#but worth because shiny 🤩

[meganechan05]

So I got a package today...

Someone got very emotional 😂

Also got the bling 😎

[sinimake]

You've got drawing ideas cage fighting (fking love this new AU 😍🤩) and I'm sick and drowning in sick!Johnshi ideas so let me kick them out of my brain please.

So I get the feeling that both Kenshi and Johnny are horrible when they are sick bc they simply. Won't. Let themselves. Get taken care off. The bases are surprisingly similar and yet different.

Kenshi grew up with the idea that showing any sort of weakness is a no-no if you want to survive his (previous) world. So he will do whatever it takes to power through whatever nasty virus has taken over his body. Then this gets aggravated when he is freeing the Taira bc now it has become a "I can't rest yet" type of problem (cue to him collapsing more than once in the past). And there is also a bit of him not believing that he deserves the gentleness and love that is someone taking care of himself.

Johnny hides behind a shiny and loud wall of "THE Johnny Cage cannot get sick. I'm too good for that". But all this façade hides is his fear of his public persona cracking and him falling behind. He *needs* to get this shoot done, this premiere attended, this interview published bc otherwise people will forget him (feeling that was appeared when he started making a career of himself and then got worse pre MK1 events). There is also the fear of being considered a burden (something that his shitty father drilled into his brain and that sadly his mother couldn't fight since she was always so busy trying to raise her 2 sons and drag her useless husband).

And for the both of them there might also be something about not wanting others to pity them?

At the beginning of their relationship this whole thing becomes a bit of a friction point but after a couple of times they realize that letting themselves to be taken care of when sick is not shameful, doesn't make them weak or a burden and that they actually deserve that care and gentleness.

I'm sorry for taking so long to answer your submission bc i have been mulling about what more i can add.

You're SO RIGHT about everything.

Kenshi is a very duty bound person. The Kenshi who's seeking redemption serves people, his family and loved ones, and everything comes before his own needs and wants. Of course, he doesn't let himself rest when he's sick bc it is just trivial thing, a distraction. The way Kenshi just gives up when he loses his sight tells a lot about how he sees his worth bc if he can't fight to save his clan, then he's nothing. Furthermore, he feels that he's underserving of good things bc guilt™️ of his yakuza past.

On the other hand, Johnny is all about proving himself capable. In the entertainment industry, you must be always on you top shape, gotta give 110% all the time, or people will replace you with a blink of an eye. He doesn't do well when people point out his shortcomings, so he mask them and it is probably where his arrogant attitude roots from bc fake it till you make it right?

Johnny and Kenshi are both hypocrites because they want to take care of each other while not doing the same for themselves. Loving someone's uglies is easy when you truly love the person but letting yourself be loved? Being weak and vulnerable with the other? It is hard to unlearn all the ways that helped them survive the world but what's love if you if you can't be your true self.

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: The Steward and the King

New chapter, let’s go!

Dude Eowyn chill out lol

Eowyn: “I’m bummed because I tried to commit sudoku and it didn’t work.” Faramir: “Please don’t do that. You’re too pretty to die. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, we all might die anyway, so you might as well rest up if you wanna be able to fight.” Eowyn: “But they want me to stay in bed. And my window doesn’t look eastward :���-C” Faramir: “Oh! I can fix that! :-D”

AND NOW MERRY AND FARAMIR GET TO CHAT!! DUDE!!

First Bergil, and now Faramir!! This just in: All of Pippin’s friends eventually become Merry’s friends. When am I gonna get my scene with Beregond and Merry, huh??

(I probably won’t but a girl can dream)

Tbh I think the Warden ships Farawyn

Faramir: “I’mma give you my dead mom’s cloak ‘cause it’s beautiful and sad like you”

Faramir: “Man, it’s been great hanging out with you. I really hope the world doesn’t end now, ‘cause I don’t want to lose this.” Eowyn, a genius: “This what?”

This whole scene plays out like a cheesy Bollywood movie. It’s so over-the-top. I love it X’-D

And then everybody MAGICALLY STARTS SINGING AT ONCE

“And his duty was to prepare for one who would replace him” 👀 John the Baptist is that you??

And here we see the healing power of love *throws confetti*

YOOOOOOO WE GET MORE GONDORIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WAIT

Okay so we have trumpets, bells, harps, viols, flutes, and horns listed so far. I’m gonna want to answer that ask more thoroughly at some point won’t I?? ‘Cause I have didn’t have this information before but NOW I DO

Heyyy there’s somebody named Hurin! Hopefully his life has been better than the original one

(I can’t imagine naming your kid after someone who’s best known for having a son with the Worst Life Ever. Like, okay, sassing Morgoth to his face is pretty cool, but is it worth it?? Is it really?? Like the only thing worse would actually be naming your kid Turin. … They’ve done that too, haven’t they?)

ELFHELM!!!

ELFHELM SURVIVED!!

ELFHELM OF DAD JOKES I LOVE YOU

Hahaha hi Ioreth

“They are dear friends, I hear.” HECK YES THEY ARE

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW RIGHT YOU ARE IORETH

Listen one of my favorite tropes is when people in-universe acknowledge the bromance as An Official ThingTM, so this is PEAK. THANK YOU TOLKIEN

Faramir: “I give you my stick.” Aragorn: “No u”

Goodness GRACIOUS that is a whole paragraph of titles for Aragorn. What the heck. Who is it in my notes that always tags Aragorn as “local man has too many names, local authorities report” because you are RIGHT

“Now according to tradition, he should take the crown from his father, but given that his father didn’t have the crown and is also very much dead—”

Faramir: “I give you the crown” Aragorn: “NO U”

And now Frodo does the task of a ring-bearer in an actual wedding, which is to carry the shiny thing to somebody so they can give it to somebody else

“HEY! LET’S HEAR IT FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA!”

Woohoo King Aragorn!

WAIT

HOLD UP

‘ITS GATES WERE WROUGHT OF MITHRIL AND STEEL’??

YOOOOOO!! That’s a 100% METAL DOOR!! In a MEDIEVAL SETTING!! Even WE don’t have huge metal doors for most things, and we’re in the modern age!

First of all, imagine how shiny! Secondly, IMAGINE HOW FREAKIN’ SCI-FI—

BEREGOOOOOOOOND

HELLO MY BOO I’VE MISSED YOU

“And the king said to Beregond: ‘Beregond…’”

Pffft

I must be slaphappy, ‘cause for some reason I find his name being written twice in a row to be very funny

Aragorn: “Okay so you’re not in trouble, but you’re also not allowed to be a Guard of the Citadel anymore.” Beregond: “😨☹️😭” Aragorn: “…Because you’re gonna work FOR FARAMIR! GET PROMOTED ON, IDIOT!!” Beregond: “😧 … 🤩🥳🎉🎊🎈”

Aww haha Aragorn and Eomer hug X-D

Eowyn, to Faramir: “I’ll be back later, I promise.” Eomer, probably: “👀😨😡”

Aragorn: “Pls stick around, friends, I love you guys”

Frodo: “Pippin, you were wrong, Gandalf is keeping secrets again.” Gandalf: “excuse”

Aragorn, excitedly: “LE GASP!! A TREE!!”

Okay so lemme get this straight: Aragorn wasn’t allowed to marry Arwen until he found a tree??

Right. Okay. 🤣🤣🤣

I’m sure this is very symbolically important and whatever but it’s almost 3 AM and I just think it’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all night

GLORFINDELLLLLL

GLORFINDEL HI!!

I’VE MISSED YOU FRIEND!!! 8-D

I guess all these other elves are here too but I don’t really care ROFLOL

This chapter really is the epitome of Tolkien going “oh shoot I guess I’d better include some romance in here huh”

[signoraviolettavalery]

🤩, 📚, 🎉 and 👀 please

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

I mean I really only write two, lol, their names are Michael and Alex. I really like getting into Alex's head and being self-deprecating and self-hating because, like, relatable.

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

Lots of meaningful comments! I got a lot of great ones on "I wish that I could let you love (me)" about how relatable Alex's suicidal ideation and self-worth issues were, and questions about the worldbuilding, and explorations of what offhand lines here and there implied...it was amazing

📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career?

I assume you mean non-academic writing, and yes! I've definitely considered it!

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

Nonnie I am convinced this is your polite way of asking for a wip snippet on a day that's not Wednesday. Well, ask and you shall receive - I kinda rewrote the first scene of my malex ocean's echo fic to be from Michael's POV and I like it a lot better this way:

.] The man’s eyes are drawn immediately to his chest, and Michael can see his breath hitch; he darts out his tongue to lick his lip before composing himself and meeting Michael’s eyes.

Michael only grins wider.

“Can I help you?” he drawls.

“I’m Captain Alex Manes,” he introduces himself. “Can I come in?”

Michael pretends to consider it, looking him up and down in assessment. The man – Alex – is quite attractive, all dark eyes and sharp cheekbones – a fact Michael would find noteworthy if this weren’t the man who’s supposed to have direct, irrevocable command access to his brain.

“I s’pose so,” he says finally, holding open the door. He settles on the edge of the table, still wearing nothing but a towel, and rests one of the legs on a chair, exposing his thigh.

Alex visibly swallows and very carefully keeps his eyes on Michael’s face.

“I thought we might talk first,” Alex says. “Perhaps you could put something on?”

“Nah,” Michael says. He’s not at all inclined to talk – what is there to say? -  and feels a curl of satisfaction at Alex’s discomfort. It might be a terrible idea to provoke the man who’s supposed to sync him, but if he’s going to be under this man’s control for the rest of his life, he can at least make him feel uncomfortable about it. “Unless you want to make me?” he challenges.

“Please put on your clothes, Guerin,” Alex says. To Michael’s surprise, there’s no write command in his voice. Perhaps he’s too weak to write him without a sync? But that wouldn’t make sense. Surely they’d have found someone powerful to control someone like Michael? For whatever reason, Alex doesn’t want to abuse his power for the moment, but given his situation, Michael’s not inclined to consider it anything other than a ploy to lull him into a false sense of security. Still, he knows he doesn’t have any real choices here, so gets up and dons jeans, a shiny belt buckle, and a shirt that he keeps half-unbuttoned.

Alex’s eyes fall to his half-bare chest as he walks back in, and again he pulls himself back. Michael wonders why he’s bothering. After this, Alex will be able to order him to do anything he wants, and Michael had certainly considered the possibility that that might include non-work-related activities.

“Let me hazard a guess,” Alex says once Michael’s back, leaning on the edge of a table with his arms crossed. “You didn’t have a choice about ending up here.”

“Oh, I had a choice,” Michael says darkly. It had been a choice between Isobel and him, which really wasn’t a choice at all.

“I know how the military works,” Alex says sharply. “It’s rare for someone like you to volunteer for something like this. And even if you did commit whatever crime they say you did, taking away a person’s free will for the rest of their lives is barbaric.”

Michael stares at him. Gapes, in fact, the smirk sliding off his face like hot butter as Alex voices the kinds of things he’s only ever dared to say to Isobel.

“And you’re telling me this why?” he asks, still wary.

“To explain why I’m not going to do it,” Alex says. “Not without your consent. Your full consent,” he adds.

“You’re not going to – you have orders,” Michael says.  “And I have to do this.”

He can’t even feel any relief at Alex’s words. He hates the idea of a sync, but he hates the idea of Isobel being forced into one even more. Her losing her free will after everything Noah had already done to her is more than Michael can’t stomach. It’s not like Alex’s refusal is any kind of way out.

“I’m aware,” Alex says. “My orders were very clear. They were also immoral, unconscionable, and, frankly, should be a war crime since it’s pretty clear you didn’t sign up for this voluntarily.  However, the military takes a rather different view, and if I object, they’ll just sync you with someone who has fewer scruples than me.”

And there it is.

“So that’s your way of getting me to agree,” he says.  “Convincing me you’re the least bad choice so you can assuage your conscience.”

He’s been expecting something like this, so he doesn’t know why he’s surprised, doesn’t know at what point Alex’s wide, sincere, brown eyes had made Michael willing to hope, but – fuck.

“God no,” Alex says, looking much too offended at the mere suggestion for someone wearing the uniform of the military that put Michael here.

“What exactly are you suggesting, then?” Michael asks, at a loss as to what options are left.

“We lie,” Alex says. “We fake it.”

Michael blinks at him. While that idea had crossed his mind as a theoretical possibility, that’s where he’d left it, certain that anyone they trusted enough to sync him would be keen to follow orders as a good little soldier. And judging by Alex’s youth and captain’s stripes, he’s been exactly that. “If we’re found out, we’re both fucked,” Michael says carefully.  He doesn’t think the higher-ups would be much kinder to Alex just because he’s one of them if they found out what they’d done. “Why would you risk it?”

“You’re not the only one who wasn’t given a choice,” Alex says. He looks like he wants to say more, but doesn’t. Michael reaches out, surface-reading Alex, and gets nothing but honesty. Either Alex can project things he’s not thinking, or he’s telling the truth. “But if we can trust each other, we can get through this, maybe even figure something out long-term,” Alex adds.  

[peralta-guaranteed]

your fics are amazing !!🤩

Do u want to write sth from jack’s view? When he first found himself attracted to Amy?Like Amy was this pantsuit wearing little nerd, and one day he saw her wearing pretty dresses with hair down and boom💥

okay, there’s a companion piece for Jake’s POV in the works for that ‘Amy finds him attractive’ fic, but the bit where he gets shocked by her dress comes in very late, so here’s a little something else to fulfil that prompt faster :D

This is gonna be so good. He can’t wait to see her face - she’ll cuss him out for it for at least a week, but it’ll have been worth it.

Amy should’ve never told him about this date. That’s what she gets for sharing personal info at work - so unprofessional, Santiago, really, I thought you were here for police work, not personal chitchat.

She hadn’t sounded too excited for it, anyway. Her friend - Kimmy? No, Kylie - had recommended this dude a bit too much, it seemed, had painted to golden a picture of him for her to take it seriously. So he wasn’t really doing much harm.

Jake notes her date as soon as he gets into the restaurant - man, Santiago’s description of him is spot-on. She’s really got a knack for these things, jotting down a perp’s description with barely three lines of notes. He looks like a douche. Kylie must not know her very well to think she’d be at all interested in the suave, blonde, white-toothed, diamond-earring wearing banker type. Who’s probably got a solid savings account, and extra spending account for his weekend trips to Europe, and a retirement plan. Whose weekly mealplan is prepped and done on Sunday instead of a rotating schedule of the local take away flyers.

Maybe Jake’s projecting a bit.

Anyway, he spots him straight away, and sitting opposite him-

Her.

She- She’s - her hair’s open. Jake realises he’s never seen her with her hair open, has only ever known the strict ponytail or even stricter bun, the no-nonsense brushed back style needed for pursuing criminals and then leaning over their paperwork without a single stray hair to bother her.

It looks. Nice. Her hair open. Really nice. Soft. Very shiny in the dim lights of the restaurant. It swishes around her face, and flows to the side when she tilts her head a little to smile at a story her date seems to be telling. 

Jake feels his hand twitch, like he wants to reach out and touch it, run his fingers through it, see if it feels as soft and wonderful as it looks, but - no. He shakes his head only a little, to get a grip back on reality, because what was that?

He’s here for a hilarious prank, and that’s what he’s gonna do now.

“So this is where you’ve been going.” His voice is wobbling, almost sobbing, and his face is the perfect mix of angry and distraught as he steps up to their table and is met with the most WTF look from her, and a very confused state from her date.

“Jake-..?” She only gets out before he actually pulls back a fake-sob.

“This is what you’ve been doing while I’m late at work? Dating around? I know we’ve only been separated for a week, Amy, but this is- is-" He takes a deep breath, wrings his hands, while Amy’s eyes widen to a degree he didn’t think was possible, and her date’s head plays pingpong between the two.

“Amy, who is-”

“Where’s Angie?” He belts out, and Amy drops her head in her hands. “Did you leave her at your mom’s, at least?”

“Jake, please-”

“Alright.” Her date lifts up his hands as if backing away from some rabid animal, scooting his chair back. “I think I’m in the wrong place here entirely. Sorry, uh, Jake? I didn’t- I don’t know anything about this. I’ll be leaving. Amy, I- uh. I won’t call.”

He’s up and out in a flash, at least with the decency of leaving a few bills for the drinks and appetizers they’ve apparently already had, and Jake drops down in his now vacant seat.

“Man, that was quick. What a wuss. I thought I would have to make up much more backstory for little Angie and her deliquent momma.”

Amy’s stare could melt the polar caps if she only got close enough, he’s sure.

“Jake Peralta, you are the worst ass I have ever-” She raises a shaking hand to point at him before pulling in a deep breath with her eyes squeezed shut, then dropping back in her chair, and... lauging.

That’s not the reaction he was expecting.

He was also not expecting that outfit, now that he looks at her properly, while she’s distracted.

There’s - there’s a dress. It’s, uh, it’s light blue. Cornflower blue, he thinks after what Gina has taught him about her nailpolishes. The short sleeves are flowy, if that’s the right word, throwing little curves and folds around her arms, the light colour a stark contrast to her tan skin. Her dark, shiny hair falls over her shoulders, along the neckline of the dress, and there is, uh, there’s definitely-

A neckline. That’s what it’s called. That’s what he’s gonna call it, at least, because the word ‘cleavage’ would probably shut his brain down entirely.

Anyway, there’s a neckline. A pretty deep one. A shiny gold necklace nestled inbetween, with a little pearl on the pendant, and he’s looking at her cleavage to long he needs to look up he needs to-

She sighs as she stops laughing and leans forward, folding her hands against her elbows, and nope, that position is not helping either.

“You know what?” Her voice helps, at least, draws his eyes back up to her face, and she’s not looking at him, thankfully, so she probably didn’t see that bug-eyed stare downwards. She’s looking to the side, towards the door through which her date had only just dashed. “I was this close to hiding in the toilets and texting you to come bail me out, so I’m not going to get mad at you for doing exactly that.”

“What?” It’s more a ‘I didn’t really listen’ What, but luckily she misinterprets it as a ‘Tell me more’ What.

“God, he was annoying. I don’t think I got out more than 5 words the whole time. Just me, me, me, me stories. And all about how much he spent on this, and how exclusive that was, and-” She growls, and that’s a noise that he’s definitely never going to forget. “So you did me a favor, I guess.”

“You mean my prank was a total failure?”

“I mean you helped out a friend in need instead of being an absolute ass of a coworker, so be happy about that.” She gives him a pointed look, and he only nods.

“I can work with that. Always at your service. Would’ve made it here after your text in 5 minutes anyway.” He grins, and she smiles back, and he notices her golden earrings match the little necklace as she tucks her hair behind both ears.

“So, what are we eating? Please tell me he didn’t order lobster or something else I definitely can’t pay for.”

-*-

The night seems neverending, as they share the very expensive bottle of wine her date had already paid for, and then another rather cheaper one, and laugh and chat and eat some not-so-expensive pasta and a tiramisu-for-two simply because of the ridiculous pun on the menu.

But it does end, at some point, after they’ve settled the bill (half/half, because this wasn’t a date), and Jake offers her a hand by pulling out her chair as she gets up (as you do, because Nana didn’t raise a boy with no manners). Her hair falls forward as she rises, and the back of her dress is in no way shorter than the neckline, and suddenly Jake can only imagine how it must feel to run his fingers down the line of her spine, press his lips against her nape where her necklace sits, swipe her soft hair to the side to kiss his way around her neck to the front-

Wow, okay, that is not okay. She’s his partner. A friend. Amy Santiago, resident killjoy, a walking pantsuit. Not sexy. Not attractive like that.

Beautiful, yes. Adorable when she giggles, soft when she’s lost in thought. But not... one heck of a bombshell when she’s not being ‘appropriate’ for work.

Because, oh god, she’s standing up now, walking past him to get her coat, and that dress- it’s- well, it’s a longer skirt than the depth of her neckline, but not much.

And hiding those legs in shapeless grey slacks should be considered a crime.

-*-

He walks her home, because, again, Nana and manners and also their conversation just won’t end, and he doesn’t want it to end. She wraps her hands around his elbow because she’s cold, and he’s warm, and she’s tipsy and swaying and needs something to steady her, and that’s all there is to it. That’s all.

She smiles at him when they reach her doorstep, leans a little closer, and there could be so much more to it if he only dared to-

“Thank you for inadvertently rescuing me tonight. Even though you planned to be a douche initially. I’m sure I wouldn’t have had half as much fun with Jared.”

He grins and nods and she leans back again and god damnit, he missed it.

“Always at your service.” He repeats, then stares at his feet. The safest place to stare at, even as her coat covers most of what could drag his eyes away from her soft, still smiling face.

“Although... you sure you wanted to be rescued? Maybe Jared wasn’t all that bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you, uh.” He gestures to her - everything, a movement enhanced only by the sudden realisation that he’s quite tipsy as well, with swaying hands and the nerve to actually say this. “You certainly expected more than a bad date in that outfit.”

She blushes, and that was definitely wrong to say, and fuck, can he turn back just a few seconds ago, back to when she was leaning into his direction and he could smell her perfume and notice that her lipstick was a colour he couldn’t even name from Gina’s assortment?

“Well, I- I like to make an effort. Even for a blind date.” She tugs at the hem of her skirt, poking out under her coat, and he swallows hard.

“Some effort.” He mumbles, and is met with a questioning look.

“I mean, uh, I- you- you look-” Amazing. Breathtaking. Like a Goddess. Like he’ll never be worth her time, never should even dream of getting even an inch closer to her than he was now.

“Great.” He settles on, finally, because none of those words were safe, and great is good. Great is okay. Great works for friends, and coworkers, and partners. Or whatever they were.

And she smiles, so it must’ve been the right thing to say.

“Thanks.” She says, and her earrings shine under the streetlights as her hair swishes behind her ears again. “And, well, thanks again for the save, like I said.” There’s a beat of silence between them as well as a stare, and Jake could just- if he only-

“Well, I better get inside before I get sober enough to realise how cold it is.” She jokes, and he grins again and nods and missed it again.

But she takes a step forward, and before he can register it properly, there’s a warm breath against his cheek and soft lips and a lipstick mark he’s not going to wipe off until it rubs onto his pillow.

“Good night.” She says and then there’s clicky heels on her steps and a door opening and closing, and he’s standing alone on the ice cold New York sideway, and he knows that if he gets even a second of sleep tonight, his dreams will be nothing but this.

Nothing but cornflower blue fabric and gold pearls, raven black hair and dark red lips and tan skin.

[gureishi]

You have tattoos?!?! I'm 😍🤩!! What are your tattoos of? Do you have a favourite? Constellations on their ring fingers please I'll cry!! Saeyoung probably feels weird about tattoos right? Because if you get a tattoo where people can see then they have a way to identify you? I can see him being unsure until they actually get them and then his heart is just so full of love!! He glances at his or her tattoo every now and again and just feels on top of the world.

Akdnsk their dynamic is everything to me!! Hopefully they have room for all of the cribs. The RFA come for a baby shower and are just like Uhh You're Expecting Twelve?? And Saeyoung is like This Is A Perfectly Normal Amount Of Cribs!!

Ahh I'm craving that sweet sweet Quantum Entanglement content!! I was going to ask if you're going to be writing more of them but then I realised Red Universe!! I'm so excited!!

Anyway!! I can see Dev really enjoying all the tourist spots. They believe that so many people agreeing that someplace is worth visiting and traveling to gives it value. However they also adore visiting residential areas. They have a quiet sort of awe for places that aren't marked as special. Idk it's just like Someone Lives Here. Someone Loves This Place. I can see them on the last day of a trip just taking a taxi through these towns, leaning their head against the window and imagining themself living there. I think they also make a point to try the local cuisine, especially if it's weird!!

So with the deal they make when they first meet, Jinx is expecting a physical thing. She comes to visit Dev, even when they've made it back home, and actually begins to realise that What She Wants is companionship. She wants to be friends but she doesn't know how to do that or communicate that. But she's seen that human friends give gifts!! So she brings sticks from her nest, rocks from halfway across the world, some very shiny bottle caps - Dev accepts and keeps all of them but doesn't exactly understand what she means by them.

Jinx decides clearly these aren't good enough and begins to rob people. (She's a bird she doesn't get the concept of stealing, all she thinks is that clearly these items are worth having, as decided by other people, so they must be good gifts.) She brings kids toys, washing that was hung out to dry, and at one point a wholeass deck chair! This does escalate into breaking into people's houses but that's a different thing.

When she meets the RFA she does steal from them too, but it's Affectionate Theivery.

Dev watching Jinx incorporate another shirt into her nest: hm that looks familiar

Jumin getting up for work to discover he has no tops left: ???????????

Jinx is super delighted by potato chips. Saeyoung teaches her tricks in exchange for Honey Buddha Chippies. Sometimes she doesn't even eat them she just *crunch crunch crumch*. I can see her stealing like, a whole rotisserie chicken off some poor family's table while their backs are turned too. She just drops it in front of Dev and goes "Snack :)" (and what is Dev just gonna not eat it? She brought them a snack!!) I think she also adores just whatever your favourite snack is, as long as you share it with her.

Dev 🤝 Jinx -> you made this for me?? Oh! Love for human!! Love for human for One Thousand Years!!

I couldn't articulate it earlier but something about Saeran choosing to save Saeyoung at Magenta just feels so significant to me? Like in canon he and MC are Out and Safe and to save Saeyoung he uses his hacking. But this way they have to post-pone their escape and like he has to be there and actually face Saeyoung.

So, Dev is anxious to save Saeyoung. I think that despite themself they expect that Saeran won't let them try. But he's there because of Dev and how can they just leave him to what would be their fate, or perhaps even worse? Saeran finds them with a I'm Doing This And You Can't Stop Me attitude.

I think it really throws Saeran off that Saeyoung Is Here And He Came To Save You. He wants to argue against it and has to remind himself that he's been lied to about his brother. I think what grounds him is Dev's outrageous plan. They don't want to sit down and take the time to think out a good plan they want to go get Saeyoung and make him safe.

Umm okay I honestly think Dev and Saeran are smarter than me so idk if I could actually come up with what their plan might be. It probably ends up with Saeran monitoring the cameras to help Dev navigate the halls without bumping into any believers.

I think Rika would put Saeyoung aside, just in a room. The ultimate plan through all the routes was to get RFA to Magenta to convert them right? But Saeran's position has been made precarious by Dev, so I imagine she'd want Saeyoung out of the way until after Saeran's loyalty was secured again.

I think that Saeyoung would have been drugged to prevent him from escaping (Rika knows he's an agent right?) and so Saeran has to come because Dev can't carry him alone. I think they have close calls trying to navigate without the cameras, but it isn't until they're in the garden that they're actually caught. Saeyoung has enough clarity to direct them to his car and it's that way they just barely escape.

Neither Saeran nor Dev can actually drive btw!!

As for the reunion. I think Saeran is angry. They get somewhere safe, Saeyoung sleeps off the drugs and has what minor wounds he acquired treated, and Saeran is angry. They were caught!! They were caught because they had to save Saeyoung!!! He should've stayed away.

Not that Saeran says any of that? I think he's quiet in this anger, he keeps his distance and doesn't talk to Saeyoung more than he has to. He hasn't had a chance to come to terms with what he was told about Saeyoung being false yet, nor did he have a chance to prepare himself to see him.

Dev apologises to Saeyoung for asking him to come, and reassures him that Saeran will come around. And I think Saeran talking to them really helps him come to terms with things!! It will take a while for the twins to be Okay with all the damage that's been done to them but they really do want it for themselves and each other.

I just realised I can just watch a Ray Route play through on youtube rather than replaying it myself!! So perhaps I'm going to be working out what Actually happens during the route soon!! If I have interesting stuff to share in regards to that would you like to hear it?

Less questions today I think coz I'm tired skdjs. Does Eunji have a comfort movie? A comfort song even? What's her favourite genre (movies and music)? Would she be the type the play dating sims? Does she have any allergies? Oh and also if you like tell me one random thing about her! Just anything you'd like to share!!

- i

My darling i anon!!! Hello! I am soooo sorry for being gone for so long! As soon as I finished my finals we immediately left to see family. I'm back, and I've missed chatting with you!

I do have tattoos! My favorite is this pretty large fish on my right forearm. It's the little gold fish from One Hundred Years of Solitude (though it's black-and-white and not at all little, it does look like it's made of metal).

This Is A Perfectly Normal Amount of Cribs. That made me laugh a lot. Who needs a baby monitor when you have GPS satellites hovering over your infant? (Eunji reminds him that the GPS isn't really necessary because where would they go, but he says, you know, just in case).

Yesssss! We haven't worked on the Red Universe fics in a while because I've been so busy with school, but we're gonna pick back up now that I'm on winter break! I'm even gonna be replaying the route for inspiration, which I actually haven't done in over a year.

I love the image of Dev leaning out the window drinking in the air of a place where people live. Do they want to end up living in a city? Or a house somewhere? Or always moving around?

Jinx stealing everyone's stuff (especially Jumin's shirts) delights me. A very good bird. And the rotisserie chicken!!! Oh my god. Does Dev ever have to go shopping again?! Or does everything they want just magically get delivered by their bird best friend?

So I can make gifts for Dev and Jinx and they'll like me forever?!??

Yes. One of the many flaws with the game, in my opinion, is how little we get to see of the brothers actually dealing with each other face-to-face. It's so important to both of them, and the game skips over so much of it (particularly in Ray's route and the AEs)!

This escape plan is brilliant. I love how Dev is taking the lead and sort of orchestrating the whole thing, because they've found something they really care about (and it sounds like they're the kind of person who GETS THINGS DONE when they care about those things!)

Oh dear who is driving this car?!?? Is my poor drugged boy driving them all into a tree or???

Would love to read this whole scene between the three of them post-escape. It seems like Dev being there creates a sort of buffer to allow them to own up to their anger, and that's such an important part of both of their healing.

I would love to hear more about what happens during the route, yes!!!

As for the questions: Eunji didn't really grow up watching shows and movies. Her parents were strict, though both in different ways, and they took a "TV will rot your brain, go outside and entertain yourself" sort of approach. As an adult, she's antsy and impatient. It's hard for her to sit through a whole movie. She loves cooking shows, but she needs to be doing at least two other things at the same time or she'll get bored. Her music taste is all over the place: she likes to choreograph to something with a really good beat or something acoustic and atmospheric and a little bit obnoxious. She listens to super aggressive pop music when Saeyoung lets her drive his cars (which isn't often) and plays Jimi Hendrix to help herself sleep, for some reason.

She's less likely than I am to play a dating sim game, because she's less interested in dreaming and more interested in doing. If she played Mystic Messenger (rather than being, you know, in it), she'd get annoyed with the constant notifications and give up after like a day and a half. How about Dev? Do they play dating sims?

I'm allergic to cats, and I can't decide if I wanna also give her my cat allergy. I keep going back and forth about it. Poor Saeyoung, to never get a cat because of his allergic girlfriend!

A random fact? Hmmm. She has a terrible sense of direction. One time, in college—in New York City, which is on a grid—she got lost walking back to her apartment from a restaurant. Her phone was dead and she was too stubborn to go buy a charger, so she wandered the city for hours before accidentally ending up in front of her building. Turns out she was two blocks away the whole time.