toward her. You ran, ran like never before, dodging punches, stepping on bodies on the floor. You saw when Minsu threw a bottle from above, trying to hit Namgyu and missed. The glass shattered on the floor.

Semi grabbed one of the shards.

And went for him.

Your chest tightened.

—Semi!—You screamed, but the sound was drowned in the chaos.

You ran faster, each step sinking like quicksand, every fiber of your being screaming for you to make it in time.

But you weren’t fast enough.

Namgyu drove a fork into her.

Time stopped.

The air left your lungs.

Semi let out a strangled sigh before her legs failed her. Her body collapsed to the ground, weak, but he kept driving the fork into her again, and again.

—NO!

Rage exploded inside you like a storm. You charged at him, pushing Namgyu away from her. With trembling hands, you drove the glass into him without hesitation. He roared, fighting to get you off him, but you didn’t stop. You couldn’t stop, you didn’t care.

With a wild move, you tore the fork from his hand and drove it straight into his windpipe.

Blood sprayed hot on your hands.

You only stopped when he stopped fighting.

Your whole body trembled. Your eyes flickered to his lifeless face, but all that mattered was behind you.

Semi.

You spun on your heels and ran to her, falling to your knees beside her. Her blood stained the ground, her pale lips parting in silent attempts to breathe.

—No, no, no...—You murmured, pressing your hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding that flowed endlessly. As if that could keep her there. As if that could stop her from being ripped away from you.

Semi squeezed your hand with the little strength she still had.

When you looked into her eyes, they were filled with pain.

But also filled with love, a love you were losing.

Your chest tightened so hard you couldn’t breathe.

—No... you promised me...—your voice broke, collapsing into desperate sobs. —You promised you’d stay...

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. But you saw in her eyes that she wanted to apologize, and that broke you.

You shook your head frantically, tears burning your skin.

—NO! You can’t leave me! Semi, please... please, I love you, I love you so much... STAY WITH ME!

Your hands held her face, desperate, pleading, begging for something you knew you couldn’t have.

She gave a weak smile.

And then, she let out her final breath.

Her body went limp in your arms.

The world shattered around you.

The air disappeared. Your heart stopped.

A primal sound tore from your throat, a screeching, horrible scream, a pain that words couldn’t contain, a wail for everything that could have been but never would be. You held her against you, sobbing violently, her blood mixing with yours.

Nothing else mattered.

Nothing.

The love of your life was dead.

You didn’t hear the footsteps approaching. You only realized when your body was pulled back.

Minsu.

He held you, wrapped his arms around you, but there was no warmth there.

—It’s okay...—he murmured, but it was distant, an echo lost in the void.

But it wasn’t okay. It would never be okay again.

You clung to him because you didn’t know what else to do, your body shaking uncontrollably, your sobs tearing your throat, your soul shattering with every second that passed without her.

There was no comfort.

Nothing could comfort you now.

Because deep down, you always knew.

Loving Semi was a losing game.

[violetjedisylveon]

Grinning Shadow AU Masterpost

Anon gave me an idea for an fun angsty Shadowpeach au, so I did what I must ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

First/idea anon ask + Macaque drawing

Fic:

Your Mindless Smile Haunts Me (1/3), first fic

Art:

The Horrific Thing™ (tw for blood and dead babies)

Some Dead Girls Walking (resurrected Bai He and Chao-Xing)

Answered asks:

I think I need to organize this list better... I'm probably not gonna

Is MK told about Macaque?

Is Macaque's fate known + Mac in season 5

What's up with Macaque's eye?

Noodle Fam's reactions to the brainwashing

Was the brainwashing intended for? + Hint at the Horrific Thing™ that I will be infuriatingly cryptic about>:)

Nobody mourns the Jade Emperor

Does Macaque get a power boost from the Jade Emperor + details on season 4 final fight

Macaque's abuse in the celestial realm

Demon Bull Family's reactions

Does the brotherhood feel guilty?

What's the season 4 break up scene like? (it's angstier>:)

Lady Bone Demon's perspective on the brainwashing

Azure threatens Macaque (and gets beat up)

DBK's rampage + Jade Emperor threatening Macaque

Demons fuck around by insulting Macaque, and find out by getting beat up by Wukong

What if Azure freed Macaque at the absolute last minute?

Macaque and Wukong in season 5 (they aren't having a good time)

Hints about the Horrific Thing™

Monkeys reliving trauma cause of the hundred eyed demon

Macaque and Wukong's first meeting (rare angst free bit)

More hints at the Horrific Thing™ + Macaque being a protective mate

A shapeshifter takes Macaque's form (and dies)

What's the nine headed demon's perspective on this?

How and Wukong and Macaque different?

Mama Spider Queen!

DBK, Wukong and Yellow Tusk's guilt

MK tries to sacrifice himself

Anon's writing submission, very good

Traffic Light Trio meet Macaque during New Year's heist

How's Macaque with the rest of the crew? (Sandy, Pigsy, Tang and Mei)

Macaque moves like a puppet on strings

Do the twins find out about Xiangliu's role in their death?

Is Macaque conscious while brainwashed?

@draxeanlxia gets their License to Violence and uses it well

The twins find out the truth + Macaque remembers the Horrific Thing™ + monkeys not having a good time

Why'd Xiangliu kill the twins?

The twins guilt after learning the truth

Twins in season 4 and 5 + Chao-Xing's reason for working with LBD + MK and Chao-Xing's view on each other

Does brainwashed Macaque fight Azure for the Emperor

Pigsy's reaction to finding out why MK was "abandoned"

Anon makes the brainwashing more painful

Would Wukong Fall In Love With Macaque Again? (Yes, that man is down so bad)

Wukong's reasons for giving MK away

Multiverse shenanigans! Grinning Shadow meets Canon and Cracked Family

None of the fam tolerate Macaque slander

Macaque keeps the power boost, and fears he isn't free of the brainwashing

Xiangliu Takes Control Of Macaque

Wukong's near endless suffering

Macaque breaks free of Xiangliu's control + poll for Snake Boi's death

Season 6 is the most emotionally complicated section

New baby(ies) after the family reconciles?

Macaque's a popular character(some fluff in this angsty mess)

This au is Wukong suffering + little bit about a time travel fix it

How does reconciliation happen?

The au summarized

Not Asks, my thoughts/rambles:

How Mei finds the twins post season 5, not an ask, dumb as fuck but funny

It's Quite Uptown ramble

[mariacallous]

Americans need to log off. Unplug. Shoot the TV. It seems impossible. Less than five days from Election Day in the US, most people can’t help but check the news—or TikTok or X—at least once a day. Swipe, refresh, repeat. By Tuesday, the connectedness will be constant. Mentally, political stress takes a huge toll. Given that anxiety can be exacerbated by uncertainty, the 2024 election feels worse than it has ever before. There’s a reason for that.

I don’t just mean the general sky-is-falling stuff—the militias on Facebook organizing ballot-box stakeouts, the conspiracy theory spreaders, the cybercriminals potentially waiting in the wings. Some version of those nerve-janglers has been around for years. Now, though, there’s a new factor upping users’ blood pressure as they doomscroll: AI misinformation.

Clearly US voters worry about how misinformation might impact who wins the election, but Sander van der Linden, author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity, notes that the anxiety around AI might be more existential. “If you look at the problem from a more indirect perspective, such as sowing doubt and chaos, confusion, undermining democratic discourse, lowering trust in the electoral process, and confusing swing voters,” he says. “I think we’re looking at a bigger risk”—one that fuels polarization and erodes the quality of debate.

According to an American Psychological Association survey released last week, 77 percent of US adults feel some level of stress over the future of the country. It gets worse. Sixty-nine percent of adults surveyed said the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was a cause of “significant stress”—a figure that’s up from 52 percent in 2016, when Trump beat Hillary Clinton. Nearly three-quarters of respondents thought the election could spur violence; more than half worried it could be “the end of democracy in the US.”

Christ.

On top of all of this sits the threat of AI-generated falsehoods. For more than a year researchers have warned of election misinformation from artificial intelligence. Beyond the polls, such misinformation has played a role in the Israel-Hamas war and the war in Ukraine. 404 Media called the aftermath of Hurricane Helene “the ‘fuck it’ era of AI-generated slop.” (Actually) fake news lurks around every corner. Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum released a report claiming AI misinformation is one of the biggest short-term threats the world faces. Bad election information and fake images can also bring in serious money for X users, according to a BBC report this week.

This was the first year the APA asked about AI and election anxiety and one of the things the organization found was that seven in 10 people experienced stress over the fact that fake information can seem so believable. One-third of social media users said they don’t know what to believe on those platforms. “It extends beyond just information and social media,” says Vaile Wright, APA’s senior director of health care innovation. “A majority of Americans said they don't trust the US government. So there's sort of this whole lack of trust in what used to be very trusted institutions—the media, government—and that, I'm sure, is not helping with people's stress as it relates to this election this year.”

When the US election season ramped up there were AI-generated robocalls (the Federal Communications Commission outlawed them) and now election officials are preparing staff to deal with any number of deepfakes they may encounter. X’s AI model Grok is reportedly boosting conspiracy theories. (It’s also, according to Musk, working on its MRI-reading skills.)

After months of fretting about AI taking jobs, now everyone has to worry about it taking faith in the democratic process?

For nearly two decades, one social media platform or another has ended up dominating a US election. Back in 2008, it was a still-young Twitter. During most of the twenty-teens, it was Facebook (and a bit of Instagram) and Twitter. More recently, TikTok has become a news-spreading tool. In each election cycle, people have swiped to keep up—and also confronted new levels of toxicity. Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, who got out of prison this week, once told reporter Michael Lewis Democrats didn’t matter, “the real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.” That shit went online.

Now, that shit doesn’t even have to come from political operatives. Machines can make it. When people scroll around on their smartphones for a flicker of hope about whether or not their candidate will win, whatever discouragement or reassurance they find may not even be real.

The APA’s survey found that 82 percent of US adults were worried people may base their values on inaccurate information, and more than one-fifth said they’d believed something they read online or on social media when it wasn’t true. Another poll conducted in early September found that only about a quarter of voters feel confident that they can tell the difference between real AI-generated visuals, like the fake images Trump shared claiming Taylor Swift fans are supporting him. “That’s not a good sign,” van der Linden says.

If your fears about the election seem even worse than they did in 2020, this may be why. Misinformation takes a mental toll. “Political anxiety” exists, and research indicates it can impact those who aren’t anxious otherwise. Couple that with a media landscape where newspapers are coming under fire for not endorsing a political candidate and the picture of a nervous electorate becomes very clear. Trust no one; just wait to see what happens—then decide if you believe it.

[yanderes-galore]

Could you do a Virus AU Fluttershy concept?

Yeah, sure! If anyone knows a better way to have the virus start... let me know!

Infection order for the AU can be found here

Previous - Twilight Sparkle

Next - Applejack

Yandere Virus! Fluttershy Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Love virus/Yandere virus AU, Love potion/spell gone wrong, Manipulation, Forced affection, Clingy behavior, Stalking, Mentions of blood/violence, Overprotective behavior, Forced relationship attempted.

Fluttershy, according to the poll, is the second pony to be infected.

This is surprising as the pegasus mostly spends time with her animals and Discord.

Twilight is the first infected, having been afflicted with the virus by trying to make a love spell/potion.

Or at least... that's a vague explanation for how everything starts.

Poor you is immune to the virus due to having the love magic cast on you.

You have no idea what's wrong... but other ponies find you irresistible.

This is obviously not Twilight's intention, she may have already felt a crush towards you and wanted you to fall for her, regardless on if she was yandere behavior.

But instead of making you fall in love... others fall in love with you... including Twilight.

Fluttershy probably gets infected due to you running to her for help.

Discord may be immune due to his chaos magic, but Fluttershy is not.

The pegasus is shocked when you come knocking on her cottage door.

She opens the door only to see you shaking and terrified.

In fact... does she spot blood on your coat?

Are you injured!?

Fluttershy wastes no time dragging you inside to tend to you.

She quickly grabs medical supplies and gets to bandaging your damaged skin.

She quickly asks what happened and you answer with fear in your tone.

Supposedly Twilight has gone rogue.

Some sort of experiment made her act weird towards you.

When you visited her she came at you with a violent yet possessive behavior.

You barely escaped her, which was the reasoning behind your injuries.

You fear Twilight is still looking for you... so you came to Fluttershy for help.

The pegasus... such a kind soul... promises she'll help you as best as she can.

Unbeknownst to her she's already fallen for the virus.

Fluttershy offers to have you stay with her in her cottage as you heal.

Discord may be the first to notice something wrong with Fluttershy.

The pegasus seems oddly protective of you when you express fear of Twilight.

Well... that's mostly normal.

But soon Fluttershy is leaning against you and nuzzling into you.

You feel fear envelop you when she wraps a wing around you or tries to kiss you at times.

Slowly but surely the virus takes its toll, causing the normally kind pegasus to become possessive over you.

She begins to lose control of herself.

When you're all healed... you thank her and say how you're going to get help before anypony else gets hurt.

But why should you get help?

You have her to help you.

You begin to realize your mistake of coming to her when Fluttershy starts blocking the door.

After all... you came to her for help, right?

If you go out there... Twilight could get you.

Neither of you want that, do you?

So... stay at her cottage...

She'll take good care of you.

Forever.

You end up having to get Discord to help you or sneak out.

If not... Fluttershy plans to restrain you in her cottage.

Can't have you getting yourself hurt, right?

When you manage to break out of her cottage you kick into your adrenaline once again.

You can't go to the library... you can't go to Fluttershy's home...

So you choose another destination...

You make your way to Sweet Apple Acres... in hopes neither Twilight or Fluttershy will follow you.

[chrisfavdrink]

Joker!Chris x Harley Quinn!Reader

warnings: world burning???? chaos???? i guess that’s really it…

————————————————————————

Everyone thinks they know the Joker. But they don’t know my Chris.

He’s not some clown in a cheap suit. He’s not playing pretend. He’s real—every beautiful, terrifying part of him. He’s chaos with a heartbeat, the kind of person who makes you feel like the whole world’s burning, and somehow you like the heat.

People look at him and see trouble. I look at him and see the spark that set my whole soul on fire.

Chris Sturniolo is louder than sirens, sharper than anything that’s ever cut me, and somehow… he’s also the softest thing I’ve ever known. He laughs at the rules, dances through disaster, and turns destruction into something that feels like art.

And me? I get to watch it all unfold. Up close. Every wild, messy second of it.

They say I’m lost. That I’ve lost myself in him.

Maybe I have. Or maybe—for the first time—I’ve found someone whose kind of crazy finally matches mine.

People like to say love is patient. Love is kind.

But with Chris? Love is dangerous. It's intoxicating. It’s a ticking time bomb wrapped in velvet. It’s roses with thorns that don’t just prick, they dig in.

He doesn’t just hold my hand. He’s got my soul in his grip.

Twisting it. Toying with it. Making it his. And I let him.

God, I want him to.

Because when he smiles, the world forgets how to breathe.

When he talks, it’s like every word is dipped in sin and scripture.

And when he touches me... nothing else matters. Everything else disappears.

He’s not the villain in my story.

He’s the reason I believe in something at all.

So yeah, let people talk. Let them whisper behind their hands.

Let the whole damn city burn, if it means I get to love him in the flames.

————————————————————————

okay i promised whoever won the polls would get a blurb!!! here it is… Joker!Chris x Harley Quinn!Reader…. they are MY personal favs!!!! i just LOVE they’re dynamic (and backstory that i will get into eventually) BUT i also LOVE Batman!Matt x Catwoman!Reader as well!!!! and i CANNOT forget about Robin!Nick… i love ALL of my aus they’re my babies!!! anyways… i hope you like this and i hope you stick around to keep up with them and all the other from the DC au! oh and if you have any questions or requests PLEASE ask!!!! love yall!

-Roni

[aluminumneedles]

The Great Knitted Christmas Gifts Bonanza of 2024

(Working title)

Besties and beloved mutuals, welcome to the chaos.

This will be wacky. Zany. Incredibly boring at times and possibly excessively dramatic for no reason at all except my (and hopefully your) amusement. We will laugh! I will cry! We will perhaps commiserate over things and also I will aggravate my carpal tunnel! I will ask for advice on things I don't know how to do! I will make polls because audience participation is enrichment for me! Good shit good shit let's get started

At the time of writing it is September 18, 2024, also known as 98 days before Christmas Eve, which will heretofore be known as The Deadline™️. I have, at present, four family members for whom I am making gifts. Now you may be thinking "Kay, that's only four people. That does not warrant a big post." But I'm making one anyway so here we goooo

PERSON #1

Mom. I already decided on my mom's gift, she's getting a shawl. It's my first shawl and I'm kinda geeked about it. It's the Cosmos Textured Knit Wrap from Mama in a Stitch

(photo taken from Mama in a Stitch's website I hope that's ok??)

Yarn is Red Heart worsted weight acrylic in Royal. Now here's the situation: I haven't made a wearable with acrylic yarn in awhile and I wasn't a huge fan of how it felt last time. But I know people do it literally every day, so: when the time comes I will be soliciting advice on how to make it soft and comfy. Plus I hate blocking and I'm gonna have to block this so yay growth!!

PERSON #2

My sister. Adorable, likes a pastel, super long hair, so I was thinking...scrunchies? And then I was thinking scrunchies are not necessarily on the level of gift I was aiming for so I thought...scrunchies + matching leg warmers (babydoll goes to the gym sometimes so i thought it would be cute)? And then. AND THEN. Was scrolling Pinterest instead of sleeping and I found these!!!

Now there are pros and cons

Pros:

I have been wanting to knit lace

I have been wanting to knit socks

Cons:

I have no experience knitting lace or socks

Oh well f*ck it we ball! Will still try to match the scrunchies to the socks. Send thoughts/prayers/advice/yarn recs, because idk what I am doingggg

PERSON #3

My brother. So, at the first of the year I started knitting a blanket kind of just because--I really liked the pattern and I wanted the feeling of starting something new in the new year. In April I decided it would be a gift for my boyfriend at the time, in May it became too hot to knit with wool, and in July the relationship ended. My brother has expressed interest in a blanket from the same pattern and has offered to take this one off my hands. I'm about 3/4 of the way done. Should be an easy gift, right? Maybe I'll throw in a matching pillow?

However, I once promised to make him this sweater:

(image snagged from the MomentsinTwine Etsy shop)

I bought the pattern, I bought the yarn, and I never delivered. (I started it and frogged it twice because my gauge was so so off.)

So uhhh PLEASE do the poll I need help deciding. Yarn would probably be a golden yellow wool blend, because that is the color he wanted 3 years ago and if I ask for an updated color choice he'll know what I'm working on 😭

PERSON #4

My dad.

Y'all.

I have no idea what to do for this man. He is a very classic "I don't want anything" person, and I am a classic "Must. Give. Gift." person. So already, times are tough!! What am I supposed to knit this man???

So I was thinking slippers-- I found a pattern for Woodland Loafers on Ravelry (pattern by Claire Slade) and I thought they were adorable. But then I was thinking why not make a whole, like, cozy care package? So I thought slippers, mug rug + mug cozy, maybe something else? He likes music, he likes to relax and watch his lil shows, he likes M*rvel?? Open to so many suggestions babes.

So...yeah. That's the show. I'll update as I go along, and if you're ever curious about how things are going or want to bully me about not making progress, please nudge me!! Sorry this was so long okay bye

[nothorses]

May I ask why you think Biden stepping down and Kamala being the candidate to be 'good news'? I'm still voting for whoever the Democratic candidate is ofc, but I worry this move threw away the average swingvoter who may have been swayed towards voting blue. I don't see how anyone who may have been okay voting for Biden by virtue of him being an old white dude is gonna be as nice towards a brown woman. I mean, people were too sexist for Hillary, the most milquetoast white woman imaginable. I'd really like to hear your perspective.

Biden has been polling like shit for months, and basically fucking everyone has been calling for him to step out of the race for a while now. It's been the opinion of political experts that he doesn't have much of a shot in this election for a variety of reasons. The vast majority of his own base is incredibly dissatisfied with his stance on Palestine (an understatement), and numbers have been reflecting that he was going to be running against some truly miserable odds because of that.

It is genuinely the best option for him to step out of the race. Literally just about anyone else has a much better shot at winning than Biden did. Kamala included! There was a press conference a while back where someone actually asked him if he'd step down if Kamala polled better, and he said he wouldn't. Which is extremely worrying, because it demonstrates that he may have been prioritizing his own personal ego over the importance of keeping Republicans out of office this election.

I don't like Biden, and I really didn't like his odds in this race. Nobody else did, either. The fact that Obama came out and said Biden needs to step down is indication enough that this happened because the situation is really that dire; you have to remember that Democrats are all about Doing Things By The Book, especially in the last 8-ish years when it's been useful for them to be Rule Followers in contrast to the tantrum-throwing chaos machines that Republicans have been. If there was even a sliver of hope for Biden to stay in the race after being chosen in the sad sham that the primaries were this election cycle, they would have kept pushing just to stay within the bounds of convention.

I was ready to push for Biden regardless, because keeping Republicans out of office is priority #1. But I've been saying for a while now that he needs to drop out (just... not on Tumblr, where the dominant conversation is "does voting for a flawed political pawn make you personally responsible for everything they ever do, or should we abstain and let the fascists hijack our government and kickstart several new genocides for the sake of personal moral purity" and I don't think that kind of nuance would be well-received).

I use my grandparents as a litmus test in a lot of this stuff, because they are very much the Typical Liberal Democrats, and their opinions on these things tend to fall in line with the majority of voting Democrats. They absolutely loved Biden in 2020, long before he was chosen as the candidate. They don't anymore. Seeing them lose any and all enthusiasm for voting for this corpse of a man was evidence enough to me that we needed someone else. Ideally someone people can get excited about, because I think folks have mostly lost the perspective we had in 2020 when Trump's nightmarish presidency was fresh in everyone's minds, and served as motivation enough to get to the fucking polls- regardless of who the Dem pick actually was.

From what I understand, Kamala is actually polling better than anyone else right now. I have my fears about voters' racism and misogyny too, but if she's doing well in the polls, I wonder if maybe there's some other factors counteracting that. She's also got name recognition, and the general impression of Being Qualified (because she's been VP already, like Biden was), and Being Likeable (because she comes with the general positive associations of the largely successful Biden presidency, without any baggage of perceived responsibility that Biden himself carries- like Biden did with Obama). She's been flying under the radar while still reaping the benefits of positive associations, and people know who she is. That feels like a good combination, but I don't know enough, and I haven't read enough into it to make any decently educated guesses.

That said, I don't really know as much about who the other potential candidates might be, either. I've heard Pete Buttigieg's name tossed around, but nobody liked his ass back in 2020 and idk if that's actually changed at all. I just know that every politically-knowledgeable/politically-active leftist whose opinion I've heard on the topic has been citing Biden dropping out as the literal only hope for a non-Republican to win this election, and I'm really fucking excited to see that come to fruition. I just hope the Dems pick someone who really does have a good shot.

As a sidenote, I also really hope this marks a shift in how they make decisions, too. It's become increasingly obvious how out-of-touch Democrats are with their voters, and Biden 2024 was just the latest and greatest indicator of exactly how bad that's gotten. The fact that the party has been able to make such an unconventional decision in response to what their voters actually want gives me a little bit of hope that we might be able to influence more change with them going forward than we have been.

[silkkorchid]

What went down in TWST rp in a week-

Covers 3/30 - 4/5

This week was ok ish…

NRC therapist and Gardening club seems to be planning something against Mrs. Rosehearts…

NRC Newspaper club has a new member called, Atlas, seeming to be an unofficial prophet for NRC, thanks to his Unique Magic.

There is a Dance Club at NRC now-

One of the hosts and the host club seem to have a questionable draft that was soon posted by another host. I’m looking at you 🪞⚜️.

NRC Host Club has now a menu of food, with the one of them being uhm a very clever name for it!

NRC cooking club made a disgusting salad that I cannot describe…

NRC allows students to have tazer if worn correctly…

Another race is happening between Royal Sword Academy and Night Raven College. And there is a poll which school is going to win, some students at NRC are rigging the poll.

Both of RSA and NRC Cleaning club have log entries.

Che’nya is at it with the invisible boop towards the boys.

Some of the boys’ future children are throwing powder ball at them, for no apparent reasons???

The Diasomnia gossip account seems to be telling all the juicy stuff that happens in Diasomnia- wait does Malleus even know this exists?

Someone said Sebek is just… I can’t say it as I’m gonna puke…

A boop war has commenced between us who will get the most boops.

A boop battle between Ruggie and Silver. Silver surrender with Ruggie being the winner .

A student of Diasomnia ate a whole pathway since they were hungry. The person that did this, u know.

Malleus and Althea is having a boop match across campus. Then lasers were incorporated into this match of theirs.? After all that happens, Althea and Malleus end their boop match with ice cream.

Althea trying kidnap Gidel, NO TOUCHING THE CHILD ALTHEA!

General Lilia came back from the dead.

Lilia destroyed the microwave again, wait is that smoke coming from Diasomnia?

Lilia got into Ramshackle��s kitchen and yeeeee….

Riddle realized his mother now got a Tumblr account-

Ace got food poisoning, and Riddle ban him from the kitchen till he gets his credit for the mandatory cooking class.

Mrs. Rosehearts has came back after 4 days. Someone gotta hold onto me before I jump her.

Seems like fans of Riddle are pushing their buttons with Mrs. Rosehearts, and I’m proud seeing them being straight forward on causing chaos.

Ace destroyed a microwave. No questions ask.

Ace got collared for the millionth time.

Ruggie’s future child SOMEHOW broke through a wall!? H-how does that logic work!?

Someone cast a spell onto ruggie in which made him wear bunny ears and a tail.

Leona is trying to pass his responsibility onto Ruggie.

Azul has now met his future child after idk how long.

@quartztwst made Azul bald.

Jamil trying to prevent Alcestris dating Najima, his sister. Meanwhile Althea cheering Alce on…

Epel came back after a beauty break to see the last update before shortly going offline.

Idia arguing which anime he and his future children will watch.

Idia allowing his future children to commit arson…. Ortho please stop him being a bad influence to his own future children…

Idia loosing his shit when the topic of Sonic came up.

Idia lost something very important for his magic pen.

Someone reminded Idia that he accidentally left Ortho’s filter off and you know the story.

The boys’ future children somehow got gender-bend due to a potion.?

The children tried monopoly and it turn into a full on war.

One of Sam’s friends can speak that wired language that I can’t understand-

Cheka came back after a long nap.

Someone taught Cheka to swear-

Fellow and Gidel is at it again trying to find new puppets…

[georgiapeach30513]

April 2025 Masterlist

One Shots

When I'm With You - Ari Levinson

The Shadow of Love - Bucky Barnes

Series

How I’m Looking At You Part 8

If I Asked Him To Part 1

Nothing You Could Do Part 3

Two Good Reasons Part 15, Part 16 NEXT

Polls

Who is your significant other’s best friend (that he wants to share you with)? Who Is Your Office Crush? Who Is Your Baby Daddy (That You Know You Should Quit But...) Who Is Your Stalker, But You Don't Mind? Who Is Your Crush? Who Is Your Sneaky Link? Who Is Your Best Friend? Who Is Your Baby Daddy (That You Get Along With)? Who Is Your First Love? Who Is the Love of Your Life? Which Man Are You Stealing for a Day?

No Context Poll 1 No Context Poll 2 No Context Poll 3

Who Do You Choose?

March Masterlist 2025 Masterlist Masterlist

Sometimes, the best way to find peace is to remove the people who bring chaos

Well, you were laid in verse. Living on a promised word. I am the rose you relinquished again. You and I are down head first in another world I heard. I have a feeling we're close to the end. ~ Sleep Token